Hollywood to Bollywood, the long way: UA/Swiss/Thai 77W/Emirates A380 F + Singapore J
May 22, 2012, 2:51 pm
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
BOM-SIN, Singapore 423 (J - text only)
(Before I start this part, I have to say … I made a TR no-no. I forgot to take any substantial photos of this leg. Since I value continuity, I’ll still go ahead, but it’ll be a text report for this leg. I tried to have a bit of fun with it, as you shall see …)
What is there to say about India? It’s hot. It’s crowded. I feel like I’m going to die every time I go on the road. This trip was no different, but I still love it. Tons of family met and reacquainted with, some I hadn’t seen in over a decade. That’s both good and stressful.
A whirlwind 10-day trip including a week-long wedding covering 3 cities. No planes, just overnight buses and trains. Fortunately, these buses and trains all have flatbeds as well in "first class." And they seem to have as many berths in one section as United in a row of Business. Sorry, BusinessFirst.
I was excited to fly the SQ 77W in business and had reserved 11A/12A for my sister and myself. Those two seats are in the private mini-cabin right behind First, and honestly, there’s no big difference between the F and J seats on that aircraft except for the service. Not only that, but it would be my sister’s first substantial premium class flight, so I was definitely spoiling her with this.
I was turning giddy almost, until I got a phone call from SQ at about 6pm. I was told that we would be “downgraded” (their word) to the angled lie flat regional seats, as the inbound flight to BOM was not a 77W but a regular 772. A bit upset, since this would be a true red-eye (12:20a – 8:00a). I asked if there was any mile or voucher compensation for this change, and was told to enquire at the airport. Fiddlesticks. I had purposely routed through SIN for this aircraft since HAN via BKK would be a shorter journey and earlier arrival.
Our flight ex-BOM was a 12:20am departure. Like I said, I’ve never seen BOM during the day. Though given how hot it was in India the week we were there (approaching 40ºC, over 100ºF), I’m glad the sun was down when we needed to go to the airport.
I would hate to be a frequent flyer out of BOM, or any other Indian airport, just due to the amount of hurdles and bureaucracy involved in trying to fly out. Without the aid of pictures, here’s a my-eyes view of the journey from home to SIN. Follow along:
Spend hours on Bombay roads trying to even reach BOM, or CSIA as some locals call it. Get stuck in traffic behind a cow and an elephant. On separate occasions. Reach the international terminal.
Stand in a long line outside the airport, as only ticketed passengers are allowed inside the BOM check-in area. Convince the Air Force official that your iPhone itinerary and mobile boarding pass are just as good as everyone else’s paper ticket (after all, this is the 21st century).
Somehow come across people just standing around in the terminal, despite everyone having a ticket and having a flight to catch.
Stand in a long queue to check in, behind families who just cannot pack light. Or if you’ve mastered the art of miles, stand in a short queue for F/J/status holders. Place airline tags over every single piece of cabin baggage, including your small camera bag.
Ask the agent about compensation for the J product downgrade. Find out that she’s rather useless in any sort of service capacity. Ask for the station manager. Get referred to a person in a darker suit who is not the station manager. Ask her to get the station manager. Find out the station manager is at home, despite 2 of the company’s 3 flights for the day departing at this time. Ask pseudo-station manager if she can call Babuji to get an answer.
Walk toward exit immigration and stand in line for 20 minutes, regardless of cabin class or status. Have your passport stamped. Have your boarding pass stamped. Have your boarding pass stamped again on the other side.
Walk 10 feet past the immigration counter. Stand in another line to have another fella check your passport and boarding passes to make sure they’re stamped.
Head toward security, branching off into two sides covered by partitions. Make a gamble to head toward the right, hoping it’s shorter. Branch further into separate lines for men (long) and women (short). Wait. Wait some more. See some men headed for MCT mistakenly get into the women’s line. Roll your eyes until you see that an airport official has opened up a new line for these men and invites you and every man behind you to join the least populated area in all of India. Do a happy dance (but not too happy. Security is serious).
Pass your bags through the scanner and walk through the metal detector that's off, to get wanded by a security official of the same gender (hence, the separate lines for men and women). After you prove you’re not hiding something up your bum, get your boarding pass stamped twice more in blue, hiding the red immigration stamps.
Wait for your bags at the other end of the scanner. Wait some more. Watch the airline tags on your bags get stamped. Even the one for your small camera-bag that couldn’t fit a hamster.
Leave the security area. Walk 10 feet before having another securitywalla check your boarding pass and bags to make sure they were stamped. Watch him send another passenger back to security for not having his knapsack stamped.
Head down the escalators to a revitalized terminal, with a semi-decent amount of shopping and eating areas. Or if you’re a miles master, walk over to one of the lounges. As SQ pax, your pass is good for the Celebrations Lounge (huh?), the Star Alliance Lufthansa lounge (that sounds better), or a massage at one of the two vendors in the terminal.
Go to the business lounge while your sister who believes Silver Medallion is worth something heads for a 30-minute foot massage, and demands you leave the lounge after 30 minutes to meet her at the gate. And demands you bring back a banana. And texts you when it’s been 35 minutes, exclaiming “Where are you?!” Respond with a picture of the alcohol selection, negating to mention the crowded seating areas for the bank of late-night departures. It’s been a long 10 days.
Forty minutes before departure, head to the gate area and quietly guffaw while watching an Indian mother try to convince the gate agent that her pre-pubescent son growing a mustache qualifies them for early family boarding.
Hear the announcement for First, Business, PPS, and Star Gold passengers and walk to the gate. Have your boarding pass, passport, and bags checked for the proper stamps at the gate. Walk 20 feet to the jetway. Have the same documents checked again for the same stamps. Mentally face-palm.
(Want a lucrative business opportunity? Sell stamps and stamp pads to the Indian Airport Authority. You’ll be rolling in rupees. I contemplated all this checking and re-checking, since you never really leave a sterile area. Well, I guess nothing in India is really sterile...)
Board your 772, through the First Class cabin that didn’t get downgraded and to your angled lie-flat. Curse your luck until you realize that you paid the equivalent of a 30-pack of Natty Light for this segment. Then still return to cursing your luck.
Place your bag in the overhead and begin to sit in the window seat until your sister says, “No, that’s my seat.”
“Why?”
“I’m older.”
Right. Think about pointing out who spent the hours and hours on FT to learn how to get these seats, and then take the aisle because you like holding favors over your sibling’s head. Also because you’re sending her back home from HAN on Vietnam Airlines and feel mildly guilty about it. Gotta love the options Skymiles give you. It might be in J, but for all you know, the Socialist country’s flag carrier puts everyone in J. “Common ownership, maaaaan.”
Curse your luck again as the other two bulkheads groups are switched with bassinet families, and you no longer have the semi-private cabin you originally booked. Curse that SQ doesn’t serve alcohol on the ground in India. Drink something called a Fruit Spritzer. Hope that none of your friends are boarding this flight through the door in front of you to see you drink something called a Fruit Spritzer.
Psuedo-station manager walks in and sees you drinking something called a Fruit Spritzer. She informs you that there will be no compensation in form of cash/vouchers/miles “for the downgrade.” You thank her for following up, but quietly curse your luck. If this were Delta, you’d be rolling in Skypesos about now. Skypesos you could use to fly Vietnam Airlines.
Sister asks “what’s the big deal?” and you keep quiet that the whole point was to have her first business class experience be a bit more special, with a “both window and aisle seat” experience. Whatever. She’s still swinging her feet up and down, aghast at how much room there is at the bulkhead. And that there are hot towels and free drinks before takeoff. Even if the drink is something called a Fruit Spritzer.
