IAD to S. Asia via the Atlantic: F Seats,Suites,Spas & Terminals in Bali & PEK (PICS)
Mar 28, 2008, 1:37 am
#1
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IAD to S. Asia via the Atlantic: F Seats,Suites,Spas & Terminals in Bali & PEK (PICS)
In this trip report you'll find 4 long-haul LH F segments, an SQ C short-haul segment, TG C and TG F, a lovely suite at the Intercontinental Bali Resort, the Westin Beijing and more, plus lots of photos of lounges, food, and activities along the way and a bit about award booking techniques.
When thinking about whether this was worth a trip report, it first struck me “I’m not flying SQ F, there’s no A380 involved, what could be more pedestrian than other report on award redemption in F?”
But I also thought, perhaps I can offer some specific suggestions of the hows and whys I chose to do certain things… so that others could either benefit from the experience or know what not to do to make their own trips better.
Plus, I'm posting the beginnings to the report from the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, so that has to count for something.
So here I go, it’s a long one but mostly because I’ve tried to impart enough detail that folks coming across this report might be able to find it useful, or to spark specific questions that I might be able to answer. Drop a reply here and I’ll see what I can do.
Prologue: Booking the Award Tickets
mrs. gleff had been telling me for some time that she wouldn’t take more than a long weekend away from home until she finished writing her book. We hadn’t been to Asia since July, and in December the end of the book was close enough in sight that she could commit to a couple of weeks’ vacation by March.
Each year when we vacation in Asia or the South Pacific we book time at a nice South Asian resort, and pair it with a brief stay in another city.
This time we agreed on Bali, but where else? I decided to start checking award availability, with a bit of an open mind on where else we’d go. The goal: two first class awards, preferably using United miles (as I didn’t expect my AA miles to yield 2 CX F seats easily).
Crossing the pacific in First Class has become a good bit harder using United miles recently, however.
ANA used to be easy with the Super Style first product, but the New Style has fewer seats and awards are very hard to come by outside of waitlisting using Diamond Club miles. I do see first class award seats open up occasionally days before departure, but otherwise have checked across an entire year from each US gateway and come away without spotting a single F award seat.
Singapore is actually not that tough a first class award to find, sticking especially to the old seats in the 747. But Singapore is notorious for almost (?) never opening up more than one award F seat at the time. Sometimes you can book an F award and a C award on the same flight, and keep checking in hopes that an additional F seat will open up. My own preferred strategy would be try for two different flights (eg different North American gateways) and waiting for a second F seat to open up on either way – this way you’d double your chances. Sometimes, though, you just want to come up with a plan and stick with it, rather than playing a waiting game. This is especially important when planning a vacation with my wife. More and more she’s developed the spirit of Flyertalk, and later this month will be attending her third Freddie Awards. But I know when not to push too far, too fast. As jfe when I first got engaged, “Happy wife, happy life”
Meanwhile, Asiana seems to be blocked at times on StarNet. Those unfamiliar with Starnet blocking can search the term in the United Mileage Plus forum, but suffice to say that United will tell you that award seats being offered by one of their partners aren’t in fact available (and the unknowing agent will usually blame that partner airline, rather than realizing it’s United while won’t give you the seat). I’ve especially seen JFK-ICN blocked, which is a shame because award availability isn’t otherwise bad for the route and it already has the new F most of the time.
(And the thought of Thai’s two-cabin product across the Pacific doesn’t really appeal to me, if I can do better.)
Of course there are some UA flights where F can be had quite easily. SFO-KIX isn’t all that hard to get, and SFO-NGO will most days have several seats a day. That has to be the easiest UA transpacific award to come by, actually. But I didn’t want to fly United, at least not without their new seat product (and once the new product is phased in, with fewer seats in the cabin, even it will be harder to get) let alone their improved soft product (whatever that may wind up ultimately being in practice).
But then I had a thought. Since we’re going all the way to Bali, and we’re based in DC, why not cross the Atlantic instead? IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS is less than 50 miles longer than IAD-NRT-BKK-DPS.
Off to check availability. The transatlantic flights would be easy, with first class usually easier to find than business and LH being rather generous at least from their US East Coast gateways. I knew the difficulty would be Europe – Asia, so that’s where I started. Checking out LHR-BKK and FRA-BKK on Thai, I went a little bit crazy and found better than 50 flights with 2 “O” (first class award) seats available over about a month and a half. But I also knew that Thai long-haul premium class seats were perhaps the single most frequently blocked award through Starnet. For some reason, United just doesn’t want to pay Thai for these seats. A call to United found that of the 50+ flights I found availability on through the ANA website, a whopping zero were bookable by United!
Time to try a different tack. New phone call. “Please find me two first class awards between London, Frankfurt, Munich, or Zurich and Singapore or Bangkok. Start with the 15th of March, let’s check each day, and then stop when we find something.”
“On March 18th I have 2 first class seats from Frankfurt to Singapore on Lufthansa.”
“Great, thank you.” I’m sorta wishing they were 2 SQ seats, but at least this will bring us through the First Class Terminal.
“When would you like to return?”
“Let’s find something back from anywhere in Asia, starting 10 days later.”
I wait as this patient fellow keeps checking… and checking… and checking… I’m on the line for half an hour.
“I finally found something, Hong Kong to Frankfurt on April 9th.”
April 9th? There’s no way I can take three weeks away. Ok, I have an outbound that I like. I’ll hold the award and come back to the drawing board later.
“Would you like me to book it for you?”
“Well, I’m going to ask you to hold it. But I’d actually like my departure city to be Washington-Dulles. Can we find a flight from IAD that will connect to the FRA-SIN flight we’ve already found?”
“Ok let me check. We can do IAD-LHR on UA, and then LHR-FRA on LH.”
“Nothing non-stop?”
“I’m sorry, nothing is available.”
“Ok, I’ll take the connection you suggest. Let’s find a connection for the return flight also (and I didn’t really care what it was, I just needed to be able to hold the award).”
He holds it at 120,000 miles, the price of North America to South Asia… via the Pacific. The correct price would be 140,000 miles but I won’t complain!
Hang up. A few minutes at the computer and I saw plenty of availability IAD-FRA non-stop, it just wasn’t being offered by the UA CSR.
And I found a bunch of flights back from Asia, all sorts of places we could return from (HKG, PVG, PEK, SIN). It was a bit out of the way, but mrs. gleff and I haven’t spent any time in Beijing.
I called back. “I have an award on hold and I’d like to make some changes. My record locator is….”
I asked about flying non-stop, IAD-FRA.
“I’m sorry, those flights aren’t available.”
“Even LH 419?”
“I don’t see that flight on my screen. I can check it, though. Oh, well, it looks like that’s available.”
Score. An agent willing to manual sell some segments. I’ve hit the jackpot. ^
“Can we add a flight to the end of my outbound, perhaps SIN-DPS?”
“That’s available on Singapore, but it’s business class.” (Fine, I know there’s no 3-class offered on this shorthaul route.)
“Great. Let’s look at the return. Can we find anything back from Asia a bit earlier? Let’s have a look at Lufthansa back from PEK to FRA on March 27.”
“Sir, Lufthansa does not appear to fly that route on March 27.”
“Really? Are you sure LH 721 isn’t operating?”
“I don’t see that flight. Let me request it. Yes, yes, that’s available for two passengers in first class.”
“Great, how about FRA-IAD?”
“You’ll have to overnight in Frankfurt, but Lufthansa has a flight in first class the next day with availability.”
Ok, back to DC the long way, but to do otherwise would mean crossing two oceans and kick us into RTW award territory. Plus the PEK-IAD non-stop on UA wasn’t available anyway, and neither was NRT-IAD. I’d have to double-connect at least if I were returning via the Pacific.
“Great. I see we now have an award with an open jaw, flying from Washington DC to Denpasar, and then flying from Beijing to Washington, DC. Can we see if it’s possible to get from Denpasar to Beijing on March 25?”
She explains that Thai Airways has a flight in Business Class to Bangkok, and connects to a two-cabin overnight flight to Beijing. Well, I like the once-daily Bangkok flight just fine. It leaves after 5pm, giving us a full extra day in Bali. But I don’t really feel like waiting 4+ hours for an uncomfortable Thai business class redeye that’s too short to sleep, and arriving in all likelihood too early to check-in to a hotel.
So instead we decide to overnight in BKK and take the 11am to PEK. And that TG flight is 3-cabin, and first is available. ^
I put the flights on hold. They re-price it to 135,000 miles, which is curious as it’s still the wrong amount. But they found me flights I liked, and it was fewer miles than it was supposed to be. So who am I to complain?
When I finally called back to ticket, it was re-priced correctly at 140,000. Oh well, you win some, you win some.
Lessons:
When thinking about whether this was worth a trip report, it first struck me “I’m not flying SQ F, there’s no A380 involved, what could be more pedestrian than other report on award redemption in F?”
But I also thought, perhaps I can offer some specific suggestions of the hows and whys I chose to do certain things… so that others could either benefit from the experience or know what not to do to make their own trips better.
Plus, I'm posting the beginnings to the report from the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, so that has to count for something.
So here I go, it’s a long one but mostly because I’ve tried to impart enough detail that folks coming across this report might be able to find it useful, or to spark specific questions that I might be able to answer. Drop a reply here and I’ll see what I can do.
