SQTraveller

Having written a number of reports over the past few months, I'm going to try and change the presentation very slightly so that items are put in a bit more of a chronological order. Also, until.I figure out how to import normal sized photos I will only add links and not the photo as the size detracts from the rest of the report.

As usual you can find all my adventures at the globetrekka website

Stay tuned!!!!!

Nanook

Great trip report and pics, although their onboard food doesn't look that great.

SQTraveller

As many who have been following my trips on a regular basis, I recently went to Bangkok and also to Bali.

Singapore has been experiencing a real bad run of haze and I had been prepping to get away from the choking smoke and Bangkok seemed a pretty good place to get away. It’s only a couple of hours away from Singapore with plentiful choices for places to stay and a reasonably cheap place to enjoy.

As an aside, I had been watching news channels that had been saying that people had been dying in areas of Indonesia as a result of this terrible terrible man made phenomenon. While I say in all seriousness that I wanted to be as far from the smog as possible, unfortunately many people in Indonesia, and particular Kalimantan cannot afford to escape this. Frankly it is a disaster for them now and for them in the future as they will likely suffer health problems for many years to come. We are all at fault for driving the demand for the de-forestation, so when you are using products with palm oil, take a moment to think about where it has come from, and whether you could choose another source that is sustainable and less damaging for the environment and less damaging for the future of this beautiful country.

Rant over and back to the trip report (for those of you who really want to read the whole report with all the pictures, you can find it here)

Previously I had not talked about this route and why I could choose Cathay. The Singapore Bangkok route is extremely popular served by many many airlines, both of the low cost and full service variety. I’m sure, of course, you can also find private jet services, but that really isn’t in my budget! At the time of writing, the airlines that fly this route include (I’m hoping that this is the full list) – Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Jet Star, Tiger, Scoot, Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines. On a full travel day like a Thursday, that means 31 flights from Singapore to Bangkok one way a week. So if you are travelling on that route you should spend as much time as possible trying to find the best deals on all these airlines.

CX712 SIN-BKK

November 2015
Airbus A333
Class: Economy
Estimated duration: 2hr 15mins
Scheduled Departure: 14:00
Actual Departure: 14:28
Scheduled Arrival: 15:15
Actual Arrival: 15:29
Plane registration: B-HLQ

Within Asia I generally use Jetstar as it’s low cost and usually pretty reliable. They also have a Price Beat Guarantee which I think is pretty good (at time of writing I receive no remuneration for this). However I managed to find a competitive flight using Cathay Pacific and especially given I was much more flexible with my schedule as this was a long weekend for me, I decided to go for the full service airline. Why a long weekend? Well, the 10 November was Deepavali and Singapore, giving fair treatment to all major races in the country, gives it as a day off. Being a Tuesday, I decided to take the Monday off as well, and make a long weekend of it – clever

Cathay flies from the same terminal in Singapore as my “beloved” Jetstar (Terminal 1), and if you want to be dropped off right nearby you need door number 1. Like a lot of airports, there really doesn’t seem enough space to drop passengers off. This particular morning wasn’t too bad, but when I have travelled in the evening, the taxis can get a bit piled on top of one another. I’m not saying that I have a solution in mind, but with more and more people being planned for, it seems like this might be something they will need to seriously look at in the coming years.

Just an observation; it must be weird for Cathay to have their check in desks right next to a LCC, even one who’s parent is Qantas. In any case, I guess all that matters is that the check in process is smooth and efficient. I had checked in online and so I just needed to drop my check in baggage and collect my boarding pass and my lounge invite.

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There were very few people queuing for check in but I did notice a small group (maybe 10 people) who were hanging around the passenger stand by desk. This might have had something to do with this being a potentially long weekend and them wanting to get away. But this didn’t interview with the check in process at all.

My regular apron-way photo. Note that there is no haze — ironic really as I had been trying to get away from it all. For the eagle eyed of you, you can see the two Cathay Pacific birds (ok to be fair you don’t need to be eagle eyed to spot it!). I believe the plane on the taxiway is CX690 the direct flight to Hong Kong.

