TravellinHusker

I started planning this trip with 2 other friends, which ballooned to 6, then reduced to 5 and finally settled on 4. Oh, the ills of organising a vacation with such undecided people. There was one decision I had already made and no one was going to mess with that: I was flying F class. After using the ANA tool, I found the best flights for my needs and settled on the following routing: FCO-BKK (TG F) BKK-DPS (TG C) DPS-BKK (TG C) BKK-CDG (TG F) CDG-MUC (LH C) MUC-VCE (LH C). Before I hear the roars of FTers saying why all the connections on the return? Well, there weren’t any other options. I was determined to fly in F and I had a companion with me flying in C. Finding two premium seats on the same flight with the connections getting us back home to Venice was very difficult. And, I just didn’t want to be on LH F. I was aiming for SQ, LX, or TG. (We had to buy one way tickets VCE-FCO on AZ for the departure).

A few weeks before departure, I discovered online the Pre-Booking Meal Service for F class passengers on TG. The menu was very extensive. I called the local TG offices in Rome and they gave me the true list of meals available – about 10 options. I selected the Penang Green Curry with Prawns and steamed rice. I prayed and prayed and prayed that the 747 scheduled for both F class segments wouldn’t have a last-minute aircraft swap. Both aircraft at the time of booking were the older aircraft with the new Royal First Class configurations. I was able to select 1A on the FCO-BKK flight and 2A on the CDG-BKK flight. The other two TG flights being on the regional configurations without F class. My companion and I snagged 2 seats together (aisle and window) on both of those flights.

The day of departure came and I was still nervous about a last minute swap of aircraft. Online still showed the new seat configuration, but I know one can’t always trust that. I just had to wait until arrival in Rome to see what plane was sitting on the tarmac. Our AZ flight was due to leave VCE at 725am arriving into FCO at 830am. We couldn’t check our luggage all the way through due to being on separate tickets. Which was actually fine with me because I had no desire to trust AZ to get my bags over to TG.

AZ1492 VCE-FCO MD82 seat 3C

I checked in online 20 hours before departure and printed the BPs. Check-in at VCE was easy in the Skyteam Elite+ line. Bags tagged only to FCO. Flight was wheels up, small packet of nasty dried crackers and a sparkling water, wheels down. A usual domestic AZ flight with low expectations, low results. The real humdinger was when we had to wait over 1 hour and 15 minutes for our luggage to arrive. No reasons, no excuses, no nothing. Two trips to the Luggage Service Centre to ask where the luggage for our flight was got us a reply of, “It’s coming.” Finally, the luggage did arrive and we headed back up to check-in for Thai. As we were crossing the overhead bridge to the International Terminal, we spotted our Thai 747 sitting there and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was one of the older birds with the new F cabin.


TG945 FCO-BKK 747 seat 1A

We arrived at the TG check-in area way too early as they weren’t even open yet. We noticed a small sign at the ticket desk advising that check-in would open 3 hours prior to departure. So, we wandered over to the food court to have something to drink and watch the runway action. Just at 3 hours, we walked up to find all the check-in desks open and already serving passengers. I headed over to the Royal First counter, while my companion steered his way to the Royal Silk line. There were 3 passengers at the Royal First counter in a rather heated conversation. Two of them were confirmed and ticketed in F class (both Italian), however their servant (a Thai national) was only confirmed in C class and they wanted to use an upgrade for him. Unfortunately, the staff were not allowing it and it made the woman a bit agitated. She was absolutely dripping with gold, platinum, and diamonds while the husband looked like he’d just woken up from a nap and couldn’t be bothered. The servant appeared very embarrassed by the scene. While I was waiting a very nice Italian man approached me and asked if I was Mr. TravellinHusker. I confirmed that yes, I was. He mentioned that they had seen I had already checked-in online and wanted to know how many bags I would be checking in through to Denpasar. He was only the security man and would pre-screen everything for me. He asked for my passport and my Web Check-in Receipt. He disappeared around a corner and came back out with Royal First tags to affix to my 2 bags. He advised me that he would see me at the gate for boarding if I had any questions. Finally, after about 10 minutes, it was my turn. The check-in agent was absolutely delightful and handed me my boarding passes for 1A to BKK connecting to 12J for the connection to Denpasar. She handed me a lounge pass. I noticed my companion at the counter next to me also had received the same lounge pass. We had almost 3 hours to kill before take off so we headed directly to the lounge. The line in the terminal was horrible for security and passport control. So, we headed over to Terminal B security which is just a 2 minute walk. There we cleared security in less than 3 minutes and walked 20 metres to Passport Control were there were, again, no lines!
After a little shopping, we found our way over to the lounge, but stopped briefly at the gate to take a few photos of our ride to BKK.


