A first for everything - SQ/NH/OZ/UA F/C/Y around Asia
Nov 20, 2009, 3:18 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BD (in memoriam), BA
Posts: 1,359
Like a plane, but on the ground
Considering that this holiday started out life as "a trip to Japan", the Japan bit doesn't get much of a look in for this TR. I felt bad, so here's a brief photo interlude 
I called this bit "Like a plane, but on the ground", since we were using the amazing bargain that is the Japan Rail Pass to explore the north of the country. Then I realised that I don't really have any rail-related photos. Oh well.
We travelled over 2100km on our pass, and as ever, the trains were comfortable, clean, fast, punctual, and just generally a joy to use. Apart from that one time that the train was half an hour late, and we had a bulkhead seat which meant not very much legroom and not very much window. But you can't have everything your own way! I particularly like the trains that have a front window accessible to passengers (should have that in the nose of a 747!), and this was a nice touch on the Super Hakucho through the Seikan tunnel:
A handy guide for people who like tunnels
Anyway, a couple of photos while you wait for the next instalment:
One of the reasons for coming in the autumn
And again
Who needs an A380?
View from the Chisun Grand Hakodate - a little different from the Tokyo view coming later...
Apparently the locals claim this is one of the Three Best Night Views in the World, alongside Hong Kong and Naples
Mmmmm
Is it a bird? (well yes, in the corner) Is it a plane, or perhaps some kind of air traffic control tower? Nope, just the viewing tower at Goryokaku
Nikko:
And finally:
Sake. Lots of sake
I called this bit "Like a plane, but on the ground", since we were using the amazing bargain that is the Japan Rail Pass to explore the north of the country. Then I realised that I don't really have any rail-related photos. Oh well.
We travelled over 2100km on our pass, and as ever, the trains were comfortable, clean, fast, punctual, and just generally a joy to use. Apart from that one time that the train was half an hour late, and we had a bulkhead seat which meant not very much legroom and not very much window. But you can't have everything your own way! I particularly like the trains that have a front window accessible to passengers (should have that in the nose of a 747!), and this was a nice touch on the Super Hakucho through the Seikan tunnel:
A handy guide for people who like tunnels
Anyway, a couple of photos while you wait for the next instalment:
One of the reasons for coming in the autumn
And again
Who needs an A380?
View from the Chisun Grand Hakodate - a little different from the Tokyo view coming later...
Apparently the locals claim this is one of the Three Best Night Views in the World, alongside Hong Kong and Naples
Mmmmm
Is it a bird? (well yes, in the corner) Is it a plane, or perhaps some kind of air traffic control tower? Nope, just the viewing tower at Goryokaku
Nikko:
And finally:
Sake. Lots of sake
Nov 20, 2009, 8:43 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BD (in memoriam), BA
Posts: 1,359
The Strings by InterContinental, Tokyo
Booked: Contemporary Superior Room
Got: King Deluxe Corner Room
There are better ideas than negotiating the Tokyo suburban rail system with luggage on a Friday evening rush hour, but needs must and we made it through in one piece. Thankfully the next part of the journey was easier, as The Strings is connected to Shinagawa station by a covered elevated walkway, allowing us to wheel our cases straight round from the station gates to hotel lift.
The hotel occupies the 26th-32nd floors of the Shinagawa East One tower, with the first few floors housing retail and restaurants, and the remainder being office space. The hotel has three dedicated lifts shuttling between the lower floor access points and the 26th floor reception area.
Check-in was painless, and my BOGO voucher was accepted without question. There were some discussions and wanderings by the staff, which turned out to be because they couldn't find the package for us from the IC Singapore. Apologies and a promise to send it up as soon as they found it were forthcoming (it arrived 5 minutes later), along with our room key and 2 days of breakfast vouchers.
We received an upgrade to a Corner room, but not without some email negotiations in advance. Good room upgrades are hard to come by at The Strings, especially at the weekends when it is popular with weddings. As such, they like to offer Club access instead. However, the hotel doesn't have a Club lounge, offering in its place free breakfast, free minibar and free drinks in the lobby. We had the first included in my corporate rate, and the second as an RA, so it wasn't really worth it. After some gentle pressing, they conceded this point and offered the room upgrade.
Access to the rooms are via a second lift block, accessed through a key-card secured door. The corridor on each floor runs full circle around the central atrium, with windows looking out onto the lobby below and the rooms on the outside. The building is roughly octagonal, with a few extra bits sticking out, and our room was on one of the points on the east side.
The Strings website is very useful, with photos of all the room types and example floor plans. I wish more hotels would do this, it makes chosing a room much easier (and, certainly at The Strings, would entice me to splash out on a more expensive room) - Corner room photos and plan
A picture tells a thousand words, apparently, so:
Looking towards the TV, bathroom and minibar
View, and the seating area to the left
Shower/bath
Towards the toilet and the bathroom window
Obligatory minibar shot
And the spirits
South-east view, toward Tokyo Bay
North-east night view
The room wasn't huge, but then it is Tokyo. The description puts it at 38sqm, though I think a lot of that space is swallowed up by the slightly odd-shaped bathroom. However, it is big enough, and well laid out so we didn't feel hemmed in at all. The TV isn't very big and tucked away on the wall, but that's fine when you just want to catch up on the news. The bathroom was well appointed, including a good sized bath and separate shower in a wet room area, and a view from the usual gadget-laden toilet. Our Ambassador fruit and water were waiting in the room, along with a welcome gift of a thermal mug. The room had already been turned down, with two chocolates and a personalised weather forecast card left on the (very comfortable) bed.
