Aeroplan Mini-RTW Award Redemption in First (OZ, TG, LX)
Introduction
After several years of focusing our flying patterns, churning a few credit cards, and constantly defending my obsessive actions to my wife, we finally found the time and had gathered enough points to redeem for two infamous Aeroplan Mini-RTW award tickets. We would use it to celebrate our delayed (9 months) honeymoon.
The story of getting these tickets started more than a year out to find the right itinerary, and was booked 300+ days in advance, prior to the points increases and introduction of YQ for award tickets. ANA's Tool, ExpertFlyer, and FlyerTalk forums were all used to create get the award ticket. Best part is, all hotel nights (other than 4 in Ubud) were entirely covered by award redemptions at Conrads/Hiltons/JW Marriotts due to my wife's HH Diamond and Marriott Platinum status from hectic travel (>140 hotel nights) last year.
Our final itinerary looked like this:
YYZ-YYC in AC Y (paid)
YYC-YEG in a car
YEG-SFO in UA F
SFO-LAX in UA J
LAX-ICN in OZ F
ICN-PEK in OZ J
PEK-SIN in SQ J
SIN-DPS in QZ Y (paid)
DPS-HKT in FD Y (paid)
HKT-BKK in TG J
BKK-FRA in TG F
FRA-ZRH in LX J
ZRH-YUL in LX F
YUL-YTZ in AC Y
You can find details of each of our major segments below:
Leaving Canada for San Francisco in AC Y and UA F
Flights: YYZ-YYC in AC Y, YEG-SFO in UA F
Airport Lounges: YYZ Maple Leaf Lounge, YEG Maple Leaf Lounge
Hotels: Hilton San Francisco Airport
Cities: San Francisco
Synopsis: I departed Toronto to meet my wife, who was in Calgary, and we drove to Edmonton together to visit family. We then headed off to San Francisco for a night, staying at the Hilton San Francisco Airport.
From the US to Korea in UA J/OZ F
Flights: SFO-LAX in UA J, LAX-ICN in OZ F
Airport Lounges: SFO UCL, LAX SAL
Hotels: None
Cities: None
Synopsis: Leaving San Francisco for our connection at LAX, we finally enjoyed our first taste of "real" first-class aboard Asiana. What an experience!
JW Marriott Seoul and OZ J to Beijing
Flights: ICN-PEK in OZ J
Airport Lounges: ICN Asiana Business Class Lounge
Hotels: JW Marriott Seoul
Cities: Seoul
Phuket and the BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
Flights: HKT-BKK in TG J
Airport Lounges: HKT Thai Royal Orchid Lounge, BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
Hotels: Hilton Arcadia Phuket
Cities: Phuket, Thailand
Going Back Home with LX F
Flights: FRA-ZRH in LX J, ZRH-YUL in LX F, YUL-YTZ in AC Y
Lounges: ZRH First Class Lounge, YUL Maple Leaf Lounge
Hotels: None
Cities: None
Leaving Canada for San Francisco in AC Y and UA F (Return to Index)
Flights: YYZ-YYC in AC Y, YEG-SFO in UA F
Airport Lounges: YYZ Maple Leaf Lounge, YEG Maple Leaf Lounge
Hotels: Hilton San Francisco Airport
Cities: San Francisco
Synopsis: I departed Toronto to meet my wife, who was in Calgary, and we drove to Edmonton together to visit family. We then headed off to San Francisco for a night, staying at the Hilton San Francisco Airport.
Details
From the Flyertalker's perspective, this will be the most boring section of the Trip Report, since United First and an airport Hilton is not Trip Report worthy. Regardless, for the sake of completeness, here it is. I left YYZ and snapped a few shots of the Maple Leaf Lounge (MLL), which I have frequented often over the past years. It was exciting since this was my first time on a Mini-RTW, I had never flown First before, and, well, it was almost a month vacation! The Lounge is accessible by elevators on the same floor to your left as soon as you go through the main security checkpoint. The line-up for security wasn't bad, and they hadn't opened up the priority lane up any way.
YYZ Maple Leaf Lounge
The YYZ MLL is quite roomy, and I have never had an issue finding a comfy seat.
YYZ Maple Leaf Lounge
The snacks typically include soups, veggies and dip, olives, nachos and salsa, and other similar bitings. The bar has your standard basic liquors with nothing that jumps out as higher grade.
YYZ Maple Leaf Lounge
I thought the selections of wine were nicely displayed relative to their normal spot sitting on the counter. The YYZ MLL typically has a decent selection of Ontario wines that are $15 or so at the LCBO.
YYZ Maple Leaf Lounge
Because our award ticket actually departed from YEG, I had to make my way to YEG on my own. The plane was an Airbus A321-100/200, which was pretty standard.
YYZ-YYC in AC Y (Paid)
I was able to select my seat at purchase because I am Elite. I selected the best I could for Y (row 12). No complimentary meals in AC Y for North American flights either...
YYZ-YYC in AC Y (Paid)
Despite the many complaints about AC's IFE, I have never really had problems with it. You can see J class peeking out on the left.
YYZ-YYC in AC Y (Paid)
As I mentioned, I met my wife in Calgary, who was working there for a couple of weeks, and we drove to Edmonton for a family visit. Our award ticket was departing from YEG, so this timed perfectly with a key birthday as well! We didn't stay at any hotels, so no need to post anything about this leg of our trip. Instead, I'll forward to our departure from YEG to SFO. This was the real start to our vacation. For this trip, we took a carry-on size suitcase (which is what we normally only travel with), two small backpacks for each of us, and a large suit-case which would need to be checked in. We had some Maple Syrup with us for gifts at the end of our journey, so we figured it wasn't so bad to not travel carry-on only. We figured that our luggage would be relatively safe given that we were travelling in First. Plus, how else can you manage to pack clothing for: 2 weeks of work, Alberta Winter, chilly China, hot Bali, humid Thailand, and windy Europe?
We were running late, and rushed through security after checking-in our luggage - again, with no priority line-up available. We made use of the MLL in YEG, but given that the MLLs are not exotic for us, we neglected to snap photos of it. There was nothing remarkable about it - we each grabbed some water, relaxed for 5-10 minutes before heading to our gate. This would be our very first First Class leg - heading to SFO, but given what I had read about UA F, our expectations were low. We arrived after most passengers had boarded, so didn't take advantage of the priority boarding.
YEG-SFO in UA F (Paid)
On first impression, UA F reminded me of domestic AC J (with older seats). We had Row 1 and there was plenty of foot room (as you can see) - with a 2-1 configuration in J, and a 2-2 configuration in Y (thanks ORDnHKG!)
YEG-SFO in UA F (Paid)
With the doors still opened, I snapped a photo of the pilots preparing the aircraft, which was an CRJ700 as you can see.
YEG-SFO in UA F (Paid)
Our first-ever First Class meal came in a box. Quite disappointing to say the least, but I didn't have very high expectations. The Snack Box had a bag of chips, nuts, olives, cheese, and crackers. My wife loved it for some reason!
