SFO777

As if on cue, snow came to Denver on Christmas eve and we enjoyed our first white Christmas in 15 years. After a quiet Christmas with our Denver son, we're off to LA tonight to see our California sons, families and grandkids. Then our first Swiss First flight tomorrow night from LAX to Zurich, compliments of Miles &More, who mistakenly gave new *A member Avianca/TACA and LifeMiles access to their entire award inventory for a couple of months this past summer. Oops. Mrs. SFO and I and our SoCal travel buddies had originally planned to be in Israel for New Years, but after the hostilities a few months ago, "the gang" decided that we'd do Israel another year.

-Admirals Club at DEN
-American 3678 DEN-LAX First Class
Star Alliance First Class Lounge at TBIT/LAX
Swiss 41 LAX-ZRH First Class
Swiss First Class Lounge at Zurich
Lufthansa Business Class ZRH-FRA and the LH First Class Lounge at A13
Lufthansa Business Class FRA-MAD
Renfe Sala Lounge at Atocha and Preferente Class Madrid-Sevilla
Hotel Alfonso XIII Sevllla
Sevilla
Ronda
Palacio de los Patos Granada
Granada
Renfe Preferente Class Granada-Madrid
Hotel Villa Magna Madrid
Madrid
Toledo
Iberia Lounge at MAD T4S
LAN 703 MAD-FRA Business Class
Lufthansa First Class Terminal at FRA
Swiss First Class Lounge at Zurich
Swiss 8 ZRH-ORD First Class
American 1017 ORD-DEN First Class

No traffic tonight as we got to DIA in 30 minutes prompting Mrs. SFO to recycle the old "why are we here so early? Don't ever do this again" complaint, which of course I always ignore. But she was all smiles as she experienced her first triple green beep at Pre-Check and waltzed thru security without taking off shoes, coat, hat or removing anything from her carry-ons. Off to the Admirals Club to relax.

A mix of new and recycled pics from a previous visits...















At about T-50 we headed downstairs for book and magazines and the gate.



AA 3678
DEN-LAX
CR7
December 26, 2012
7:30P-9:00P
Seats 2CD
Dinner

In spite of a narrow aisle and a stream of Y pax, FA opened bar and repeatedly swam up upstream to accommodate the 9 pax.



After take-off, drink service followed by "dinner" or what constitutes dinner on a oven-less Eagle flight. Choice of cold spinach stuffed chicken with pasta salad or steak salad with blue cheese and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Chicken was near tasteless. Salad better but, even then, only marginally better than a DL cold dinner.











The worst part of DEN-LAX on AA is the satellite terminal and the bus ride to the main terminal. Actually, that's not the worst part. That honor goes to the AA LAX ground crews, some of the most useless baggage crews in the system. Does it really take 15 minutes for gate check bags to be brought 100 feet away. Another 15 minutes and we are at baggage claim (Mrs SFO needed to check one bag this time, and we had Christmas gifts), but still no bags. That was another 10 minutes.

Outside, we only waited 5 minutes for another Avis bus, and then 15 minutes to get to the lot, after stops at T5, T6 and T7. The 35 minutes north on the 405 and 101 to The Four Seasons Woodland Hills. LOL. Would you believe the Best Western Woodland Hills. Generally good Tripadvisor ratings and $100 a night. How bad can it be? Yikes, now I know. Mrs. SFO was not impressed. "No robe? No slippers? Why do you do this to me?" My rationalization about "why spend $400 for 8 hours when for $100 I can get a much better location" was not cutting it. For those considering this hotel, don't unless you are on business and not with a princess.







Great visit with the youngest son as his two kids (age 4 and 2) including a visit to The Grove and American Girl, one of the most brilliant marketing ideas in recent years. For $300, your (grand) daughter can select a doll with matching dresses, pierced ears and a hair styling, then both get matching dresses.





Both grand daughter and her doll requested anonymity. Hey, it's LA.



Up next: Embarrassing Star Alliance Lounges at LAX.

FlightNurse

I can already tell this is going to be a doozy of a report. For the last 5 years I have missed the boat on the credit card app-a-rama that have been going on. Your travels have given me and my partner some very ideas on places to see from your travel reports. Thank you....

BTW, how could you allow the princess to stay in a such a ordinary hotel....

thespeedskater

And there we go again!

amolkold

Agh, I was at the Grove this week as well. Should have kept my eyes out for a guy with a DSLR. I didn't go to the doll shop though .

Looking forward to it. I'm curious if you could have gotten FCT access on your inbound ticket (though the connection time suggests the FCL was the better decision). AWESOME use of the LAN 5th Freedom flight (and a great use of Avios) -- they are switching that from A343 to B787 in the next year.