Take off to the west and turn back toward Singapore. Turn on the “award-winning” KrisWorld to watch a couple of episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, only after 150 seconds of advertisements. Poke a fork at the murgh chicken rice supper, realizing that catering ex-India hasn’t ever been anything to fuss over. Focus your attention on the drink portion instead. Drift asleep, waking up only a few times as you slide down the angled seat. Wake up for landing. “Ladies and Gentleman welcome to Singapore, and to all Singaporean residents, a warm welcome home.” And once more in Hindi. Wish you were a Singaporean resident, just so that last sentence could warm the cockles of your heart.
Head over to the T2 SKL. Watch your sister’s eyes light up at all the amenities available. Tell her to have a go at everything while you take a shower in the mediocre shower room. Finish your short layover and head over to the gate for SQ 176 to HAN.
I promise pics from here on out!
What is there to say about India? It’s hot. It’s crowded. I feel like I’m going to die every time I go on the road. This trip was no different, but I still love it. Tons of family met and reacquainted with, some I hadn’t seen in over a decade. That’s both good and stressful.
A whirlwind 10-day trip including a week-long wedding covering 3 cities. No planes, just overnight buses and trains. Fortunately, these buses and trains all have flatbeds as well in "first class." And they seem to have as many berths in one section as United in a row of Business. Sorry, BusinessFirst.
I was excited to fly the SQ 77W in business and had reserved 11A/12A for my sister and myself. Those two seats are in the private mini-cabin right behind First, and honestly, there’s no big difference between the F and J seats on that aircraft except for the service. Not only that, but it would be my sister’s first substantial premium class flight, so I was definitely spoiling her with this.
I was turning giddy almost, until I got a phone call from SQ at about 6pm. I was told that we would be “downgraded” (their word) to the angled lie flat regional seats, as the inbound flight to BOM was not a 77W but a regular 772. A bit upset, since this would be a true red-eye (12:20a – 8:00a). I asked if there was any mile or voucher compensation for this change, and was told to enquire at the airport. Fiddlesticks. I had purposely routed through SIN for this aircraft since HAN via BKK would be a shorter journey and earlier arrival.
Our flight ex-BOM was a 12:20am departure. Like I said, I’ve never seen BOM during the day. Though given how hot it was in India the week we were there (approaching 40ºC, over 100ºF), I’m glad the sun was down when we needed to go to the airport.
I would hate to be a frequent flyer out of BOM, or any other Indian airport, just due to the amount of hurdles and bureaucracy involved in trying to fly out. Without the aid of pictures, here’s a my-eyes view of the journey from home to SIN. Follow along:
Spend hours on Bombay roads trying to even reach BOM, or CSIA as some locals call it. Get stuck in traffic behind a cow and an elephant. On separate occasions. Reach the international terminal.
Stand in a long line outside the airport, as only ticketed passengers are allowed inside the BOM check-in area. Convince the Air Force official that your iPhone itinerary and mobile boarding pass are just as good as everyone else’s paper ticket (after all, this is the 21st century).
Somehow come across people just standing around in the terminal, despite everyone having a ticket and having a flight to catch.
Stand in a long queue to check in, behind families who just cannot pack light. Or if you’ve mastered the art of miles, stand in a short queue for F/J/status holders. Place airline tags over every single piece of cabin baggage, including your small camera bag.
Ask the agent about compensation for the J product downgrade. Find out that she’s rather useless in any sort of service capacity. Ask for the station manager. Get referred to a person in a darker suit who is not the station manager. Ask her to get the station manager. Find out the station manager is at home, despite 2 of the company’s 3 flights for the day departing at this time. Ask pseudo-station manager if she can call Babuji to get an answer.
Walk toward exit immigration and stand in line for 20 minutes, regardless of cabin class or status. Have your passport stamped. Have your boarding pass stamped. Have your boarding pass stamped again on the other side.
Walk 10 feet past the immigration counter. Stand in another line to have another fella check your passport and boarding passes to make sure they’re stamped.
Head toward security, branching off into two sides covered by partitions. Make a gamble to head toward the right, hoping it’s shorter. Branch further into separate lines for men (long) and women (short). Wait. Wait some more. See some men headed for MCT mistakenly get into the women’s line. Roll your eyes until you see that an airport official has opened up a new line for these men and invites you and every man behind you to join the least populated area in all of India. Do a happy dance (but not too happy. Security is serious).
Pass your bags through the scanner and walk through the metal detector that's off, to get wanded by a security official of the same gender (hence, the separate lines for men and women). After you prove you’re not hiding something up your bum, get your boarding pass stamped twice more in blue, hiding the red immigration stamps.
Wait for your bags at the other end of the scanner. Wait some more. Watch the airline tags on your bags get stamped. Even the one for your small camera-bag that couldn’t fit a hamster.
Leave the security area. Walk 10 feet before having another securitywalla check your boarding pass and bags to make sure they were stamped. Watch him send another passenger back to security for not having his knapsack stamped.
Head down the escalators to a revitalized terminal, with a semi-decent amount of shopping and eating areas. Or if you’re a miles master, walk over to one of the lounges. As SQ pax, your pass is good for the Celebrations Lounge (huh?), the Star Alliance Lufthansa lounge (that sounds better), or a massage at one of the two vendors in the terminal.
Go to the business lounge while your sister who believes Silver Medallion is worth something heads for a 30-minute foot massage, and demands you leave the lounge after 30 minutes to meet her at the gate. And demands you bring back a banana. And texts you when it’s been 35 minutes, exclaiming “Where are you?!” Respond with a picture of the alcohol selection, negating to mention the crowded seating areas for the bank of late-night departures. It’s been a long 10 days.
Forty minutes before departure, head to the gate area and quietly guffaw while watching an Indian mother try to convince the gate agent that her pre-pubescent son growing a mustache qualifies them for early family boarding.
Hear the announcement for First, Business, PPS, and Star Gold passengers and walk to the gate. Have your boarding pass, passport, and bags checked for the proper stamps at the gate. Walk 20 feet to the jetway. Have the same documents checked again for the same stamps. Mentally face-palm.
(Want a lucrative business opportunity? Sell stamps and stamp pads to the Indian Airport Authority. You’ll be rolling in rupees. I contemplated all this checking and re-checking, since you never really leave a sterile area. Well, I guess nothing in India is really sterile...)
Board your 772, through the First Class cabin that didn’t get downgraded and to your angled lie-flat. Curse your luck until you realize that you paid the equivalent of a 30-pack of Natty Light for this segment. Then still return to cursing your luck.
Place your bag in the overhead and begin to sit in the window seat until your sister says, “No, that’s my seat.”
“Why?”
“I’m older.”
Right. Think about pointing out who spent the hours and hours on FT to learn how to get these seats, and then take the aisle because you like holding favors over your sibling’s head. Also because you’re sending her back home from HAN on Vietnam Airlines and feel mildly guilty about it. Gotta love the options Skymiles give you. It might be in J, but for all you know, the Socialist country’s flag carrier puts everyone in J. “Common ownership, maaaaan.”
Curse your luck again as the other two bulkheads groups are switched with bassinet families, and you no longer have the semi-private cabin you originally booked. Curse that SQ doesn’t serve alcohol on the ground in India. Drink something called a Fruit Spritzer. Hope that none of your friends are boarding this flight through the door in front of you to see you drink something called a Fruit Spritzer.
Psuedo-station manager walks in and sees you drinking something called a Fruit Spritzer. She informs you that there will be no compensation in form of cash/vouchers/miles “for the downgrade.” You thank her for following up, but quietly curse your luck. If this were Delta, you’d be rolling in Skypesos about now. Skypesos you could use to fly Vietnam Airlines.