YEG-SFO in UA F (Paid)
As I mentioned, my wife had accumulated quite a larger number of HH points as a Diamond member last year, and we also had a couple of Q4FN (or was it Q3?) certificates to burn through. For this reason, all our hotels, other than one night for free using a certificate at the JW Marriotts were at Hilton chain hotels on points, points+cash, or certificate stays. We decided to stay by the airport, since it made sense to take the subway into the city right after we landed and have a nice rest with shorter morning commute. We arrived at the airport and made our way to the free hotel shuttle area, and we were pretty impressed at the Hilton's shuttle. It was shared with the nearby Embassy Suites, but was far nicer than any of the other shuttles, which were fairly standard vans or buses. This shuttle was all-black and looked like a limo truck.
Hilton San Francisco Airport
The walls of the hotel shuttle were carpeted! Who does that? The seats were leather and there was a big flat-screen up at the front (which wasn't working, but the concept was cool). The ride to the hotel took about 10 minutes or so.
Hilton San Francisco Airport
As we pulled up to the Hilton SFO Airport, we weren't thoroughly impressed by the drab exterior. It looked like your standard airport hotel, so our expectations were immediately lowered. The welcome lobby was large and spacious, but nothing really decorative beyond the large desk. Of note was a desk that had a tray of free pet treats - that was a first!
Hilton San Francisco Airport
As a Diamond, we were entitled to a room upgrade, but I had written to all our hotels' GMs to explain that we were celebrating our honeymoon and would appreciate whatever they could do for us. To our surprise, we checked in and were assigned a Bay View Suite (we had booked the cheapest standard room). The Suite was essentially two adjacent hotels rooms joined together - we didn't really use the right-hand side, which had its own bathroom as well.
Hilton San Francisco Airport
The view from the room was pretty amazing... worth requesting Bay View at this hotel if you get the opportunity.
Hilton San Francisco Airport
After we checked in, we sampled some snacks in the Lounge on the top floor (nothing memorable) and headed into the City by BART. The hotel shuttle dropped us off nearby the BART Station closest to the airport (it's $6 cheaper for each of us to not use the Airport's BART station). We did the standard walk from Union through Little Italy, Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf catching the tram back to Union and heading back to the airport on the BART. We caught the hotel shuttle from the airport back to our room.
We used a certain credit card twice on our entire trip. Once at the BART station to buy our tickets into the city, and once at Pinocchio's restaurant in Little Italy. Two weeks later, AMEX calls me saying that my card was being used suspiciously in Arizona! (I have never been there). There were 2 fraudulent charges of $500 and $600 at AT&T, just before a $30 KFC charge... what was more interesting was that the card was used in person (despite me still having it in my possession in Asia!).
The moral of the story - use cash at the BART station and don't eat at Pinocchio's (which had awful food anyways - a sweet gnocchi? disgusting!)
Hilton San Francisco Airport
We got back to our hotel and crashed... ready to jump on the 9AM to LAX (after breakfast in the lounges of course) and catch our very first (real) First class flight!
From the US to Korea in UA J/OZ F (Return to Index)
Flights: SFO-LAX in UA J, LAX-ICN in OZ F
Airport Lounges: SFO UCL, LAX SAL
Hotels: None
Cities: None
Synopsis: Leaving San Francisco for our connection at LAX, we finally enjoyed our first taste of "real" first-class aboard Asiana. What an experience!
We took the hotel shuttle back to the airport and checked in using the United First counter (despite our ticket being J to LAX). The agent also allowed us to use the First Class Priority line-up to get through security quickly. It was a painless process and we made a quick stop at the United Club Lounge to grab some orange juice and a croissant. It was a huge lounge, but we were in a rush, so I didn't get a chance to snap any shots inside.
SFO United Club Lounge
We then boarded the Boeing 737-900 for our J-class trip to LAX. I was surprised that such a large plane was being used for such a short flight!
SFO-LAX in UA J
It is possible that these seats were even better than our UA F flight from YEG, but not by much.
SFO-LAX in UA J
I didn't even bother turning on the IFE to watch on the massive in-seat screen /sarcasm.
SFO-LAX in UA J
We arrived in LAX and took the shuttle to the International Terminal. I must say that I was a bit disappointed no one was waiting for us when we got off the plane, and there was no help in directing us to the right place. We found our way there by ourselves, and headed to the Asiana First Class check-in desk. After we clarified that we actually were First Class passengers, the service was amazing. The agent escorted us immediately across the terminal to the Security. From there, she bypassed the priority line, opened up a barricade, moved a baby carriage out of the way (I felt bad) and walked us right up to the security conveyor belt. This must have saved us at least an hour, and was very nice. We got some odd looks from people...
The selection of food was minimal, but quite delicious. The sushi really hit the spot... but it was too early to sample any of the champagne (which wasn't all that special)
LAX Star Alliance First Class Lounge
My wife and I were really just exciting for the upcoming First Class flight! Over a year of planning was about to pay off!
LAX Star Alliance First Class Lounge
The agent came and got us from the lounge and escorted us to the gate. The exciting thing about OZ F on the 747 is that it's set up right in the nose of the plane!
LAX-ICN in OZ F
The cabin itself was extremely spacious - only 8 seats and a LOT of free space in between them. It felt private without being claustrophobic.
Being able to sit in Row 1, while in the nose of the plane was quite an experience. I only wish that the cabin had windows directly in front! The nice thing is that you could "call" other seats and talk to them through the IFE.
LAX-ICN in OZ F
In the interest of not sharing all my detailed photos of the menu itself, I'll just share a shot of the lunch menu. It was given to us prior to take-off, along with a glass of orange juice. I asked for champagne, but because we were departing from the US, she said we would have to wait until we were in the air. The wine list was quite impressive and included:
The Bulgari amenities were all-encompassing and came in a nice little Asiana-Airlines branded bag. For those that care, I also have a picture of the headphones and the slippers that were provided.
LAX-ICN in OZ F
I checked out the bathrooms before we took off (and before they got gross). There was nothing really special about the 2 First-Class only bathrooms, other than a nice little basket of toiletries and cosmetics (Biotherm products, wash cloths, and Evian mist spray - thanks ORDnHKG). I must say the bathroom, for the duration of the flight, was spotless. I think after every use, the flight attendants would go in, replenish supplies, and clean it up.
LAX-ICN in OZ F
Then came the elaborate food service. The Asiana agents would kneel beside the pod whenever speaking to us, and laid out our massive tables. There was a choice of the Western or the Korean Lunch. The Western menu, which my wife had, was as follows:
The Western Meal's Main Courses:
Beef Tenderloin Steak - Served with Green Peppercorn Sauce, Potato, and Vegetables - this was to DIE for... perfectly good, and extremely tasty! (See picture below)
or
Grilled Codfish - Served with Lemongrass Sauce, Fried Rice, and Vegetables
or
Grilled Chicken Breast - Served with Potato and Vegetables
LAX-ICN in OZ F
Korean Meal's Main Course:
Mixing and Harmonizing A Famous Koreaon Cuisine "Bibimbap" - Steamed Rice, Various Kinds of Vegetables and Minced Beef, Mixed with Red Chili Paste, Sesame Oil, Accompanied by Assorted Side Dishes and Soup
This didn't blow me away - the side dishes were better than the main meal. Not that it wasn't prepared well, it just wasn't flavourful. I will stick to the Western Meal if I fly OZ again!