Breakfast was served in "The Dining" in the atrium. I was glad that breakfast was included in our rate, as it would have been around JPY3300++ per person otherwise. It was a very good buffet though - I didn't really look at the hot options (though there was a chef standing around waiting to cook you an omelette on demand), but the cereal, fruit, bread/pastry and cold meat/fish selection was excellent. I also appreciated some of the nice touches in the layout, like having a stand with a cloth on it next to items with lids, so you had somewhere to put it while serving yourself. As fun as the "one hand for the plate, one hand for the lid, and a third hand for the spoon" game is, my brain likes things to be simple before I've eaten in the morning. The window into the kitchen was interesting, though probably better at dinner time - most of the activity I saw (unsurprisingly) involved guys juicing oranges, slicing bread or ripping open bags of croissants and tipping them into a basket.
With a cheap corporate rate an a free weekend night voucher, it was cheaper than a Holiday Inn, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Shinagawa may not be the ideal location depending on your plans, but the Yamanote line will happily take you to any major station or subway line you like, and is just a few minutes from the door.
As much as we would have liked to stay a third night, we had the choice of a 15000 points night at NRT and using our expiring rail passes to get there for free on the Narita Express straight from Shinagawa, or a reasonably expensive night in Tokyo and paying to get to the airport in the morning. Convenience and cost won out, and so we just stayed for two nights. Check-out was a breeze, with the second night and minibar charges already removed from the bill.
The N'EX was its usual comfortable but not very geographically direct self, and at NRT T1 we negotiated our way past the passport check, up the escalators and out to the bus stand outside the south wing of the arrivals level. 10 minutes later we were on the bus to the Holiday Inn Tobu Narita, and shortly after that we were in our room watching CNNj playing their emergency breakdown tape on loop for 20 minutes - a delightful montage of sights from the 1984 LA Olympics (not of the Olympics, you understand, just shots of things like the stadium and the list of winners)
Booked: Contemporary Superior Room
Got: King Deluxe Corner Room
There are better ideas than negotiating the Tokyo suburban rail system with luggage on a Friday evening rush hour, but needs must and we made it through in one piece. Thankfully the next part of the journey was easier, as The Strings is connected to Shinagawa station by a covered elevated walkway, allowing us to wheel our cases straight round from the station gates to hotel lift.
The hotel occupies the 26th-32nd floors of the Shinagawa East One tower, with the first few floors housing retail and restaurants, and the remainder being office space. The hotel has three dedicated lifts shuttling between the lower floor access points and the 26th floor reception area.
Check-in was painless, and my BOGO voucher was accepted without question. There were some discussions and wanderings by the staff, which turned out to be because they couldn't find the package for us from the IC Singapore. Apologies and a promise to send it up as soon as they found it were forthcoming (it arrived 5 minutes later), along with our room key and 2 days of breakfast vouchers.
We received an upgrade to a Corner room, but not without some email negotiations in advance. Good room upgrades are hard to come by at The Strings, especially at the weekends when it is popular with weddings. As such, they like to offer Club access instead. However, the hotel doesn't have a Club lounge, offering in its place free breakfast, free minibar and free drinks in the lobby. We had the first included in my corporate rate, and the second as an RA, so it wasn't really worth it. After some gentle pressing, they conceded this point and offered the room upgrade.
Access to the rooms are via a second lift block, accessed through a key-card secured door. The corridor on each floor runs full circle around the central atrium, with windows looking out onto the lobby below and the rooms on the outside. The building is roughly octagonal, with a few extra bits sticking out, and our room was on one of the points on the east side.
The Strings website is very useful, with photos of all the room types and example floor plans. I wish more hotels would do this, it makes chosing a room much easier (and, certainly at The Strings, would entice me to splash out on a more expensive room) - Corner room photos and plan
A picture tells a thousand words, apparently, so:
Looking towards the TV, bathroom and minibar
View, and the seating area to the left
Shower/bath
Towards the toilet and the bathroom window
Obligatory minibar shot
And the spirits
South-east view, toward Tokyo Bay
North-east night view
The room wasn't huge, but then it is Tokyo. The description puts it at 38sqm, though I think a lot of that space is swallowed up by the slightly odd-shaped bathroom. However, it is big enough, and well laid out so we didn't feel hemmed in at all. The TV isn't very big and tucked away on the wall, but that's fine when you just want to catch up on the news. The bathroom was well appointed, including a good sized bath and separate shower in a wet room area, and a view from the usual gadget-laden toilet. Our Ambassador fruit and water were waiting in the room, along with a welcome gift of a thermal mug. The room had already been turned down, with two chocolates and a personalised weather forecast card left on the (very comfortable) bed.