Sister asks “what’s the big deal?” and you keep quiet that the whole point was to have her first business class experience be a bit more special, with a “both window and aisle seat” experience. Whatever. She’s still swinging her feet up and down, aghast at how much room there is at the bulkhead. And that there are hot towels and free drinks before takeoff. Even if the drink is something called a Fruit Spritzer.
Take off to the west and turn back toward Singapore. Turn on the “award-winning” KrisWorld to watch a couple of episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, only after 150 seconds of advertisements. Poke a fork at the murgh chicken rice supper, realizing that catering ex-India hasn’t ever been anything to fuss over. Focus your attention on the drink portion instead. Drift asleep, waking up only a few times as you slide down the angled seat. Wake up for landing. “Ladies and Gentleman welcome to Singapore, and to all Singaporean residents, a warm welcome home.” And once more in Hindi. Wish you were a Singaporean resident, just so that last sentence could warm the cockles of your heart.
Head over to the T2 SKL. Watch your sister’s eyes light up at all the amenities available. Tell her to have a go at everything while you take a shower in the mediocre shower room. Finish your short layover and head over to the gate for SQ 176 to HAN.
I promise pics from here on out!
Last edited by amolkold; May 23, 2012 at 1:18 pm
May 23, 2012, 7:18 am
#47
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Programs: AMEX Cent AU, UA Plat, 9W Plat, Amtrak S+, HHonors Slv
Posts: 477
I might still write in and explain your disappointment in taking a family member on their first trip in J and how this panned out in terms of the downgrade, for what it is worth.
At least they may throw you a bone...?
Regardless, nice alternative to pictures. Really enjoyed this installment!
At least they may throw you a bone...?
Regardless, nice alternative to pictures. Really enjoyed this installment!
May 23, 2012, 10:22 am
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
SIN-HAN, Singapore 176 (J)
And back to the regularly scheduled programming …
SQ 176
SIN-HAN
Boeing 777-200
Seat 14K, J
We entered the aircraft to see the old business class, and already my sister commented, “This looks old.” My first reaction as well in BKK, but I’m a fan. As long as it’s a day flight and you avoid the middle seat in the center section, you really can’t complain. The seats recline pretty far if you just want to relax for a 3-hour flight. With the requisite amazing service expected from SQ, it turned out to be a great flight. That’s the thing I’ve realized about flying SQ. They set their expectations so high that an amazing flight is almost always expected. Hell, I’m flying them 22000 miles in Y next month and am actually looking forward to it
. But only after having been matched to Star Gold from Skypeso Gold. See, you can make something out of nothing!
Anyway … with 4 SQ J flights in less than 2 weeks, I’ve gotten used to the pre-flight routine. Magazines, newspapers, pre-departure beverage, confirmation of BTC order, orders for post-takeoff beverage, the entire gamut. Wonderful service, as usual.
For this 3h05m sector to HAN, service was bit more relaxed than the shorter service ex-BKK. It still blew US airlines out of the water. Too bad they don’t “give away” the forward cabin. Then again, methinks that those two things are related
.
Here’s the menu, though I kept with my BTC meal of Singapore Chicken Rice and my vegetarian sister stuck with the BTC Roasted Vegetables I had placed an order for.
And if you’re interested in the return sector …
Olive bread
Seafood salad. Starting a week of dragon fruit consumption.
Singapore Chicken Rice. Even better than the first time.
Roasted Vegetables. You can see my sister imitating the 'bon appetit' wave mentioned below.
Opera cake
Okay, I lied about no pics from the BOM-SIN flight. This was the dessert on that flight, so I'll just sneak this in ...
Small cheese plate. They ran a cart with selections, but I was already stuffed.
Chocolates. This is a 3-hour flight in Business!
Our Singapore Girl in the cabin was incredible throughout the flight. Even in a business class, our place settings were always prettied up just a bit between courses. After placing a dish down, she would perform a subtle wave of her wrist while saying, “Bon appetit” or “Enjoy.” It’s the little things that stand out.
After our meal service, we had about 75 minutes left until HAN. I dozed off in a food coma for a bit; upon awaking, my sister mentioned that they also ran a cart of ice cream through the cabin and was tempted to partake. This is almost too much food, but hey, who's complaining?
The FA came to talk with us about our upcoming trip for a while (we were the only non-business types or non-Vietnamese-origin passengers in the cabin, so our choice of destination made her quite curious). My sister explained how Ha Long Bay has been on her bucket list and how I got us her first J ticket.
“Well, sounds like you have quite a wonderful brother.”
Hear that, sis? Now ditch that Discover card …
We were the first foreigners off the plane, so we were first in line for the Visa On Arrival. With an approval letter, the process was quick and we were through immigration within 10 minutes.
One thing about my sister is that she tries to act "budget traveler" as much as possible. While I travel with an actual suitcase (that was busting to the brim with gifts to/from family + airline amenity kits), she goes the backpacker route. It was a sight to see her pack with "business class" and "priority" stickers come off the belt.
A quick trip to the ATM made us instant Vietnamese Millionaires. If you take an adolescent male with you to Vietnam, prepare for giggles when you tell him the name of the currency.
Cabs from the airport to the city cost about US$18. Or 400,000 Vietnamese Dong.
Or you can take a mini-bus (with "bus" being a very generous description ... it's a van) for US$1.70 per person, which drops you off close to the city-center, where you can take a cab to wherever you need to go. After close to a week in Hanoi, I'll trust only one cab company - the green decaled Mai Linh company. Pretty much everyone else will try to rip you off...
SQ 176
SIN-HAN
Boeing 777-200
Seat 14K, J
We entered the aircraft to see the old business class, and already my sister commented, “This looks old.” My first reaction as well in BKK, but I’m a fan. As long as it’s a day flight and you avoid the middle seat in the center section, you really can’t complain. The seats recline pretty far if you just want to relax for a 3-hour flight. With the requisite amazing service expected from SQ, it turned out to be a great flight. That’s the thing I’ve realized about flying SQ. They set their expectations so high that an amazing flight is almost always expected. Hell, I’m flying them 22000 miles in Y next month and am actually looking forward to it
. But only after having been matched to Star Gold from Skypeso Gold. See, you can make something out of nothing!Anyway … with 4 SQ J flights in less than 2 weeks, I’ve gotten used to the pre-flight routine. Magazines, newspapers, pre-departure beverage, confirmation of BTC order, orders for post-takeoff beverage, the entire gamut. Wonderful service, as usual.
For this 3h05m sector to HAN, service was bit more relaxed than the shorter service ex-BKK. It still blew US airlines out of the water. Too bad they don’t “give away” the forward cabin. Then again, methinks that those two things are related
. Here’s the menu, though I kept with my BTC meal of Singapore Chicken Rice and my vegetarian sister stuck with the BTC Roasted Vegetables I had placed an order for.
Lunch menu: Singapore to Hanoi (SQ 176)
Starter
Vietnamese style seafood salad with dragon fruit
Main
Beef Oscar
Fillet of beef with white asparagus and prawn in hollandaise sauce
Gaeng phrik pla
Thai style red curry fish, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Braised chicken with bailing mushroom, beancurd with vegetables and fried ee fu noodle.
Finale
Opera cake with coffee sauce
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A selection of fresh fruit
Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines.
Starter
Vietnamese style seafood salad with dragon fruit
Main
Beef Oscar
Fillet of beef with white asparagus and prawn in hollandaise sauce
Gaeng phrik pla
Thai style red curry fish, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice
Braised chicken with bailing mushroom, beancurd with vegetables and fried ee fu noodle.
Finale
Opera cake with coffee sauce
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A selection of fresh fruit
Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines.