LAX-ICN in OZ F
The Desserts for the Western Meal included:
Raspberry Cake
Coffee and Tea
Petit Fours
For the Korean Meal, it was simpler: Fresh Fruit
Coffee and Tea
After a meal like this, we were stuffed. Time for bed! We went to the bathroom to brush our teeth, change into the Asian-sized pyjamas (an ugly brown colour) and came back to our magically-made bed. Complete with mattress cover, sheet, and down duvet!
LAX-ICN in OZ F
I didn't take a shot of the next meal's menu, but I again ordered Korean (I refused to learn that their Western Meal was better). It was a noodle dish with things you mix in - again, pretty bland in flavouring...
LAX-ICN in OZ F
My wife ordered the Western Meal, which first started with a salmon and prawn appetizer. It was then followed by Teriyaki Beef, which was, again, amazing! I think the beef they use is very high quality, because it was tender and full of flavour. I always wondered how they cook things like this on-board, because I didn't smell anything while it was cooking... where's the grill? :P
LAX-ICN in OZ F
We finished off with a fruit tart, which was quite fulfilling.
Just as we were about to land, the stewardesses came around with a departing gift: either a CD from an Asian pop star or a business card holder from Link. Both my wife and I chose the business card holder.
Despite the massive time difference, we were well rested, full, and ready to see Korea (for 20 hrs before our flight departed for Beijing)
We arrived and decided to take the airport shuttle bus, which I had read was more convenient than the Subway... The airport desk took credit card (thankfully because I didn't have any local currency) and we waited about 10 minutes for our bus to come. Pretty comfortable ride, but it was about 1 hr long...
ICN Airport Shuttle
The shuttle dropped us on the street in front of a huge mall. We lugged our bags through the department store, up a level, and through a hallway to the JW Marriott Seoul. It was definitely a grand lobby - with absolutely no line-up on check-in. My wife was on a Platinum Challenge, and her status was acknowledged on check-in - despite this being a free night certificate redemption!
JW Marriott Seoul
The room was really well-appointed. It felt like all the furniture and fixtures were higher end than your standard Marriott - a flat screen TV on a high floor... I think it was an upgrade, but we didn't push for anything since we were there for one night only.
JW Marriott Seoul
The bathroom was very nice - decorated in marble with a nice selection of amenities. The rain shower isn't part of the picture, but was quite enjoyable after such a long flight...
JW Marriott Seoul
We had such aspirations to go explore Seoul, but decided to head up to the Lounge to grab a quick snack before it closed... It was quite busy, but an amazing Lounge on the top floor of the hotel. There were two people at the check-in desk!
JW Marriott Seoul
There was a nice bar that was open for cocktail hour, but I didn't sample any of the goods... the jetlag was kicking in.
JW Marriott Seoul
My wife's favourite part (and the reason this is one her favourite hotel lounges in the world!) was the candy bar...
JW Marriott Seoul
Despite our lofty goals, by the time 7PM rolled around, my wife and I could barely keep our eyes open... so we decided to head to bed and wake up early. When we did wake up, we made our way down to the absolutely amazing Fitness Centre in the basement. It had a full-size pool, about 20 driving range stalls, massage chairs, a rock climbing wall, steamrooms, saunas, you name it... They even gave you gym clothes to wear while using the facilities! By far the best fitness centre of ANY hotel I have been to... Sorry, no pictures - would be creepy to take photos in a change-room
We went to the Lounge for a wonderful buffet breakfast. After the meal, we were going to take the Subway to the Central Station, check-in (apparently you can do that downtown without going to the airport), and then explore a bit... but despite people telling us otherwise, the subway didn't take credit card... so we had to head back to the hotel and exchange cash for local currency... By the time we did all this, we figured it was best not to try to squeeze too much in, especially if there was no check-in at the Central Station! We just hopped on the airport shuttle and headed back to ICN.
We made our way straight to the Asiana Business Lounge (since our flight to PEK was in OZ J).
ICN Asiana BCL
The Lounge was on the second floor, and had a separate entrance from the Asian First Class Lounge. I didn't get a better picture because the agent told me no pictures when I started taking them of the desk. I think she was just shy...
ICN Asiana BCL
The Lounge was huge - with very nice furniture, but a smaller selection of drinks and food. There were private massage chair rooms facing the planes, and a few shower stalls, which we didn't use.
ICN Asiana BCL
I wondered if someone would be told to be quiet if they started playing this piano...
ICN Asiana BCL
Occasionally, they would bring out one or two plates of hot food... particularly these amazing chili chicken fingers. You had to be quick because the swarm of lurkers would linger by the serving area, and the dish would be polished off within minutes!
ICN Asiana BCL
We made our way to the gate to our Boeing 767... there wasn't a separate entrance for us as business class passengers.
ICN-PEK in OZ J
We grabbed the first row again, and the seats were comfortable, and actually could go flat!
ICN-PEK in OZ J
The problem with sitting up front is that, if the TV is small, it's harder to watch... glasses to the rescue!
ICN-PEK in OZ J
Just out of curiousity, I wanted to know what kind of amenities short-haul OZ J had relative to OZ F, and they weren't significantly different... L'Occitane products, but no wash cloths or Evian mist spray as there was on OZ F - thanks ORDnHKG)
ICN-PEK in OZ J
The meal service was nowhere near the quality of our long-haul OZ F flight... it was passable, but barely better than Air Canada's food.
ICN-PEK in OZ J
We had finally arrived in Beijing, where we would spend 4 nights. It was a long series of flights to get here, but we were excited to have finally reached our first destination!
As we landed in Beijing, it was apparent that there was a huge amount of infrastructure China had invested prior to the Olympics. It started with the massive airport - its roof must have been 8-10 stories above our heads, the size of a football stadium, and all with minimal support structures. This was a trend we noticed in Beijing - massive structures with very interesting and awe-inspiring designs.
At the airport you have to go through customs and take a tram to the main terminal... which was just as large! We caught our metered taxi and avoided the scammers who pretended to be taxis (thanks travel guide for the heads up!), and headed to our hotel: the Hilton Wangfujing.
I had written to the General Manager ahead of time letting him know that my wife was a Diamond Member and we were celebrating our honeymoon... he said that he would make sure our stay was special... and boy was it ever! We were asked to check in on the top floor in the Executive Lounge, where we greeted with exemplary service.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
It was the nicest decorated lounge I have been too - high-end furniture and amazing decorations. In fact, the sculptures throughout the hotel were amazing... if anyone knows where to find these things, let me know! I asked a few staffers, and they had no clue.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
Every morning the lounge had a great selection for breakfast... this was just the pastry table.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
The lounge's grill was always cooking up goodies... whether it was eggs in the morning or a different dumpling/satay every evening's cocktail hour.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
We made our way down to our room - we had been informed that we were upgraded to a Corner Suite... it was absolutely massive! It even had a walk-in closet hallway!