Prologue: Booking the Award Tickets
mrs. gleff had been telling me for some time that she wouldn’t take more than a long weekend away from home until she finished writing her book. We hadn’t been to Asia since July, and in December the end of the book was close enough in sight that she could commit to a couple of weeks’ vacation by March.
Each year when we vacation in Asia or the South Pacific we book time at a nice South Asian resort, and pair it with a brief stay in another city.
- In 2005 we went to French Polynesia and to Sydney and Melbourne (TN F, QF F, Bora Bora Nui).
- In 2006 it was Tokyo, Bangkok, and Pattaya (NH F, TG F, Hilton Tokyo @ $3/night, IC Bangkok Diplomatic Suite, and a lovely Deluxe Pavillion room at the Sheraton Pattaya)
- In 2007, Khao Lak and Hong Kong (UA ps F, UA F, OZ F, UGX rate for the 2-bedroom Presidential Oceanfront villa at the Meridien Khao Lak and a lovely stay in the Towers section at the Sheraton Hong Kong)..
This time we agreed on Bali, but where else? I decided to start checking award availability, with a bit of an open mind on where else we’d go. The goal: two first class awards, preferably using United miles (as I didn’t expect my AA miles to yield 2 CX F seats easily).
Crossing the pacific in First Class has become a good bit harder using United miles recently, however.
ANA used to be easy with the Super Style first product, but the New Style has fewer seats and awards are very hard to come by outside of waitlisting using Diamond Club miles. I do see first class award seats open up occasionally days before departure, but otherwise have checked across an entire year from each US gateway and come away without spotting a single F award seat.
Singapore is actually not that tough a first class award to find, sticking especially to the old seats in the 747. But Singapore is notorious for almost (?) never opening up more than one award F seat at the time. Sometimes you can book an F award and a C award on the same flight, and keep checking in hopes that an additional F seat will open up. My own preferred strategy would be try for two different flights (eg different North American gateways) and waiting for a second F seat to open up on either way – this way you’d double your chances. Sometimes, though, you just want to come up with a plan and stick with it, rather than playing a waiting game. This is especially important when planning a vacation with my wife. More and more she’s developed the spirit of Flyertalk, and later this month will be attending her third Freddie Awards. But I know when not to push too far, too fast. As jfe when I first got engaged, “Happy wife, happy life”
Meanwhile, Asiana seems to be blocked at times on StarNet. Those unfamiliar with Starnet blocking can search the term in the United Mileage Plus forum, but suffice to say that United will tell you that award seats being offered by one of their partners aren’t in fact available (and the unknowing agent will usually blame that partner airline, rather than realizing it’s United while won’t give you the seat). I’ve especially seen JFK-ICN blocked, which is a shame because award availability isn’t otherwise bad for the route and it already has the new F most of the time.
(And the thought of Thai’s two-cabin product across the Pacific doesn’t really appeal to me, if I can do better.)
Of course there are some UA flights where F can be had quite easily. SFO-KIX isn’t all that hard to get, and SFO-NGO will most days have several seats a day. That has to be the easiest UA transpacific award to come by, actually. But I didn’t want to fly United, at least not without their new seat product (and once the new product is phased in, with fewer seats in the cabin, even it will be harder to get) let alone their improved soft product (whatever that may wind up ultimately being in practice).
But then I had a thought. Since we’re going all the way to Bali, and we’re based in DC, why not cross the Atlantic instead? IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS is less than 50 miles longer than IAD-NRT-BKK-DPS.
Off to check availability. The transatlantic flights would be easy, with first class usually easier to find than business and LH being rather generous at least from their US East Coast gateways. I knew the difficulty would be Europe – Asia, so that’s where I started. Checking out LHR-BKK and FRA-BKK on Thai, I went a little bit crazy and found better than 50 flights with 2 “O” (first class award) seats available over about a month and a half. But I also knew that Thai long-haul premium class seats were perhaps the single most frequently blocked award through Starnet. For some reason, United just doesn’t want to pay Thai for these seats. A call to United found that of the 50+ flights I found availability on through the ANA website, a whopping zero were bookable by United!
Time to try a different tack. New phone call. “Please find me two first class awards between London, Frankfurt, Munich, or Zurich and Singapore or Bangkok. Start with the 15th of March, let’s check each day, and then stop when we find something.”
“On March 18th I have 2 first class seats from Frankfurt to Singapore on Lufthansa.”
“Great, thank you.” I’m sorta wishing they were 2 SQ seats, but at least this will bring us through the First Class Terminal.
“When would you like to return?”
“Let’s find something back from anywhere in Asia, starting 10 days later.”
I wait as this patient fellow keeps checking… and checking… and checking… I’m on the line for half an hour.
“I finally found something, Hong Kong to Frankfurt on April 9th.”
April 9th? There’s no way I can take three weeks away. Ok, I have an outbound that I like. I’ll hold the award and come back to the drawing board later.
“Would you like me to book it for you?”
“Well, I’m going to ask you to hold it. But I’d actually like my departure city to be Washington-Dulles. Can we find a flight from IAD that will connect to the FRA-SIN flight we’ve already found?”
“Ok let me check. We can do IAD-LHR on UA, and then LHR-FRA on LH.”
“Nothing non-stop?”
“I’m sorry, nothing is available.”
“Ok, I’ll take the connection you suggest. Let’s find a connection for the return flight also (and I didn’t really care what it was, I just needed to be able to hold the award).”
He holds it at 120,000 miles, the price of North America to South Asia… via the Pacific. The correct price would be 140,000 miles but I won’t complain!
Hang up. A few minutes at the computer and I saw plenty of availability IAD-FRA non-stop, it just wasn’t being offered by the UA CSR.
And I found a bunch of flights back from Asia, all sorts of places we could return from (HKG, PVG, PEK, SIN). It was a bit out of the way, but mrs. gleff and I haven’t spent any time in Beijing.
I called back. “I have an award on hold and I’d like to make some changes. My record locator is….”
I asked about flying non-stop, IAD-FRA.
“I’m sorry, those flights aren’t available.”
“Even LH 419?”
“I don’t see that flight on my screen. I can check it, though. Oh, well, it looks like that’s available.”
Score. An agent willing to manual sell some segments. I’ve hit the jackpot. ^
“Can we add a flight to the end of my outbound, perhaps SIN-DPS?”
“That’s available on Singapore, but it’s business class.” (Fine, I know there’s no 3-class offered on this shorthaul route.)
“Great. Let’s look at the return. Can we find anything back from Asia a bit earlier? Let’s have a look at Lufthansa back from PEK to FRA on March 27.”
“Sir, Lufthansa does not appear to fly that route on March 27.”
“Really? Are you sure LH 721 isn’t operating?”
“I don’t see that flight. Let me request it. Yes, yes, that’s available for two passengers in first class.”
“Great, how about FRA-IAD?”
“You’ll have to overnight in Frankfurt, but Lufthansa has a flight in first class the next day with availability.”
Ok, back to DC the long way, but to do otherwise would mean crossing two oceans and kick us into RTW award territory. Plus the PEK-IAD non-stop on UA wasn’t available anyway, and neither was NRT-IAD. I’d have to double-connect at least if I were returning via the Pacific.
“Great. I see we now have an award with an open jaw, flying from Washington DC to Denpasar, and then flying from Beijing to Washington, DC. Can we see if it’s possible to get from Denpasar to Beijing on March 25?”
She explains that Thai Airways has a flight in Business Class to Bangkok, and connects to a two-cabin overnight flight to Beijing. Well, I like the once-daily Bangkok flight just fine. It leaves after 5pm, giving us a full extra day in Bali. But I don’t really feel like waiting 4+ hours for an uncomfortable Thai business class redeye that’s too short to sleep, and arriving in all likelihood too early to check-in to a hotel.
So instead we decide to overnight in BKK and take the 11am to PEK. And that TG flight is 3-cabin, and first is available. ^I put the flights on hold. They re-price it to 135,000 miles, which is curious as it’s still the wrong amount. But they found me flights I liked, and it was fewer miles than it was supposed to be. So who am I to complain?
When I finally called back to ticket, it was re-priced correctly at 140,000. Oh well, you win some, you win some.
Lessons:
- Know the flights you want / that are available by checking the ANA frequent flyer website.
- Successful awards may take more than one call. If you find flights you want, hold them (and be thankful you aren’t trying to use Delta Skymiles which no longer allows holds for awards booked by phone
). Then call back. - When a flight doesn’t show up as existing on the CSR’s screen, that’s a good hint that availability is being filtered by Starnet. It may take many, many calls to find an agent willing to do a manual sell, but that’s how you get the award to come back confirmed.
Last edited by gleff; Mar 28, 2008 at 5:40 am
Mar 28, 2008, 1:50 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
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Posts: 22,297
Iad-fra, Lh F
Monday, March 17, 2008
Washington, DC (IAD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
7:00pm Lufthansa 0419, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81A, 81C
Scheduled flight time: 7h 40m
I took the metro to work today with my bags loaded into mrs. gleff’s Acura. She came by the office to pick me up around 4pm. We were at Dulles just after 4:30pm, waited about 5 minutes behind just a single customer at F check-in, and were told we’d have to pick up onward boarding passes at FRA… except our boarding passes all the way to DPS spit right out. ^ Bags checked there as well. Through the premium security line while the regular line was starting to back up (it was, after all, 5pm at IAD – the peak time for transatlantic departures).