FlyIgglesFly

Oh good, another trip report where you travel the globe in high style. I'll be sure to feel very, very bad for you when you report on the embarrassing *A lounge at LAX while I sit at my office desk in Trenton, NJ on a Saturday. *

* Ok, not really . But there is no emoticon that indicates extreme jealously laced with depression.

fieldeng

WOW You lived to tell about your Best Western experience with your princess?

UA_Flyer

SFO777, is writing TR your primary career now?

Great start! Can't wait to see the photos from Spain!^

1P

Mrs. SFO was not impressed. "No robe? No slippers? Why do you do this to me?"

The lady is clearly spoilt rotten. If she doesn't bring her own robe and slippers (and who would be seen dead in a hotel's set?, let's face it!), then she needs to join the Reality Travel Club.

yerffej201

Damit I shouldn't have waited so long to book LX LM space. Dargn

SFO777

How can anyone stand to live in LA. Traffic is horrendous. Less than 10 miles from The Grove to LAX. 70 minutes. Has anyone here ever heard of synchronizing traffic lights. Were it not for my GPS, we could still be trying to get to the airport. Arrived at ugly TBIT at roughly T-100 minutes. Can't wait for the new terminal to be completed.





While we were checking in at the F counter, I overhead an interesting conversation from the Business check-in counter... guy (with wife) beside us at the Business check-in counter asks about upgrading. Agent tells him it would be $600 today, normally $1,500. Comedian responds with "for the both of us?" then declines the offer when agent tells him "no, $600 per person". LX is selling last minute buy ups to F?? Asked and confirmed in the LX forum.

F check-in agent offered a personal escort to the FCL. Nice gesture not really necessary as no queue jumping privileges. We accepted but then bid adieu in the security line when it was apparent that we weren't getting any faster track. On the other side of security, entrance and elevators to the level 5 *A lounge level.









Wow, this is a First Class Lounge? Seriously? Why bother. This is the sorriest excuse for an international FCL I've seen in a long time.









And zero power outlets at the seats.





Premium (sort of) liquors and a weak selection of food...

SFO777

The *A Business Class Lounge was actually more inviting.













And windows where you actually see things...











Next up: Outstanding LX First service but the old 343 hard product needs help.

SFO777

Thanks very much FlightNurse. Glad my TRs have given you some ideas about great places to visit. And yes, the princess is wondering the same thing about the hotel.

Yup, but even Mrs. SFO was starting to wonder about two TATL trips in two weeks.

amolkold, agh indeed. Too bad I didn't have my FT tags at The Grove. I thought about the FCT and the limo ride but we arrived at A32 so there was just not enough time to go the the FCT. But the new FCL was wonderful. Hardly anyone there and a terrific dinner in between flights. Yeah, I'm excited about that LAN flight. Stumbled on it by accident... much better than the Y seat masquerading as Business on European airlines.

Thanks FlyIgglesFly. Sorry, I'll try to keep the pics and narrative to a minimum.

Yes, still alive but she has informed me not to use tripadvisor as a hotel source any more.

Thanks UA_Flyer. Yeah, writing TRs is more fun than my day job.

Yes, I do spoil her but that is my choice. And she does put up with extra connections and weird routings to satisfy my flying whims and curiosity. We give and take and banter at each other. It has worked well... so far.

Yeah, tell me. I only booked three of these before the back door was closed.

FlightNurse

I forgot to ask, how did you know this happened? I think I want to be your student in leaning all these tricks you know... Ok sensei ?

amolkold

I've been meaning to get that LAN flight in on a Euro trip. I have an odd fascination with fifth freedom flights (even guest-wrote a blog post on it). If you ever need to fly MAN-MUC, forget LH - SQ flies that route. As does KE on VIE-ZRH. Need to fly MLA (Malta) to Larnaca (LCA)? Fly Emirates, of course! Europe needs more 5th freedoms!

Oh, and yes, totally agree on the *A lounge at LAX. Have only been to the Business class side, but my glances into the F side made it seem like I got the better deal. I'd say the LHR *A FC lounge is just as drab, seems to be a pattern with these "alliance-wide" F lounges. I cannot wait for the new terminal. And for Lufthansa/Swiss to release partner F space out of LAX. Should have jumped on the LifeMiles deal!

amaroo

Just checking in - ready to read another beauty^

We spent two weeks over the x-mas period last year enjoying Madrid, Sevilla, Granada & Barcelona. Loved it, really looking forward to see how your trip turns out - enjoy!