Breakfast was served in "The Dining" in the atrium. I was glad that breakfast was included in our rate, as it would have been around JPY3300++ per person otherwise. It was a very good buffet though - I didn't really look at the hot options (though there was a chef standing around waiting to cook you an omelette on demand), but the cereal, fruit, bread/pastry and cold meat/fish selection was excellent. I also appreciated some of the nice touches in the layout, like having a stand with a cloth on it next to items with lids, so you had somewhere to put it while serving yourself. As fun as the "one hand for the plate, one hand for the lid, and a third hand for the spoon" game is, my brain likes things to be simple before I've eaten in the morning. The window into the kitchen was interesting, though probably better at dinner time - most of the activity I saw (unsurprisingly) involved guys juicing oranges, slicing bread or ripping open bags of croissants and tipping them into a basket.
With a cheap corporate rate an a free weekend night voucher, it was cheaper than a Holiday Inn, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Shinagawa may not be the ideal location depending on your plans, but the Yamanote line will happily take you to any major station or subway line you like, and is just a few minutes from the door.
As much as we would have liked to stay a third night, we had the choice of a 15000 points night at NRT and using our expiring rail passes to get there for free on the Narita Express straight from Shinagawa, or a reasonably expensive night in Tokyo and paying to get to the airport in the morning. Convenience and cost won out, and so we just stayed for two nights. Check-out was a breeze, with the second night and minibar charges already removed from the bill.
The N'EX was its usual comfortable but not very geographically direct self, and at NRT T1 we negotiated our way past the passport check, up the escalators and out to the bus stand outside the south wing of the arrivals level. 10 minutes later we were on the bus to the Holiday Inn Tobu Narita, and shortly after that we were in our room watching CNNj playing their emergency breakdown tape on loop for 20 minutes - a delightful montage of sights from the 1984 LA Olympics (not of the Olympics, you understand, just shots of things like the stadium and the list of winners)
Nov 22, 2009, 1:06 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BD (in memoriam), BA
Posts: 1,359
Narita (sort of Tokyo) - Incheon (sort of Seoul)
Asiana Airlines OZ101
First Class
I admit, Narita to Incheon isn't the most efficient way to get from Shinagawa to Seoul. Haneda is much closer at the Tokyo end, and you basically have to drive past Gimpo on the way to and from Incheon. But I wouldn't be on FT if I thought logic and reason was more important than the chance to fly F
When we checked in to the Holiday Inn, we had some delightful news - at 1030 the following morning, all power in the hotel was being switched off for four hours for an annual safety inspection. So, I guess we'll be getting the 1030 shuttle to the airport then, otherwise it's sitting in the dark then carrying our luggage down from the 11th floor. Luckily we were thinking of leaving around then anyway, otherwise we would have been a little annoyed. So at 1030, we were heading back to the airport, and our first first class experience.
Things were slightly delayed by the fact that check-in wasn't open yet when we arrived (around 2:45 before scheduled departure). Here's a big plane while you're waiting;
15 minutes later, and I went back for another look. There was sign of life at the OZ desks, so we trundled our bags over to the F check-in desk. The agent manning the desk seemed to be waiting specially for us, and smiled when they saw we were heading in their direction. Our pre-printed boarding passes and lounge invites were waiting in a red velvety folder, and with our bags quickly tagged by a second staff member the process was complete. An escort to the lounge was offered, and politely declined (shopping to do!), so directions to the UA and NH F lounges were provided, and the gate location highlighted on the map on the back of the lounge invite. An escort from the lounge to gate was also offered, and declined. They enquired which lounge we would be using, maybe in case they were looking for us.
Though slightly further from our gate, we went for the ANA First lounge at the end of satellite 4 - we assumed it would be worth the walk over the UA offering. As we entered past the cardboard SQ girl, we were warmly greeted and our invites were taken. Once we had chosen a seat in the lounge, a member of staff was quickly over with hot towels to take a drink order. I enquired about champagne, but was told they only had sparkling wine, so decided to settle for an orange juice while I considered my options... When I went up to the buffet, it was clear that there was only one real option - the automatic beer pouring machine!
When our first drink was brought over, it came with a little packet of crunchy things and a slice of cake. Also available on the buffet were some tiny cubes of sandwich, soup, sushi, bagels, noodles available to be ordered and some other bits and pieces. Plus a tiny sign promising Fauchon ice cream, in vanilla, chocolate or strawberry flavours.
That's me sorted!
A couple of boring views of the lounge:
HL7775, our ride today, heading round to the gate
Apart from the slightly limited food options, I really liked the lounge. It probably helped that there was only one other person in there, but the service was excellent, and they were always quick to clear empty glasses or check if you needed anything when you were at the buffet. An EVA Air 777 from TPE pulled in right below the lounge, which gave me a bit of hustle and bustle to watch to help pass the time too.
Around half an hour before our flight, as we were thinking of leaving, one of the lounge staff came over to tell us that our flight was boarding now. We retraced our steps along to the gate, and handed over our boarding passes. This time there was no escaping the escort, who walked us down the jetway and handed us over to the FAs at the door.
It quickly emerged that we were the only pax in F, so hopefully the service should be good! Few snaps of the cabin taken:
The guest seat looked a bit too small for comfortable dining
Drinks offered, and headsets, slippers, and landing cards handed out. The landing cards were presented on a tray, with a F coloured pen (the plastic end and rubbery grip on Asiana pens come in the four company colours - nice that they make sure the F pax get the yellow ones!)
I asked for a glass of champagne, and the FA returned with two bottles to choose from - Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1998, and Charles Heidsieck. I chose the Taittinger, and it was quickly opened and presented with a bowl of warmed nuts.