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
It had a separate office area, and they had also had some Chinese snacks/deserts waiting for us in that wheel thing on the left. A few minutes later, we got a knock on the door, and they delivered a cake to us.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
We were really fortunate to have been upgraded to such a nice room... did I mention that the entire 4 nights were on points? The shower and tub area was separated, and had the most amazing double-faucet shower with rain shower option...
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
We headed to the Panjiayuan market to see the spectacle. Apparently, there are over 3,000 vendors selling knick-knacks, Communist propaganda, old artifacts, sculptures, art, rocks, you name it... We didn't buy anything, but it was worth seeing.
Panjiayuan Antique Market, Beijing
Another day, we head to the infamous Tiananman Square... I had to snap a picture of the northern border of the Square, which was also the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Tiananman Square, Beijing
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was one of the hundreds of buildings in this mini-metropolis. We decided to do the self-guided audio tour...
Forbidden City, Beijing
As you're walking through the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's easy to forget how massive it is... so we climbed up Jingshan Hill and got a better view.
Forbidden City, Beijing
Donghuamen Night Market was definitely worth seeing - they sold skewers of anything that was once living: snakes, scorpions, pigeons, lamb (the only thing we tried, and it was very good!), starfish, prawns, candied apples. I got the feeling this was more of a Government-sponsored tourist trap rather than anything remotely authentic. Still, it was good fun!
Donghuamen Night Market, Beijing
Another Government-sponsored tourist trap was the Red Theatre, where they have a nightly show about Kung Fu (it's more of a play rather than a martial arts demonstration)
We also went to the Tiandi Theatre acrobatics show... which was definitely worth seeing! We found discount tickets online, called the number, and then someone holding our name on a sign outside the theatre 30 minutes before the show. We saved a ton of money this way, and got great seats.
Donghuamen Night Market, Beijing
Probably the most amazing feats I have seen live before... I have a bunch of photos of each act, but this photo is one of my favourites - not sure why...
Donghuamen Night Market, Beijing
The subway was so clean and efficient... it got us everywhere. As long as you could deal with the mass of people. I turned around while walking through one of the subway hallways to take a photo of this mass...
Subway, Beijing
When in Beijing, you MUST have Peking Duck. Although the food is very affordable (and delicious... WAY better than Cantonese cuisine in my opinion), we dropped a bit of extra cash to check out one of the best roasted duck restaurants. It's off Wangfujing Street - just look for the giant yellow duck.
Roasted Duck Restaurant, Beijing
We took everyone's advice and headed to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall... we hired a driver named Simon, who was excellent. We took the chairlift up and looked at our target (it's past the white writing on the hill)
Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
2.5 hrs later, we got to the top... and continued past the last restored tower. That's where the wall is un-restored... just a bunch of stones overgrown with vegetation... we went to two more towers in this section before turning back... it was a long way down.
Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
We headed back down to the further chairlift, where they have a really fun toboggan ride that takes you to the car park... definitely worth the wait!
Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
We would say goodbye to China and head to Singapore (via SQ J) en route to Bali, our second destination.
Due to Asiana's maintenance schedule, they dropped F-class from LAX-ICN every second day... and we found this out 2 weeks before we left. Needless to say, we had to scramble to move all our flights out by a day.
Unfortunately, we were stuck catching the 1:15AM SQ J flight out of PEK to SIN... partly because I wanted to experience SQ
We headed to the airport and were told to head to the BGS Premier Lounge.
PEK BGS Premier Lounge
It was late at night, but I don't remember the Lounge being as bright and colourful as the pictures...
PEK BGS Premier Lounge
It was pretty much empty... and had a really nice fish tank and pond at the entrance. To the parents of the obnoxious boy who kept banging on the tank to scare the fish, reign in your child!!!
PEK BGS Premier Lounge
It was an Airbus 330 and the flight was about 6 hrs long... one that we planned to sleep most of anyways.
PEK-SIN in SQ J
The seats were actually very comfortable and I think they reclined into a flat position...
The screens were giant! Too bad we slept most of the flight and didn't really get to enjoy them.
PEK-SIN in SQ J
The Business Class menu looked very nice... and, although I was too tired to really sample anything, captured the wine list:
Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain
2009 Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett Rheingau Germany (White) (wow what a mouthful!)
2010 D'Arenberg Olice Grove Chardonnay McLaren Vale, Australia (White) OR
2010 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran, Maconnais, Burgandy, France (White)
2007 Chateau La Garde Pessac-Leognan Bordeaux France (Red) OR
Fonseca Unifiltered Late Bottled Vintage 2005 (Port)
PEK-SIN in SQ J
SIN is the most efficient and clean airport I have ever seen. The hall for immigration was spotless... I saw my reflection on the tile floor - it was insane. We caught a cab that accepted credit card to the Conrad Singapore, where I had again pre-written to the GM explaining that my wife was a Diamond and that we were celebrating our honeymoon. He also confirmed that they would do something special for us...
When we pulled up to the front door, there was a customer service rep waiting there who opened our door, greeted us by name (weird... how did he know who we were?), and escorted us to check-in on the top floor, where the Executive Lounge was.
Conrad Singapore
The Lounge was beautiful in the Conrad Singapore... you could definitely tell this hotel was much more upper-scale than the typical Hilton...
Conrad Singapore
Mark in the Executive Lounge was excellent... as was the rest of the service - A+ at this hotel... and then we were escorted to our room. It was a bit underwhelming, especially coming from the Hilton Wangfujing. The room was drab, had an old TV, and looked really worn.
Conrad Singapore
There was a little teddy bear waiting for us...but I think they give that to everyone?
Conrad Singapore
The bathroom, on the other hand, was very nice... and just "felt" expensive heh.
Conrad Singapore
When we left the room for a bit to explore, we came back to Strawberries and wine, along with our bathtub drawn with rose petals surrounded it... a VERY nice touch and much appreciated.
Conrad Singapore
Although we initially planned to spend 2 nights in Singapore, due to the Asiana mix-up, we were there for only 1 night. We walked Orchard Road, then headed off to Little India... this was the one place outside of India itself, where they made chai properly! It was DELICIOUS! We walk back to the Conrad, passing Princess Street - a night market full of fruit, snacks, clothes, and gadgets. We loaded up on mangosteens...
Princess Street, Singapore
We were impressed with how clean (some would say sterile) Singapore was... it was worth seeing, but don't think more than 2 nights would be necessary... it did have a nice skyline. I apologize - this wasn't exactly my best night-shot, but the only one I took.
Skyline, Singapore
The only complaint we had was at around 11:30PM, there was a strong smell of gas... I called down, and they said they would look into it. An hour later, I called again - this time a bit more worried since the fumes were getting stronger... Again, they said they would look into it. 10 minutes later, a service man knocked on the door, and asked if someone had come to talk to us... no one had, and no one came after that. I stayed up as late as I could, but eventually the smell disappeared. I thought this situation was poorly handled, because I would have liked to have been informed of what was going on!
Our trip to Bali was actually outside of the Asia 1 zone for the Aeroplan mini-RTW award, so we had to pay for it out of pocket. Given that it wasn't too long a trip, and that we'd be staying at the beautiful Conrad Bali, we decided to save some money, and simply buy a cheap (really really really cheap!) ticket on Air Asia. This also meant that we didn't have lounge access (our Air Canada Elite status was useless as well!) - the horror!
