aks120

Well I had high hopes for this place! It is reviewed as one of the best hotels in the Intercontinental chain and I got it for an absolute bargain. When I booked it, the cost was 25 000 points a night. Not long after I booked it the price doubled to 50 000 points a night and the cheapest rooms here are £700 a night upwards! So I planned a couple of nights iIn paradise and hoped I would not be disappointed.

Before I arrived I had spoken to the hotel about paying for Club access. This would give me the following on top of a lovely room:

- Welcome fresh fruit bowl
- Access to Sun Peninsula Club Lounge and private beach
- Access to Domestic Terminal's Arrival & Departure Lounge at Da Nang International airport
- A choice of 3 breakfast venue: continental buffet breakfast coupled with a la carte at Sun Peninsula Club Lounge or full buffet breakfast at Citron or in-room dining (24hours)
- Sun Peninsula Club Lounge Superb afternoon tea
- Evening cocktails & canapés at Sun Peninsula Club Lounge
- 24 hours Sun Peninsula Club Lounge access with light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverage
- Complimentary minibar consumption on non-alcoholic beverages & beer per daily set-up (only items in the minibar fridge - without snacks)
- Complimentary in-room phone calls (Local calls, landline only)
- Complimentary pressing service up to 2 pieces per stay

I decided to treat myself and to be honest the perks were great - however not the best Club access I have had in an Intercontinental. The afternoon tea was very good but the evening canapés left a little to be desired - on one evening they were pretty average. That said there was free flowing wine and sparkly plus lots of choice.

The breakfast was definitely worth it - what a spread. In fact so much so on the first day I got a little overwhelmed and just walked around for about 15mins just looking at the buffet!

Check In



Check in was quick and painless, lots of fawning which was OK but a little awkward. The view from the reception was magnificent - right over the bay. There was also lots of flames - literally flames coming out of all sorts of holes which made it look a bit like Hells Kitchen but again very dramatic.

You cannot go anywhere in this resort without getting a buggy or a tram. The place is huge and built on the side of a hill. So I was off in a buggy to my room 229 which is in the Club section.

Room



The room was amazing - beautiful balcony looking out over the sea and a massive bed situated so that you did not have to leave it to enjoy the view.



The balcony was also superb - hime and with a great view - apart from on my first night when the man in a room close by was completely naked - he obviously did not think the rooms could be overlooked

Bathroom



The bathroom was phenomenal! The was a huge rainfall shower and the bath had a view that was spectacular - I just dreaded to think of the water bill to fill the thing up!



One thing of note - yet another bathroom designed by a bloke - FYI ladies like to dry their hair in front of a mirror so please put a plug near one!

Amenities



I loved the posh amenities here - it is a brand called Harnn and they always give you good size products (ideal for snaffling) and they replenish regularly. All in all I came away with enough shampoos, shower gel and conditioners to last me quite some time. Plus they remind me of my holiday..... Let's just hope they don't spill in my suit case as the previous Thomas Roth from Hilton had getting here - luckily no damage just a very nice smelling suitcase.

Restaurants



On the first night I went down to the Long Bar - it is very swish. I should mention the decor at this stage - it is the best I have ever seen. Completely to my taste where it is predominately black and white but with huge bursts of color. The Long Bar did some great cocktails and was frequented by the beautiful jet set - after a hot flight I did not really fit into this category and had a quick drink and departed for bed. It was lucky I got a free drink for being an Ambassador Spire with IHG, otherwise I think my bank balance would have depleted massivly (or I would not have had a cocktail but that is just silly thinking).

Welcome Gift

I was given a huge basket of fruit and a bottle of red wine. Out comes the telephone - please can I swap for white..... Of course they will be right up to change it.



The room had a wine fridge in it - this was a first for me! No prices - if I have to ask I can't afford the wine in it! So really all it was was an annoying set of lights that kept me awake at night - not so clever huh Intercontinental!

Breakfast



So for my breakfast each morning I went to Citron which was decked out in black and white with bright yellow and green chairs - great look. It also had little pods you could sit in that almost floated about the hill side surrounded by water - again a great look. The breakfast spread was phenomenal - there was everything you could imagine and more. I had an omelet each morning cooked in front of me plus some fresh fruit. However you could have savory (sweet and sour pork, rice etc) proper noodles with chili, bread, croissants, eggs, French toast. The list was endless. The head chef had a watchful eye over proceedings and appear to rule the roost - he should be commended on a job well done!

Lunch

I never actually had lunch as I was always so full from breakfast but there were plenty of places to choose from. Fresh seafood grilled, sandwiches full blown meals.

aks120

Dinner







Again I ate in the Club lounge for dinner but you could choose a Michelin starred restaurant or a beach side fire pit. All relatively expensive but the food looked good in them all. I decided to stick with the Club lounge where there were canapés and free wine for 2 hours of an evening. Still relatively full from breakfast this did me, along with some of the fruit from my basket. The first night the canapés were really good, the second night there were average. However, they did great cheese and breadsticks which I stocked up on. The barman was also very proud of his cocktail making skills - I took a mojito off him 1 night which was pretty good, however I stuck to wine the rest of the time as they had a nice Sauvignon Blanc!