At check-in we had been given an invitation to the Virgin Clubhouse across from gate B-32. We were welcomed right in and I immediately decided that this small lounge (so small that the attendants really try to persuade you to leave your carryones in the closet area so as not to crowd the seating space) was the very best at Dulles. I chided myself for not finding an excuse to have visited it in the past. It’s not opulent, really. There’s a shower but not a fancy one, and there are admonitions about low water pressure for the toilets. Still, there’s a proper menu to order off of and the staff bring you your drinks, your food, and are genuinely pleasant as they assist you. What a world away from my usual UA RCC experiences here!
It’s a very stylish lounge, at least for DC. It lacks the architectural grandeur of the LHR Clubhouse, but then DC has at times been known as “Hollywood for Ugly People.”
Internet is available, they’ll hand you an instruction sheet which includes the password.
Virgin Clubhouse Menu: Dinner
While they said they’d announce boarding for our flight, after some quick snacks we really did feel like walking around so we left the lounge early and walked over to the gate.
We found only one other couple in F, and they hadn’t been in the lounge with us. The flight had only 4 of 16 seats filled. A nice sign indeed
Now, it must be said that the LH F product is outdated, especially on the 747s with 2x2 seating. No suites, just old style lay flat seats. But traveling with mrs. gleff I really don’t mind it at all, in fact we both rather prefer it. We’ve only been married for nearly 3 years, after all!
We settled into seats 81A and 81C. I know this isn’t a popular viewpoint. Row 83 is the most spacious, but you’ve got the carts in front of you. And for me, I prefer not having a view of the entire cabin. Row 81 just feels a bit more private when you don’t see the other passengers, or the FAs serving everyone else. As far as you can tell for the flight, they’re there serving only you. So my little controversial stance to be sure, but I’m sticking by it.
The seats themselves are comfortable enough for daytime, perhaps not quite enough padding on the back or else they’re a bit worn (though they look fresh). And I will always enjoy the climb up the staircase of a 747, something I really haven’t done in quite awhile since there’s no longer a UA 747 running IAD-LAX or IAD-SFO, and my international flights recently have been on 777s.
There are some things LH does nicely on board, and some things really missing. The dinner rose, left in a special holder in the seat throughout the flight, is a nice touch. They give you a blanket but don’t make your bed. The pillows aren’t that thick, but with a light load there were plenty of extra pillows on other seats. The amenity kits are nice enough (and the ladies kit is a small handbag!) but don’t contain what for me is a must: a proper roll-on chapstick.
And, of course, there isn’t enough storage space! The overhead bins are tiny, they won’t fit a standard roll-aboard. You can leave them at your feet, at least the FAs were comfortable with this, but that would detract from unobstructed foot space. You could put them behind your seat, but then your seat won’t fully recline. So that leaves either (1) the closet, leaving them a bit harder to get to during flight or (2) in the case of a flight with a pretty empty cabin, beside an empty seat (or row).
Dinner service was nice but the first notable piece missing – caviar but no caviar spoons! Am I expected to spread caviar with a metal knife? What am I, one of GEICO’s cavemen?
Sean Hardy of Belvedere at the Peninsula Beverly Hills was the featured chef.
The “dreamer’s delight” menu featured seared guinea hen and New Mexico Chili. I won’t reproduce the wine lists here, unless anyone requests to know…
I enjoyed dinner and went to sleep while mrs. gleff read. I caught about 4 hours of sleep on the flight and woke just in time for breakfast.
Landing was on time, and we had a gate, no apron arrival which was nice. Thought about stopping by a First Class Lounge on arrival, but decided against it – maybe on the return – we had booked a day room given the extremely long layover.
Washington, DC (IAD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
7:00pm Lufthansa 0419, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81A, 81C
Scheduled flight time: 7h 40m
I took the metro to work today with my bags loaded into mrs. gleff’s Acura. She came by the office to pick me up around 4pm. We were at Dulles just after 4:30pm, waited about 5 minutes behind just a single customer at F check-in, and were told we’d have to pick up onward boarding passes at FRA… except our boarding passes all the way to DPS spit right out. ^ Bags checked there as well. Through the premium security line while the regular line was starting to back up (it was, after all, 5pm at IAD – the peak time for transatlantic departures).
At check-in we had been given an invitation to the Virgin Clubhouse across from gate B-32. We were welcomed right in and I immediately decided that this small lounge (so small that the attendants really try to persuade you to leave your carryones in the closet area so as not to crowd the seating space) was the very best at Dulles. I chided myself for not finding an excuse to have visited it in the past. It’s not opulent, really. There’s a shower but not a fancy one, and there are admonitions about low water pressure for the toilets. Still, there’s a proper menu to order off of and the staff bring you your drinks, your food, and are genuinely pleasant as they assist you. What a world away from my usual UA RCC experiences here!
It’s a very stylish lounge, at least for DC. It lacks the architectural grandeur of the LHR Clubhouse, but then DC has at times been known as “Hollywood for Ugly People.”
Internet is available, they’ll hand you an instruction sheet which includes the password.
Virgin Clubhouse Menu: Dinner
Lighter Bites
Warm baby spinach, feta cheese, avocado & grape salad with basil & balsamic dressing
Tomato bisque with grilled cheese croutons
Chicken saltimbocca skewers with sun-dried tomato dressing
Bigger bites
Flying Club sandwich – a frequent flyer on the menu. Roti turkey breast, Swiss cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and gorgonzola mayonnaise in sourdough roll
Tuscan flank steak served with orzo pasta
Penne pasta with baby Roma tomato, bocconcini mozzarella & roasted garlic oil
Naughty but nice
Calvados tart with whipped cream
White chocolate cheesecake served with raspberries
International selection of cheese with accompaniments
Warm baby spinach, feta cheese, avocado & grape salad with basil & balsamic dressing
Tomato bisque with grilled cheese croutons
Chicken saltimbocca skewers with sun-dried tomato dressing
Bigger bites
Flying Club sandwich – a frequent flyer on the menu. Roti turkey breast, Swiss cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and gorgonzola mayonnaise in sourdough roll
Tuscan flank steak served with orzo pasta
Penne pasta with baby Roma tomato, bocconcini mozzarella & roasted garlic oil
Naughty but nice
Calvados tart with whipped cream
White chocolate cheesecake served with raspberries
International selection of cheese with accompaniments
We found only one other couple in F, and they hadn’t been in the lounge with us. The flight had only 4 of 16 seats filled. A nice sign indeed
Now, it must be said that the LH F product is outdated, especially on the 747s with 2x2 seating. No suites, just old style lay flat seats. But traveling with mrs. gleff I really don’t mind it at all, in fact we both rather prefer it. We’ve only been married for nearly 3 years, after all!
We settled into seats 81A and 81C. I know this isn’t a popular viewpoint. Row 83 is the most spacious, but you’ve got the carts in front of you. And for me, I prefer not having a view of the entire cabin. Row 81 just feels a bit more private when you don’t see the other passengers, or the FAs serving everyone else. As far as you can tell for the flight, they’re there serving only you. So my little controversial stance to be sure, but I’m sticking by it.
The seats themselves are comfortable enough for daytime, perhaps not quite enough padding on the back or else they’re a bit worn (though they look fresh). And I will always enjoy the climb up the staircase of a 747, something I really haven’t done in quite awhile since there’s no longer a UA 747 running IAD-LAX or IAD-SFO, and my international flights recently have been on 777s.
There are some things LH does nicely on board, and some things really missing. The dinner rose, left in a special holder in the seat throughout the flight, is a nice touch. They give you a blanket but don’t make your bed. The pillows aren’t that thick, but with a light load there were plenty of extra pillows on other seats. The amenity kits are nice enough (and the ladies kit is a small handbag!) but don’t contain what for me is a must: a proper roll-on chapstick.
And, of course, there isn’t enough storage space! The overhead bins are tiny, they won’t fit a standard roll-aboard. You can leave them at your feet, at least the FAs were comfortable with this, but that would detract from unobstructed foot space. You could put them behind your seat, but then your seat won’t fully recline. So that leaves either (1) the closet, leaving them a bit harder to get to during flight or (2) in the case of a flight with a pretty empty cabin, beside an empty seat (or row).
Dinner service was nice but the first notable piece missing – caviar but no caviar spoons! Am I expected to spread caviar with a metal knife? What am I, one of GEICO’s cavemen?
Sean Hardy of Belvedere at the Peninsula Beverly Hills was the featured chef.