Time went quickly as we ate our mangosteens and waited for our plane to board, which was an Airbus A320.
SIN-DPS in QZ Y
We also paid a bit extra to pre-select seats, and chose the first row... the plane, especially up front, was not packed, and it was worth the $40 investment. The flight was actually quite comfortable...
SIN-DPS in QZ Y
We opted to have the Conrad Bali pick us up at the airport, especially because we knew this would be the "relaxation" part of our stay. We were greeted as soon as we exited the secure area and escorted to a waiting black SUV... It was sweltering, and they had provided us with ice-cold towels doused in a local flower oil (smelled amazing) and some nice bottles of water... Again, well worth the investment to get the pick-up.
The Conrad Bali stay was 4 nights on a cash+points stay... which was an amazing deal, especially considering we got 30% of our points back because we booked during the Q1 promotion. This hotel was easily worth double what we redeemed for in my opinion. See my review from the hotel posted here.
To give you an idea, we entered the gate after about 1hr of driving time, and saw this amazing entrance.
Conrad Bali
We drove up the driveway on the left and entered the lobby area... facing outside looked like this
Conrad Bali
But then you turn around, and see this!
Conrad Bali
We were acknowledged as Diamond members, given a welcome drink, congratulated on our honeymoon (see a pattern here?), and then escorted to our room.
Conrad Bali
It was an amazing 1-bedroom Ocean View Suite with 2 balconies! (I had requested this specific view via email ahead of time thanks to FlyerTalk)
Conrad Bali
The bathroom was adorned in marble, and was massive.
Conrad Bali
We ate our first dinner at the main restaurant called Suku. The view overlooking the infinity pool was incredible and they had dancers with live music. The food was so-so...
Conrad Bali
Most of our days were spent lounging by the pool... and I'm not exactly a pool-type person... but these pools were AMAZING!
Conrad Bali
The time we weren't by the pool, we'd grab a beach cabana or a beach seat and just listen to the waves. Although the beach in Nusa Dua isn't the greatest for swimming, the piece in front of the Conrad is quite beautiful. There is a boardwalk that goes for 30 minutes in either direction, and you can see garbage / seaweed in other areas of the beach... In my opinion, the Conrad's beachfront is the best - even compared to the St. Regis, Westin, and other luxury hotels nearby.
Conrad Bali
The Lounge is located in a separate wing all the way at the end - called the Conrad Suites. Diamond members get access to this exclusive wing, which also contains the restaurant called Rin. The view at night of this wing is just as impressive.
Conrad Bali
The Lounge is on the second floor and overlooks the Conrad Suites' private infinity pool.
Conrad Bali
Wasting away the evening was especially easy during the 5:00-7:00PM Cocktail hour(s)... the service in the Lounge was top-notch, as they brought you little snacks along with your drinks. The drinks were extremely well-made cocktails (see the menu!) - we made this bed our "home" for the 4 nights we were there...
Conrad Bali
Diamond Members could choose to have breakfast at Suku or at RIN. We suggest going to Suku, but checking out RIN at least once - it's very peaceful and quiet compared to the main restaurant, which is full of kids who like to feed the goldfish.
Conrad Bali
The hotel is absolutely massive, and beautifully designed in the local Balinese style. I mean the pedestrian entrance to the street looks like it's from a long-lost temple!
Conrad Bali
We did venture out of the hotel once or twice... if you exit the hotel from the street and turn right, you will come across an amazing restaurant called Bumbu Bali after about 20 minutes. The food is over-priced for Bali, but absolutely delicious. They make a killer satay.
By over-priced, we spent $45 on two meals, two appetizers, and two bottles of water... in Canada, this would be a steal, but Indonesia is a lot cheaper. A meal like this should cost $20-25 at most other restaurants... it's about the same price as the food at the Conrad, and infinitely better. This dish was just as tasty as it looks!
Conrad Bali
As we wrapped up our stay at the Conrad to head to Ubud, my wife was begging me to extend our stay. The Conrad Bali was magical, and we plan on returning there again soon... a GREAT relaxation. I would have extended our stay, but I knew that Ubud would be an equally amazing, but different, experience.
We departed our magical stay at the Conrad Bali by finding a private driver on Flyertalk... it took about 1.5 hrs to get to Ubud. Since there are no chains in Ubud other than the Four Seasons (out of our price range and loyalty program), we decided to pay out of pocket and stay at the well-reviewed Komaneka at Bisma.
The Komanekas are a small chain around Ubud (I believe there are 4 now) of luxury hotels... the one at Bisma has its own rice field, and the farmer who worked the land prior to Komaneka purchasing it, still harvests it.
The Komaneka is not the Conrad... Ubud is not Nusa Dua. This isn't your beach-front vacation... Ubud is a peaceful, quiet, getaway to simply enjoy spas, nature, culture, and good food. If you have ever seen the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" - this is the "Love" portion of the movie. It was also here that we met a great couple from Calgary, also on a mini-RTW Aeroplan redemption.. after some discussion, it was clear that we were both FTers - we spent the next little bit talking about our experiences. If you're ready this, I wrote down your email, but drop me a line because I lost it!
Our hotel was just out of town down a smaller road nestled in between rice paddies. The entrance is down a little slope, and definitely not as grand as the Conrad Bali; however, the lobby is 4 stories above the amazing infinity pool... you can see the hotel-owned rice paddy on the left, and then jungle all around the hotel grounds...
Komeneka at Bisma, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Our room was very comfortable, and they welcomed us with nice a heart... the service at the hotel was great, and they were super friendly.
Komeneka at Bisma, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
The bathroom was comfortable and clean... one thing I read about Ubud was that there should be an expectation of dealing with bugs. The Chedi, one of the most expensive hotels in the area, had a semi-outdoor bathroom! The Komaneka at Bisma was spotless, and not a single bug was seen inside our room ever. Their home-made bug spray worked wonders as well...
Komeneka at Bisma, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
While my wife slept in, I got up bright and early and took a bike ride in the country side - through forest and farmland.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
It was on this bike ride that Ubud became my favorite place on Earth.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
That's a pretty bold statement given that I've been to exotic locales such as Zanzibar and Fiji... but something about this place just felt "good".
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
One of the main attractions in Ubud is their Monkey Forest Sanctuary... don't go in there with food, or the macaques will jump on you and steal it. These things are not afraid of humans... I saw a woman sitting down to rest, and let a monkey climb on her... it started grabbing her necklace, so she shooed in away, and it bit her!
If you don't let them climb up on you, and don't have food... you're fine.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
It took me almost 10 minutes of snapping photos of this little guy before I got one in focus... monkeys don't stay still!
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
The other thing to do in Ubud is go to spas... $8-10 for a 60 minute relaxing massage... We had a couples massage followed up with facials for $33 - tax and tip included. This was an alleyway off the main road (Monkey Forest Road) that led to our favorite spa, Eve Spa.
Keep in mind, these aren't 5-star Western spas, but for that price, what do you expect? They were very relaxing and clean...
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Fish spas are also all over the place. It takes a while to get used to these nibbler fish eating away your dead skin, but it's addicting. We went twice in the 4 days we were in Ubud.