And if you’re interested in the return sector …
Lunch menu: Hanoi to Singapore (SQ 175)
Starter
Sundried tomato-orzo salad with marinated scallops and greens
Main
Pan seared rolled beef with enoki mushroom, fine beans in xo sauce, mushroom rice
Cha ca thang long
Pan fried fish in rojak sauce with peanuts and rice vermicelli
Chicken stuffed with cheddar and spinach, roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes
Finale
Dark chocolate crème brulee
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A selection of fresh fruit
Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines
Starter
Sundried tomato-orzo salad with marinated scallops and greens
Main
Pan seared rolled beef with enoki mushroom, fine beans in xo sauce, mushroom rice
Cha ca thang long
Pan fried fish in rojak sauce with peanuts and rice vermicelli
Chicken stuffed with cheddar and spinach, roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes
Finale
Dark chocolate crème brulee
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A selection of fresh fruit
Gourmet coffees & selection of fine teas, with pralines
Olive bread
Seafood salad. Starting a week of dragon fruit consumption.
Singapore Chicken Rice. Even better than the first time.
Roasted Vegetables. You can see my sister imitating the 'bon appetit' wave mentioned below.
Opera cake
Okay, I lied about no pics from the BOM-SIN flight. This was the dessert on that flight, so I'll just sneak this in ...
Small cheese plate. They ran a cart with selections, but I was already stuffed.
Chocolates. This is a 3-hour flight in Business!
Our Singapore Girl in the cabin was incredible throughout the flight. Even in a business class, our place settings were always prettied up just a bit between courses. After placing a dish down, she would perform a subtle wave of her wrist while saying, “Bon appetit” or “Enjoy.” It’s the little things that stand out.
After our meal service, we had about 75 minutes left until HAN. I dozed off in a food coma for a bit; upon awaking, my sister mentioned that they also ran a cart of ice cream through the cabin and was tempted to partake. This is almost too much food, but hey, who's complaining?
The FA came to talk with us about our upcoming trip for a while (we were the only non-business types or non-Vietnamese-origin passengers in the cabin, so our choice of destination made her quite curious). My sister explained how Ha Long Bay has been on her bucket list and how I got us her first J ticket.
“Well, sounds like you have quite a wonderful brother.”
Hear that, sis?
Now ditch that Discover card …We were the first foreigners off the plane, so we were first in line for the Visa On Arrival. With an approval letter, the process was quick and we were through immigration within 10 minutes.
One thing about my sister is that she tries to act "budget traveler" as much as possible. While I travel with an actual suitcase (that was busting to the brim with gifts to/from family + airline amenity kits), she goes the backpacker route. It was a sight to see her pack with "business class" and "priority" stickers come off the belt.
A quick trip to the ATM made us instant Vietnamese Millionaires. If you take an adolescent male with you to Vietnam, prepare for giggles when you tell him the name of the currency.
Cabs from the airport to the city cost about US$18. Or 400,000 Vietnamese Dong.
Or you can take a mini-bus (with "bus" being a very generous description ... it's a van) for US$1.70 per person, which drops you off close to the city-center, where you can take a cab to wherever you need to go. After close to a week in Hanoi, I'll trust only one cab company - the green decaled Mai Linh company. Pretty much everyone else will try to rip you off...
Last edited by amolkold; Jun 15, 2012 at 12:01 am
May 23, 2012, 10:43 am
#49
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
Hanoi
We were actually meeting another friend of ours in Vietnam, who had come a couple days early and stayed at the Sheraton with her SPG points. She gave good reviews of it, but it turned out that for the 3 of us, a local hotel was cheaper (even than the cash + points rate) and provided amazing hospitality. If you ever need to stay in Hanoi, I definitely recommend the Charming II in the Old Quarter. I don't have any pictures, but the ones on the TA site are true to their pixels.
As for Hanoi itself ... we stayed here as a jumping off point for Ha Long Bay, though the city is great to visit in itself. Enough talking, more pictures:
Street-side Pho Ga
This looks safe
Water Puppet Show
Bikes everywhere
And I mean everywhere ...
As for Hanoi itself ... we stayed here as a jumping off point for Ha Long Bay, though the city is great to visit in itself. Enough talking, more pictures:
Street-side Pho Ga
This looks safe
Water Puppet Show
Bikes everywhere
And I mean everywhere ...
May 23, 2012, 11:08 am
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
Ha Long Bay (photo post)
It's hard to describe the beauty of Ha Long Bay in words. This has been on my sister's bucket list for a long time. This has been on my bucket list after seeing the Top Gear Vietnam Special. So you can see how differently we think ...
Big enough to hold 8 pax + crew. Booked this through our hotel.
Big enough to hold 8 pax + crew. Booked this through our hotel.
Last edited by amolkold; Jun 1, 2012 at 6:49 pm Reason: broken photo link
May 23, 2012, 2:43 pm
#51
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Emirates Skywards, Mileage Plus, OneWorld, Qatar Airways Privilage Club
Posts: 301
Awesome, amazing, and riveting TR. Love the pics and your writing style. Being a fellow desi, would love to see some pics from Bombay as well. Keep up the good work!
May 23, 2012, 2:51 pm
#52
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
A truly wonderful report, one of the best I've read hands down, and I say that without any hyperbole. Can't wait for the rest!
May 23, 2012, 3:28 pm
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
. I'll be back in a bit more than a month, though ...
May 23, 2012, 7:21 pm
#55
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
Wrapping up Vietnam; HAN-BKK, Qatar 611 (Y)
I get the idea of sticking to one airline or alliance for elite benefits … despite flights rarely taking up the majority of a vacation, elite status really can make a huge difference. If you fly a long haul in coach, you can at least enjoy the business class amenities on the ground. And you can earn a lot more miles that will get you into that business class seat sooner or later.
But for hotels, I don’t see the point. At least not at this stage in my life. I’ve collected hotel points in all the major programs – Hilton, Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, etc etc. If I had elite status at one of them, say Starwood, I would have been mightily tempted to stay at the Sheraton in Hanoi. And that would have been a bad thing.
Because you see, the hotel I eventually chose, the one with the Highest Guest Rating on Hotels.com, turned out to be absolutely fantastic. No, it wasn’t the biggest room in the city. No, I didn’t get Club Access due to a Club Room on the Club Floor. And no, I didn’t earn points on the stay (not even Hotels.com credits since I booked a cheaper rate by making an actual direct e-mail booking with the hotel). And yet, it was cheaper than the Sheraton's cash+points price (minus the points).
Why was it fantastic? Despite having 44 rooms, the staff knew everyone and were, like the name of the hotel suggests, charming. The desk agents offered to take me to their favorite local eatery, since I had a night after my sister and her friend left before my flight. I’m even friends with them on Facebook now. For all I know, I Couchsurfed in Hanoi with new friends.
Oh, and I still got Free Breakfast, Free Wi-fi, a welcome drink, a bottle of wine, and daily bottles of water. And was allowed to stay 8 hours past check-out due to a late outbound flight. And because I stayed 3 nights, a free airport cab. Who needs hotel elite status?
But it was time to leave Vietnam, a country I will definitely pay $45 again for a Tourist Visa sometime in the future. I needed to head to Bangkok, to get a glimpse of Thailand, and a taste of real Thai food (and also because I had an Emirates booking BKK-HKG later that week).
My first choice was actually Vietnam Airlines, since I’m a Delta Gold Medallion and Skyteam is a partnership of world-class airlines. But they wanted me to rob a bank before booking a one-way in coach. Thai Airways likewise, but I didn’t have *A status at the time.