The view from the Club lounge was dramatic and beautiful - it was sat on the hillside at the top of the resort and I always got there early to get a nice table next to the window. Truth be told this was about the emptiest I have seen a Club lounge which surprised me. Some places you can't move for people but here is was lovely and calm. Again decked out in blacks and whites - see a theme here!

Beach & Pool





The beach was lovely and quiet and I walked along it both mornings. There was a small Club part to the beach which a nice man would set up your lounger and bring water and fruit to you. I spent a couple of hours here each morning before the children arrived - when that happened I headed up to the pool above the Long Bar - no kids allowed! That was also very quiet and I got a great lounger on the edge with a lovely breeze wafting through. The pool however was baltic. I swooped in trying to look all Jackie O on the first day and as I walked in the coolness took my breath away. But I had started to go in so had to complete - as folks were watching! I ended up a bit more like Kermit the frog by the time I had submerged in this freezing cold pit of a pool! Actually once in it was not too bad but I preferred the Sofitel pool by far.

Check Out

All too soon it was time to check out - at 0400 on my birthday. Why oh why did I book the early flight - I am sure I will be happy once I get to Singapore but goodness this one hurt! I got the buggy with my luggage up to reception and then was whisked off to the hotel car to begin my journey westwards (well north to begin with then west). I listened to the concierge this time and checked out when they suggested at 0430 for a 0610 flight (with a 30 min drive). I was restless all night worrying I would miss my flight - I know my limits - next time I will split the difference. That said the timing was in fact perfect!

Overall the hotel was beautiful and very luxurious but would I come back - probably not. I can't put my finger on it but I never got completely comfortable like I do at the Intercontinental Hong Kong. I felt the same after my stay in Koh Samui Intercontinental which is also one of the best in the chain. Maybe I am not made for the top top luxury hotels on the beach - more the city ones? Who knows! Next up – Vietnam Airlines.

aks120

VN182 - A321
Planned T/O - 0615
Actual T/O - 0610
Planned Arrival - 0735
Actual Arrival - 0719
Total Time - 1 hr 09 mins
Total Distance - 391 miles
Seat - 3G

As I was travelling on my birthday, I decided to splash out on business class for the next 2 flights to Singapore. And in truth, the price difference was £50 so it was not really a hard decision! I had not flown Vietnam Airlines before so this was another first for me. I had heard good things and they have quite a new fleet.

Check In



Check in was quiet and painless - unfortunately I could only have my bags checked to Hanoi as I was swapping from the domestic to international terminal and there was no interlining of bags between the two. Never mind I had plenty time to do so.

Lounge



I had a look at the Vietnam Airlines lounge and it was pretty basic but I am sure fine. I never went in there though as the Intercontinental has their own lounge at the airport and it was quite luxurious and empty! It was decked out in black primarily which made it a dark boudoir really but they soon came with drinks (I had a Vietnamese coffee and Diet Coke). The coffee was super strong and I probably should not have drunk it on an empty stomach as I felt ill for the flight and I am sure it was my lack of sleep due to the ungodly hour of this flight and the coffee.





Boarding was very orderly - note BA please! I was in the Business Class queue and the chap at the desk would not even make eye contact with the economy travelers until he had dealt with me..... Quite right too!

Seat



We were greeted by an English captain which surprised me and the flight time was to be a quick 1 hour.

The seat was quite an upright seat - a little uncomfortable until you reclined it. But I had no seat mate, in fact there was only 3 of us in business class of 12. All 3 of us slept for the quick hour to Hanoi so an easy flight for the cabin crew!

Food & Drink

No idea as I reclined my seat and had a snooze!

The flight was over very quickly and we had soon arrived into the domestic terminal. We were met by busses and there was a business class only bus for the 3 of us to be whisked away to the terminal. A little bit pointless if you had luggage as all I did was get a slight bit ahead of the crowd - useful if you are with hand luggage only I guess.

The domestic terminal at Hanoi was dead but they would not let you leave until you had shown that you were taking your own suitcases - checked with the luggage tag. Now I am sure that this is where being ahead of the queue is good as I would not like to be the last one waiting to have my bags checked as it was not a quick process!

I went out to get the bus to terminal 2 - a bit of a faff and it was humid and rainy (hair now really bushy and wild) but it was all signposted well.

aks120

VN661 - A321
Planned T/O - 1045
Actual T/O - 1105
Planned Arrival - 1505
Actual Arrival - 1537
Total Time - 3 hrs 32 mins
Total Distance - 1379 miles
Seat - 3G

Second leg of my journey today to get me to Singapore. Why Singapore you ask? Well for my later flights on Qatar Airways of course and the reason will become clear on that report!



We had arrived into the Domestic Terminal and I had to pick up my bags and transfer to Terminal 2. The bus that takes us from one terminal to another is not designed to take large suitcases - which I found slightly bizarre as how else were you supposed to get them to the other terminal. And more importantly who else was going to get on a bus from one airport terminal to another??? So there was a comedy moment while I was standing on the bus holding onto my two roller bags trying to not let them become skittles.