Originally Posted by Dinner
Choice of Hors d’oeuvres
Caviar with the traditional garnishes
Cardamom roasted Duck Breast with Haricot vert, Butternut Squash and Walnuts
Cilantro marinated Shrimp with Jicama, Corn and roasted Peppers
Baby stuffed Eggplant and Tomato Fondue
Salad
Seasonal Salad
With your Choice of Balsamico or Potato Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Beef Tenderloin with charred Chayote Squash and Oyster Mushrooms, Sweetcorn Truffle Vinaigrette
Pan seared Thai Snapper served with Tamarind Banana Curry
Breast of Chicken with herb Spatzle and Cider foie Gras sauce
Butternut Squash Risotto with toasted Pecan Mascarpone
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Brie, herbed Goat Cheese, Morbier, Gruyere, and Roquefort garnished with Grapes
Yogurt Panna Cotta with Kumquat Sauce
Chocolate Custard Cake with Raspberry Coulis
Specialty Dessert Wines
Caviar with the traditional garnishes
Cardamom roasted Duck Breast with Haricot vert, Butternut Squash and Walnuts
Cilantro marinated Shrimp with Jicama, Corn and roasted Peppers
Baby stuffed Eggplant and Tomato Fondue
Salad
Seasonal Salad
With your Choice of Balsamico or Potato Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Beef Tenderloin with charred Chayote Squash and Oyster Mushrooms, Sweetcorn Truffle Vinaigrette
Pan seared Thai Snapper served with Tamarind Banana Curry
Breast of Chicken with herb Spatzle and Cider foie Gras sauce
Butternut Squash Risotto with toasted Pecan Mascarpone
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Brie, herbed Goat Cheese, Morbier, Gruyere, and Roquefort garnished with Grapes
Yogurt Panna Cotta with Kumquat Sauce
Chocolate Custard Cake with Raspberry Coulis
Specialty Dessert Wines
I enjoyed dinner and went to sleep while mrs. gleff read. I caught about 4 hours of sleep on the flight and woke just in time for breakfast.
Originally Posted by Breakfast
Fitness Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Granola
Continental Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Yogurt with dried Fruit
Pork Hame Cure, Salami, Herb Boursin, Cheddar and Cream Cheese
American Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Sliced fresh Fruit
Herb Omelette with Potato Brie Souggle, Veal Chipolata Sausage and grilled Roma Tomato
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Granola
Continental Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Yogurt with dried Fruit
Pork Hame Cure, Salami, Herb Boursin, Cheddar and Cream Cheese
American Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Sliced fresh Fruit
Herb Omelette with Potato Brie Souggle, Veal Chipolata Sausage and grilled Roma Tomato
Last edited by gleff; Mar 28, 2008 at 2:08 am
Mar 28, 2008, 1:56 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
FRA Day Room
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Kempinski Hotel Gravenbruch Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class passengers are entitled to a complimentary day room at the Kempinski hotel. I saw it mentioned in the LH forum and found the details on the LH website. I emailed the hotel when making arrangements for the trip, mentioned I was a Lufthansa first class passenger (but didn’t mention the free room benefit) and they replied with a discount rate of 79 euros. Well, if I was going to pay for the room I’d just book the airport Sheraton! A quick email back with a link to the LH website, and they replied with apologies –
Nice, a free dayroom with complimentary airport pickup and dropoff.
They pick up from Terminal 1 Exit A1 and C8 and Terminal 2, between Exit D and E. You have to ring them, though, using the hotel call stand, and they dispatch someone to the airport. Traffic was especially bad and it took a full 40 minutes for them to arrive; not especially enjoyable in the early morning cold with just a sport jacket (me) or sweatshirt (mrs. gleff) on.
Check-in was a breeze, they didn’t even ask for a credit card against room charges. They gave us our key, and it was off to bed immediately. Having both worked a full day before (and several really crazy weeks) we were too tired to do anything but crash. We both slept a solid 5 hours, got up and freshened up, and let the hotel know we’d be returning to the airport at 4pm.
They had the hotel van ready to take us, asked us which terminal we’d be going to, and when I told them “First Class Terminal” they changed their mind and put us into a waiting BMW instead.
Kempinski Hotel Gravenbruch Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class passengers are entitled to a complimentary day room at the Kempinski hotel. I saw it mentioned in the LH forum and found the details on the LH website. I emailed the hotel when making arrangements for the trip, mentioned I was a Lufthansa first class passenger (but didn’t mention the free room benefit) and they replied with a discount rate of 79 euros. Well, if I was going to pay for the room I’d just book the airport Sheraton! A quick email back with a link to the LH website, and they replied with apologies –
yes you are right.We are very sorry about that fault.
We do not remember about that possibility, because we don not had this very often.
We send you a confirmation for the requested day use room free of charge as a first class member. Please be so kind and send us a copy of the ticket and also bring along the original one for check in.
We do not remember about that possibility, because we don not had this very often.
We send you a confirmation for the requested day use room free of charge as a first class member. Please be so kind and send us a copy of the ticket and also bring along the original one for check in.
They pick up from Terminal 1 Exit A1 and C8 and Terminal 2, between Exit D and E. You have to ring them, though, using the hotel call stand, and they dispatch someone to the airport. Traffic was especially bad and it took a full 40 minutes for them to arrive; not especially enjoyable in the early morning cold with just a sport jacket (me) or sweatshirt (mrs. gleff) on.
Check-in was a breeze, they didn’t even ask for a credit card against room charges. They gave us our key, and it was off to bed immediately. Having both worked a full day before (and several really crazy weeks) we were too tired to do anything but crash. We both slept a solid 5 hours, got up and freshened up, and let the hotel know we’d be returning to the airport at 4pm.
They had the hotel van ready to take us, asked us which terminal we’d be going to, and when I told them “First Class Terminal” they changed their mind and put us into a waiting BMW instead.
Last edited by gleff; Mar 28, 2008 at 2:09 am
Mar 28, 2008, 3:00 am
#6
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
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Posts: 22,297
IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS
DPS-BKK-PEK
PEK-FRA-IAD
So destination DPS, stopover in PEK on the return.
Of course, I overnighted in BKK but that stop was less than 24 hours. And I overnighted in FRA on the return, but that was ~ 22 hours. So neither was a stopover, all legal.
UA permits routing North America to Asia via the Atlantic for a small premium, and I found much better availability on LH. So I figured, why not?
Mar 28, 2008, 3:19 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Join Date: Apr 2001
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Posts: 22,297
Lh Fct Fra
First Class Terminal
For those who haven’t been, or might be visiting for the first time, the First Class Terminal is on the upper, departure level in a separate building, just west of Terminal 1. The building has a large "First Class Terminal" sign. There’s a pretty sharp turn-off, though, as you approach, which can be easy to miss. (It’s also walkable back from the Terminal 1 arrivals level where the hotel vans pickup and dropoff.)
Our car pulled up and a personal assistant met us out front. She asked for our passports, and I handed them over along with our boarding passes. She asked about luggage to check and I noted that our bags were already checked. She took our bag tags in order to check on them.
We were quickly through a perfectly pleasant and polite security screening, with no line of course.
Once we had our seats over in the far left hand side of the terminal, our PA came over to check on us and return our boarding passes in a proper First Class folder (something they didn’t have any of at IAD).
I actually did have a matter for her to help sort out.
When playing around with various award flight options, our tickets were done correctly and our itinerary displayed correctly on the United website. Naturally, though, I called each of the operating carriers to get their record locators and request seats (and in the case of SQ and TG, to pre-order meals). When I looked up my LH record online at checkmytrip.com, I saw that there were extra segments!
LH telephone reservations told me they couldn’t make changes, as it was a UA mileage booking, but that I was fine for travel. The extra segments worried me, though, because I would wind up no-showing one of them during travel and I was afraid Lufthansa would cancel the rest of the itinerary. But United couldn’t even see the segments were there. Others have had a similar problem when UA reserves and then cancels segments, and one person mentioned having UA and LH conference each other. But somehow I just didn’t trust United to get it right, I was afraid that in the end they’d cancel the wrong segments and they wouldn’t be able to restore them, so…
I decided to wait until the First Class Terminal in order to get things in order. I showed her a copy of my LH reservation from checkmytrip, and I marked off the segments I wanted her to cancel. She understood, went away briefly, and confirmed that it was taken care of. I went online and checked and sure enough my itinerary was in proper order.
One note about internet, I do find it odd that the Lufthansa First Class Terminal has a pay internet connection for which you must get a username and password from the attendant in order to avoid paying. It seems like they could manage to have the internet in this terminal simply free. They’ll give you as many passes as you need, but some are one hour and some two hours and when you have five hours to spend here…!
Also of note is that the power outlets are European only. They may well have adapters, I didn’t ask since I carry my own, but again for a 5-hour visit… It would seem to be not that difficult to make various plug configurations possible.
mrs. gleff relaxed, had some refreshments, and checked our e-mail while munching on absolutely delicious nuts. Then we went into the restaurant and had the most wonderful – amazing, even -- wienerschnitzel.
My wife has what she called her “Taronga Zoo theory.” A few years back when we were in Sydney we had fish ‘n chips as a snack at the Taronga Zoo. It was really good. We mentioned it later that day to my family in Sydney and they were aghast. To them that was the worst possible place to get fish ‘n chips, of course. But to us – to our American standards, which are much beneath Aussies’ on this subject – it was amazing. Even the worst Fish ‘n Chips in the country, at the Taronga Zoo, is likely to be better than what we’re used to at home. And so it was with wienerschnitzel, which at the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, Germany would almost have to be better than anything we’d get at home in DC.
First Class Terminal Menu
Sit down service
Buffet
After that it was back online and the occasional snack from the buffet.
I had some calls to make, and needed to check my voicemail, so it’s worth noting that this was my first trip using an international sim card (09 mobile) and callbackworld. (Thanks to Dubai Stu for the suggestion.)
As many folks know, the cheapest option is usually to pick up a local sim card. I hate this though as I wind up with too many sim cards, all with some money remaining at the end of a trip. And I’m not usually going to the same destination with enough regularity. So this is a pretty good option. 09 mobile from Iceland has pretty good rates and most importantly free incoming calls in 90 countries.