So I went to Kayak, and saw that it was either the 9am flight on AirAsia or the 11:35pm flight on Qatar. Yes, Qatar. They fly a Hanoi to Bangkok flight, which then continues to Doha. If you’re in the south of Vietnam, you can fly Lufthansa or Turkish SGN-BKK. Though I don’t think Mr. Ho Chi Minh would approve of a separate First Class Terminal like in FRA, especially in his eponymous city. Anyway …
The AirAsia A320 flight had a better timing, but I’m wary of LCCs. Indeed, the final price, including a la carte options like baggage/seat selection/dignity, would have been halfway between Qatar’s prices for economy and business. Sadly, par for the course these days. I elected to go with QR, on their 77W. Gotta love fifth freedoms.
I thought about booking business for this leg, but the sub 2 hours flight time made me think otherwise. And unlike Emirates, QR places coach in 3-3-3, not 3-4-3. And the flight was less than quarter full. Coach it was! Back to flying with the masses!
---
Before I even get to the flight, or even the ground experience, I have to share a story. A story dedicated to Flyertalk, Social Media, and how small the world is.
I asked about the HAN-BKK flight on the FT QR subforum, about what was included in Y and J tickets for the short flight. Within 2 hours, I had a response from AlexCM, the QR company representative for FT. A plus to QR for understanding how to connect with its passengers in this day and age.
But it goes even further. For you see, I was having troubles checking in online the day of the flight. I would later find out this was in no fault QR’s, but actually United’s, since their new system wasn’t meshing with non *A partners on the mileage earning side. I ended up having to send the miles to US Airways. In the end, I would fly a flight between Vietnam and Thailand on a Qatari airline to bank in an American program that I use to fly European carriers to North Asia.
Anyway. When I get bored, I tweet. When I get excited, I tweet. When I get frustrated, I tweet. A mix of the first and third made me send out a tweet stating how QR’s website wouldn’t let me check in, something I wanted to do as soon as possible since I didn't have status or a premium cabin ticket.
Within minutes, I had a message from a QR twitter representative asking me if he could assist; it was the same AlexCM on FT. And within a few minutes, we were sending each other direct messages, basically text messages over Twitter. And within a few more minutes, after providing PNR code, seat preference, and mileage account number, I had a mobile boarding pass in my e-mail inbox.
Here I was, sitting at a café in central Hanoi by the lake, leaching wifi off a fancier café that actually had an internet connection, and checking in for a flight to Bangkok on a Middle Eastern carrier over Twitter with an airline representative. And had it not been for my daftness, I would have realized that during my stay in Bangkok, I passed by the same QR offices of AlexCM on Sukhumvit Road almost everyday on the way to my hotel. How small and connected a world we live in.
----
With an 11:35pm departure, I left my hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi a bit past 8pm, for the 30-minute drive to HAN, much calmer than the drive to BOM airport. As I expected, the driver and I were greeted by a madhouse at the terminal. The only oasis of calm in the check-in area was the QR counter. Excellent.
Watching large groups check-in seems to be a pasttime at HAN ...
... but not at the QR counters.
I did a bit of a test, to see if Vietnam Airlines is aware of its alliance. A quick show of my Delta Gold card and I was allowed in to the much quicker VN check-in line. For the flight I wasn't booked for.
I made my way past exit immigration and into the small international concourse, simply a big room with gates toward the sides. In the middle was a large café, aptly named SKY CAFÉ. A bit of research beforehand and I knew the wi-fi pass code, to stay a bit connected before my flight. I found a corner to sit in, as most of the seating area was taken up by passengers taking up 2 to 3 seats each in supine position.
The opposite side of the concourse
No seating available ...
Difficult children need the most help.
I would have missed having lounge access upstairs had it not been for the following text messages from my sister the night before, during her lounge visit from being a VN J pax to CDG and her friend having DL Gold on a KE flight to ICN in Y.
HAN lounge pics from my sister's visit
Her: “To sum it up: 50 watt lightbulbs in lounge, food that’s less interesting than the restaurant 200 feet away, and the wifi doesn’t work, so [friend] and I are stealing it from the massage place outside the lounge. And the music playing sounds like it’s from a video game. But there are plenty of drinks! Just no real alcohol …”
Me: “That’s appalling.”
Her: “Oh wait. Sad red wine pairs well with the 50 watts. And comfy, minimally stained couches. I mean, it’s okay. I just think you (and anyone else) would be [Double You Tee Eff] about it.”
And 14 hours later …
Her: “Okay, I just walked into the Air France lounge at Paris, that Hanoi lounge was definitely bad. I thought I’d just been spoiled by Singapore …”
---
QR 611
HAN-BKK, 1h25m
Boeing 777-300ER
Seat 14F, Y
Boarding wasn’t really called; I simply approached the desk to make sure that my US mileage number was on the ticket, to which the desk agent replied, “Yes. You may board now.”
I ended up being the first one onboard since there were no J pax on this segment, and sat in a right aisle seat in the center section, mostly because it didn’t have an entertainment box underneath it like the other side. At first it felt tight, though you have to realize that since January, this was my first segment in over 20 that wasn’t at least Economy Plus/Comfort/Humane.
My Economy Class Suite.
IFE.
Amenity kit ... for a 600-mile trip.
Without a pre-departure service, I simply turned on ‘The Descendants’ on the IFE, since QR turns their system on before takeoff. One thing that QR does (that EK doesn't) is they bleep out any profane language, which kind of changes the course of many scenes in the movie. Though throughout boarding, I was able to watch the movie in solemn isolation. For all the desire to fly in premium cabins, you sure are bothered a lot before takeoff. Champagne? Magazine? Hot towel? Menu? Massage? Okay, maybe not the last one. Or maybe on TG ...
The movie was interrupted briefly for what is quite possibly the most boring safety presentation in the world. Despite all my gripe about North American airlines, give me Deltalina’s finger wag any day. "Smoking is not allowed ..."
After takeoff, the flight attendants quickly went to work to give out hot snacks. Despite it being a very empty cabin, it felt very rushed. I wonder what it would be like if it were a full flight. And before you say that this flight time is unsocial, the flight departs in the early evening four days of the week. Still, you can’t complain about this for such a short flight.
Just missing some Biscoffs ....
On approach, the cabin lights seemed to go through a mood swing.
The winds were in our favor and we landed at BKK ahead of schedule. Unlike my EK HKG-BKK flight, we had to line up at the end of the jetway and “check-out” of the flight (basically, cross our name off a list of those flying just the first segment). Because so many people want to go to Doha over Bangkok ….
I hired a taxi at the departures level to avoid the 50 baht surcharge. Bangkok at 2am for a first-timer is definitely a fun but scary place. Add to the fact that the taxi driver was driving at 120km per hour through city streets and it was tough to get my bearings straight.
Alright, before I continue on, I have to explain how I ended up where I eventually did. I booked the QR flight about 5 days before I flew it, since I didn’t know when I’d want to leave HAN and go to BKK. I booked just 3 days in Bangkok at a Radisson property due to a Buy 2 Get 1 free promotion. When I eventually made my plans, I needed 2 more nights in BKK.
With my luck, those 2 nights happened to coincide with a large international convention. I won’t give the name away, but everyone I know who is part of this organization is well-traveled, so it’s no hyperbole when I say the city was overflowing with their members on these days.
And since the city was overflowing with them, so were hotel rooms.
And so when it came time to find a hotel room for these nights, it was a tough task. I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg, especially in Bangkok where the supply more than outweighs demand and hotels are supposed to be cheap. So I eventually chose a place called “JustBeds” in Silom, at the attractive price of $24 a night near the Chao Phraya river. Despite the name, the rooms also come with a TV. And a bathroom. And a fridge, that’s inside the bathroom.
But why am I saying all this? Because this hotel, like many hotels in Bangkok, is on something called a soi. And if you haven’t yet been to Bangkok, the way they name their streets and sois can get confusing. I understand it now, but trying to map my way around the city beforehand was terrifying. And this coming from a guy who knows many cities better than his friends who actually live there.