Check In



There is a separate area for Business Class check-in at Terminal 2 (International Terminal) but it is not clear. Luckily I asked or else I could have been stood for in a long queue for no reason. I was soon checked in and headed to security but was turned away. When I asked why the man said they needed to check my bags and to come back in 15 mins........ Hmmmm never had this before but I did as I was told as it never does to make enemies of these people! When I went back all was OK and I was let through security with no issues.

Lounge







The lounge is Hanoi is a one stop shop for all airlines. It is quite nice but the food was a bit ropey - in fact there was some very peculiar looking sausages and luncheon meat - I decided to stick with some watermelon and a Diet Pepsi! However, there were some folks downing the hard liquor at 0900 - good skills!

Originally the gate was set at 28 but at some stage it changed to 27. Now you would think this would be a case of everyone getting up and moving one step to the left - no biggie........ Nope there was complete chaos from there on in. The gate guardian chap sat at gate 27 (skivving if you ask me) denied all knowledge of the Singapore flight - nope it was definitely going from 28. Oh no said the gate agent at 28 - this one is going to Moscow!! Now I knew I did not have a visa for Russia!

I then sat at gate 27 and watched - they never put a sign up and although the guy behind the desk finally acknowledged the Singapore flight would be departing from there - he had absolutely no knowledge of anything else to do with it. People sat down comforted by the fact there was a small (A321 to the trained eye) Vietnam Airlines aircraft sat just outside the gate so happy days..........and then the aircraft at gate 27 pushed back and took off and all hell broke loose! Seems it was not our aircraft at all. Folks thought they had missed the flight - gate man did not think to say - oh no you are getting bussed and your flight is a little delayed - he could have saved himself some real heartache! I got a fascinating insight into how different nationalities deal with such an incident!

Anyway we were soon on a bus - a Business Class bus again - Heathrow should learn from this....... and then we were bussed...... all the way back to the domestic terminal and the stand next to the one I had got off at 3 hours earlier! Sigh!

Seat



It was a slightly different seat to the the previous one, but still 2-2 configuration. I had no seat mate again which was great and the cabin was about 2/3rds full. The seat was comfier actually, less bolt upright and perfectly fine for a 3-hour flight.

Food

A lunch menu was brought round after take off:

- Grilled prawn, salmon roe
- Fresh Vegetable Salad

The grilled prawn thing was OK but nothing to write home about to be honest. And the salmon roe was just yucky!



- Grilled grouper with chili & lemongrass sauce, steamed rice mixed with corn and green peas (my choice) or
- Australian beef in Demi-glacé sauce, potato or
- Fried marinated chicken, steamed rice

I must admit I should have gone for the beef when I saw it come out - it looked really good! The grouper was OK - a little OTT on the lemongrass and not enough chili. Soon solvable as there was a little chili pot on the tray – hmm - let's try that I thought to spice things up a bit - good god - it was blow your head off spicy! I put it on the rice and had a weird sort of spicy rice snack. The grouper was pretty tasteless to be honest.



- Assorted breads

- Vietnamese style sweet paste

God knows what this was - there was something on the tray that I could only assume was this - it was a weird texture, with what look like bits of jelly on top but they were not strawberry or raspberry but a slightly weird herb flavor. I did not get any further than that and left it to enjoy my champagne and watch the world go by underneath me!

Drink

A good mix of drinks, including champagne which I stuck with (well it was my birthday!). Not sure which brand but it was inoffensive and bubbly!



The cabin crew were very friendly and I do like their uniform which is very smart. They were busy for the whole flight ensuring all the passengers were happy. Some other airlines could learn from them!

The flight passed quickly and uneventfully and we soon were arriving into Singapore - a very warm Singapore at 34 degrees C!

Arrival

Singapore airport has arrivals nailed. A quick walk to immigration - no heart stopping moments here - all very calm and collected. By the time I had got out of there and walked 3 mins to the luggage belt, bag No1 and No 2 came off, I grabbed them and was off to the taxi queue. This was also pretty small and I was on my way about 20 mins after landing - very impressive!

aks120

I have been to Singapore a couple of times but each time there has always been something I wanted to go back and see. Therefore, I find myself with a couple of days here before I start my journey back to the UK.

Another hotel booking moved from IHG to Hilton - this time to the Conrad. Hilton have 2 hotels in Singapore but I picked this one as the lounge is supposed to be very good (don't forget I get free Lounge access with my Diamond Hilton card) and it is in the Marina area which is where I wanted to go back to.

Taxi

Taxis in Singapore are a really easy and cheap - very safe too so no need for hotel car here!

Check in

The lady checking me in was superb - she was super friendly and when looking at my passport realized I was checking in on my birthday - a big hug and happy birthdays followed - really sweet. I was soon dispatched to my upgraded Executive room overlooking the Marina - despite booking the cheapo economy room in the basement!

