farbster

Thanks for letting us know how many points you used. That was helpful.

aeroman380

Great pics and glad you posted how many days you stayed in a place. I always like to see how long a person stays in place when booking RTW, even if it is just the one night in LAX. It helps me plan my RTW.

How did you find the seating when traveling with the +1? My partner and I want to be close on the flights and not quarantined off.

Great post and pics!

Jasper2009

Great report so far!^

Seems like toyou managed to find the right balance between experiencing nice C products and interesting cities/places. Have a nice trip!

SKYEG

Not a problem! I figured FTers would like the details, I know I do!

Thank you! The seats are great, every flight I am sitting beside my partner and a lot of them are 2-2-2 or 2-2 configuration anyways so you don't have a choice to separate . Besides the LAX-JFK flight(1A/B too close to galley lights/noise), I think I picked the best seats for all long haul flights, for couples. Did a fair bit of research into it, but I will report back when I finish the trip!

Thanks so much! It definitely seems like a good balance, haven't been too overwhelmed yet.

SKYEG

IST-BKK TK C Continued...






















The meal was the best I’ve ever had in business class by far, as expected. The service however, was very spotty. When the appetizer cart came around, my +1 and I both asked for the Chicken Caesar Salad. I was given the salad, dressing and croutons while my +1 got just the salad with no dressing or croutons. They did not bother to put the chicken on top of it (The couple next to us I noticed got the chicken but no dressing...)! Drinks were never refilled, only when asked. Another couple instances where they forgot to bring our drink orders all together! It seems training is the main issue here.

We actually met a Flyertalker on this flight, Joorinainen, who is an experienced TK flyer and he confirmed that TK has hit/miss service. He was heading into BKK as well so we had the pleasure of having his company throughout our time in Bangkok! I spotted his Flyertalk Luggage tag on his Rimowa as he was boarding, true FTer style .

The hard product is very good, a very long bed that goes fully flat with good amount of shoulder space. I would say this is MY favorite hard product, but my +1 was not able to get any sleep. She still tells me that the exCO product was the best for her. I think the pillows and blanket is definitely on another level on UA BusinessFirst. The pillow/blanket offered by TK was not as fluffy/soft.




Breakfast was delicious besides the scrambled egg, which I didn’t even take a picture of as it was pretty gross. Completely runny, had a bite and had to send it back. The fresh fruit smoothie was fantastic!




We landed slightly ahead of schedule, and got priority immigration which was unexpected and appreciated! The officer did not ask us one question, just stamped the passports and we were on our way! Our bag was the first one out, another surprise(priority security is so hit and miss on UA/AC back at home).

SKYEG

Bangkok and Royal Orchid Sheraton




We took a taxi to our hotel(after arguing with the driver to turn on the meter several times), the Royal Orchid Sheraton and got upgraded to a Premier Deluxe room on the 23rd floor as SPG Gold. The room was well appointed with good amenities, including slippers and bathrobes x2, tooth brush/toothpaste, razor and shaving cream etc. The room was a good size as well, with fantastic views of the river! We used 15,000 SPG points for all 4 nights, which was tremendous value(compared to 12,000 for one night at Le Meridien Nice). I believe the hotel quietly raised the category to 3, which would have cost 28,000 points. At Cat 3, not sure if it would be worth it redeeming straight points. Maybe with Cash and Points, but with so many great hotels around Bangkok, easy to shop around at any budget!







View from Room




The hotel is located right on the river, with a luxury shopping mall attached to it. There are mixed reviews on the location, but this location was perfect for us. A complimentary Sheraton shuttle boat takes you to the BTS(skytrain), and everything can be accessed from there. I think its shoulder season in Bangkok, as the hotel is very empty. We luckily had no rain at all while we were awake, so we definitely got lucky. At least +36c and very humid everyday though, which was a bit difficult for us to handle(very dry and goes down to -40c in the wintertime back at home).

Lobby







Adult salt water lap pool and garden pool, spent lots of time just chilling out.







Had a pretty bad craving for one of these... So greasy and great!




We decided to have dinner one night at the Thai restaurant on site, Thara Thong with the Flyertalker we met from the IST-BKK flight. It serves Royal Thai cuisine. The food was pretty good, but a bit expensive for what it was for Bangkok. I think the cost was around 1300THB a person for 6-7 dishes with a drink, tax+service included. They had traditional Thai dance performances while we were dining as well. I’d give it a 7/10 overall













They brought me cold towels and cucumbers when they saw me sweating due to the heat(I still can’t get used to it...), and the spiciness of the soup!







Checked out the Italian Restaurant in the Royal Orchid Sheraton as well, fantastic buffet spread and a steal at 600THB each all in...

SKYEG

Our flyertalker friend brought over some Hermes products that were at his hotel(Sofitel), which my gf loved as souvenirs lol!



BKK-SIN SQ C
777-200 Regional Config

Check in and security/immigration was a breeze, I love the separate priority immigration. We were at the lounge in about 10 minutes after check in!







Nice little lounge with a great spread, including dim sum and fresh baked goods. Had iMacs in the biz center, only thing that was a bit annoying is that the bathrooms are located outside the lounge(none in the lounge).




Our Bird




Fantastic regional business experience with Singapore. As expected, the service was top notch. The SD was such a nice gentleman! The meal was solid, and the seats were very very comfortable, and reclined quite nicely. We sat in 12 A/C I believe, which are probably the best seats as bulkhead has fantastic legroom. I wish AC domestic flights were like this! Even the headphones were half decent.