As we approached the small soi where my hotel was supposed to be, my taxi driver uttered his first words of the trip, while pointing to a figure down the road on the sidewalk.
“Hehe. Lady boy.”
And yes. It was. Quite obviously, too. The driver stopped the car. I paid the ~320 baht fare and walked out, toward the soi where the hotel was supposed to be, according to my pre-loaded Google map. I walked only a few feet before I realized it was a dead-end with no businesses of hospitality offering rooms anywhere to be seen.
I returned to the main road. The only other character around? Lady boy. I soon heard something from down the road, something I’d rather hear backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
“Heyyyyyy there big boy.”
“Uhh … hey," I respond. After the most awkward pause, I continue ... "Do you know where ‘JustBeds’ is?”
“It’s next to the restaurant behind you. Next soi over.”
“Oh. Thanks!”
“You’re welcome!”
Gotta love Thai hospitality. Welcome to Bangkok.
But for hotels, I don’t see the point. At least not at this stage in my life. I’ve collected hotel points in all the major programs – Hilton, Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott, Priority Club, etc etc. If I had elite status at one of them, say Starwood, I would have been mightily tempted to stay at the Sheraton in Hanoi. And that would have been a bad thing.
Because you see, the hotel I eventually chose, the one with the Highest Guest Rating on Hotels.com, turned out to be absolutely fantastic. No, it wasn’t the biggest room in the city. No, I didn’t get Club Access due to a Club Room on the Club Floor. And no, I didn’t earn points on the stay (not even Hotels.com credits since I booked a cheaper rate by making an actual direct e-mail booking with the hotel). And yet, it was cheaper than the Sheraton's cash+points price (minus the points).
Why was it fantastic? Despite having 44 rooms, the staff knew everyone and were, like the name of the hotel suggests, charming. The desk agents offered to take me to their favorite local eatery, since I had a night after my sister and her friend left before my flight. I’m even friends with them on Facebook now. For all I know, I Couchsurfed in Hanoi with new friends.
Oh, and I still got Free Breakfast, Free Wi-fi, a welcome drink, a bottle of wine, and daily bottles of water. And was allowed to stay 8 hours past check-out due to a late outbound flight. And because I stayed 3 nights, a free airport cab. Who needs hotel elite status?
But it was time to leave Vietnam, a country I will definitely pay $45 again for a Tourist Visa sometime in the future. I needed to head to Bangkok, to get a glimpse of Thailand, and a taste of real Thai food (and also because I had an Emirates booking BKK-HKG later that week).
My first choice was actually Vietnam Airlines, since I’m a Delta Gold Medallion and Skyteam is a partnership of world-class airlines. But they wanted me to rob a bank before booking a one-way in coach. Thai Airways likewise, but I didn’t have *A status at the time.
So I went to Kayak, and saw that it was either the 9am flight on AirAsia or the 11:35pm flight on Qatar. Yes, Qatar. They fly a Hanoi to Bangkok flight, which then continues to Doha. If you’re in the south of Vietnam, you can fly Lufthansa or Turkish SGN-BKK. Though I don’t think Mr. Ho Chi Minh would approve of a separate First Class Terminal like in FRA, especially in his eponymous city. Anyway …
The AirAsia A320 flight had a better timing, but I’m wary of LCCs. Indeed, the final price, including a la carte options like baggage/seat selection/dignity, would have been halfway between Qatar’s prices for economy and business. Sadly, par for the course these days. I elected to go with QR, on their 77W. Gotta love fifth freedoms.
I thought about booking business for this leg, but the sub 2 hours flight time made me think otherwise. And unlike Emirates, QR places coach in 3-3-3, not 3-4-3. And the flight was less than quarter full. Coach it was! Back to flying with the masses!
---
Before I even get to the flight, or even the ground experience, I have to share a story. A story dedicated to Flyertalk, Social Media, and how small the world is.
I asked about the HAN-BKK flight on the FT QR subforum, about what was included in Y and J tickets for the short flight. Within 2 hours, I had a response from AlexCM, the QR company representative for FT. A plus to QR for understanding how to connect with its passengers in this day and age.
But it goes even further. For you see, I was having troubles checking in online the day of the flight. I would later find out this was in no fault QR’s, but actually United’s, since their new system wasn’t meshing with non *A partners on the mileage earning side. I ended up having to send the miles to US Airways. In the end, I would fly a flight between Vietnam and Thailand on a Qatari airline to bank in an American program that I use to fly European carriers to North Asia.
Anyway. When I get bored, I tweet. When I get excited, I tweet. When I get frustrated, I tweet. A mix of the first and third made me send out a tweet stating how QR’s website wouldn’t let me check in, something I wanted to do as soon as possible since I didn't have status or a premium cabin ticket.
Within minutes, I had a message from a QR twitter representative asking me if he could assist; it was the same AlexCM on FT. And within a few minutes, we were sending each other direct messages, basically text messages over Twitter. And within a few more minutes, after providing PNR code, seat preference, and mileage account number, I had a mobile boarding pass in my e-mail inbox.
Here I was, sitting at a café in central Hanoi by the lake, leaching wifi off a fancier café that actually had an internet connection, and checking in for a flight to Bangkok on a Middle Eastern carrier over Twitter with an airline representative. And had it not been for my daftness, I would have realized that during my stay in Bangkok, I passed by the same QR offices of AlexCM on Sukhumvit Road almost everyday on the way to my hotel. How small and connected a world we live in.
----
With an 11:35pm departure, I left my hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi a bit past 8pm, for the 30-minute drive to HAN, much calmer than the drive to BOM airport. As I expected, the driver and I were greeted by a madhouse at the terminal. The only oasis of calm in the check-in area was the QR counter. Excellent.
Watching large groups check-in seems to be a pasttime at HAN ...
... but not at the QR counters.
I did a bit of a test, to see if Vietnam Airlines is aware of its alliance. A quick show of my Delta Gold card and I was allowed in to the much quicker VN check-in line. For the flight I wasn't booked for.
I made my way past exit immigration and into the small international concourse, simply a big room with gates toward the sides. In the middle was a large café, aptly named SKY CAFÉ. A bit of research beforehand and I knew the wi-fi pass code, to stay a bit connected before my flight. I found a corner to sit in, as most of the seating area was taken up by passengers taking up 2 to 3 seats each in supine position.
The opposite side of the concourse
No seating available ...
Difficult children need the most help.
I would have missed having lounge access upstairs had it not been for the following text messages from my sister the night before, during her lounge visit from being a VN J pax to CDG and her friend having DL Gold on a KE flight to ICN in Y.
HAN lounge pics from my sister's visit
Her: “To sum it up: 50 watt lightbulbs in lounge, food that’s less interesting than the restaurant 200 feet away, and the wifi doesn’t work, so [friend] and I are stealing it from the massage place outside the lounge. And the music playing sounds like it’s from a video game. But there are plenty of drinks! Just no real alcohol …”
Me: “That’s appalling.”
Her: “Oh wait. Sad red wine pairs well with the 50 watts. And comfy, minimally stained couches. I mean, it’s okay. I just think you (and anyone else) would be [Double You Tee Eff] about it.”
And 14 hours later …
Her: “Okay, I just walked into the Air France lounge at Paris, that Hanoi lounge was definitely bad. I thought I’d just been spoiled by Singapore …”
---
QR 611
HAN-BKK, 1h25m
Boeing 777-300ER
Seat 14F, Y
Boarding wasn’t really called; I simply approached the desk to make sure that my US mileage number was on the ticket, to which the desk agent replied, “Yes. You may board now.”