I got delivered a lovely little birthday cake, a hand written card and some chocolates from the expensive store in the hotel.



Room





I booked a King Classic room and got a King Executive overlooking the Marina - what a view. I could see the Singapore Flyer, Raffles and pretty much all the sights I wished for. The bed was huge and super comfy (although no pillow choice...!). Wall to wall views of Singapore Marina was the best part.



The bathroom was also very good with a separate shower and bath (plus Conrad duck).



If I had a complaint is that is was quite a warm room with the expanse of windows and the dial on the air con appeared to do nothing!

Amenities



These were Aromatherapy Associates and were a great size. Plus they were refilled daily despite me obviously snaffling them away. I ended up with enough to do me until Christmas!

Executive Lounge



This lounge had a great view - it was on the 31st floor and had all around views. The food and drink selection was also great - snacks changed every evening. I would not put it in the outstanding category as some reviews had given it but it was a great location and did the job nicely. I could not get any proper champagne though – despite asking for it by name. Maybe the hotel no longer serves it in the lounge?

Restaurants



For my birthday I decided to venture out of the lounge and treat myself to a proper meal - so I went to the Golden Peony which was a highly thought about Chinese restaurant in the hotel. When there is a McLaren F1, Ferrari and Maserati in the parking spot for this place, you know you are in good/expensive company!

I ordered the lobster hot and sour soup and that was outstanding - very tasty! For mains I had a chicken and cashew nuts with chili sauce - again that was wonderful. Then the restaurant brought me a desert for my birthday - it was absolutely disgusting but I had to eat it as the staff were all watching and cheering. I cannot describe the horror of this - chilli sauce (looked like jam) with a salty dumping that had a fig something in the middle. This took all my acting to look happy to eat. A lovely thought, just not to my taste at all!



For breakfast, I could eat in the Executive Lounge or Oscars - their dining buffet restaurant. On the first day I chose Oscars - big mistake. It was packed and very disorganized! I queued while a girl asked me 5 times if I wanted to eat outside - still no - and then proceeded to forget about me while seating others! Once I got seated they poured me an orange juice which was average but they were stingy with the portions. The buffet itself was pretty expansive - but they did not seem to be able to keep up with the amount of people wanting fed. I asked for a vegetarian omelet - which came with ham. Poor show if I had actually been vegetarian. I also tried to have some of the savory stuff but those bowls were constantly empty - so good for the diet I guess. It was just manic and in the end I left fed up. The following day I had breakfast in the Executive Lounge and that was a far better affair. No omelet but the rest was all good and eaten in a peaceful environment.

The hotel had a busy vibe to it - a lot of conference people as there is a conference center just across the road. It is well placed for the marina and things like the Singapore Flyer and the Gardens on the Bay - and the F1 track if you are so inclined to visit during that period! I have previously stayed in the Intercontinental Singapore and that was outstanding - a beautiful building and rooms. I have also stayed at the Crowne Plaza at the airport - another wonderful hotel. In all honesty - I would probably go back to either of these rather than the Conrad in future. Just a bit too corporate for me!

aks120

QR943 - A350
Planned T/O - 1040
Actual T/O - 1049
Planned Arrival - 1315
Actual Arrival - 1354
Total Time - 8hrs 05 mins
Total Distance - 3861 miles
Seat - 2A

I was very excited about this flight for 2 reasons - 1st - it is the first time I had flown Qatar. They are a member of Oneworld and therefore I could book this and the next flight using miles so the flight cost me a total of £14 plus some miles! 2nd - it was on the A350-900 which is a new aircraft and is supposedly very quiet, good for your skin etc etc - we shall see! Another one to add to my list of aircraft flown!

Qatar Airways business class gets a very good write up and I was keen to try it. No first class on this one.

Check in

Singapore Airport is voted No1 in the world every year and it is easy to see why. I mentioned the effortless arrivals proceeds - departures is just as painless. A taxi to the airport saw me arrive at Terminal 3. When you get inside it is bright and airy and a very friendly place to be. There are quite a few shops on this side and the layout is such that it is easy to find the Qatar check in counter.

There was a relatively big queue for economy but I wafted straight past that to the Business Class check in - the ladies were very smiley and quick to help. Both bags were tagged and I headed off to the duty free with not a care in the world!

Lounge



Qatar use the dnata lounge here at Singapore - it is another 'all airlines use it' lounge but it is OK. It was doing some hot items for breakfast and you could get wine or beer if you so wish. I stuck to Diet Coke as I was looking forward to some champagne on the flight.





Duty free in Singapore is great - loads of shops and not very busy despite lots of people in there. Not sure how they do this but it makes for a pleasant shopping experience. I looked at some make up and perfume but didn't buy anything. Soon it was time to board - and I got a few photos of the aircraft asit was the wonderful A350. Qatar was the first airline to receive one of these and have put it on the Singapore route. When I was planning the trip, it was planned round two things - an A350 flight and Qatar First on the A380 (that is to come). It is a beautiful looking aircraft (for those that like that sort of thing) and I have heard good things about the flight experience - we shall see!