Paired with a callback service, you can make outgoing calls at the incoming call rate and pay only the callback service charge. From Frankfurt it’s less than 9 cents a minute from my cell phone to the U.S., which is really great in that I can avoid the hassle of a local SIM.
This functions as a ‘double callback’ which can take some getting used to. You dial the callback service, the call ‘fails’ and then 09 mobile calls you back. You pick up and you’re connected to your call with the callback service. That rings once, you hang up, and the callback service calls you back! Then you dial the number you’re trying to reach somewhere in the world.
There are simpler ways to do it, of course. You can trigger the callback service call from another phone, and since you’re not actually waiting for anyone to answer the call is free even from a regular US cell phone. Or you can trigger the callback directly with the number you’re trying to reach via the web.
It’s actually easier than it sounds, it’s all pretty straightforward after the first or second try.
At about 9:45pm our personal assistant – the same one who greeted us 5 hours earlier – came to collect us and brought us downstairs to their personalized immigration processing (it’s easy to forget that they never gave you back your passport when you arrived, you get it back here with your immigration already handled) and to the fleet of vehicles for transfer to the plane.
There were two other passengers headed to the same flight, so they brought us to a Mercedes van. There were many more private cars than vans, I only saw one other van in the lot at the time. And I had thought about requesting a private transfer (it’s no longer a right, but still I thought I’d ask) but didn’t bother.
For those who haven’t been, or might be visiting for the first time, the First Class Terminal is on the upper, departure level in a separate building, just west of Terminal 1. The building has a large "First Class Terminal" sign. There’s a pretty sharp turn-off, though, as you approach, which can be easy to miss. (It’s also walkable back from the Terminal 1 arrivals level where the hotel vans pickup and dropoff.)
Our car pulled up and a personal assistant met us out front. She asked for our passports, and I handed them over along with our boarding passes. She asked about luggage to check and I noted that our bags were already checked. She took our bag tags in order to check on them.
We were quickly through a perfectly pleasant and polite security screening, with no line of course.
Once we had our seats over in the far left hand side of the terminal, our PA came over to check on us and return our boarding passes in a proper First Class folder (something they didn’t have any of at IAD).
I actually did have a matter for her to help sort out.
When playing around with various award flight options, our tickets were done correctly and our itinerary displayed correctly on the United website. Naturally, though, I called each of the operating carriers to get their record locators and request seats (and in the case of SQ and TG, to pre-order meals). When I looked up my LH record online at checkmytrip.com, I saw that there were extra segments!
LH telephone reservations told me they couldn’t make changes, as it was a UA mileage booking, but that I was fine for travel. The extra segments worried me, though, because I would wind up no-showing one of them during travel and I was afraid Lufthansa would cancel the rest of the itinerary. But United couldn’t even see the segments were there. Others have had a similar problem when UA reserves and then cancels segments, and one person mentioned having UA and LH conference each other. But somehow I just didn’t trust United to get it right, I was afraid that in the end they’d cancel the wrong segments and they wouldn’t be able to restore them, so…
I decided to wait until the First Class Terminal in order to get things in order. I showed her a copy of my LH reservation from checkmytrip, and I marked off the segments I wanted her to cancel. She understood, went away briefly, and confirmed that it was taken care of. I went online and checked and sure enough my itinerary was in proper order.
One note about internet, I do find it odd that the Lufthansa First Class Terminal has a pay internet connection for which you must get a username and password from the attendant in order to avoid paying. It seems like they could manage to have the internet in this terminal simply free. They’ll give you as many passes as you need, but some are one hour and some two hours and when you have five hours to spend here…!
Also of note is that the power outlets are European only. They may well have adapters, I didn’t ask since I carry my own, but again for a 5-hour visit… It would seem to be not that difficult to make various plug configurations possible.
mrs. gleff relaxed, had some refreshments, and checked our e-mail while munching on absolutely delicious nuts. Then we went into the restaurant and had the most wonderful – amazing, even -- wienerschnitzel.
My wife has what she called her “Taronga Zoo theory.” A few years back when we were in Sydney we had fish ‘n chips as a snack at the Taronga Zoo. It was really good. We mentioned it later that day to my family in Sydney and they were aghast. To them that was the worst possible place to get fish ‘n chips, of course. But to us – to our American standards, which are much beneath Aussies’ on this subject – it was amazing. Even the worst Fish ‘n Chips in the country, at the Taronga Zoo, is likely to be better than what we’re used to at home. And so it was with wienerschnitzel, which at the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, Germany would almost have to be better than anything we’d get at home in DC.
First Class Terminal Menu
Sit down service
Soups
Consomme with vegetables
Creamy broccolisoup
Tom Ka Gai
Thai chickensoup with coconut milk, fresh cilantro and chili
Local Special
Bavarian “Leberkase”
creamy potato salad / brezel / mustard
Special
“Wiener Schnitzel”
accompanied with potato / cucumber cabbage salad
Steak & Salad
Seared fillet of beef
eggplant salad / crispy rosemary chips
Asia
Indian Butter Chicken
saffron basmati rice
Grilled “Loup de mer”
cardamom relish
crushed potatoes with aubergines
Pasta
Penne con pomodori secchi
rocket / pines / sun-dried tomatoes
shaved parmesan
Consomme with vegetables
Creamy broccolisoup
Tom Ka Gai
Thai chickensoup with coconut milk, fresh cilantro and chili
Local Special
Bavarian “Leberkase”
creamy potato salad / brezel / mustard
Special
“Wiener Schnitzel”
accompanied with potato / cucumber cabbage salad
Steak & Salad
Seared fillet of beef
eggplant salad / crispy rosemary chips
Asia
Indian Butter Chicken
saffron basmati rice
Grilled “Loup de mer”
cardamom relish
crushed potatoes with aubergines
Pasta
Penne con pomodori secchi
rocket / pines / sun-dried tomatoes
shaved parmesan
Antipasti (cold)
Veal with tuna sauce
Grilled vegetables
White eggplant puree
Arugula with cherry tomatoes
Shallots with aged balsamic vinegar
Buffalo mozzarella
Parmesan / Manchego
Prosciutto di Parma
Jamon Iberico / Pata Negra
Grilled green asparagus
Tapas (warm)
Calamares fritos / fried baby calamari
Alcachofas fritas / fried artichokes
Albondigas / meatballs in tomato sauce
Gambas a la plancha / fried prawns
Smoked Salmon
Scottish smoked salmon – Loch Fyne
Horseradish cream / toast or cream cheese / bagel
Desserts
DO & CO’s Mousse au chocolat
Chili Chocolate & Coconut Crème Brulee
Green Tea Tiramisu
Ginger Chocolate Cake
Mango Lime cocktail
Wasabi Ice Cream
Fresh fruit salad
DO & CO’s Berry ragout
Viennese apple strudel
Selection of sorbets
Austrian style chocolate soufflé
Vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate sauce
Veal with tuna sauce
Grilled vegetables
White eggplant puree
Arugula with cherry tomatoes
Shallots with aged balsamic vinegar
Buffalo mozzarella
Parmesan / Manchego
Prosciutto di Parma
Jamon Iberico / Pata Negra
Grilled green asparagus
Tapas (warm)
Calamares fritos / fried baby calamari
Alcachofas fritas / fried artichokes
Albondigas / meatballs in tomato sauce
Gambas a la plancha / fried prawns
Smoked Salmon
Scottish smoked salmon – Loch Fyne
Horseradish cream / toast or cream cheese / bagel
Desserts
DO & CO’s Mousse au chocolat
Chili Chocolate & Coconut Crème Brulee
Green Tea Tiramisu
Ginger Chocolate Cake
Mango Lime cocktail
Wasabi Ice Cream
Fresh fruit salad
DO & CO’s Berry ragout
Viennese apple strudel
Selection of sorbets
Austrian style chocolate soufflé
Vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate sauce
After that it was back online and the occasional snack from the buffet.
I had some calls to make, and needed to check my voicemail, so it’s worth noting that this was my first trip using an international sim card (09 mobile) and callbackworld. (Thanks to Dubai Stu for the suggestion.)
As many folks know, the cheapest option is usually to pick up a local sim card. I hate this though as I wind up with too many sim cards, all with some money remaining at the end of a trip. And I’m not usually going to the same destination with enough regularity. So this is a pretty good option. 09 mobile from Iceland has pretty good rates and most importantly free incoming calls in 90 countries.
Paired with a callback service, you can make outgoing calls at the incoming call rate and pay only the callback service charge. From Frankfurt it’s less than 9 cents a minute from my cell phone to the U.S., which is really great in that I can avoid the hassle of a local SIM.
This functions as a ‘double callback’ which can take some getting used to. You dial the callback service, the call ‘fails’ and then 09 mobile calls you back. You pick up and you’re connected to your call with the callback service. That rings once, you hang up, and the callback service calls you back! Then you dial the number you’re trying to reach somewhere in the world.
There are simpler ways to do it, of course. You can trigger the callback service call from another phone, and since you’re not actually waiting for anyone to answer the call is free even from a regular US cell phone. Or you can trigger the callback directly with the number you’re trying to reach via the web.
It’s actually easier than it sounds, it’s all pretty straightforward after the first or second try.