As we pushed back and the safety video started, the FAs appeared at the front of the cabin and bowed deeply. We then embarked on the 4.5 miles taxi to runway 16L...
After take-off, we made a long right turn routed pretty much due west towards Daegu, before making another right turn up to ICN as soon as we hit the Korean coast.
Menus were presented once airborne - I'm afraid I don't have a copy, as we had about 30 seconds to study it before the FA returned to take our order, and took the menu away! However, from memory, the choices were:
I opted for the kyo kaiseki, and the other half chose the seabass.
Kyo kaiseki
course 1 - pork of some kind
The main event
Dessert
Western
Duck & tuna salad
Soup
Seabass
Dessert
Lunch was served pretty quickly, and I had finished and ordered my cappuccino less than 1hr in:
Dinner finshed, feet up. The flower they laid the table with was real
I'd had a bit of a restless sleep the night before (and the crew seemed determined to have me drink the whole bottle of champagne, since it was open now ), so after lunch I reclined my seat flat for a rest - a pillow and blanket were offered, and all the window blinds in the cabin quickly shut. Though not really necessary, the thought was appreciated. It may have given the FAs a bit of an excuse to hide in the galley, but then there wasn't anything else I needed so it wasn't a problem.
I had a quick explore of the IFE - I didn't really look at the variety on offer, and didn't even plug the headset in, but it seemed very quick and responsive. Do they really need to put adverts on airshow though?
With just a short flight, there isn't much more to add. The only annoyance was that the seatbelt sign was on almost the whole way, which seemed a bit unnecessary.
We landed on runway 33R at ICN, and after another long taxi pulled up on stand. Despite disembarking through door 1L, we weren't quite the first off - some enthusiastic C pax had dashed forward while we were still packing up. The terminal was pretty much deserted as we made our way to queueless immigration, then doubled back to the reclaim belt. A short wait for bags, but then our two F-tagged bags popped out first - just what you hope for from a "five star" airline at a "five star" airport!
With a deft sidestep around the man trying to entice us over to a money changer (we're not in Japan any more!) we were out to the KAL limousine bus stop.
I always laugh at coaches describing themselves as "Executive", "Luxury" and the like, but the KAL buses really were very comfortable. A 2x1 config with 25 seats per bus, they are the most spacious buses I've ever been on.
Around 80 minutes later, we emerged from the rush hour traffic at the COEX InterContinental.
Asiana Airlines OZ101
First Class
I admit, Narita to Incheon isn't the most efficient way to get from Shinagawa to Seoul. Haneda is much closer at the Tokyo end, and you basically have to drive past Gimpo on the way to and from Incheon. But I wouldn't be on FT if I thought logic and reason was more important than the chance to fly F
When we checked in to the Holiday Inn, we had some delightful news - at 1030 the following morning, all power in the hotel was being switched off for four hours for an annual safety inspection. So, I guess we'll be getting the 1030 shuttle to the airport then, otherwise it's sitting in the dark then carrying our luggage down from the 11th floor. Luckily we were thinking of leaving around then anyway, otherwise we would have been a little annoyed. So at 1030, we were heading back to the airport, and our first first class experience.
Things were slightly delayed by the fact that check-in wasn't open yet when we arrived (around 2:45 before scheduled departure). Here's a big plane while you're waiting;
15 minutes later, and I went back for another look. There was sign of life at the OZ desks, so we trundled our bags over to the F check-in desk. The agent manning the desk seemed to be waiting specially for us, and smiled when they saw we were heading in their direction. Our pre-printed boarding passes and lounge invites were waiting in a red velvety folder, and with our bags quickly tagged by a second staff member the process was complete. An escort to the lounge was offered, and politely declined (shopping to do!), so directions to the UA and NH F lounges were provided, and the gate location highlighted on the map on the back of the lounge invite. An escort from the lounge to gate was also offered, and declined. They enquired which lounge we would be using, maybe in case they were looking for us.
Though slightly further from our gate, we went for the ANA First lounge at the end of satellite 4 - we assumed it would be worth the walk over the UA offering. As we entered past the cardboard SQ girl, we were warmly greeted and our invites were taken. Once we had chosen a seat in the lounge, a member of staff was quickly over with hot towels to take a drink order. I enquired about champagne, but was told they only had sparkling wine, so decided to settle for an orange juice while I considered my options... When I went up to the buffet, it was clear that there was only one real option - the automatic beer pouring machine!
When our first drink was brought over, it came with a little packet of crunchy things and a slice of cake. Also available on the buffet were some tiny cubes of sandwich, soup, sushi, bagels, noodles available to be ordered and some other bits and pieces. Plus a tiny sign promising Fauchon ice cream, in vanilla, chocolate or strawberry flavours.
That's me sorted!
A couple of boring views of the lounge:
HL7775, our ride today, heading round to the gate
Apart from the slightly limited food options, I really liked the lounge. It probably helped that there was only one other person in there, but the service was excellent, and they were always quick to clear empty glasses or check if you needed anything when you were at the buffet. An EVA Air 777 from TPE pulled in right below the lounge, which gave me a bit of hustle and bustle to watch to help pass the time too.