Seat



I was in 2A - all the seats are much of a muchness in this cabin. The cabin was full. The seat was super comfortable to sit in (not so much to sleep in). It is like a little pod with the TV screen in just the right place. It is similar to the Cathay Business seat that I love so much. There is also a load of foot room although at first look it looks a bit cramped - when you use it it is fine. There are lots of storage places too so that I can squirrel my i-things in for take off. If I had to chose between the two I would say Cathay by a whisker and that is because the table keeps falling back on this one - minor stuff now. Actually after trying to sleep in the seat for a bit - I would put Cathay at the top by far - this was quite tight to sleep in and a little uncomfortable - not helped by them having the temperature on full hot! However this seat has a cool storage system for water and headphones with a blue light - it is the small things in life.....

The lady came round to offer pre-departure drinks - shock horror - no champagne due to duty free regulations and I declined the juice on offer.

The A350 is deceptively big - and I say that as I thought it look like a regional jet at the gate but when we started to taxi you could tell it was a big boy! And quite majestic - really smooth taxi and it just sort of 'owned the airport' as it went around to the runway. I can't explain it but this is the big boy in the playground - the A380 always seems to be the fatty one but this is sleek and attractive. The one you want to date but maybe not marry!

Amenities



The wash bag was already at the seat and was a mixed bag to be honest. It was by Giorgio Armani and came with a full size body lotion of his fragrance Si, along with a small bottle of the perfume. Then there was a lip salve and some socks. That was it!!! So great to have the perfume etc but not a lot of useful things for a flight - more of a marketing gimmick I think. I asked if there is anything else as they could have gone down the Virgin method where you have to ask for stuff!! But nope - I was directed to the moisturizer/hand lotion in the bathroom. Very poor Qatar when everything else is so good. Although I will google how much the perfume and body lotion would have cost as I am sure that is where the money is spent - I would rather have a nice wee moisturizer etc than that. And while we are on it - Lufthansa and Thai give out Rimowa mini bags in their First Class cabin - just sayin'!!!!

Food


There was an a la carte menu handed out on the ground which gave me a chance to type up all the lovely stuff on it! You could dine at any time which is a perk normally reserved for First Class so this was a nice welcome surprise.

Soup:
- Chicken and coconut soup with rice and spring onion

This smelt delicious and I wished I had gone for it one I saw some folks have it!

Appetizers:
- Classic Arabic mezze - hummus, tabouleh served with Arabic bread. (My choice)
- Thai style beef salad with Kerala dressing

The mezze was delicious - the humous outstanding. The Arabic breads were also really tasty.



Mains:
- Lemon and garlic marinated chicken breast with herb jus, chive mashed potato, slow cooked cherry tomatoes and balsamic glazed onions.
- Thai beef curry with jasmine rice with egg plant sambal (my choice)
- Filled pasta with mushroom cream sauce, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized red onions and grilled cherry tomatoes

Again I chose wrongly - that and visas seems to be the theme for this trip! It was tasty enough but the beef was a little 'agricultural' for me - but the sauce was nice - not brilliant so I ended up having another dish of rice and sauce! To be honest I nearly went for the pasta which I never have on flights - having seen it I think that would have been a better choice!



Cheese Plate:
- Selection served with crackers, grapes and chutney (my choice)



The cheese plate was fine - no real stand out cheeses and the 'cheddar' was not very strong. The chutney was nice though and it came with Carrs water biscuits - who does not love these??

Desserts:
- Chocolate truffle dessert with mango coulis
- Gourmet ice cream
- Seasonal Fresh Fruits

Light Options:
- Grilled chicken panini sandwich with cheddar cheese, red pepper and butter heard lettuce
- Seared fillet of local fish with Meehan noodles, spice anise and hoisin sauce with vegetables
- Assortment of hot savouries served with sweet chilli sauce
- Selection of indulgent individual desserts!

Drinks



A great selection of drinks on board:

- Billecart-Salmon Champagne (my choice)
- Drappier Rose Champagne
- Rully Premier Cru Gresigny French Burgundy
- Esk Valley New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (my choice)
- Mantlerhof Austrian
- Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
- Hollick
- Vina San Pedro
- Arthur Metz

Plus lots of other stuff - you would not go short of drink on this flight!

Funny story - so I could not have a glass of champagne on the ground due to duty reason - I get that. So as soon as we are airborne, the cabin crew lady brought me a lovely champagne glass and some warm nuts. And then I sat for about 30 mins with nothing while folks around me were getting drinks left right and center. I had a moment of Britishness where I wondered how long you should wait before politely asking for your champagne glass to actually be filled! Finally, someone came and put me out of my misery. Poor show - BA are good at keeping the glasses filled!

I swapped to the Sauv Blanc during my meal and that was outstanding - a real first class wine.

Entertainment

Well the TV and film selection was the best I have ever seen on a flight. The video was almost HD - very clear anyway and the choices were brilliant. I chose a bit of Tom Cruise looking all hunky. Mission Impossible - Ghost Mission. I do like a bit of Tom however I think he was overshadowed by his other male team mate on this - Jeremy Renner - he was lovely and funny - a great combination! Oh and could throw a good punch too!