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Unfortunately I had allowed my BA status to lapse, and generally my status to lapse on most of my cards. I did, however, have a few months left on my British Airways Silver Card which gave me lounge access. Though they might as well have not offered to me at all as Cathay Pacific directs all of their travellers to the Skyview lounge (near the D gates), which is quite frankly appalling. It’s one thing, like me, to be on a silver card, and just to be happy to get into a lounge, but if I was paying for business or first class, I would be very very annoyed.

As I said, as a cheapo BA silver card holder, I know I probably shouldn’t complain but complain I will. The furniture is really really tired. The last time I was here was 2 years ago and it really doesn’t look like they’ve made any effort to update the lounge. Can’t really blame them too much (despite the numerous complaint I’ve read on various websites) because they appear to have a captive market. For those airlines with limited flight frequency they probably don’t want to pay too much, so this means AirFrance, KLM, Delta — basically SkyTeam we are pointing our fingers at you!!!

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One thing that isn’t talked about much by many people who review this lounge is the upper deck of the Skyview Lounge. Basically the main lounge is a pile of dogs doo doo but the upper deck is actually not a bad area. It’s nice an quiet, the furnishings are a bit cleaner and the whole area appears to be less worn and thus the condition of the whole area is much higher. It appears to serve exactly the same food as the entry level. I suppose most people just stay near the entrance and don’t really make a huge effort to look into the back area.

The only other real positive, I suppose, is that you get good views out onto the tarmac for plane spotting.

If you are able to use the BA lounge, that is an altogether more appealing proposition — unfortunately it is apparently only open between 15:00 and 23:00 — so wasn’t open when I was due to fly. The other lounge that you could use is the Qantas lounge which is open between 14:30 and 23:00 — also a problem for this particular flight.

I guess that Cathay Pacific are holding all their cash to invest in their expected new first and business class lounge in Changi Airport’s upcoming Terminal 4 when it is due to be completed in 2017. From what I understand this is the first time that Cathay has had its own lounge at Changi. Hopefully this will bring the lounge experience to be closer to the level of service standard that we have come to expect from CX, especially given the high quality they have in Hong Kong.

Changi always comes up with ways to make travelling fun, even for a hardened/seasoned traveller like me I couldn’t help but smile … and then take a photo of the plane-man

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Cathay Pacific CX 712 to Bangkok was in the throes of final loading by the time I had reached the gate and passed through security. I did experience something very interesting during the boarding sequence for this flight. Rather than call for people to board by business/status, when you completed gate security screening and handed over your ticket for scanning by the gate agent, they direct all the business/status level into a penned off area in front of the actually boarding doors. This prevents those people who have “self upgraded” so they can board early. This is an interesting concept. Maybe all airlines should do this?

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As with most of my flights this was pretty uneventful. Travelling in economy class is like being on public transport, nothing to really write home about. The service was good and I was impressed with the quality of the hardware. I’ll be honest, I have heard from friends how the hard product is not very good for Cathay, but my experience didn’t reflect that at all.

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I don’t have a particular beef with beef, but generally if I have a choice I try to avoid it. There’s some (probably) apocryphal statistics that says cows consume almost triple the amount of water that other animals consume. According to a report by the BBC (and yes you can’t always believe the news) “Beef cattle need 28 times more land and 11 times more irrigation water than pork, poultry, eggs or dairy.” Ok so it made me feel real good about myself when the crew asked me “no beef sir?”. Then they served me fish, which is also an animal which is being harvested to extinction — oh I can’t win. Guess I’ll have to become vegetarian!!!!!

Anyway, what did I think of the meal? I had eaten a fair amount at the lounge so I didn’t need to really eat this, so I just had the potatoes, the vegetables. I tried to eat the fish but it was actually pretty tasteless. Also, I can’t tell if it was me but it seemed like it hadn’t been completely cooked. The desert (whatever it was) was pretty good though!!!