Around half an hour before our flight, as we were thinking of leaving, one of the lounge staff came over to tell us that our flight was boarding now. We retraced our steps along to the gate, and handed over our boarding passes. This time there was no escaping the escort, who walked us down the jetway and handed us over to the FAs at the door.
It quickly emerged that we were the only pax in F, so hopefully the service should be good! Few snaps of the cabin taken:
The guest seat looked a bit too small for comfortable dining
Drinks offered, and headsets, slippers, and landing cards handed out. The landing cards were presented on a tray, with a F coloured pen (the plastic end and rubbery grip on Asiana pens come in the four company colours - nice that they make sure the F pax get the yellow ones!)
I asked for a glass of champagne, and the FA returned with two bottles to choose from - Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1998, and Charles Heidsieck. I chose the Taittinger, and it was quickly opened and presented with a bowl of warmed nuts.
As we pushed back and the safety video started, the FAs appeared at the front of the cabin and bowed deeply. We then embarked on the 4.5 miles taxi to runway 16L...
After take-off, we made a long right turn routed pretty much due west towards Daegu, before making another right turn up to ICN as soon as we hit the Korean coast.
Menus were presented once airborne - I'm afraid I don't have a copy, as we had about 30 seconds to study it before the FA returned to take our order, and took the menu away! However, from memory, the choices were:
Japanese cuisine:
Kyo kaiseki
Western cuisine:
Salad with duck and tuna
Cream of cauliflower soup
Beef wellington
or
Seabass
Mango dessert of some kind
Kyo kaiseki
Western cuisine:
Salad with duck and tuna
Cream of cauliflower soup
Beef wellington
or
Seabass
Mango dessert of some kind
Kyo kaiseki
course 1 - pork of some kind
The main event
Dessert
Western
Duck & tuna salad
Soup
Seabass
Dessert
Lunch was served pretty quickly, and I had finished and ordered my cappuccino less than 1hr in:
Dinner finshed, feet up. The flower they laid the table with was real
I'd had a bit of a restless sleep the night before (and the crew seemed determined to have me drink the whole bottle of champagne, since it was open now
), so after lunch I reclined my seat flat for a rest - a pillow and blanket were offered, and all the window blinds in the cabin quickly shut. Though not really necessary, the thought was appreciated. It may have given the FAs a bit of an excuse to hide in the galley, but then there wasn't anything else I needed so it wasn't a problem.I had a quick explore of the IFE - I didn't really look at the variety on offer, and didn't even plug the headset in, but it seemed very quick and responsive. Do they really need to put adverts on airshow though?
With just a short flight, there isn't much more to add. The only annoyance was that the seatbelt sign was on almost the whole way, which seemed a bit unnecessary.
We landed on runway 33R at ICN, and after another long taxi pulled up on stand. Despite disembarking through door 1L, we weren't quite the first off - some enthusiastic C pax had dashed forward while we were still packing up. The terminal was pretty much deserted as we made our way to queueless immigration, then doubled back to the reclaim belt. A short wait for bags, but then our two F-tagged bags popped out first - just what you hope for from a "five star" airline at a "five star" airport!
With a deft sidestep around the man trying to entice us over to a money changer (we're not in Japan any more!) we were out to the KAL limousine bus stop.
I always laugh at coaches describing themselves as "Executive", "Luxury" and the like, but the KAL buses really were very comfortable. A 2x1 config with 25 seats per bus, they are the most spacious buses I've ever been on.
Around 80 minutes later, we emerged from the rush hour traffic at the COEX InterContinental.
Nov 23, 2009, 2:24 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BD (in memoriam), BA
Posts: 1,359
COEX InterContinental, Seoul
Booked: Standard room
Got: Business room
Of the four ICs we were staying in, I probably had the lowest expectations for the COEX in Seoul. From what I had read, the hotel isn't very exciting, and their Royal Ambassador upgrades are notoriously poor. On the other hand, my corporate rate was very cheap, and at least the minibar is still free!
As we came in from the bus, our bags were taken and we headed over to the reception desk. One staff member started the check-in process, and disappeared off to find someone else. The second person sounded like a native English speaker, and she completed the formalities before escorting us up to our 24th floor room. Once we were safely in the lift, she revealed that the RA "upgrade" is a "business room" - basically a standard room with free internet, free breakfast and free sauna, as they don't have many suites or a Club. Since breakfast was included in our rate, that was a pretty poor deal, but I was expecting it and couldn't be bothered to argue.
Though just a standard room, it was fine. A reasonable size, nice big window with a couple of comfortable chairs, and quite a selection of power outlets - 110 and 230V options, "universal" sockets, it felt like a waste to have brought an adapter specially for Korea! Unfortunately the bed was much too hard for my liking, which is surprising as ICs are usually very comfortable.
After Japan, it seems very spacious!
Bathroom (pointlessly shallow bath out of shot to the right)
Water (Evian and San Pellegrino), an enormous piece of fruit and gift were waiting for us in the room. The Ambassador welcome gift was some green tea leaves, and a nice little tea set to brew them in (oh, and some rock hard biscuity things). Although a nice gift to take away would be better, I'd rather have something like that than a completely pointless "gift" that will go straight in the bin.