The lounge in Rome is nothing to write home about. Yes, it is a billion times nicer than the AZ lounge next door, but that isn’t saying much at all. What we found really odd was that the staff at the front desk only spoke Spanish, not Italian and barely understandable English. What in the world?? Weird.
My companion wanted to take a shower, so he headed back to get freshened up while I played on my computer and new iPhone. I was doing my darndest to get as many tv shows downloaded to the iPhone before boarding. I needed some entertainment in case I didn’t like what was onboard.
About 45 minutes before departure, they made an announcement that our flight would begin boarding. We headed upstairs and discovered chaos. Not really surprising for Italian standards, but add in the chaos of Asia to the chaos of Italy and it’s a free-for-all. They did have a special Royal First/Royal Silk boarding area, but it was more like a scrum match. While we were waiting for the boarding to actually begin, the FCO TG Station Manager came over and shook my hand. He noticed the Royal First boarding pass. He also located the wealthy Italian couple and guided us through the unwashed masses of Royal Silk passengers into a separate waiting area near the escalator that would eventually take us down to the jetway. He was a delightful man wearing a bright purple coat and a rather ornate jewelled pendant of the Thai royalty.
He personally escorted us down the escalator to the aircraft and handed us over to the inflight staff. I was immediately impressed with the interior of the aircraft. And the staff were absolutely beaming and radiant. They were so pleased to have us onboard. I struck a conversation with the Italian couple and discovered they have one of their 5 homes in Phuket and travel there about 5 times a year. They were very nice and we ended up chatting for quite a bit. During our conversation, I could see my companion who was in 23A getting settled in. The lead FA in F came to us with Dom Perignon, which we all accepted without hesitation. Oh, what a treat! Such a glorious champagne. I do love prosecco and it is not fair to compare it to champagne. They are just in two different worlds. But this Dom was absolutely superb! I motioned for my companion to come forward and meet the nice couple and we chatted for about 5 minutes. Our final Royal First passenger boarded with heavy security. Little did I know we were travelling with the President of Ghana, John Atta Mills. He was a very nice man who was headed to a World Hunger Congress in Thailand. However, he chose to eat, then sleep for the entire journey, so I didn’t get a chance to really speak to him so much. So, in the end, there were just 4 of us in Royal First. Our Royal First flight attendant, Rosalin, later told me that Royal Silk was booked full and Y was about 60%. Between myself and the Italian couple, we polished off 2 bottles of Dom before take off!





Rosalin came around and offered us the amenity kits, slippers, and purple Thai pyjamas and advised me that she had my specially ordered meal on board. However, if I wanted something else from the menu, she would be happy to get it for me. Menus were handed out inside the Rough-hewn silk covers.

The menu for Rome-Bangkok was:

Canapés
Oscietra Caviar with Garnitures

First Serving
Smoked Salmon Marinated with Dill
Raw Ham “Fiocco della Valtellina”, Marinated Vegetables “allumette”
Stuffed Hot Pepper, Aubergine Confit, Spicy Pear Sauce

Soup
Tomato and Shrimp Soup

Main Course
Grilled Beef Fillet, Diced Tomato and Balsamic Vinegar Sauce
Savoy Potatoes, Bean Stew

Or

Pan-friend Nile Perch Fillet with Almonds
Piemontese Style Sauce, Buttered Fettuccine
Sauteed Spinach and Bell Pepper

Or

Stir-fried Chicken with Garlic, Chicken Garlic Sauce
Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Stir-fried Vegetables

Or

Roast Pork with Sauce, Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice

Bread Selection/Butter
Assorted Cheese Tray/Fresh Fruits

Dessert
Cottage Cheese and Pear Cake
Chocolate Sauce

Tea, Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino

I am allergic to some fish and seafood, so I politely explained this to Rosalin. She took special care to make sure that my Canapés, and all plates for that matter, were safe for me to eat. She even went out of her way to prepare a few extra little bites that weren’t on the menu so that my plate didn’t look so empty. Then they came around with the caviar and asked which garnishes I wanted. Listen, I am not a huge fan of caviar, but thought I would give it another shot. Ok, so I did that, not to do it again. Blecht. Not for me, thank you very much. It was served with ice-cold Smirnoff Blue vodka.