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The rest of the flight I spent watching some of the programs on the CX entertainment system. I was pretty disappointed that they don’t show any movies on this leg. I don’t know if it’s the same for the other regional flights, but for a 2 hour flight, it is definitely enough time to watch a movie. Unless of course it’s something crazy like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which runs for the better part of 4 hours. I suspect it’s about licencing and saving money as opposed to being about being able to complete the movie.

Other than not being able to watch movies on the CX system it was quite an enjoyable and relaxing flight.

Next in line ... a guide to using the Airport Rail Link

eponymous_coward

Don't fly Air Afrikaans then.


Looking forward to the rest of the report.

SQTraveller

Classic!
I didn't want to come across all on my high horse as I do eat beef, but in general I do try to avoid it.

SQTraveller

Having been to Bangkok so many times and made several reports of it, I’ve realised that nowhere have I described how I make my way from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport into Bangkok central itself (again the full guide with a couple of photos can be found here)

When I go to Bangkok, I am usually travelling alone or with one other person,and in this case I find taking the Airport Rail Link into Bangkok is far cheaper and less hassle than taking a taxi. Of course if you are travelling with large amounts of luggage, you would be better off taking a taxi from the official taxi rank. I would also say that if you have 4 people in your group (and can fit all your luggage into the taxi) it’s probably cheaper to take the taxi.

So when is the best time to use the Bangkok Airport Rail Link? There are two answers to this

• Rush hour
• Raining

During both of the above scenarios the traffic builds up quickly. I usually arrive late on a Friday which means it’s rush hour and the roads are jammed solid. When it rains everyone slows down, and the taxis flood the roads. God forbid if it’s rush hour and it’s raining!

How to find the ARL?

The Airport Rail Link is at the basement of Suvarnabhumi Airport. You need to just keep going down the escalators until you can’t go any further. Then you need find your way to the centre of that level and you will find a downward slope towards the ticket office and gates.

This is also where you can change your money. There are several foreign exchange counters in this area, and although you can’t play one off the other, you can work out which one is offering the best rate and plump for that one. You probably won’t get such a concentration of foreign exchange dealers in one location anywhere else in Bangkok. Also something to bear in mind, these guys like big notes. If you are travelling with large denomination bills, you will see on the electronic boards that they offer better rates for those larger notes.

So a bit about the Airport Rail Link. It was originally scheduled to open in 2006, but due to various problems, didn’t start operating until late 2010.

You will read on some websites that there are two services, an Express or City (or commuter) line. The Express service would stop you at either Makkasan or Phaya Thai BTS stations. Unfortunately the lack of planning and associated problems, this service is no longer available – why do I tell you about this service if it’s no longer available? Well just in case it comes back of course!

The line that you currently have no choice but to take the the commuter line. This also stops at Makkasan and Phaya Thai BTS stations, but also every stop along the way. The service runs from 06.00 – 24.00

Suvarnabhumi (Airport)
Lardkrabang
Baan Tubchang
Hua Maak
Ramkhanhaeng
Makkasan
Rajaprarop
Phaya Thai

While I can’t give you the exact prices for all the stations, to get to Makkasan it costs THB 35, for Paya Thai it is THB 45 (about 60-80p in real money) for about a 30minute journey. As a point of reference, a taxi could cost around THB400 (Ł7) and might take longer if it’s rush hour or/and it’s raining.

You can either use the machine (which will be in English or Thai) or you can go to the counter. Very broadly, if your hotel is near an MRT station, you will need to go Makkasan, if your hotel is near a BTS station you will need Phaya Thai. My hotels are typically near BTS stations so I pay the THB45 to get to Phaya Thai.

In exchange for your THB45 you will receive a little token in the shape of a large coin — either yellow or red in colour if I remember correctly.

At the entry gate, you will need to press the coin against the reader — hold onto this coin, you will need it when you get out!!!

Once you have gone through the gates, you make your way down the escalators to the platform. Usually there are people already queuing up at the doors. This not the opportunity to show how clever you are, and try to sneak to the front. Thai people are generally non-confrontational so probably won’t say anything, but you will certainly get other visitors making comments to you such as “get to the back … buddy” or, if you’re really unlucky someone just punches you one… no no … I jest, but there is reason there is a queue, people got there before you! If you happen to have arrived just as a train has left, you will find yourself at the front of the queue. This does not mean stand right by the door. You will need to stand behind the line. If you don’t, you will soon hear a blast of a whistle when the security instruct you to retreat — bear this in mind, as it happens at all BTS stations. If you’re wondering why the whistle is blowing, it’s probably because of you!