Selection of Ambassador things
Not too bad. Bottle of red wine in the cupboard too
Night view, north-east towards the Han River
Day view
In the morning, we headed down to check out what my rate description claimed was "The Best Buffet Breakfast in Town!". And it certainly was substantial. The buffet was split into three parts, each of which could have served a medium-sized hotel quite happily. The hot options up the back had at least a dozen options, there were 5 kinds of smoothies, and masses of cheeses, meats, fish, bread, pastries, doughnuts, cereals, juices.... If anything, there were maybe too many options. The scrambled eggs were pretty cold, the smoked salmon was a bit hard round the edges, and some of the pastries were a bit stale. With less options, they might have been kept a bit fresher. The rest was pretty good though. For reference, they charge KRW31000++ per person for breakfast if it isn't in your rate.
If you're thinking of visiting Seoul, it's probably a good idea to figure out where you want to visit first, then book a hotel nearby. Although the subway is cheap and efficient, we did spend 40 minutes getting to some places. Add the 15 minute walk to Samseong station (thankfully through the mall, so in the warm*) and it felt like a bit of a trek to get around. Coming from London, where I always leave an hour to get anywhere, I don't know why I'm complaining, but the hotel just seemed a bit far away.
* a big cold snap had just hit as we arrived - it was 3C when we landed at ICN. Luckily, we had come prepared for the possibility of cold weather in Hokkaido - it just arrived a bit later than expected!
Anyway, overall, not a bad stay. Not a great one either, but for the price I can't really complain. Fairly quick and comfortable bus ride out to the airport, and off to flight #5.
Booked: Standard room
Got: Business room
Of the four ICs we were staying in, I probably had the lowest expectations for the COEX in Seoul. From what I had read, the hotel isn't very exciting, and their Royal Ambassador upgrades are notoriously poor. On the other hand, my corporate rate was very cheap, and at least the minibar is still free!
As we came in from the bus, our bags were taken and we headed over to the reception desk. One staff member started the check-in process, and disappeared off to find someone else. The second person sounded like a native English speaker, and she completed the formalities before escorting us up to our 24th floor room. Once we were safely in the lift, she revealed that the RA "upgrade" is a "business room" - basically a standard room with free internet, free breakfast and free sauna, as they don't have many suites or a Club. Since breakfast was included in our rate, that was a pretty poor deal, but I was expecting it and couldn't be bothered to argue.
Though just a standard room, it was fine. A reasonable size, nice big window with a couple of comfortable chairs, and quite a selection of power outlets - 110 and 230V options, "universal" sockets, it felt like a waste to have brought an adapter specially for Korea! Unfortunately the bed was much too hard for my liking, which is surprising as ICs are usually very comfortable.
After Japan, it seems very spacious!
Bathroom (pointlessly shallow bath out of shot to the right)
Water (Evian and San Pellegrino), an enormous piece of fruit and gift were waiting for us in the room. The Ambassador welcome gift was some green tea leaves, and a nice little tea set to brew them in (oh, and some rock hard biscuity things). Although a nice gift to take away would be better, I'd rather have something like that than a completely pointless "gift" that will go straight in the bin.
Selection of Ambassador things
Not too bad. Bottle of red wine in the cupboard too
Night view, north-east towards the Han River
Day view
In the morning, we headed down to check out what my rate description claimed was "The Best Buffet Breakfast in Town!". And it certainly was substantial. The buffet was split into three parts, each of which could have served a medium-sized hotel quite happily. The hot options up the back had at least a dozen options, there were 5 kinds of smoothies, and masses of cheeses, meats, fish, bread, pastries, doughnuts, cereals, juices.... If anything, there were maybe too many options. The scrambled eggs were pretty cold, the smoked salmon was a bit hard round the edges, and some of the pastries were a bit stale. With less options, they might have been kept a bit fresher. The rest was pretty good though. For reference, they charge KRW31000++ per person for breakfast if it isn't in your rate.
If you're thinking of visiting Seoul, it's probably a good idea to figure out where you want to visit first, then book a hotel nearby. Although the subway is cheap and efficient, we did spend 40 minutes getting to some places. Add the 15 minute walk to Samseong station (thankfully through the mall, so in the warm*) and it felt like a bit of a trek to get around. Coming from London, where I always leave an hour to get anywhere, I don't know why I'm complaining, but the hotel just seemed a bit far away.
* a big cold snap had just hit as we arrived - it was 3C when we landed at ICN. Luckily, we had come prepared for the possibility of cold weather in Hokkaido - it just arrived a bit later than expected!
Anyway, overall, not a bad stay. Not a great one either, but for the price I can't really complain. Fairly quick and comfortable bus ride out to the airport, and off to flight #5.
Nov 23, 2009, 2:33 pm
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,279
Btw, your seabass entree looks like it came from C, as only C use the rectangle tray, F use the triangle plate all the time for all food servings even it is short haul flights.
Their Japanese offerings look perfect though.
We landed on runway 33R at ICN, and after another long taxi pulled up on stand. Despite disembarking through door 1L, we weren't quite the first off - some enthusiastic C pax had dashed forward while we were still packing up. The terminal was pretty much deserted as we made our way to queueless immigration, then doubled back to the reclaim belt. A short wait for bags, but then our two F-tagged bags popped out first - just what you hope for from a "five star" airline at a "five star" airport!
If they don't block C pax coming forward, especially from the purser, which shows OZ is not a "five star" airline, as the other "five star" airline like SQ and NH do that all the time no matter how slow you are, they still wait for you to get off before letting C pax come through.