The soup was absolutely divine! A rich tomato soup with at least 2 shrimp in every spoonful. Just perfect.

Then out came my special meal. WOW! It was a very nice green curry with eggplant and giant prawns. It didn’t look so great once I dumped the curry on top of the rice, but it tasted absolutely wonderful.


I was still a bit hungry as I hadn’t eaten a thing all day really. Rosalin came over and asked if I wanted anything else from the menu. I was really tempted to to the Chicken and Garlic, but I decided to be kind to my fellow cabin-mates and went for the Fillet. It was fantastic too! What a delicious steak, cooked perfectly, and served elegantly. I had continued with the Dom during the first portions, but for the steak, switched over to a delicious red. The wine list on Thai is very impressive. Besides the Dom Perignon champagne, there were the following listings onboard:
White – Château Le Bourdillot Graves 2005
Château De Cruzeau, Pessac-Léognan 2003
Meursault Les Vireuils Dessous 2004
Santenary 1er Cru, Beaurepaire 2003

Red - Château Dauzac Margaux Grand Cru Classe 2003
Mercurey 1er Cru Clos l’Evêque 2006

As I was finishing the steak, I asked if it would be ok for my companion in Royal Silk to join me for dessert. Royal First has the ottoman for guests to sit and visit. Rosalin asked the other 3 cabin-mates if they minded and they all said it was not a problem. So, she escorted him through the back area of the galley to the ottoman. She set the table for 2 and poured him a glass of the Dom. She served up the cake with chocolate sauce to us both and we enjoyed a few moments of pure bliss with the dessert and champagne. She came back with two glasses for the 1795 Extra OTARD cognac. I am not a huge cognac fan, but this was very smooth, deep, and delicious. I felt very warm all over. We finished our cognac and he retired to his seat to sleep away the night. Rosalin came around to each seat and delivered 2 bottles of water and asked if there was anything else. I told her I would like to change and would it be possible to put an extra blanket down on the seat for sleeping. She said, “Of course.” and when I came out of the bathroom, my bed was made, corner folded down with the top blanket, 2 pillows, and the purple orchid on top of the pillow with a small handwritten note, “Pleasant Dreams, Mr TravellinHusker”. WOW!

I usually don’t sleep well on planes, no matter how comfortable the seat. I really like the Thai F seat even if the head is raised just a smidge. I actually prefer it. It was a bit hot on the plane though and I wandered back to the galley to ask one of the attendants to please turn down the heat. They quickly did that and almost instantly, it was much more comfortable. She said it had been on 24! YIKES!

I slept for a good 6 hours before waking. I watched a movie and a show on my iPhone. Here is a video from inflight just before breakfast was served. You can see the wealthy Italian couple still getting some shut-eye with Mr. President behind me in 2A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QvfqK0aZqU

Rosalin came around and offered to set up my tray for breakfast. The menu for breakfast was as follows:

Fresh Fruits
Yoghurt, Cereals

Main Course
Scrambled Eggs with Emmenthal Cheese
Sauteed Sausage, Macaire Potatoes
Sauteed Champignon Mushrooms with Parsley
Toasted Bread

Or

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and Spinach Flan
Roasted Potatoes
Sauteed Champignon Mushrooms with Parsley
Grilled Tomato

Or

Noodle Soup with Chinese Roast Pork

Or Soft Boiled Rice with Accompaniments (Oriental Style)

Assorted Breads, Butter, Jam, Honey
Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate

I was in an Asian kind of mood for breakfast so I went for the Noodle Soup with Chinese Roast Pork. I was not disappointed. It was absolutely delicious and I think I got all the pork because it seemed like a kilo of it was in my soup. Very delicate roasted flavour. Nice spicy broth with noodles. I really enjoyed that breakfast.

I freshened up in the bathroom and when I came out, my seat was all fixed up, pillows gone, blankets folded and put away and a fresh bottle of water was waiting for me. Rosalin came around to my seat and spoke to me briefly. She was as genuine as they come and really enjoys her job as shown by the effort she puts into making each passenger feel like they are the only one in the cabin. I saw the comment form in the stationery folder in the slot next to the seat. I filled it out and gave Rosalin glowing feedback and handed it to her, sealed of course, as I exited the plane. I received an email from Thai a few days later thanking me for the feedback and said they would be sure to pass on my commendations to Rosalin and her supervisor.