When the train does finally arrive, don’t dash on before everyone has got off. Firstly, this is bad etiquette anywhere in the world (just because you left your home country doesn’t mean you left your manners behind) but secondly, yes you guessed it, it will lead to a blast on that famous whistle. The security guards will visually sweep the train to ensure that there was nothing left on the train, or that there is nothing suspicious (other than tourists). Once they give the all clear, you can go ahead and board.

Bear in mind that this is a commuter train so you will be sharing the carriage with many other people. Yes, when you first get on it is likely that there will be plenty of space. However, as you get to more and more stations there will be many people boarding — especially if it is rush hour and/or raining. Remember how you feel when it’s rush hour? Yeah, you get pee’d off when people take lots of space, so think about others. Keep your luggage close and don’t take up those extra spare seats for your hand bag.

benberg2013

Thanks for this great report. ^

If you don't mind me asking, which camera did you use? The picture quality is amazing.

SQTraveller

Thanks a lot for the positive comment!

In fact I am really really lazy and only use my camera phone - iPhone 6. Although admittedly I often take a lot of photos (sometimes 20) just to get one good shot.

SQTraveller

I previously wrote about my recent stay at the Arcadia Suites in October when I had a friend in town. I had also written briefly about the Oakwood Residence Sukhumvit 24 where I had stayed on a number of previous occasions. As usual the full photo report can be found on my website here.

Originally for this trip, I was going to return the Arcadia Suites, but thought, rather than simply hand over my cash to the same place again and again, why not try somewhere else. After a quick perusal on line, I found the Centre Point Hotel, Chidlom was offering reasonable rates, and had pretty good reviews on various websites including TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Agoda, for those of you looking for websites to check out hotels reviews other than my own

So I rushed to make the booking and lock in the price. Once that was done, it was necessary to cancel the old booking at Arcadia. I read about people cancelling hotels/tickets all the time, but I do feel a bit guilty about it. After a second of guilt, I hit myself and realise I am the one doing the paying == duh!!!!

Other than Centre Point Hotel, Chidlom there are a number of Centre Point Hotels in Bangkok

Centre Point Hotel, Silom
Centre Point Hotel, Pratunam
Centre Point Hotel, Sukhumvit 10
Centre Point Serviced Apartment, Thong Lo

When I landed at the airport after my flight to Bangkok on Cathay Pacific I reactivated my Thai sim card and tootled on my way to Chidlom BTS via the Airport Rail Link train (for those using this train for the first time I've published a guide on it). On my way to Chidlom BTS I took a look at Google Maps. Now, bear in mind there are more than one Centre Point (as listed above), so make sure you have found the right hotel... also part of the same group are the Grande Centre Points --- don't select the wrong one

For some reason my initial travel plan was to go to Siam, but fortunately I worked out that Centre Point "Chidlom" obviously the stop should be Chidlom, so when the train stopped there, I dashed off. Once I alighted from the train, I reopened Google Maps to confirm the direction and the app gave a completely inaccurate assessment.

Other reviewers who say that it only take 5 minutes to the BTS station are probably running. It take about 10minutes at a reasonable pace --- especially when you are going to the hotel and dragging your luggage with you (error on my part of course --- as you will read later).

After dragging my luggage all the way to the Centre Point Hotel Chidlom I think to myself this is just crazy. I would never stay here again if I can't get tuk tuk pick up like most other hotels.