The cabin crew were in a constant presence but not intrusive. The A350 is a lovely aircraft - it is quiet, and has the coolest shades ever. So your window shadows are not the run of the mill pull down things - oh no - you have a button that pulls them down once for 'shade' then the next switch is 'dark'. Although halfway through the flight everyone's shades went up - electronic glitch I thought! Well no - it seems that to put all shades 'down' the crew have to put them 'up' first! Not a great design Airbus!

There is a little snack bar set up for the flight which had some nice in betweeny items like fruit and chocolates. Plus it is where they hide the champers during the flight!

We hit a bit of turbulence heading over India but other than that the flight was smooth. Qatar certainly impressed and has a great product. A few wrinkles but nothing that would not make it No1 ...... well No2 - I still love BA I am afraid but they do need to pull their finger out to keep up with the competition!

Arrival

As you would expect, arrival was seemless here. I followed the signs to arrival and then stumbled across a lounge - this was not an arrivals lounge this was a lounge to sit in while the administration of visas etc are taking care of! My first experience of that ever! So I sat while the lady took my credit card to pay for the visa. Then I was through immigration and following the signs for taxis. Then I came across the arrivals lounge - well since I had time I may as well have a peep - just for you guys you understand so that this trip report is as full as at can be!

The lounge clerk welcomed me with open arms - seems I was his only customer! They whisked away my bags and I wandered around taking a few photos. The lounge is very modern with some comfy chairs. It had a small buffet set out - I had some more humous and bread - more because I felt I should seeing as I had come into the lounge rather than for the real reason which was to take photos!!

Soon I was off to my overnight hotel.

aks120

This hotel was chosen as it is close by the airport and is brand new - having only opened in Dec. It has great write ups so I thought I would give it a go, especially since it is a member of Hilton and I get to count it against my stays!

Check in



Check in was quick but a little strange - I am not sure the lady actually listened to me once during our conversation but I ended up with a key to a room - upgraded room so I guess she did her job!

Room



I had booked a basic King Guest room and got the same but with a 'sea view'. The room was really nice but I don't think I got much of an upgrade - I don't mean to sound ungrateful but if you tell me it is an upgrade then it should be - not just on a better side of the hotel!





Lounge

There was no lounge here but I got a 50QAR voucher off food and a free drinks voucher to make up for the lack of lounge - to be fair I had to ask about lounge access - it was not offered but hey ho - you need to be necky to get everything out of these hotels!

I took my vouchers up to the rooftop bar - it was quite stunning as it had some great music on, a wonderful view of the sea and port and sun.





I went to bed pretty early as I had an oh my god start in the morning again - why do I do this to myself?? The room was good but the boy racers with their ferraris and lambos were racing up and down the strip outside my room all night - it was rather annoying to be honest! So I barely slept and was then woken at 0345 by my alarm. Not a great combination but luckily I did not have to chat to anyone for a good few hours!

I was offered the hotel car to the airport for the same price as a taxi due to the hour - I took it but wished I hadn't. Not sure if the guy was drunk, tired or just a really bad driver but we were constantly tooted at, flashed at and he appeared unable to stay in lane for longer than 5 secs- I will be writing to the hotel about him! I also found out the that price would not have beent he same as a taxi at all – so overall I felt completely conned into taking the car and unsafe whilst using it – beware!

The hotel was nice - very modern and central - I would stay here again (but not take the car!). Next stop A380 First Class

aks120

QR39 - A380
Planned T/O - 0725
Actual T/O - 0804
Planned Arrival - 1335
Actual Arrival - 1339
Total Time - 6hrs 39 mins
Total Distance - 3091 miles
Seat - 1A

So, another flight booked with miles, this time First class on the Qatar Airways A380. The A380 is the top product for Qatar airways and First class on this is supposed to be very special - I hoped I would not be disappointed.

Check in





This was how a First Class customer should be checked in! I was not allowed to carry my bags as soon as I arrived! I was checked in swiftly and then the man telephoned for what I imagine is the equivalent of Special Services on BA. I had a lady escort me everywhere - to the lounge - to the aircraft - more on that later! Not sure why - as not everyone was getting this special treatment. I think it was because I was BA Gold or maybe they just wanted to make sure I didn't snaffle anything I shouldn't on my way around the airport!

Lounge



Like the Concorde Room, this lounge is only available if you are travelling in First. My Emerald (BA Gold card) would get me into the Business class lounge but not this one. This lounge was delayed from opening because it was 'not up to standard expected' and it is now the most luxurious lounge out there and it serves Krug......! That said it did lack a little atmosphere - the designer had obviously gone for big is beautiful. All marble and stone, with very high ceilings and some great water features.





I had a small breakfast as I did not want to start on the Krug on an empty stomach. I had some poached eggs on a muffin and a glass of the Krug. Now I was not actually offered this - I was offered Laurent-Perrient and something else but I knew they served Krug here from my reading of other trip reports so I asked and he provided!