Next stop… Royal First Lounge.

grizu

great Trip report. I was in 1A on TG F last week on FRA-BKK, so it was nice to read your report on the same experience.

BTW one thing, I found wired was that the amenity kit did not include ear plugs.

N830MH

I think its great trip reports. I'm glad you are enjoyable went onto the trip from FCO-BKK and returns back home to VCE. I don't see any windows shot by outside and also, I didn't see it any more pictures of cabin view and I could see the sunset & sunrise will be shine. I can see beautifully sunrise where I flown out of HNL-PHX by last year. All I can says 'WOW!" its looks gorgeous that I can see beautiful morning before approach into PHX. I was sleep on the plane HNL-PHX. So please keep it up for your good work writing the trip reports.

TravellinHusker

Yah, I thought it was weird too. I asked the wonderful Rosalin for some and she brought me a packet of them. On the return, the staff went around the cabin to offer them.

As for more cabin views or shots outside the plane, you know the flight leaves about 2pm from Rome and this was before the time change, so very quickly, it was dark outside. Somewhere over Greece is got dark and it was nighttime the rest of the way there. They shut the blinds for us before serving dinner. And the flight arrived at 6am. The sun was barely peaking up when we arrived in BKK. In fact, when we came in for the landing, it was still kind of dark, but by the time we pulled up to the jetway, it was a bit lighter. I don't think we had a chance to see the sunrise.

I did take a short video while in the cabin in the early morning just after breakfast. I will upload it to YouTube and post the link soon.

RTW4

I also had the same level of experience while travelling from LHR-BKK in TG first.. Boarding was a mess.. but once on board the service was excellent...

LNKed

Thanks for the report, the food looks quite tasty. And is that a USA today?

Cassolato

Hi TravellinHusker, I really enjoyed your trip report, and I love that Champagne-Prosecco comparison (I live near VCE, near Castelfranco to be precise, and I *need* to be a Prosecco supporter )

Hope to read soon your thoughts on other flights!

Ciao,
Nicola

hoyateach

An impressive start. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

TravellinHusker

Yes, it was. One of the numerous English-language publications on board the flight. :-)

TravellinHusker

Royal First Lounge BKK

When we landed in BKK, the windows fogged over extensively, so it was impossible to see outside. We pulled up to the C concourse and the jetways were locked in place. Rosalin and her colleagues blocked off the unwashed, disheveled, poor passengers from Royal Silk Class so we could exit from Royal First. Of course, with the traditional “wai” greeting and echoes of “korp khun krap” from the Thai staff. Upon exiting the aircraft, I spotted no less than 6 government officials waiting for Mr. Atta Mills, and at the end of the jetway was a young man in purple silk coat with the cart and my name on the board. I waited for my companion and politely asked to the driver if he could join us on the buggy ride to the Royal First Lounge. He said it was not a problem and we hopped on and drove a whopping 60 seconds to the escalator that goes up to the lounge. :-) I was really hoping for some Formula 1 buggy driving through BKK. But instead, our plane had parked so close to the lounge location, we got 60 seconds of mediocre speed and alot of horn beeping. We did almost run over a Japanese man though. It did provide for a small amount of excitement. Our connection to Denpasar was due to leave at 840am, so we had basically about 2 hours before we had to catch the buggy over to concourse E. We were warmly welcomed into the Royal First Lounge again with the sing-song “Sawadee kaaaaaaaaaaa” and “Sawadee kaaaaaap” and “wai” greetings. We were quickly escorted into one of the private rooms and asked if we wanted something to drink. We were both a bit dehydrated and it was 610am, much too early for a cocktail (even if I do believe in the old adage “No Liquor Before Noon”.. hell, it’s gotta be noon somewhere, right?). Our sparkling water was quickly brought in and they asked if we wanted spa treatments.