Either the fish spa or the massage oils made my wife and I both break out into hives... we've never had those before, and they itch.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Ubud is the cultural centre of Bali... with artists of all types flocking to the area to set up their studios. Just off Monkey Forest Road was Dewa's Studio - he lived here and painted some absolutely amazing pieces. The prices are ridiculously reasonable... so we bought 15. We have enough space for maybe 3-4, but the price was right and the art was fantastic. He rolled up the paintings for us and we simply checked it as luggage to bring back with us.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
We tried Peking Duck in Beijing, and thought we had to try Balinese Duck in Ubud... so we headed to the most famous restaurant that serves it. It was quite good actually and was about 30% of the price of what we paid in Beijing. Gotta love Bali! The food in Ubud was amazing and reasonable... every where we went.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
The only expensive thing there was Luwak Coffee... also known as "poop coffee". We headed to a nearby plantation to sample their coffees, teas, and chocolates.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
My favourite photo from Ubud... no caption needed.
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
We grabbed an airport shuttle for about half the cost of a private taxi... it wasn't air conditioned, but a decent minivan nonetheless. We left early morning and so the heat was bearable, but I advise against this if you leave anytime after 10AM.
We got to the airport, ate some mangosteens, and boarded our Air Asia Airbus A320.
DPS-HKT in FD Y
Again, since this wasn't part of the award itinerary, we paid for economy seats out of pocket. We pre-selected seats (hence being able to board first) and ordered some meals ahead of time.
DPS-HKT in FD Y
My advice when traveling on Air Asia in Y. Order a hot meal in advance! I ate ours, but was still hungry... and since we were the first row in economy, I assumed we would have the pick of the litter when it came to the selection of hot meals advertised in the menu. Not a single hot meal was available for purchase on boards.
I faced starvation, and had to succumb to the most gruesome airplane meal of our trip.
After experiencing the amazing things of Bali, our expectations for Phuket were much lower. We had already travelled to Thailand before, seeing Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui, so it wasn't going to be a new experience for us. The biggest thing I was looking forward to was the food!
My wife dislikes Thailand because of the overt sex industry, and seeing creepy, old, large men with small, unhappy, young Thai girls in bars is pretty unnerving for her (understandably) Having said that, I felt that staying on Karon Beach at the Hilton Arcadia would be a good option because most of the sex tourism occurs in Patong, from what I understood... plus we are Hilton Diamond members and the Arcadia had an amazing points + cash award!
I must say that after over an hour drive from the airport, we were dropped off at the welcome lobby, and severely disappointed. There was no one there to grab our bags, greet us, or offer us a drink. After a few minutes of just standing there confused as to what we were supposed to do, a Hilton lady finally comes up to us and lets us know that a shuttle will take us to the lobby shortly. She then quickly moves on to the next arriving guests. I was parched after such a long drive, and saw stacks of bottled water behind the abandoned desk. I asked her if I could have some water, and she said she didn't have any? I dropped it, because the shuttle had arrived.
The shuttle driver was cold, and told us to load our own baggage onto the shuttle (which was more like a pickup truck with an open-air seating area in the back). At this point, especially after the amazing service we had received on our trip thus far, we were pretty turned off.
We arrived at the real lobby, and a bellman unloaded our luggage, said he would take care of it from there on, and asked us to check-in. We were tired and hungry, so we just went to the empty check-in desk , but were told that they would take care of us at the Hilton Honors desk... fine...
We waited because there was another family ahead of us (who staff confused to be part of our reservation), but eventually our welcome drinks arrived, along with a very courteous agent. She explained how the hotel worked, gave us 4 wireless internet coupons for each night we were there, and escorted us to our room in the Lotus Wing.
I must say, the view wasn't bad!
Hilton Arcadia Phuket
We had written ahead of time explaining that we were on our honeymoon and had a bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us in the room, along with some rose petals on the bed.
The room was nice, but definitely lower class relative to some of the hotels we had just come from.
Hilton Arcadia Phuket
The bathrooms were tiled instead of granite / marble, and had an opening into the bedroom.
Hilton Arcadia Phuket
We spent most of our time at the beautiful Karon Beach... it had some of the nicest sand, beach, and length of any beach we've been to. Quite nice to simply relax and walk along... except during mid-day when it was scorching hot!
I just wish they would pick up the trash along the beach - it's quite off-putting to see bottles, wrappers, and bags along, what would have been an otherwise perfect setting.
Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Sunset on Karon Beach.
Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand
When we weren't on the beach, we'd enjoy the fruit at the market or swim at one of the Hilton's 3 giant pools (which were pretty good, but no Conrad Bali!)
At night, we went to a great place on Soi Malisa in Kata Beach called Cafe Opera, which was run by a Swedish Chef. The night market was in the middle of the street and lined with cafes and restaurants - it wasn't "sleezy" in the slightest. The restaurant was pricey for Thailand, but the entertainment was amazing! The artist played Top 40 and had a huge vocal range - impersonating songs from Justin Bieber through to Bryan Adams (requested by us, the only Canadians in the audience)
Cafe Opera, Soi Malisa, Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand
We then faced the reality of starting our trek back home. We would travel First Class on two of the longest segments, which was a nice consolation. We caught the 7AM flight out of Phuket (requiring us to wake up at 4:45AM to make it there on time!), checked-in, and then escorted through security to the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge. I think we received this treatment because we were connecting in BKK on a First Class flight. I got them to realize this by asking them to print out of First Class Boarding Passes for the upcoming BKK-FRA flight (which they did)
HKT Thai Royal Orchid Lounge
It was completely empty other than two other people... probably because it was so early in the morning.
HKT Thai Royal Orchid Lounge
And yet the agent that escorted us to the Lounge told us to sit in the little area reserved for First Class passengers. It felt a bit ridiculous because the other two people in the Lounge weren't First Class.
HKT Thai Royal Orchid Lounge
The food was a standard Continental Breakfast affair, but with some delicious sandwiches.
HKT Thai Royal Orchid Lounge
We hopped on board our Airbus A300 to see what would await us in BKK.
HKT-BKK in TG J
The seats were pretty standard, but it was a quick hop. We didn't even try watching anything on the tiny TV. The little cloth rose in the bathroom was a nice touch.
HKT-BKK in TG J
When we landed, there was an agent waiting for us who then walked us to the Royal Orchid First Class Lounge - apparently, the number #1 First Class Lounge in the world.
BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
It was massive, with tons of empty sitting area, and high-end furniture.
BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
We were asked if we wanted our own living room, which we accepted. It had a number of comfy couches, a huge flat-screen, and a sound bar!
BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
It was here that we realized we don't really like 5-star service - at least in Asia. We prefer 4, or perhaps 4.5 star service. The lounge agents were amazingly attentive, would kneel when they spoke to us, and really just waited outside our living room if we needed anything. It was almost too much attention. For example, we headed to the buffet pictured below, but when we tried to take some food, they pleasantly said they would serve us. It was nice, but we felt awkward asking for more. There was also a menu for specific meals (which I believe is what was presented at the buffet)
BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
There was also a separate dining room, opposite from the elegant Business Centre. We couldn't justify leaving the comfort of our living room to eat at a table The food was brought in such a presentable manner!