At about 9:45pm our personal assistant – the same one who greeted us 5 hours earlier – came to collect us and brought us downstairs to their personalized immigration processing (it’s easy to forget that they never gave you back your passport when you arrived, you get it back here with your immigration already handled) and to the fleet of vehicles for transfer to the plane.
There were two other passengers headed to the same flight, so they brought us to a Mercedes van. There were many more private cars than vans, I only saw one other van in the lot at the time. And I had thought about requesting a private transfer (it’s no longer a right, but still I thought I’d ask) but didn’t bother.
Mar 28, 2008, 3:32 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: No longer loyal "over-entitled" 1K
Posts: 3,822
Actually not an open jaw:
IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS
DPS-BKK-PEK
PEK-FRA-IAD
So destination DPS, stopover in PEK on the return.
Of course, I overnighted in BKK but that stop was less than 24 hours. And I overnighted in FRA on the return, but that was ~ 22 hours. So neither was a stopover, all legal.
UA permits routing North America to Asia via the Atlantic for a small premium, and I found much better availability on LH. So I figured, why not?
IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS
DPS-BKK-PEK
PEK-FRA-IAD
So destination DPS, stopover in PEK on the return.
Of course, I overnighted in BKK but that stop was less than 24 hours. And I overnighted in FRA on the return, but that was ~ 22 hours. So neither was a stopover, all legal.
UA permits routing North America to Asia via the Atlantic for a small premium, and I found much better availability on LH. So I figured, why not?
Hmm... IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS-BKK-PEK-FRA-IAD just might have been legal routing as IAD-DPS is 10,211 miles while DPS-BKK-PEK-FRA-IAD is 12,821 miles according to GCM.
Great none the less and keep your fantastic report ^
Mar 28, 2008, 3:53 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
LH F: Frankfurt - Singapore
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Singapore, Singapore (SIN)
10:10 pm Lufthansa 0778, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81C, 81A
Scheduled flight time: 11h 45m
Our Mercedes van arrived planeside, up a staircase into the terminal and down the jetway where we were handed over to the FAs and led upstairs once again to the upper deck of a 747. And once again to my pre-selected bulkhead seats.
This time the load was 8 out of 16, so 6 other people instead of just two. And the FAs, which weren’t all that memorable on the first segment, were downright disappointing on this one (with one redeeming piece of assistance, in a moment).
Service was rushed. Now, it’s a 10pm departure so passengers may want to sleep. But I’ll let them know when I want their “Dreamer’s Delight” quick service or if I want the full meal presentation…(and, for that matter, -- not to be a first class snob but also when I’d like to take it as well). We started our meal shortly after reaching cruising altitude
The FA bringing us our meal kept wanting to serve what I preferred as multiple courses at the same time
She insisted that we should take our appetizers along with our caviar service (on the previous flight, each appetizer was served one-by-one.. on the next LH segment we got the three-tiered tray, but I really didn’t want all together with the caviar!). I politely but firmly insisted that she slow things down a bit. Then she wanted to serve us both our cheese and our dessert at the same time, I asked again to finish my cheese before she brought dessert.
The featured chef was Marcello Fabbri. Dreamer’s Delight menu was Tuna with Curry Dressing and Vegetable Salad accompanied by Goat Cheese Terrine with truffled Zuchini Salad or Eggplanet coated Saddle of Veal with Balsamico Stock and braised Iceberg Lettuce.
Over dinner I read the latest Inside Flyer (a few weeks late) and learned that you can redeem 4,000 Choice Privileges points for an AARP membership. Not the best rate of return on a redemption, perhaps, but maybe time to check who still offers senior discounts and what their requirement are…
Incidentally, the crew never gave us our dinner roses. Though it’s possible they were saving the roses for another passenger, across the aisle in 81K. Shortly after midnight FRA time they came over to wish him a happy birthday and they presented him a handful of roses. A nice touch for him, but we never got even one…
It was somewhat difficult finding the FAs during flight to get more water. There wasn’t any on the drink cart, and there weren’t any FAs upstairs in the galley. mrs. gleff actually went downstairs to find someone.
I did, however, get 6 hours of sleep so the flight really wasn’t so bad. Again, I woke up for breakfast prior to landing in Singapore the next day shortly before 5pm.
10:10 pm Lufthansa 0778, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81C, 81A
Scheduled flight time: 11h 45m
Our Mercedes van arrived planeside, up a staircase into the terminal and down the jetway where we were handed over to the FAs and led upstairs once again to the upper deck of a 747. And once again to my pre-selected bulkhead seats.
This time the load was 8 out of 16, so 6 other people instead of just two. And the FAs, which weren’t all that memorable on the first segment, were downright disappointing on this one (with one redeeming piece of assistance, in a moment).
Service was rushed. Now, it’s a 10pm departure so passengers may want to sleep. But I’ll let them know when I want their “Dreamer’s Delight” quick service or if I want the full meal presentation…(and, for that matter, -- not to be a first class snob but also when I’d like to take it as well). We started our meal shortly after reaching cruising altitude
The FA bringing us our meal kept wanting to serve what I preferred as multiple courses at the same time
She insisted that we should take our appetizers along with our caviar service (on the previous flight, each appetizer was served one-by-one.. on the next LH segment we got the three-tiered tray, but I really didn’t want all together with the caviar!). I politely but firmly insisted that she slow things down a bit. Then she wanted to serve us both our cheese and our dessert at the same time, I asked again to finish my cheese before she brought dessert.
The featured chef was Marcello Fabbri. Dreamer’s Delight menu was Tuna with Curry Dressing and Vegetable Salad accompanied by Goat Cheese Terrine with truffled Zuchini Salad or Eggplanet coated Saddle of Veal with Balsamico Stock and braised Iceberg Lettuce.
Originally Posted by Dinner
Choice of Hors d’oeuvres
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes
King Prawns and Eggplant Tart with Pesto
Rosted Saddle of Veal in jellied Borlotti Beans served with Balsamico Jus
Goat Cheese Terrine with marinated Bell Pepper servied with Taggiasca Olives
Salad
Seasonal Greens with fried mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, carrots and herbs with your Choice of Ramson or Balsamico Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Saddle of Lamb Medallion gratinated with Parmesan Cheese and Olives, Thyme Jus and Potato Pancetta Pave
Loup de Mer filled with Arugula, served with baked Tomatoes and mashed Potatoes with Olives
Arugula Risotto with Taleggio, Shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, spring onions and walnuts
Roasted Duck Breast with Balsamico Sauce, red Cabbage with Orange and Potato Cake
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Gorgonzola, Peccorino, Taleggio, Livatot and Fougeru garnished with Grapes and Walnuts
Apple Clafoutis with Almond Ice Cream
Mango Caramel Tart with exotic Fruit Salpicon
Speciality Dessert Wines
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes
King Prawns and Eggplant Tart with Pesto
Rosted Saddle of Veal in jellied Borlotti Beans served with Balsamico Jus
Goat Cheese Terrine with marinated Bell Pepper servied with Taggiasca Olives
Salad
Seasonal Greens with fried mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, carrots and herbs with your Choice of Ramson or Balsamico Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Saddle of Lamb Medallion gratinated with Parmesan Cheese and Olives, Thyme Jus and Potato Pancetta Pave
Loup de Mer filled with Arugula, served with baked Tomatoes and mashed Potatoes with Olives
Arugula Risotto with Taleggio, Shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, spring onions and walnuts
Roasted Duck Breast with Balsamico Sauce, red Cabbage with Orange and Potato Cake
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Gorgonzola, Peccorino, Taleggio, Livatot and Fougeru garnished with Grapes and Walnuts
Apple Clafoutis with Almond Ice Cream
Mango Caramel Tart with exotic Fruit Salpicon
Speciality Dessert Wines
Incidentally, the crew never gave us our dinner roses. Though it’s possible they were saving the roses for another passenger, across the aisle in 81K. Shortly after midnight FRA time they came over to wish him a happy birthday and they presented him a handful of roses. A nice touch for him, but we never got even one…
It was somewhat difficult finding the FAs during flight to get more water. There wasn’t any on the drink cart, and there weren’t any FAs upstairs in the galley. mrs. gleff actually went downstairs to find someone.
I did, however, get 6 hours of sleep so the flight really wasn’t so bad. Again, I woke up for breakfast prior to landing in Singapore the next day shortly before 5pm.
Originally Posted by Breakfast
Cold and hot Specialties
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Yogurt with fresh fruit, Crunchy Nuts and Milk
Dialogue of cured Salmon and Salmon Strudel, Parma Ham, smoked Turkey Breast, German, Salami, Yogurt Cheese, Cream Cheese with Chives and Savory Cream Cheese
Scrambled Eggs freshly prepared upon your Request with your Choice of Bacon or Chives
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Yogurt with fresh fruit, Crunchy Nuts and Milk
Dialogue of cured Salmon and Salmon Strudel, Parma Ham, smoked Turkey Breast, German, Salami, Yogurt Cheese, Cream Cheese with Chives and Savory Cream Cheese
Scrambled Eggs freshly prepared upon your Request with your Choice of Bacon or Chives
Mar 28, 2008, 5:21 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
Sq C: Sin-dps
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
We arrived at SIN T2, and the LH arrival gate was right next to our SQ DPS flight’s departure gate. We went to the Silverkris lounge in T2, alas the business class side since we were connecting to a 2-cabin SQ flight. (For a few more days SIN-KUL 2-cabin gets F lounge access, alas…)
Naturally in SIN it was really quite warm, so I took off my jacket and button-down shirt from work the day before and changed into my House of Miles ‘Staff’ t-shirt that I picked up at the Freddies in COS in 2003.