My companion was eager for another shower and I was happy for a massage. We were escorted into the Thai Spa and given cold, lemongrass scented towels (how wonderfully refreshing!!!) and some sort of brewed tea that was really unsual and not to my liking. It was blue. Cobalt blue. And had a slightly fermented flavour to it. Needless to say, I didn’t touch it after I’d tasted it. My companion was entitled to a complimentary 30 minute head and neck massage or foot massage. He elected for the head and neck massage and was taken to the right of the reception area. I was whisked away to the left into a private massage suite where I was greeted by my masseuse. The massage suite consisted of 3 main areas: bathtub/Jacuzzi room, massage room, and shower/toilet/changing area. These three areas can be closed off by sliding wooden-slatted doors. She showed me the closet in this third area that contained some slippers and a robe and told me to put my clothes in there. Then she handed me a pair of “disposable” underwear. I opened the plastic packaging to reveal what appeared to be a pair of nylon, see-through panties made for what I can only assume was a very petite woman or child. I asked if there was anything bigger. She giggled and handed me the XL nylon see-through underpants and I reluctantly took them. Isn’t that just a bit emasculating? Nylon see-through panties.. really? Anyway, she motioned for me to sit down on the ottoman in the changing area and proceeded to kneel in front of me, untie my shoelaces, remove my shoes and my socks and then stood up and started the shower. She gracefully backed out of the changing area and said she would be waiting in the other room for me when I was finished with my shower. I took a quick 5 minute shower (wishing I could’ve spent more time in the shower, actually), put on the emasculating Nylon see-through panties and the robe and slippers. I opened the door to find she was behind the entrance wall so as to give me as much privacy as I wanted. She held up the towel and asked me to please take off the robe and lay face down. I did that. She put the towel over me, climbed up on top of the table, rolled the towel down to my waistline before she noticed the emasculating Nylon see-through panties were just not working for me. She then proceeded to roll them down and slide them down my legs and take them off. Quite masterfully, I might add, as she did it without exposing one gram of “private area”. She started the massage and I must say it was a wonderful one hour. I think at one point I dozed off and was probably snoring. When it was finished, I took another shower, this time spending more time under the water, and changed into my travel clothes. I noticed that it was now 8am and boarding was to start in 10 minutes! I gathered my things and headed out of the massage suite. I handed the masseuse a €20 bill which she looked very surprised to receive. I almost want to say she was reluctant and shocked. Nonetheless, I had a pocket full of euros and €10 seemed like too little with €50 being way too much. I found my companion in the private room half-sleeping and we collected our belongings. I was a bit disappointed we didn’t have a longer layover so as to enjoy the food and other amenities in the Royal First Lounge. It was really quite empty when we arrived and the staff just seemed so incredibly eager to keep busy by serving us. I knew our return had a 5 hour connection, so I reassured myself that we would have more time to enjoy the lounge in a week’s time.

We asked if there was a buggy to take us to the connecting flight. They radioed and found not a single buggy was available. Ugggggghhhhhh. We had to walk/run from literally one side of the airport to concourse E, the very last gate at that! I arrived soaked in sweat and way out of breath only to find they hadn’t even started boarding yet and it was only 20 minutes before departure! Grrrrrrrrr… We waited around for just a few moments before they opened the doors and started boarding Royal Silk Class passengers.

(On a side note, in reference to an earlier post and thread about Royal First Lounge access, the lounge manager was there that day and I decided to ask her a few questions. I knew that there had been some discrepancies about access based on other FT member experiences. While I didn’t see any non-TG passengers in the lounge. In fact, there were only 2 other TG passengers in the lounge that morning, on the return I did see several non-TG passengers, mainly LX and LH, on the return portion. However, none of the private rooms were filled by these people, only TG passengers. Perhaps this was what she was referring to in my previous questions to her. You can find the thread here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thai-...ccess-bkk.html )

TravellinHusker

TG 431 Bangkok – Denpasar A300-600 (AB6) Seat 12J

We boarded the plane and were quickly welcomed to our seats on the regionally configured Airbus 300-600 (AB6). This is not my favourite aircraft for regional flying, but it was what it was. The staff passed out amenity kits which were identical to the one I received on the flight from Rome to Bangkok. One a side note, of 4 flights with TG on this trip, I received 3 different types of amenity kits. Weird. Menus were also delivered along with a hot towel (would’ve preferred a cold one) and choice of champagne, orange juice, or water. I took the champagne (again, it is noon somewhere, right?!). Ok, so not Dom Perignon on this leg, but a decent Pommery Brut Royal. We pushed back just 5 minutes behind schedule, taxied and took what I think was perhaps the longest take-off I’ve ever experienced. I thought for sure we were going to run out of asphalt! But, we did eventually lift off and service started immediately. Ok, I will not criticise the service as it is not fair to compare regional Royal Silk to intercontinental Royal First. The FAs were fine and very nice. The cabin only had about 20 passengers leaving another 26 seats unfilled. Economy seemed to be full however. On this 4 hour long flight, our menu was for a brunch:

Fruit juice
Fresh fruits and Fruit Yoghurt

Main Course
Congree with Prawn, Black Mushroom and Ginger Cantonese Style

Or

Leek and Potato Quiche with Thyme
Premium Chicken Sausage
Roasted Potatoes, Green Asparagus
Baked Half Tomato with Olive Oil and Oregano

Or

Stir-fried Hokkien Noddles with Chicken and Mushroom

Assorted Breads, Croissant, Danish Pastry, Butter, Jam
Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate

Wine List
Champagne - Pommery Brut Royal
Red Wine – Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes De Nuits Le Confessional 2006
Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes Albert Bichot 2006
Château Robin Côtes De Castillon 2004
La Salle De Château Poujeaux 2001

White Wine – Bourgogne Chardonnay Fabrice Lensne 2006
Château Bonnet Blanc Entre Deux Mers 2006


I went with the Stir-fried Hokkien Noodles with chicken and Mushroom and sparkling water. I wasn’t in the mood to get completely wasted on the flight to Denpasar. Soon, my meal was put on my tray. Ok, well, it wasn’t what I envisioned, but wasn’t all bad. The noodles were small little rice vermicelli with little bits of mushrooms and a few fatty pieces of chicken. The noodles and mushrooms were fine, but I had to leave the chicken chunks to be disposed of in the trash. The fruit was excellent and given that I’d been stuffed full on the first flight from Rome, I really didn’t need to eat this meal. I do not care for the IFE on this aircraft. It is not AVOD, so you have to start watching the movies when they start them. I watched my iPhone instead (latest episodes of Law and Order: SVU). We were both a bit knackered from the previous day’s flying, we both slept about 2 hours. This was my friend’s first time crossing the equator, so when the AirMap showed that, I poured ice cold water on his head. My own way of carrying on the US Navy’s tradition of Wogs (any Navy folks out there will understand that). He was bewildered and confused, but a good sport about it. The staff passed frequently through the cabin to freshen drinks. Overall, a decent flight. We arrived in Denpasar about 5 minutes behind schedule which turned out to be a semi-nightmare. A China Airlines 747, Cathay Pacific 777, JetStar A320, some Australian charter 737 called Oz, and Transaero 747 had landed just before us.

Thankfully, our hotel, The Laguna Resort and Spa (part of Starwoods ‘The Luxury Collection’) had emailed me 2 days in advance of our arrival to ask if we wanted to have the Bali Concierge’s services for visa on arrival, luggage retrieval, and a nice arrivals lounge. For $25 per person, I thought it would be a good deal. When we arrived, the lines were horrific for immigrations, but I saw my last name on the Bali Concierge’s board and we were quickly escorted into their arrivals lounge. Once again, we were presented with ice cold, lemongrass scented towels and our choice of cold beverages and a small plate of sandwiches and cookies. We handed our passports and a copy of the electronic ticket for the flights to our escort and he disappeared for about 10 minutes. He re-emerged and advised us our luggage was being located, then handed back to us our passports with Indonesian visas and passport stamps. About 5 minutes later, he told us our bags had been located and we were ready to go. We literally just walked past the hoardes of people to the front of the line, went through a special metal gate, our luggage was waiting for us at customs, two porters grabbed our bags, we waltzed past customs without even a question and headed outside where our car was waiting for us. That was $25 well spent. I can imagine the lines would’ve been at least 2 hours or more if we hadn’t used The Bali Concierge. I highly recommend it for anyone and everyone arriving in Bali. I know some people will say it can be a waste of money if there aren’t throngs of people there, but even if I arrived by private jet at 2am and there wasn’t a single person there, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. Even if just to have someone else worry about finding the luggage and getting the visas and stamps. To me, definitely worth it.

gleff

Wow, a 20 euro tip for a massage in BKK?

TravellinHusker

Well for a massage that was basically free for me, I think €20 tip is quite nice, but not excessive. Am I wrong?

mcgahat

Wrong, no, but that is quite high by Thailand standards. But I am of the mind tip what you wish. I think most would tip probably more in the €5 range if at all. For example, I think the cost of the 45 minute massage at the place in the airport terminal is about €20...

TravellinHusker

Right. I understand where you are coming from. I guess I look at it like this - what was the service worth to me? Did I receive good service? Did I receive great service? And I use this for pretty much all situations where tipping is normal - restaurants, taxis, golf caddies, hotel housekeeping, etc..