BKK Thai Royal First Lounge
Another example of the over-attentiveness is when I had to go to the bathroom. I was escorted to the bathroom, where the agent stood in the sitting area. The entrance to the bathroom was quite grand, with about 4-5 individual bathrooms.
We were definitely very impressed with the lounge and the service. I made a reservation for our 60 minute Thai Massage across the hall at the Royal Orchid Spa.
BKK Thai Royal Orchid Spa
We were welcomed in a small sitting area, and then taken to individual treatment rooms. I would have liked to have a couples massage, but I didn't complain. It was a great massage! The shower in the treatment room was great, and prepared us for the long trip to FRA.
I thought I had done a lot of research prior to our trip, but one fact that eluded me was that Thai always boards its First Class passengers last instead of first. The entire time I was in the Lounge, I was getting nervous that we weren't being asked to board. I first asked the Lounge at T-45, then again at T-20, but both times I was told we would be told when to board. At T-15, we were finally told to make our way to the gate. I was thinking it was a small jaunt away because they didn't escort us, or offer us a ride in a cart. The gate was on the other end of the hotel, and must have taken us 10 minutes to get to! When we got to the gate, there was no line up, and everyone was waiting for us. I wish they would have told us sooner, or at least offered us a ride!
Regardless, we were super excited to make our way with First Class tickets in hand, to the the waiting Boeing 77&-300 - the infamous leased Jet Airways aircraft with First Class Suites!
BKK-FRA in TG F
We were excited because we knew that, of the three First Class legs we were taking, this would have the best hard product. It did not disappoint!
BKK-FRA in TG F
We grabbed the two middle seats because with doors on either end, we could both close them, and push down the middle barrier for what seemed like our own private room!
BKK-FRA in TG F
I began snapping photos of the suites, the amenities, and really anything of interest. What was interesting is that I wasn't the only one! There was someone else taking just as many photos as I was, and had the same kiddish grin on his face. My wife commented sarcastically that he was probably doing a Trip Report (a fact that she constantly bugged me about...) More on this mystery person later...
The amenity kit was a black Tumi bag with Hermes body lotion and cologne. The chapstick was very much appreciated, but the overall presentation of the kit seemed less coherent than the OZ F kit.
BKK-FRA in TG F
The menu was very appealing, with the following wines of note:
Sondraia 2007 (Italian Red)
Domaine Tournon 2009 (Australian Shiraz)
Schloss Vollrads Riesling 2009 (German Riesling)
Dom Perignon Vintage 2002 (Champagne)
Veuve Clicquot Rose Vintage 2004
1795 Extra Cognac Otard
I asked for some Dom and was told they didn't have it. My wife asked for the Veuve Clicquot and was told they didn't have it. She then asked for the Riesling, and was told they didn't have it.
What was going on? I thought this was pretty disappointing. Instead, we had to choose from the, gasp, second page, which I don't have a photo of.
It was in the midst of these photos that my wife asked me to confirm I had the passports. We got into a little conversation about who had them last, and had to resort to looking through the pictures I had snapped to actually confirm they were on board with us.
We searched our bags, we searched every compartment, we searched every nook and cranny... nothing. We were starting to get worried. There were only two options: someone took them, or they were somewhere in the suite.
The Service Director (who was absolutely amazing) saw us crawling around, and asked to help. I was insistent that my wife was the last to hold the passports (supported by photographic evidence!) and said they must be somewhere in her seat. He searched my wife's suite up and down, inside and out, pulling apart the seat cushions and using his flash light... nothing.
Then meal service started, and he suggested we resume looking after we've eaten. They set the table for two in my wife's suite (which was a nice touch, and the first time I've eaten with someone else on a flight!) My wife started really worrying at this point, fearing the detention centre we'd be placed in upon arrival. Plus we had connecting flights in less than 24 hrs!
I, on the other hand, was pretty worried as well, but hungry. So I enjoyed my caviar (which didn't come in a container like it did on OZ F)
BKK-FRA in TG F
Although she didn't say anything, I could tell that my wife was annoyed that I wasn't sharing her worry. First of all, I still had my appetite, while she was unable to eat. Second of all, I was still taking photos for this Trip Report!
Along came the second course, an absolutely delicious prawn curry. I kept my comments to myself while I enjoyed the meal in silence.
BKK-FRA in TG F
Again we checked the camera, and below is the last known sighting of the disappearing passports - you can see them on my wife's side on the ledge... This was the extremely helpful Service Director, who was so humble that he wouldn't even give us his name so that we could write a letter of appreciation to Thai Airways!
BKK-FRA in TG F
After we ate, the Service Director started searching my suite. Again, armed with a flash light in hand, he pulled apart the suite, searching every nook and cranny.
This is where the mystery photographer approached my wife and I. The first thing he asks is, "Are you from FlyerTalk?" Sure enough, it was milesaddict! (see his great Trip Report of this same flight)
It was during our conversation that the Service Director exclaims, "I see Canada!" On his hands and knees, he reaches deep into the suites' bowels and pulls out each Passport. We were so relieved, and could start enjoying the flight!
It was also a great pleasure to chat with milesaddict - a great guy, who has the opportunity to travel far more than I... It's always great to meet others who share our addiction
After a bit, the lights were turned down, and the starry roof was lit up.
BKK-FRA in TG F
A snack was brought out (much needed because my wife didn't eat dinner!) and we settled into a movie. You could see that some aspects of the IFE weren't changed to Thai.
BKK-FRA in TG F
The Second Serving was brought out, which consisted of:
First Course
Two Peppers and Champagne Duck Terrine OR
Poached Bose Pear, Roast Beetroot with Onion Salad
Soup
Tom Yam Kung (best thing on the whole flight!)
Main Course
Barbecued Thai Duck in Red Curry with Steam Thai Hom Mali Rice, Stir-fried Turnip with Eggs OR
Regensburger Sausage (Pork) Served with German Mustard and Potatoes Salad German Style OR
Shrimp and Vegetable Cannelloni, Mornay Sauce, Sauteed Spinach with Shallot OR
Stir-fried Salmon with Black Bean Sauce with Tossed Healthy Noodles, Vegetables
Assorted Bread / Butter
Dessert
Walnut and Date Cake with Grand Marnier Sauce
I had the duck, which was actually quite disgusting. Perhaps I was "ducked" out, but it was truly gross.
BKK-FRA in TG F
With that meal, we prepared to land, wrapping up an emotional experience. The food/drink was hit or miss, but the seats were absolutely awesome. It was also great meeting another FTer, and we prepared for spending a night in Frankfurt with family.
The next morning, we returned to the airport and checked in at the Business Class desk (since our flight was to ZRH on LX J before connecting onto a LX F flight to YUL). I asked the agent to print off our First Class boarding pass. I then innocently asked if I could head to the First Class Terminal since I was connecting in F... at first they said no, but then the two agents had a discussion, and decided to call the First Class Terminal to find out... it was a positive response, and we headed over.
After seeing for a few minutes downstairs, we realized the First Class Terminal required us to actually go outside and walk! It's a separate building entirely and unconnected to the main terminal!