Nov 23, 2009, 2:36 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BD (in memoriam), BA
Posts: 1,359
Well, you know, I did consider cashing them in for a couple of £60 car hire vouchers, but this option just edged it...
Yeah, we're big fans of Japan too, and spent quite a while on JR a couple of years back! But we hadn't been up the north before. Was glad we got some nice leaves - we were just a bit late for the blossoms on our last trip.
Yeah, we're big fans of Japan too, and spent quite a while on JR a couple of years back! But we hadn't been up the north before. Was glad we got some nice leaves - we were just a bit late for the blossoms on our last trip.
Nov 26, 2009, 6:47 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: GLA
Programs: BD (in memoriam), BA
Posts: 1,359
Incheon - Hong Kong
Asiana Airline OZ723
Business Class
The OZ business class check-in zone was deserted when we arrived, and we were straight up to a desk. The process was quick, though a second person was called over for reasons that weren't disclosed to us. We just always seemed to attract extra attention! We had pre-selected seats via the slightly shaky Asiana website, and got the ones we asked for. Not that there is much difference, but on the off-chance that the 25 runways were in use at HKG, we picked seats on the left. A slight queue for immigration, and then up to the lounge above the main concourse.
The lounge was busy, and the best seats were all taken, but we got a couple together with easy access to the buffet... Shortly after we arrived a few new hot food options appeared - breaded pork and a rice dish - and there was also a variety of cold options, including salad and a sort of DIY nachos. I poured myself an almost perfect glass of beer, then made the foolish mistake of trying to top it up just a bit more - cue one vigorously frothing, overflowing glass of beer. Ooops.
40 minutes or so before departure we strolled along to gate 48, and boarded straight away. We were first into C, and a warm welcome and trolley of newspapers was awaiting us at the door. Champagne and landing cards distributed, and we pushed back on time. A deep bow from the crew, and a short taxi to runway 33L - better than on the way in, as we didn't need to drive the whole length of the runway.
Don't worry, we're not going the wrong way. Still on the ground at ICN
After take-off, we immediately turn almost 180 degrees left to head down Korean coast. Our routing would take us out over Jeju, down to the Taiwan Strait and continuing along the Chinese coast to Hong Kong.
I had learned my lesson this time, and managed to get a snap of the menu:
Western starter and salad
Beef tenderloin steak
The Ssam-Bab, with a glass of Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cellier aux Moines 2005
The seats and cabin layout on the OZ 333 are very similar to the SQ 333, but I think the SQ version is just a bit more refined. The seat motors were very noisy, and the controls not terribly intelligent - if you wanted to move from one (adjusted) preset to another one, it would first wind everything back into a known position, then adjust from there. So it would eg retract the legrest, recline the seat a bit, and then extend the legrest again. Maybe I was just pressing the wrong buttons...
I had a little more time to play with the IFE too, and I was disappointed that I couldn't seem to select music and watch the airshow at same time - the airshow had its own rubbish backing track which it automatically switched too when you opened it up.
It turned out that we would be landing on runway 7L, so we routed to the south of Hong Kong and we didn't have much of a view. Bah. Oh well, we'll have enough of a view from the hotel! We were off the plane quickly, happy that we were ahead of the crowd, and turned the corner into a seething mass of people - it seems a few other widebodies had shed their loads at the same time. Luckily, a man with a sign as we came off the plane had our baggage reclaim belt listed, so we didn't have to hang around too much, and the queues weren't too bad when we got to immigration. We'd have been a bit quicker if we hadn't arrived at the front of the queue just in time for a shift change, but we were still through before our bags.
Didn't have long to wait though, and our bags were again amongst the first to come out. I'm just not used to the priority tags actually having any effect! Hardly any queue for a taxi, and after some brief negotiations (I'd forgotten to have the name of our hotel printed in Cantonese for such an occasion) we were on our way. It was only a slight white-knuckle ride, with a mere handful of perilous manoeuvres, and our bags didn't fall out of the bungeed-shut boot on the way - bonus!
Asiana Airline OZ723
Business Class
The OZ business class check-in zone was deserted when we arrived, and we were straight up to a desk. The process was quick, though a second person was called over for reasons that weren't disclosed to us. We just always seemed to attract extra attention! We had pre-selected seats via the slightly shaky Asiana website, and got the ones we asked for. Not that there is much difference, but on the off-chance that the 25 runways were in use at HKG, we picked seats on the left. A slight queue for immigration, and then up to the lounge above the main concourse.
The lounge was busy, and the best seats were all taken, but we got a couple together with easy access to the buffet... Shortly after we arrived a few new hot food options appeared - breaded pork and a rice dish - and there was also a variety of cold options, including salad and a sort of DIY nachos. I poured myself an almost perfect glass of beer, then made the foolish mistake of trying to top it up just a bit more - cue one vigorously frothing, overflowing glass of beer. Ooops.
40 minutes or so before departure we strolled along to gate 48, and boarded straight away. We were first into C, and a warm welcome and trolley of newspapers was awaiting us at the door. Champagne and landing cards distributed, and we pushed back on time. A deep bow from the crew, and a short taxi to runway 33L - better than on the way in, as we didn't need to drive the whole length of the runway.