I ended up being the first one onboard since there were no J pax on this segment, and sat in a right aisle seat in the center section, mostly because it didn’t have an entertainment box underneath it like the other side. At first it felt tight, though you have to realize that since January, this was my first segment in over 20 that wasn’t at least Economy Plus/Comfort/Humane.
My Economy Class Suite.
IFE.
Amenity kit ... for a 600-mile trip.
Without a pre-departure service, I simply turned on ‘The Descendants’ on the IFE, since QR turns their system on before takeoff. One thing that QR does (that EK doesn't) is they bleep out any profane language, which kind of changes the course of many scenes in the movie. Though throughout boarding, I was able to watch the movie in solemn isolation. For all the desire to fly in premium cabins, you sure are bothered a lot before takeoff. Champagne? Magazine? Hot towel? Menu? Massage? Okay, maybe not the last one. Or maybe on TG ...
The movie was interrupted briefly for what is quite possibly the most boring safety presentation in the world. Despite all my gripe about North American airlines, give me Deltalina’s finger wag any day. "Smoking is not allowed ..."
After takeoff, the flight attendants quickly went to work to give out hot snacks. Despite it being a very empty cabin, it felt very rushed. I wonder what it would be like if it were a full flight. And before you say that this flight time is unsocial, the flight departs in the early evening four days of the week. Still, you can’t complain about this for such a short flight.
Just missing some Biscoffs ....
On approach, the cabin lights seemed to go through a mood swing.
The winds were in our favor and we landed at BKK ahead of schedule. Unlike my EK HKG-BKK flight, we had to line up at the end of the jetway and “check-out” of the flight (basically, cross our name off a list of those flying just the first segment). Because so many people want to go to Doha over Bangkok ….
I hired a taxi at the departures level to avoid the 50 baht surcharge. Bangkok at 2am for a first-timer is definitely a fun but scary place. Add to the fact that the taxi driver was driving at 120km per hour through city streets and it was tough to get my bearings straight.
Alright, before I continue on, I have to explain how I ended up where I eventually did. I booked the QR flight about 5 days before I flew it, since I didn’t know when I’d want to leave HAN and go to BKK. I booked just 3 days in Bangkok at a Radisson property due to a Buy 2 Get 1 free promotion. When I eventually made my plans, I needed 2 more nights in BKK.
With my luck, those 2 nights happened to coincide with a large international convention. I won’t give the name away, but everyone I know who is part of this organization is well-traveled, so it’s no hyperbole when I say the city was overflowing with their members on these days.
And since the city was overflowing with them, so were hotel rooms.
And so when it came time to find a hotel room for these nights, it was a tough task. I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg, especially in Bangkok where the supply more than outweighs demand and hotels are supposed to be cheap. So I eventually chose a place called “JustBeds” in Silom, at the attractive price of $24 a night near the Chao Phraya river. Despite the name, the rooms also come with a TV. And a bathroom. And a fridge, that’s inside the bathroom.
But why am I saying all this? Because this hotel, like many hotels in Bangkok, is on something called a soi. And if you haven’t yet been to Bangkok, the way they name their streets and sois can get confusing. I understand it now, but trying to map my way around the city beforehand was terrifying. And this coming from a guy who knows many cities better than his friends who actually live there.
As we approached the small soi where my hotel was supposed to be, my taxi driver uttered his first words of the trip, while pointing to a figure down the road on the sidewalk.
“Hehe. Lady boy.”
And yes. It was. Quite obviously, too. The driver stopped the car. I paid the ~320 baht fare and walked out, toward the soi where the hotel was supposed to be, according to my pre-loaded Google map. I walked only a few feet before I realized it was a dead-end with no businesses of hospitality offering rooms anywhere to be seen.
I returned to the main road. The only other character around? Lady boy. I soon heard something from down the road, something I’d rather hear backstage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
“Heyyyyyy there big boy.”
“Uhh … hey," I respond. After the most awkward pause, I continue ... "Do you know where ‘JustBeds’ is?”
“It’s next to the restaurant behind you. Next soi over.”
“Oh. Thanks!”
“You’re welcome!”
Gotta love Thai hospitality. Welcome to Bangkok.
Last edited by amolkold; May 23, 2012 at 8:13 pm
May 24, 2012, 2:18 pm
#58
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,904
Bangkok/Park Plaza Sukhumvit Soi 18
Despite the awkward welcome into Bangkok, my stay there was the anti-Hangover II. On account of my love of Thai food, my first thing to do was attend a cooking class, which is probably the most kosher thing you can do, other than the fact that Thai food doesn’t usually qualify as kosher. Well, that depends … does the coconut milk in chicken green curry count as “milk?”
Anyway. My room in Silom was windowless, which was fine for a day because the proximity to the river made hopping on the Chao Phraya Express rather easy. But I soon moved from Silom to Sukhumvit Road, and stayed at the Park Plaza Soi 18 for easy access to the Asok BTS station, to head around the city rather quickly over the gnarliest traffic jams I’ve seen (and I’ve lived in cities known for traffic jams!).
For the deal they were giving, with a buy two nights get one free promotion, it was a great buy. And yes, I have Club Carlson Gold status (from asking nicely, not from mattress runs), but I ended up downgrading after one night because larger Deluxe rooms face an apartment complex 10 feet away while smaller Superior rooms have an open view of the city toward Sukhumvit Road. Perhaps that’s something they should have thought through …
Nevertheless, some photos of the hotel, as well as some from the tourist traps:
Park Plaza Soi 18, Deluxe Room. You can see the less-than-deluxe view. Didn't take pictures of the superior room, but it was probably about 4 inches less space between the bed and window. Hardly a problem, and makes the Deluxe room not worth the small upcharge (or elite upgrade).
I see a lot of newer hotels having windows between the bathroom and main bedroom. Fortunately, this one had shades (for when you double up on a room).
A dark hallway made this a tough picture, but this is the "entry console" as the bellman described it. The keys are proximity keys, and the light switches upon entering the room have "Do not Disturb" and "Please clean room" buttons that light up the corresponding signal on the console. Cool!
And elsewhere ...
I made some friends at my cooking class. What's the logical next place to go with new friends from a cooking class? Muay Thai boxing, of course!
I definitely recommend attending a match. The atmosphere is great, especially if you sit near the musicians.
Up next ... more EK A380 F.
Anyway. My room in Silom was windowless, which was fine for a day because the proximity to the river made hopping on the Chao Phraya Express rather easy. But I soon moved from Silom to Sukhumvit Road, and stayed at the Park Plaza Soi 18 for easy access to the Asok BTS station, to head around the city rather quickly over the gnarliest traffic jams I’ve seen (and I’ve lived in cities known for traffic jams!).
For the deal they were giving, with a buy two nights get one free promotion, it was a great buy. And yes, I have Club Carlson Gold status (from asking nicely, not from mattress runs), but I ended up downgrading after one night because larger Deluxe rooms face an apartment complex 10 feet away while smaller Superior rooms have an open view of the city toward Sukhumvit Road. Perhaps that’s something they should have thought through …
Nevertheless, some photos of the hotel, as well as some from the tourist traps:
Park Plaza Soi 18, Deluxe Room. You can see the less-than-deluxe view. Didn't take pictures of the superior room, but it was probably about 4 inches less space between the bed and window. Hardly a problem, and makes the Deluxe room not worth the small upcharge (or elite upgrade).
I see a lot of newer hotels having windows between the bathroom and main bedroom. Fortunately, this one had shades (for when you double up on a room).
A dark hallway made this a tough picture, but this is the "entry console" as the bellman described it. The keys are proximity keys, and the light switches upon entering the room have "Do not Disturb" and "Please clean room" buttons that light up the corresponding signal on the console. Cool!
And elsewhere ...
I made some friends at my cooking class. What's the logical next place to go with new friends from a cooking class? Muay Thai boxing, of course!