BKK-FRA in TG F
We took the elevator upstairs and were immediately greeted by a smiling agent, who was obviously expecting us. We went through the private security check, and walked into the most impressive lounge of all!
BKK-FRA in TG F
It is supposedly #3 in the world, but I felt it was far nicer than the BKK Thai Royal First Lounge. It had a cigar room with complimentary cigars (unsampled by me since I don't smoke), snacks at each table, and an absolutely amazing Scotch collection.
BKK-FRA in TG F
We headed to the restaurant to grab a meal. The white-gloved service was impeccable!
BKK-FRA in TG F
We were seated and provided with a menu and a selection of wines/champagne from a nearby cart. I had a glass of Bollinger, which was amazing! Immediately after I put it down after taking my last zip, it was refilled.
BKK-FRA in TG F
However, we quickly realized the same food was available at the buffet:
Hot dishes which included Pan Fried Fillet of Beef Tips, Polenta Spinach Crepes, Steamed Rice, Chicken - Prawn Wok in Chili
Absolutely amazing Gnocchi with asparagus, baked tomatoes, and fresh parmigiana
A selection of olive oils overlooking the kitchen
Desserts of various parfaits and puddings (which melted in your mouth!)
Fresh fruit and tarts
BKK-FRA in TG F
The food was absolutely delicious and we wish we had more time to spend here in this lounge... but our flight to ZRH was boarding, and an agent escorted us down the stairs to the waiting area stacked with black Mercedes cars that would take us to the plane.
BKK-FRA in TG F
What an amazing experience! I can't imagine a better lounge than the First Class Terminal, especially if you enjoy good food. It definitely gave us a taste of what to expect for our LX F flight!
Going Back Home with LX F (Return to Index)
Flights: FRA-ZRH in LX J, ZRH-YUL in LX F, YUL-YTZ in AC Y
Lounges: ZRH First Class Lounge, YUL Maple Leaf Lounge
Hotels: None
Cities: None
We left the First Class Terminal in our beautiful black Mercedes limo, and arrived on the tarmac to our waiting RJ100 Avroliner. They were not ready for us just yet, so the driver apologized profusely and gave us some Lindt chocolate. I took a photo in the car of our driver just as he turned around to talk to us, giving him a face full of flash. Oops!
FRA-ZRH is LX J
It was a small plane, a short flight, and so not much was expected. We got a meal on the plane, but we were so stuffed from the First Class Terminal meal, that we didn't touch it.
FRA-ZRH is LX J
Taking a train into Zurich is very efficient, and we did just that. We were amazed at how pretty the city is - this part reminded us a bit of Paris, without the mountains in the background of course
FRA-ZRH is LX J
We stayed with family in the outskirts of Zurich, which overlooked the Lake and the entire city. Quite beautiful, and the photo doesn't do it justice.
FRA-ZRH is LX J
The next morning we headed back to the airport, bought some Duty Free scotch for back home, and headed to the First Class Lounge. It was completely rammed full of people, some of who were obnoxiously taking up multiple seats and talking loudly on their cell phone.
Having said that, it wasn't the FRA First Class Terminal by any stretch...
ZRH First / HON Circle Lounge
We were escorted downstairs to a waiting van that drove us to our airplane. It's not exactly a black Mercedes limo either
ZRH First / HON Circle Lounge
We off-loaded from the minivan and headed to the gate. There was a massive gathering of gate lice, and we had to navigate our way to the front of the line to our Airbus A330 for our LX F flight.
ZRH-YUL in LX F
The hard-product was amazing - it was similar to TG F, but without the doors. I really enjoyed it - especially the screens! The high-quality champagne was free-flowing even before take-off...
ZRH-YUL in LX F
The Bally amenity kit contained la prarie branded products, and was very nice... that's a new glass of champagne by the way!
The table was beautifully set in preparation for dinner.
ZRH-YUL in LX F
A wonderful bread that was three different types baked together, was brought out first. The olive oil and butter were indescribably delicious. Who would have thought there would be such a difference in those two types of things!
ZRH-YUL in LX F
Then the appetizers came out... you could have them all!
First Courses
Filet of Balik salmon
Lobster coconut ball with a salad of musseli and octopus
Selection of Ticino bresaola, San Pietro ham and salami
Soya marinated tofu with potato confit, Cherry tomato, and lemon ricotta
I had the salmon, the baby leaves, and then forced down the soup. All three were absolutely delicious. I was already stuffed before the main course could even come out.
ZRH-YUL in LX F
I am not a smoked salmon fan at all, but the Balik salmon was amazing. It was tender, fresh, and had a flavour which is worlds different than regular smoked salmon. I had seconds as the extremely friendly agent encouraged me to keep eating!
ZRH-YUL in LX F
Main Courses
Loin of lamb with Taggia olive crust, Formaggini cheese, Rosemary potatoes, beans with raisins
Corn-fed chicken breast with Maggia pepper sauce, Polenta, and spring vegetables
Pan-friend sea bass, cavatelli pasta with basil, Stuff artichokes
Tagliatelle with creamy morel cognac sauce and Green asparagus
I had the lamb, which was cooked perfectly and full of flavour. I took extremely long to finish this course, as I was already full from the First Courses.
ZRH-YUL in LX F
Finally, this was finished off with a cheese platter (which I declined), and a selection of desserts:
Desserts
Amaretti cake with passion fruit mousse and Raspberry ice cream
Strawberry apple gazpacho with apple marshmallow, strawberry jelly
Sprungli pralines
I had the cake... and then grabbed a couple of those delicious pralines as well.
ZRH-YUL in LX F
I was so uncomfortably full, made my way to brush my teeth while my bed was being made, and fell asleep watching a movie.
Panini rustico with Parma ham, Mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes
Goat's cheese quiche with spring onions
Spinach salad with fried mushrooms and bacon
Fresh seasonal fruit
Torta di pane - bread pudding
We landed in Montreal, and made our way to the YUL Maple Leaf Lounge. We travel here often for work, and were dreading the return back to our normal lives. In fact, while in the lounge, we ran into work colleagues! It was a harsh reality check.
Although we were ticketed for YYZ, we switched to an earlier flight to YTZ, which is more convenient for us. We then made our way to Air Canada's all-economy commuter Bombardier DH4 turbo-prop and its small but comfortable seats.
We had an amazing time, and were craving an extension, but once we landed and were on that ferry back to the mainland, it was good to be home.
YUL-YYZ in AC J
The moral of the story is that my wife does whatever I ask if it's about getting points. We already have enough through promotions, flying, and credit card churning for our next RTW in F trip! We just need the vacation time now! Thanks FT for all the tips!
Very enjoyable so far! Looking forward to the rest!
Thanks - I wasn't sure if it is was too much detail or not... I decided to put links to some of the detailed pics instead of posting it in the main TR.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blueline7
Many thanks. Enjoying your TR and looking forward to more!
Appreciate the feedback!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpetekYXMD80
Great report! Hope you are enjoying the fruits of your labor. That Asiana F product continues to impress me greatly.
Me too! I would rank Asiana F as the best balance of hard/soft... TG has the best hard... LX has the best soft (of course, out of the 3 I went on)...