The lounge was ginormous and even had its own duty free - they don't want you mixing with the great unwashed..... However I decided to buck the trend and head out into the normal duty free to see what was going on. There was the biggest teddy bear I have ever seen in the center - some sort of art - strange but cute. I wandered around but only bought a magnet - the look on the chaps face when I handed over my First boarding card to buy a magnet - he looked quite shocked! No I don't want the Chanel handbag to go with the magnet thank you!



I quickly hurried back into the comfort and safety of the First Lounge - no need to mix too much! I then had a mini heart attack as the flight was showing Final Call. I had been told boarding was not for another 20 mins and that a lady would escort me. A quick chat with the lady on the desk soon sorted out the confusion - Final Call did not apply to me........ then another little lady came and escorted me to the aircraft and what was slightly awkward was her pushed past all the others in the First and Business Class queue taking me with her! I had all these people looking at me to see why I was so special - and she never left my side until I was safely tucked up in 1A. Not sure what I did to deserve that treatment but it was certainly up there as an experience in an airport!

Seat





The seat is very large and in a cabin of 8 seats the cabin was full. Lots of cabin crew around to help find all the little nooks and crannies. And a lady came and gave me the free wifi code for later! The seat was purple and browns - and a little bit of gold - not as much as Emirates but enough to make a bit of a bling.

The cabin crew were soon round with a glass of champagne - yes please I will have the Krug and a choice of hot or cold towel. Now while we are on this, I am not a big fan of hot towels - they are normally during hot and always have a slightly peculiar smell. I much prefer an ice cold towel if given the choice! They also don't seem to smell as weird for some reason!

aks120

Amenities



Well what a disappointment - they were the same as the Business class ones, except I got a full size bottle of the Si perfume rather than the miniature I got yesterday. Oh and some eye make up remover. What a useless kit for flying. Quite frankly this is a poor show from Qatar when everything else is so good.

Food



The First Class menu was handed out on the ground. It had the following:

Morning Beverages:
- Freshly squeezed orange juice
- Strawberry and banana smoothie
- Carrot and ginger healthy energiser

Appetisers:
- Smoked halibut with mackerel fillets and horseradish dressing
- Seasonal fresh fruits
- Strawberry compote, Greek yoghurt and toasted granola with nuts
- Bircher muesli with rolled oats bound with yoghurt, fruit, almonds and cinnamon
- Choice of breakfast cereals

I didn't fancy any of these options - and when the cabin crew says the mackerel fillets are 'a little salty' you know that means very salty! So I steered clear of this set of options.

Mains:
- Traditional Arabic breakfast
- Paneer tava tikki with chilli potato wedges (my choice)
- Create your own breakfast - your choice of eggs scrambled or tomato and herb omelette
Choice of sides - chicken and herb sausage, beef medallion, sweet potato Rossi, saluted potatoes, grilled field mushrooms, oven roasted vine tomatoes and baked beans
- Buttermilk pancakes with mixed berries, raspberry coulis, honey and vanilla mascarpone

I chose the paneer lava tikki purely because it has been put together by a celebrity chef - there is a couple on this menu and normally the dishes that have a celebrity chef's name beside it are good. I was not disappointed - this was a seriously tasty dish. If I am honest I still really don't know what it was but it was delicious and just the right amount of spicy so as not to be overbearing with the Krug....!



Light Options:
- Shish tahouk, sambousak and tomato za'atar fatayer with yoghurt and mint dressing
- Thai marinated beef and glass noodle salad with spicy lime dressing
- Spicy clear broth with seafood, enoki mushrooms, pack choy and nori (my choice)
- Grilled chicken, mozzarella and basil pesto in toasted ciabatta sandwich and light garlic mayonnaise
- Cheese selection served with crackers, nuts dried fruits and chutney
- Selection of indulgent individual desserts

Towards the end of the flight, I decided to try the spicy clear broth - and again that soup was delicious.



Unfortunately, breakfast is not my favorite meal - I always feel cheated when I get a breakfast menu on a first class flight! I don't pay a fortune......./use my miles to get a bowl of mixed berries and some muesli. I don't care if the oats are rolled on Tom Cruise’s thighs - it seems like you are getting less than a lunch or dinner menu. I felt this even more after this flight as the two pieces I had were superb - top class restaurant quality food. However, I would much have preferred a proper lunch or dinner to fully test them!

Drink

The choices were:

Krug Champagne
Billecart-Salmon Champagne
And lots of other stuff.

To be honest the reason I didn't write the wine list up as extensively as I have done on the other flights is that it was difficult to use this laptop without taking the full table out - and the size of that was unwieldy. Therefore, normally I had typed this stuff up as we were waiting for others to board but I just found it difficult. However, what I did notice was another good selection of wines and spirits - again a flight you would be hard pushed not to find a drink you liked!

I soon settled down to watch a movie - I found another Mission Impossible movie that I had not seen before. Never mind - lots of Tom Cruise throwing himself off buildings in an heroic way to save the world from Nuclear disaster.