SKYEG

Singapore and Conrad Singapore

We landed in Singapore, immigration took forever. No priority of course, and it took at least 45 minutes. The taxi line even longer, about a 1 hour wait... We landed around 4PM on Saturday too! Taxi driver was extremely friendly and we got to the Conrad Singapore.













As HHonors Gold, we were upgraded to the executive level rooms, with full executive lounge benefits. Everyone was so friendly, almost going out of their way to help you. 5/5 in every regard, highly recommend to anyone.













View from room!




Pool




Some executive lounge treats + champagne




Pictures from Singapore




From top of MBS




Singapore Chicken Rice!! Delicious

SKYEG

SIN-ICN SQ C
A330-300 Medium Haul

The one night in Singapore was great, but we were very excited to check out the medium haul config for SQ, and our 7 night stay in Seoul! Check in took 2 minutes, security a bit longer as there was no priority?! SQ Lounge was amazing, almost empty as well. Thought I got pics but guess not...

















































The flight was fantastic as expected! IFE was great, service was top notch and the food was good. For a daytime flight, the seats were very comfortable to lounge in although the angled flat would not be super comfortable to sleep in. I managed to get my hands on a deck of SQ A330 cards, which made for a nice souvenir as well! The amenities included just slippers and an eye mask. Givenchy for Singapore was pretty cool...

Time went by super quick on this flight, and we landed at Seoul about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, which allowed us to catch the last KAL Limousine bus into Seoul, which saved us around $50-$70 compared to taking a taxi. The limousine busses are much more comfortable IMO and take only a few minute extras with the stops before arriving at the Park Hyatt Seoul, so it's well worth it!

SKYEG

Park Hyatt Seoul and Seoul!




We were very excited about this stay, not only because this is my home town but also because it was my +1's first visit to Seoul! She is European Canadian, but a Korean at heart lol. She loves the dramas, the food, and even studies the language at school. Understands and respects the culture as well, which is very different from Western(although things are slowly changing).

We got to the Park Hyatt Seoul well past Midnight and were informed at check in that we were the last guests for the night. We had some issues at check in, which I won't discuss as the management rectified this and this stay ended up being the best. Fantastic property, amazing service and treatment of HGP Diamond guests were incomparable to any other experience I have ever had.

Originally placed into a Deluxe room, some pics














We were allowed to have breakfast in room as part of the Diamond breakfast, and the selection and spread was just amazing. Hyatt does so well with its free breakfast, compared to some horror stories of SPG Plat breakfast!











We were than upgraded to a Park Suite. It's not as big as some of the Hyatt suites I have stayed in the US/Canada, but it was very nicely appointed with great natural light.













One thing I'd like to share about the property is their service mentality. When I would say thank you, they'd reply not with "You're welcome", but with "We are happy that you are satisfied"!(In Korean of course). And I know when people are genuine, and everyone was; from the housekeeping, to the room service attendants, to the bell boys.

When we asked to borrow a Straight Iron, they notified us that another client has already borrowed their only straight iron, and they said perhaps tomorrow. When we inquired the day after, they said the client decided to keep it for a longer stay. Rather than saying try tomorrow, they went out of their way and purchased another straightener and delivered it to our room.. This was without even asking! So above and beyond what we expected. Remember, there is no tipping culture in Korea but being born here, I know how hard everyone works and that a dollar or two goes a long way, especially for the younger staff and house keepers. Every tip was met with so much appreciation, it was almost overwhelming. In the US and Canada, it's expected of you so I've never felt so good about rewarding outstanding service!

Some more pics of the property







Late night snacks, Miss this so much!




Some pictures of Seoul, and Food!

SKYEG

Yes... She made me as well LOL ugh




War Museum, a MUST visit. Lots of information, and it's free as well. Could spend a whole day here!









The newly restored stream, many couples here(similar environment as N Seoul Tower)




Doosan Bears Vs Samsung Lions! Amazing crowd and atmosphere, way more exciting than MLB IMO... A must do for ANYONE visiting Korea.







Lotte World... Far too busy during the weekend, we went with friends and managed to get on 3 rides in 6 hours!! Crazy.




Food!










Next up, ICN-SFO-YEG, on UA C(Planned), but a surprise diversion to Tokyo and experiences on UA including downgrades and cancellations...

milesunited

Well done trip!

gabdusch

Very nice report, thanks for posting.

I am in my early 20's as well and I did my first Mini-RTW this winter, planning yet another one with my GF for this summer. Let's just say our friends have slightly different plans to spend their vacation time...

BTW, I think we have the same watch (on your IST-BKK arm rest picture)

oneworld82

Great report, but I question your motives for spending 4 days here, 4 days there... Wouldn't it have been better spending 12 days in the same country/region to get a better feeling to it? But that's just me!

I appreciate your LX report, since I will be flying business over Xmas. Thanks for sharing!!

SKYEG

Thank you! And really?! I'm a bit mind blown that we got to meet up and we both had upgraded to Hublot/Rolex hahaha. Awesome!

Thanks Oneworld82 appreciate that! And this was our first RTW trip, and we decided to hop around rather than staying at one destination at a long time... Because of my work, my vacation time is limited so I can either choose to check out one country or go to many. For me, I have many places left to see so the 4 days here and there is the only option for me now, since time is so limited!