Then I heard my name paged over the loudspeaker, and I went to the service desk just inside the F section of the lounge. It seems that I had left a DVD on LH flight. The LH staff offered to bring it to the lounge, but since we’d be departing for DPS around the same time that the LH plane made its way onward to Jakarta, I just met them back at the gate prior to departure. But for us, LH had certainly redeemed itself from an otherwise unspectacular F flight.
Singapore (SIN) to Denpasar Bali, Indonesia (DPS)
7:00 pm Singapore Airlines 0948, Boeing 777-200, Business Class
Seats 16H, 16K
Scheduled flight time: 2h 30m
There’s not a whole lot to relay about this short regional flight, except that the SQ FAs are regimented, efficient, yet still friendly and thoughtful… even in business.
I pre-ordered the Lobster Thermidor, and mrs. gleff preferred to wait for the menu and she chose the lamb. Lovely meal service, capped off by a cup of ice cream at the end, and we were in Denpasar in no time.
The avocado and scallops salad was outstanding, I really loved the dressing. ^
We arrived at SIN T2, and the LH arrival gate was right next to our SQ DPS flight’s departure gate. We went to the Silverkris lounge in T2, alas the business class side since we were connecting to a 2-cabin SQ flight. (For a few more days SIN-KUL 2-cabin gets F lounge access, alas…)
Naturally in SIN it was really quite warm, so I took off my jacket and button-down shirt from work the day before and changed into my House of Miles ‘Staff’ t-shirt that I picked up at the Freddies in COS in 2003.
Then I heard my name paged over the loudspeaker, and I went to the service desk just inside the F section of the lounge. It seems that I had left a DVD on LH flight. The LH staff offered to bring it to the lounge, but since we’d be departing for DPS around the same time that the LH plane made its way onward to Jakarta, I just met them back at the gate prior to departure. But for us, LH had certainly redeemed itself from an otherwise unspectacular F flight.
Singapore (SIN) to Denpasar Bali, Indonesia (DPS)
7:00 pm Singapore Airlines 0948, Boeing 777-200, Business Class
Seats 16H, 16K
Scheduled flight time: 2h 30m
There’s not a whole lot to relay about this short regional flight, except that the SQ FAs are regimented, efficient, yet still friendly and thoughtful… even in business.
I pre-ordered the Lobster Thermidor, and mrs. gleff preferred to wait for the menu and she chose the lamb. Lovely meal service, capped off by a cup of ice cream at the end, and we were in Denpasar in no time.
Originally Posted by Dinner
A Savoury Note
Salad of avocado with scallops
Corionder dressing
The Main Event
Stewed lamb osso bucco, asparagus, saffron potato
Chicken Imperial
Braised chicken with Chinese herbs and rice wine, leafy greens, carrot, mushrooms and ee fu noodles
Tumeric rice with tamarind prawns and egg
A Sweet Note
Ben & Jerry Ice Cream
Choice of Vanilla for a change or berry nice
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
Salad of avocado with scallops
Corionder dressing
The Main Event
Stewed lamb osso bucco, asparagus, saffron potato
Chicken Imperial
Braised chicken with Chinese herbs and rice wine, leafy greens, carrot, mushrooms and ee fu noodles
Tumeric rice with tamarind prawns and egg
A Sweet Note
Ben & Jerry Ice Cream
Choice of Vanilla for a change or berry nice
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
Mar 28, 2008, 10:48 am
#12
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London
Programs: Programmes. Please!
Posts: 508
Mar 29, 2008, 6:42 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
Intercontinental Bali Resort & Spa - Jimbaran Bay
Intercontinental Bali Resort
We landed just after 9:30 pm, and I expected the hotel to meet us on the walk from the plane to immigration, apply for our visa on arrival, escort us to their lounge, take our passport and luggage tags, and collect our bags. But there was no one waiting.
Now, the above service is a published benefit of a club booking at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran Bay. And there really shouldn’t have been any confusion.
Back on January 17th – right after I made the booking -- I emailed my flight arrival information to the hotel.
On January 18th the hotel confirmed
I’m paranoid, so again on March 11th I reconfirmed my flight arrival information.
That same day the hotel confirmed
But no one met us. We took care of our visa on arrival, collected our bags, paid a porter to assist us and found someone to help contact the Intercontinental. At the airport I was shown the hotel’s arrivals sheet with no flight information down for me and I was told that “if I had only told the hotel my flight information someone would have been there” to meet me.
Instead of a leisurely and stress-free arrival after 36 hours of travel, we had the stress of figuring out our details on our own. (Ok, whoa is me, but still.)
We waited outside while the property found an older van to bring us to the hotel. Things weren’t starting smoothly at all.
Next problem… my room upgrade
On January 18th I emailed the hotel to learn what I might expect as a Royal Ambassador member in terms of an upgrade.
On January 21st I received a reply “we are pleased to inform as you are Royal Ambassador member we will upgrade to our Balinese suite which is 2 next level category from club room.”
See, this hotel is sometimes known to upgrade a single room category for both Ambassadors and Royal Ambassadors, to a Club Duplex Suite. I emailed in hopes of securing something a little better, and they delivered!
But when I arrived at checkin my room card had a room number whited out and a new room written in. I asked what kind of room I had been given – this could be very good or very bad, I figured -- and I was informed that I was ‘given an upgrade’ to… a Duplex Suite.
I showed them the written correspondence from the hotel confirming me into a Balinese Suite (I get everything in writing… and I bring it with me… just in case.). They were a bit stunned and shell-shocked, didn't know what to do. It was late at night, a bit of running around to get ahold of a sufficiently empowered manager I suppose. There were no available Balinese suites so I was upgraded 2 further categories to a Jimbaran Bay Suite. Checkin took 45 minutes, though.
The room had a bedroom, sitting room, master bath with separate shower, jacuzzi tub, toilet room, and dual sinks (toileteries were Aveda). There's a guest bath, living room, dining room, and small complete kitchen (with separate butler's entrance). The balcony stretches the entire length of the room with three separate sitting areas and looks out over the Bay.
There was a bowl of fruit and wooden box of extensive (36 IIRC) chocolate truffles, along with a bottle of wine, waiting for us in the room.
There were two minibars, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Plenty of waters (refreshed several times throughout the day) in box minibars, in the bedroom and the bathroom. But the liquor was entirely removed from both minibars, with empty spaces where the bottles previously had been. I didn’t press for a refill of the half-empty mini-bar. Some hotels really don’t like the Royal Ambassador free mini-bar drinks benefit, the Intercontinental Bangkok did this to me a couple of years ago as well.
In-room internet is available wired and wirelessly, for a fee but with a twist. They have several different price points and 24 hours amounted to ~ US$20. The twist is that this was 24 hours of actual use so it was well more than enough for my five night stay. Even with a wireless router plugged into the wired connection, their password system was pretty clever and mrs. gleff and I could not both be online at the same time with the same password.
The hotel has the best club lounge of any Intercontinental, anyhere. There’s an extensive breakfast, afternoon tea, evening h'or dourves, and nighttime snacks. In addition the lounge is open 24 hours and has a menu to order off of all day long (six items, changes daily). All complimentary. It amounts, if you want it to, to full board. ^
And breakfast can actually be taken elsewhere as well, in any of three other locations including the main buffet restaurant and beside the club pool. We tried the main restaurant one morning, but actually left our mostly uneaten plates and retreated back to the club lounge. The main restaurant, trafficked by guests from throughout the hotel, was just too busy. And too loud (with live music, too early for me before I’ve had my coffee) and really not that much more extensive a selection. I far preferred the service and ambiance of the club lounge, whether seated inside or outside.
It's worth noting that the hotel is really 3 hotels in one, a main hotel... the upscale Sinjara Wing, and the deluxe Club section. I much prefer the more exclusive and quiet club section to mixing with the rest of the hotel which feels like a huge uber resort (which it is, though they pull it off well).
So I was ensconced in an absolutely wonderful suite, but I was still miffed about the airport pickup incident. I had mentioned it at checkin and all they gave me was an apology and a “thank you for letting us know, we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen to any future guests.”
I realized that at that hour no one was apparently empowered to fix anything on the spot, which really is something that the hotel could improve upon. I asked to me contacted by a manager the next day.
The next day, though, mrs. gleff and I went for afternoon tea in the lounge and the club manager approached me, asking if I was mr. gleff. She explained that they had just switched over to Opera several days prior and some data was lost in the conversion, including my airport pickup info. She gave me what amounted to $240 in spa credit as an apology. That worked. Spa was lovely. ~ US$50++ per person per hour for treatments, which is quite good for a top resort (though impossibly expensive for Indonesia of course).
I still think my all-time favorite overall spa facility belongs to the Sheraton in Pattaya. And the treatment rooms were probably a little nicer at the Le Meridien in Khao Lak. But overall, just outstanding. And those two spas are wonderful places to be compared to!
We had a couple of treatments during our trip, one comped because of the mixup with our arrival.