I definitely recommend attending a match. The atmosphere is great, especially if you sit near the musicians.
Up next ... more EK A380 F.
May 24, 2012, 3:28 pm
#59
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,992
And back to the regularly scheduled programming …
SQ 176
SIN-HAN
Boeing 777-200
Seat 14K, J
We entered the aircraft to see the old business class, and already my sister commented, “This looks old.” My first reaction as well in BKK, but I’m a fan. As long as it’s a day flight and you avoid the middle seat in the center section, you really can’t complain. The seats recline pretty far if you just want to relax for a 3-hour flight. With the requisite amazing service expected from SQ, it turned out to be a great flight. That’s the thing I’ve realized about flying SQ. They set their expectations so high that an amazing flight is almost always expected. Hell, I’m flying them 22000 miles in Y next month and am actually looking forward to it. But only after having been matched to Star Gold from Skypeso Gold. See, you can make something out of nothing!
Anyway … with 4 SQ J flights in less than 2 weeks, I’ve gotten used to the pre-flight routine. Magazines, newspapers, pre-departure beverage, confirmation of BTC order, orders for post-takeoff beverage, the entire gamut. Wonderful service, as usual.
For this 3h05m sector to HAN, service was bit more relaxed than the shorter service ex-BKK. It still blew US airlines out of the water. Too bad they don’t “give away” the forward cabin. Then again, methinks that those two things are related.
Here’s the menu, though I kept with my BTC meal of Singapore Chicken Rice and my vegetarian sister stuck with the BTC Roasted Vegetables I had placed an order for.
And if you’re interested in the return sector …
Olive bread
Seafood salad. Starting a week of dragon fruit consumption.
Singapore Chicken Rice. Even better than the first time.
Roasted Vegetables. You can see my sister imitating the 'bon appetit' wave mentioned below.
Opera cake
Okay, I lied about no pics from the BOM-SIN flight. This was the dessert on that flight, so I'll just sneak this in ...
Small cheese plate. They ran a cart with selections, but I was already stuffed.
Chocolates. This is a 3-hour flight in Business!
Our Singapore Girl in the cabin was incredible throughout the flight. Even in a business class, our place settings were always prettied up just a bit between courses. After placing a dish down, she would perform a subtle wave of her wrist while saying, “Bon appetit” or “Enjoy.” It’s the little things that stand out.
After our meal service, we had about 75 minutes left until HAN. I dozed off in a food coma for a bit; upon awaking, my sister mentioned that they also ran a golf cart of ice cream and was tempted to partake. This is almost too much food, but hey, who's complaining?
The FA came to talk with us about our upcoming trip for a while (we were the only non-business types or non-Vietnamese-origin passengers in the cabin, so our choice of destination made her quite curious). My sister explained how Ha Long Bay has been on her bucket list and how I got us her first J ticket.
“Well, sounds like you have quite a wonderful brother.”
Hear that, sis? Now ditch that Discover card …
We were the first foreigners off the plane, so we were first in line for the Visa On Arrival. With an approval letter, the process was quick and we were through immigration within 10 minutes.
One thing about my sister is that she tries to act "budget traveler" as much as possible. While I travel with an actual suitcase (that was busting to the brim with gifts to/from family + airline amenity kits), she goes the backpacker route. It was a sight to see her pack with "business class" and "priority" stickers come off the belt.
A quick trip to the ATM made us instant Vietnamese Millionaires. If you take an adolescent male with you to Vietnam, prepare for giggles when you tell him the name of the currency.
Cabs from the airport to the city cost about US$18. Or 400,000 Vietnamese Dong.
Or you can take a mini-bus (with "bus" being a very generous description ... it's a van) for US$1.70 per person, which drops you off close to the city-center, where you can take a cab to wherever you need to go. After close to a week in Hanoi, I'll trust only one cab company - the green decaled Mai Linh company. Pretty much everyone else will try to rip you off...
SQ 176
SIN-HAN
Boeing 777-200
Seat 14K, J
We entered the aircraft to see the old business class, and already my sister commented, “This looks old.” My first reaction as well in BKK, but I’m a fan. As long as it’s a day flight and you avoid the middle seat in the center section, you really can’t complain. The seats recline pretty far if you just want to relax for a 3-hour flight. With the requisite amazing service expected from SQ, it turned out to be a great flight. That’s the thing I’ve realized about flying SQ. They set their expectations so high that an amazing flight is almost always expected. Hell, I’m flying them 22000 miles in Y next month and am actually looking forward to it
. But only after having been matched to Star Gold from Skypeso Gold. See, you can make something out of nothing!Anyway … with 4 SQ J flights in less than 2 weeks, I’ve gotten used to the pre-flight routine. Magazines, newspapers, pre-departure beverage, confirmation of BTC order, orders for post-takeoff beverage, the entire gamut. Wonderful service, as usual.
For this 3h05m sector to HAN, service was bit more relaxed than the shorter service ex-BKK. It still blew US airlines out of the water. Too bad they don’t “give away” the forward cabin. Then again, methinks that those two things are related
. Here’s the menu, though I kept with my BTC meal of Singapore Chicken Rice and my vegetarian sister stuck with the BTC Roasted Vegetables I had placed an order for.
And if you’re interested in the return sector …
Olive bread
Seafood salad. Starting a week of dragon fruit consumption.
Singapore Chicken Rice. Even better than the first time.
Roasted Vegetables. You can see my sister imitating the 'bon appetit' wave mentioned below.
Opera cake
Okay, I lied about no pics from the BOM-SIN flight. This was the dessert on that flight, so I'll just sneak this in ...
Small cheese plate. They ran a cart with selections, but I was already stuffed.
Chocolates. This is a 3-hour flight in Business!
Our Singapore Girl in the cabin was incredible throughout the flight. Even in a business class, our place settings were always prettied up just a bit between courses. After placing a dish down, she would perform a subtle wave of her wrist while saying, “Bon appetit” or “Enjoy.” It’s the little things that stand out.
After our meal service, we had about 75 minutes left until HAN. I dozed off in a food coma for a bit; upon awaking, my sister mentioned that they also ran a golf cart of ice cream and was tempted to partake. This is almost too much food, but hey, who's complaining?
The FA came to talk with us about our upcoming trip for a while (we were the only non-business types or non-Vietnamese-origin passengers in the cabin, so our choice of destination made her quite curious). My sister explained how Ha Long Bay has been on her bucket list and how I got us her first J ticket.
“Well, sounds like you have quite a wonderful brother.”
Hear that, sis?
Now ditch that Discover card …We were the first foreigners off the plane, so we were first in line for the Visa On Arrival. With an approval letter, the process was quick and we were through immigration within 10 minutes.
One thing about my sister is that she tries to act "budget traveler" as much as possible. While I travel with an actual suitcase (that was busting to the brim with gifts to/from family + airline amenity kits), she goes the backpacker route. It was a sight to see her pack with "business class" and "priority" stickers come off the belt.
A quick trip to the ATM made us instant Vietnamese Millionaires. If you take an adolescent male with you to Vietnam, prepare for giggles when you tell him the name of the currency.
Cabs from the airport to the city cost about US$18. Or 400,000 Vietnamese Dong.
Or you can take a mini-bus (with "bus" being a very generous description ... it's a van) for US$1.70 per person, which drops you off close to the city-center, where you can take a cab to wherever you need to go. After close to a week in Hanoi, I'll trust only one cab company - the green decaled Mai Linh company. Pretty much everyone else will try to rip you off...
My wife to be and I are doing this, although the otherway round, we shall be doing BKK - HAN - SIN so thanks for the pics! Really looking forward to the trip!!
May 24, 2012, 10:32 pm
#60
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