The flight went past really quickly - I even got a change to be silly and post some photos to Facebook - that was a first for me - chatting to a friend in Japan while flying over some Middle East country myself - all very global. I also got a chance to watch the Star Wars movie the Force Awakens. What a great film - a good mix of old and new characters - really engaging and quite funny. A must see if you have seen any of the previous old ones.





The A380 has a bar that First and Business class passengers can go and visit. It was a great relaxing area and definitely one of the better usages of bar space that I have seen on an A380. The barman was super friendly and could make up any one of the great cocktails on the list given, plus there was champagne, any other drink you would want and some nibbles. Just like a proper bar really without the payment part! I asked for an Expresso Martini and sat down to read a magazine. Now there was a little awkward moment as I was lounging at the bar, when I wondered what was behind a curtain - I should have known but my nosey side just wanted to see what was on the other side. It was - gasp Economy! Can you imagine not only sitting in economy but then getting the seat that is right up against the business class bar, and then you get buffoons like me pulling back the curtain with a martini in hand only to quickly shut it as if you have seen something absolutely horrid! I wonder how many times that happen to the man in seat 176A!!!





Arrivals

All too soon we were arriving in Paris - I had come here as there were miles seats on this flight and not on the Qatar airways flight to Heathrow. I was expecting a nightmare on arrivals as Charles De Gaulle is not usually the best airport to get around but it was all pretty painless. Passport quickly scanned and I was off to Terminal 2A and the Cathay Lounge to await my final flight home!

aks120

BA323 - A321
Planned T/O - 1805
Actual T/O - 1826
Planned Arrival - 1820
Actual Arrival - 1804
Total Time - 38 mins
Total Distance - 217 miles





So after all my travelling, I found myself on a British Airways flight back to London. First stop though was the Cathay Pacific First lounge at CDG airport. There are a couple of Oneworld lounges here but the Cathay one is by far the best and is normally pretty empty. They do great noodles cooked to order, they serve champagne and the other food choices are very good - I sometimes wish BA could sort their choices out like this. The lounge is also very attractive, decked out in white marble and minimalistic decor.




I watched my aircraft taxi in and headed off to the gate. This was supposed to be a bog standard A320 in Club Europe - which just means you have a seat free next to you and you get served a small meal on fancy china - the reason I buy the tickets for this class (if there is a special offer on) to get the extra Tier Points. It is a perfectly acceptable way to travel for 40 mins though.

Seat







However, when I stepped on board I realized I was on a completely different aircraft to the one I was expecting. It was BA and it was an A320 but it had a Club World seat (fully flat bed) with a brown cover. There were also 2 seats on one side and 1 on the other, which is what I got. I was amazed - I did not know this configuration even existed (I know you are all shocked!). However, it turns out that this was a substituted aircraft for the normal one and this was actually one of the aircraft that they use to fly to Tel Aviv and the like - so a very unusual set up but really quite nice!

Food

Despite this flight only being 40 mins long, we got a meal - which was a chicken Caesar salad and a small bottle of champagne! I did not eat anything as I had filled up in the lounge but of course I did not turn down the champers - however even I struggled to drink it in the short amount of time we had but the kind cabin crew saw my displeasure at having to give back some champagne and swapped my glass for a plastic cup so that I could enjoy it on the approach into Heathrow!



Arrivals

Arrivals was quick and painless and soon my 2 bags were trundling out on the carousel - the flying part of my adventure complete!

My wonderful adventure had finally come to an end! I had travelled 16501 airmiles and spent many hours in the air enjoying First Class on a variety of airlines. Some final thoughts to leave you with:

Best Lounge - Cathay First lounge at the Pier in Hong Kong
Best Flight - difficult one this one - The Silkair flight was good but a bit short to really evaluate. I think it would be either one of my Qatar flights - First was impressive but Business class was also very good.
Best Hotel - Easy one this - Intercontinental Hong Kong. Although the Da Nang one was spectacular!
Best Location - Hmmm - all were fabulous so could not really pick anyone that is a stand out.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this - I hope I didn't bore you to death! My next adventure is Hawaii again to keep BA Gold - and maybe next year I will just go to 1 location........ but that is very unlikely - what I will do though is fully research visas!!!

headingwest

Wow, what a fantastic rice and noodles adventure you had aks120 The photos are truly amazing.

So I'm guessing it's now 'detox' for the next month to get over the Champagne swilling and calories?

Thanks for posting, it's really interesting to see all the different airlines, hotels and wonderful places. ^

Nimrod1965

My goodness, what a comprehensive TR! Excellent read though with great photos, I enjoyed the Qatar ones best. Thanks for taking the time to write this up.

chris1979

fantastic TR - great read.

thanks for posting!

1nfrequent

Great trip report. You've inspired me actually - I've always wanted to go to Beijing and Ankor Wat but been nervous about doing it on my own. I'm going to pilfer your trip report for a plan.

1F

Flexible preferences

A great TR and a true labour of love. Thanks very much ^