So, why did I choose this property and how did I pay for it?
Sure, I’m a Royal Ambassador but I might well have stayed at the Sheraton in Nusa Dua.
Well, I redeemed a bunch of Priority Club points back in December for Any Hotel, Anytime cards. I used a free weekend night certificate (the one that comes with the Ambassador and Royal Ambassador kits) and I paid for the rest with the pre-paid Amex hotel gift cards. At the 50% off redemption rate offered in December, a paid stay with these cards amounted to fewer points than an award. Plus you could book a club room (this hotel doesn’t generally upgrade to the club) and be upgraded from there. So, a great leveraged use of points.
But use of the points -> Any Hotel, Anytime cards aside, this hotel is well worth $279/night for club room. I definitely prefer a club room + upgrade here over an entry-level room at the nearby Four Seasons (pictures of which later, similar nights asking US$630).
We landed just after 9:30 pm, and I expected the hotel to meet us on the walk from the plane to immigration, apply for our visa on arrival, escort us to their lounge, take our passport and luggage tags, and collect our bags. But there was no one waiting.
Now, the above service is a published benefit of a club booking at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran Bay. And there really shouldn’t have been any confusion.
Back on January 17th – right after I made the booking -- I emailed my flight arrival information to the hotel.
On January 18th the hotel confirmed
we have updated your flight details in our system. The transfer from and to the airport will be included as a Club InterContinental guest and you will be greeted by our club host at the airport and they will escort you to our VIP lounge at the airport and they will also assist you with your luggage and visa on arrival.
That same day the hotel confirmed
our Club Representative will Page by your name before Queue in Immigration for Visa on Arrival.
Instead of a leisurely and stress-free arrival after 36 hours of travel, we had the stress of figuring out our details on our own. (Ok, whoa is me, but still.)
We waited outside while the property found an older van to bring us to the hotel. Things weren’t starting smoothly at all.
Next problem… my room upgrade
On January 18th I emailed the hotel to learn what I might expect as a Royal Ambassador member in terms of an upgrade.
On January 21st I received a reply “we are pleased to inform as you are Royal Ambassador member we will upgrade to our Balinese suite which is 2 next level category from club room.”
See, this hotel is sometimes known to upgrade a single room category for both Ambassadors and Royal Ambassadors, to a Club Duplex Suite. I emailed in hopes of securing something a little better, and they delivered!
But when I arrived at checkin my room card had a room number whited out and a new room written in. I asked what kind of room I had been given – this could be very good or very bad, I figured -- and I was informed that I was ‘given an upgrade’ to… a Duplex Suite.
I showed them the written correspondence from the hotel confirming me into a Balinese Suite (I get everything in writing… and I bring it with me… just in case.). They were a bit stunned and shell-shocked, didn't know what to do. It was late at night, a bit of running around to get ahold of a sufficiently empowered manager I suppose. There were no available Balinese suites so I was upgraded 2 further categories to a Jimbaran Bay Suite. Checkin took 45 minutes, though.
The room had a bedroom, sitting room, master bath with separate shower, jacuzzi tub, toilet room, and dual sinks (toileteries were Aveda). There's a guest bath, living room, dining room, and small complete kitchen (with separate butler's entrance). The balcony stretches the entire length of the room with three separate sitting areas and looks out over the Bay.
There was a bowl of fruit and wooden box of extensive (36 IIRC) chocolate truffles, along with a bottle of wine, waiting for us in the room.
There were two minibars, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Plenty of waters (refreshed several times throughout the day) in box minibars, in the bedroom and the bathroom. But the liquor was entirely removed from both minibars, with empty spaces where the bottles previously had been. I didn’t press for a refill of the half-empty mini-bar. Some hotels really don’t like the Royal Ambassador free mini-bar drinks benefit, the Intercontinental Bangkok did this to me a couple of years ago as well.
In-room internet is available wired and wirelessly, for a fee but with a twist. They have several different price points and 24 hours amounted to ~ US$20. The twist is that this was 24 hours of actual use so it was well more than enough for my five night stay. Even with a wireless router plugged into the wired connection, their password system was pretty clever and mrs. gleff and I could not both be online at the same time with the same password.
The hotel has the best club lounge of any Intercontinental, anyhere. There’s an extensive breakfast, afternoon tea, evening h'or dourves, and nighttime snacks. In addition the lounge is open 24 hours and has a menu to order off of all day long (six items, changes daily). All complimentary. It amounts, if you want it to, to full board. ^
And breakfast can actually be taken elsewhere as well, in any of three other locations including the main buffet restaurant and beside the club pool. We tried the main restaurant one morning, but actually left our mostly uneaten plates and retreated back to the club lounge. The main restaurant, trafficked by guests from throughout the hotel, was just too busy. And too loud (with live music, too early for me before I’ve had my coffee) and really not that much more extensive a selection. I far preferred the service and ambiance of the club lounge, whether seated inside or outside.
It's worth noting that the hotel is really 3 hotels in one, a main hotel... the upscale Sinjara Wing, and the deluxe Club section. I much prefer the more exclusive and quiet club section to mixing with the rest of the hotel which feels like a huge uber resort (which it is, though they pull it off well).
So I was ensconced in an absolutely wonderful suite, but I was still miffed about the airport pickup incident. I had mentioned it at checkin and all they gave me was an apology and a “thank you for letting us know, we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen to any future guests.”
I realized that at that hour no one was apparently empowered to fix anything on the spot, which really is something that the hotel could improve upon. I asked to me contacted by a manager the next day.
The next day, though, mrs. gleff and I went for afternoon tea in the lounge and the club manager approached me, asking if I was mr. gleff. She explained that they had just switched over to Opera several days prior and some data was lost in the conversion, including my airport pickup info. She gave me what amounted to $240 in spa credit as an apology. That worked.
Spa was lovely. ~ US$50++ per person per hour for treatments, which is quite good for a top resort (though impossibly expensive for Indonesia of course).I still think my all-time favorite overall spa facility belongs to the Sheraton in Pattaya. And the treatment rooms were probably a little nicer at the Le Meridien in Khao Lak. But overall, just outstanding. And those two spas are wonderful places to be compared to!
We had a couple of treatments during our trip, one comped because of the mixup with our arrival.
So, why did I choose this property and how did I pay for it?
Sure, I’m a Royal Ambassador but I might well have stayed at the Sheraton in Nusa Dua.
Well, I redeemed a bunch of Priority Club points back in December for Any Hotel, Anytime cards. I used a free weekend night certificate (the one that comes with the Ambassador and Royal Ambassador kits) and I paid for the rest with the pre-paid Amex hotel gift cards. At the 50% off redemption rate offered in December, a paid stay with these cards amounted to fewer points than an award. Plus you could book a club room (this hotel doesn’t generally upgrade to the club) and be upgraded from there. So, a great leveraged use of points.
But use of the points -> Any Hotel, Anytime cards aside, this hotel is well worth $279/night for club room. I definitely prefer a club room + upgrade here over an entry-level room at the nearby Four Seasons (pictures of which later, similar nights asking US$630).
Mar 29, 2008, 7:11 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
Bali - Central Mountain Tour
Central Mountain Tour
On the advice of several Flyertalkers (including SanDiego1K), we booked a tour with Wayan Sueta (who has a very nice website).
We had him take us up to the Central Mountain region, saw a coffee plantation up in Munduk, and naturally some temples.
Here was another glitch in our trip. We had booked him for March 21, we were supposed to meet him in the hotel lobby (and I had re-confirmed just days before). He didn’t show. I called him on his cell and it seems that he had gotten confused. He knew I had booked the 21st, but wrote it in his calendar for the 22nd. Since he lives up in Ubud it was really too late to get started for the day. Not a huge deal, we just rescheduled a spa appointment and agreed to meet up on the 22nd instead.
Wayan Sueta is an incredibly friendly gentleman with outstanding English skills. (He sends his best to SanDiego1K and to Mr. SanDiego1K). His jeep wasn’t great, with vinyl seats it’s quite hot! And his windshield wipers weren’t working properly. It was raining heavily on the way back to our hotel and he kept having to pull over to yank on them to try to get them going again. But he was wonderful to work with, since he didn’t take you anywhere you didn’t want to go… didn’t push shopping for commissions.
On the advice of several Flyertalkers (including SanDiego1K), we booked a tour with Wayan Sueta (who has a very nice website).
We had him take us up to the Central Mountain region, saw a coffee plantation up in Munduk, and naturally some temples.
Here was another glitch in our trip. We had booked him for March 21, we were supposed to meet him in the hotel lobby (and I had re-confirmed just days before). He didn’t show. I called him on his cell and it seems that he had gotten confused. He knew I had booked the 21st, but wrote it in his calendar for the 22nd. Since he lives up in Ubud it was really too late to get started for the day. Not a huge deal, we just rescheduled a spa appointment and agreed to meet up on the 22nd instead.
Wayan Sueta is an incredibly friendly gentleman with outstanding English skills. (He sends his best to SanDiego1K and to Mr. SanDiego1K). His jeep wasn’t great, with vinyl seats it’s quite hot! And his windshield wipers weren’t working properly. It was raining heavily on the way back to our hotel and he kept having to pull over to yank on them to try to get them going again. But he was wonderful to work with, since he didn’t take you anywhere you didn’t want to go… didn’t push shopping for commissions.