Don't worry, we're not going the wrong way. Still on the ground at ICN
After take-off, we immediately turn almost 180 degrees left to head down Korean coast. Our routing would take us out over Jeju, down to the Taiwan Strait and continuing along the Chinese coast to Hong Kong.
I had learned my lesson this time, and managed to get a snap of the menu:
Western
Appetizer
Smoked Duck and Griller Mero Fish
Mixed Salad
Served with Italian Dressing
Main Course
- Beef Tenderloin Steak
Served with Red Wine Sauce, Topped with Herb Crust
Accompanied with Fried Red Potatoes, Red Onion and Cooked Broccoli
or
- Seafood Brochette
Cooked Prawn, White fish and Vegetables
Served with Saffron Cream Sauce
Accompanied with Boiled Fusilli Pasta with White Cream Sauce
Assorted Cheese and Fresh Fruit
Bel Paese, Gruyere
Dessert
Pumpkin Cream Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Coffee & Tea
Assorted Petits Fours
Korean
Nutritious Korean Cuisine, 'Ssam-Bab'
Steamed Rice Wrapped with Various Kinds of Vegetables
Topped with Grilled Beef 'Bulgogi' and *Bean paste
* Bean Paste : Contains various nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, etc). Those with allergies should be careful
Assorted Cheese and Fresh Fruit
Bel Paese, Gruyere
Dessert
Pumpkin Cream Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Coffee & Tea
Assorted Petits Fours
Appetizer
Smoked Duck and Griller Mero Fish
Mixed Salad
Served with Italian Dressing
Main Course
- Beef Tenderloin Steak
Served with Red Wine Sauce, Topped with Herb Crust
Accompanied with Fried Red Potatoes, Red Onion and Cooked Broccoli
or
- Seafood Brochette
Cooked Prawn, White fish and Vegetables
Served with Saffron Cream Sauce
Accompanied with Boiled Fusilli Pasta with White Cream Sauce
Assorted Cheese and Fresh Fruit
Bel Paese, Gruyere
Dessert
Pumpkin Cream Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Coffee & Tea
Assorted Petits Fours
Korean
Nutritious Korean Cuisine, 'Ssam-Bab'
Steamed Rice Wrapped with Various Kinds of Vegetables
Topped with Grilled Beef 'Bulgogi' and *Bean paste
* Bean Paste : Contains various nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, etc). Those with allergies should be careful
Assorted Cheese and Fresh Fruit
Bel Paese, Gruyere
Dessert
Pumpkin Cream Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Coffee & Tea
Assorted Petits Fours
Western starter and salad
Beef tenderloin steak
The Ssam-Bab, with a glass of Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cellier aux Moines 2005
The seats and cabin layout on the OZ 333 are very similar to the SQ 333, but I think the SQ version is just a bit more refined. The seat motors were very noisy, and the controls not terribly intelligent - if you wanted to move from one (adjusted) preset to another one, it would first wind everything back into a known position, then adjust from there. So it would eg retract the legrest, recline the seat a bit, and then extend the legrest again. Maybe I was just pressing the wrong buttons...
I had a little more time to play with the IFE too, and I was disappointed that I couldn't seem to select music and watch the airshow at same time - the airshow had its own rubbish backing track which it automatically switched too when you opened it up.
It turned out that we would be landing on runway 7L, so we routed to the south of Hong Kong and we didn't have much of a view. Bah. Oh well, we'll have enough of a view from the hotel! We were off the plane quickly, happy that we were ahead of the crowd, and turned the corner into a seething mass of people - it seems a few other widebodies had shed their loads at the same time. Luckily, a man with a sign as we came off the plane had our baggage reclaim belt listed, so we didn't have to hang around too much, and the queues weren't too bad when we got to immigration. We'd have been a bit quicker if we hadn't arrived at the front of the queue just in time for a shift change, but we were still through before our bags.
Didn't have long to wait though, and our bags were again amongst the first to come out. I'm just not used to the priority tags actually having any effect! Hardly any queue for a taxi, and after some brief negotiations (I'd forgotten to have the name of our hotel printed in Cantonese for such an occasion) we were on our way. It was only a slight white-knuckle ride, with a mere handful of perilous manoeuvres, and our bags didn't fall out of the bungeed-shut boot on the way - bonus!
Dec 1, 2009, 12:57 pm
#29
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,558
Well done report and thanks for the pictures!
Asiana's kaiseki looks quite nice for a short flight.
It does look as though they skipped a "course" and loaded 2 separate courses onto the last tray.
It appears that the starters were placed on the tray with the main and the rice/soup.
At least they still offer F within Asia (versus CX who've dropped most of their intra-Asia F class).
Asiana's kaiseki looks quite nice for a short flight.
It does look as though they skipped a "course" and loaded 2 separate courses onto the last tray.
It appears that the starters were placed on the tray with the main and the rice/soup.
At least they still offer F within Asia (versus CX who've dropped most of their intra-Asia F class).
Dec 2, 2009, 12:14 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
Programs: UA*G, AA Emerald, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt globalist
Posts: 10,279
Offering is different from providing. As far as I know and experienced, OZ intra asia F class had dropped their quantity and quality of food to C class. Korean and Japese meal remain the same, but western option had the biggest change. OZ long haul F and intra-asia F used to served the same.