But as I walked into the lobby all thoughts of complaining further went out the window. I was completely blown away. Yes the picture below really is the lobby. I was really surprised, as this was not the sort of quality I would expect from this kind of hotel or the price that I had paid for it. It is really elegantly done. Though as I was to find out later the cushions on those couches are really really hard to get standing on their corners (while waiting for the tuk tuk, I managed to dislodge one of the cushions and it took me a good 5 minutes to fix them)

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The check in was fast and efficient. The only complaint I have is that since I made this reservation on Booking.com, they insisted I pay up front. I don't know if any of you fellow travellers have experienced this, but I think it's pretty unusual for the hotel to ask for payment beforehand. In this particular instance, I wanted the extra miles from spending during the long weekend so I asked to pay the following day so I could get the extra miles from my Citibank card, which they seemed to have no complaints about.

I observed that the walk to from the BTS station was really really long and it's annoying that there is no pick up tuk tuk service .... oh the look of surprise ... "oh sir, but there is. You just need to call us" .... oh bugger. Just to spend a bit more time on the tuk tuk service - it runs Monday to Friday: 07.00 – 20.00 hr; Saturday, Sunday and public holiday: 10.00 – 20.00 hrs, in both directions. What I would say about this service is that it seems really strange to start it so late on the weekend. For the weekend trippers (like myself) I wanted to visit Chatuchak market early on Sunday (leaving the hotel at 9am) but the tuk tuk wasn't operational at that time. Of course it's only a ten minute walk to the station, but nothing like getting hot and bothered before you even start your day. And then, to stop the service at 8pm every day seems way too early for almost any guest. If I am wandering around the sights in the afternoon and assuming I eat dinner while doing so, it is unlikely I will make it back to the Chidlom BTS before 8pm. Arcadia offers this service up to midnight all nights, but I would have thought up to 10pm would be a reasonable time.

Anyway, back to the hotel. After dragging my luggage to the hotel for 10 minutes and then finding out the tuk tuk service was indeed available both ways, I was really hot. Trying to look cool I took my key card and making my way to the room, I spent the next 10 minutes scoping out the bedroom on the 15th floor. This was what the rooms offered according to the website:

Spacious rooms from 35 sq.m. to 180 sq.m. include fully equipped kitchen, dining area, safety box, DVD player, iron and iron board, automatic toilet seat (Japanese style), daily maid service, and free Wi-Fi Internet access.

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Now I don't know how big my room was, but it was sufficiently big for one person, even a couple. However, it was not as big as the Arcadia (click here for my most recent report) which I had stayed at twice previously.

Also slightly disappointing was the bathroom. Definitely when compared with the Arcadia, the bathroom was a real disappointment. I couldn't get a decent photo, but put it this way, the shower is a shower/bath combi and the step into the bath area was pretty big --- if you are elderly it might be a bit tricky, especially if the floor is wet. By comparison, the Arcadia has separate showers and baths.

Having said that, for me on this trip, the bedroom was perfectly adequate.

Other Facilities

Unfortunately this trip I didn't manage to use the other facilities. In fact most of the other facilities are located on the same floor.

First up is the Fitness Centre. It is open from early to late and was well appointed with the basic machines and weights. I'll be honest I didn't use it at all but I did talk to someone else who did and they said it was a nice facility - very clean and everything worked.

Second, is the swimming pool. Of course, with all these trips, I totally forgot to bring my swimming trunks to use in the salt water pool. Opening at 6am gives you plenty of opportunity to work out before you head on down for breakfast. And with a closing time of 10pm, it makes it a good day to relax after wandering around all the sights and sounds of Bangkok.

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And then there's the laundry room. Annoyingly this is located in the car park (of all places). I can't remember if it was airconditioned, but the walk to the laundry room from the air conditioned main building was enough to put me off using it. Seems a waste as I would have been interested to use it.


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Finally, unfortunately I didn't take any photos, was the library and movie room. Once a week they show a movie --- for this trip I believe it was Transformers Age of Extinction. Unfortunately I missed it but I think this is a really great idea!


Breakfast

As some of my regular readers will note, I have complained about the size of breakfast rooms in the past. Certainly this hotel does not fall into that category. I can definitely describe this as bright and spacious, just like the rest of the hotel.

Also, being the first person for breakfast on a Sunday doesn't do any harm right? Yes that's right. I was so super super keen to get to Chatuchak weekend market that I ended up getting to the breakfast at crazy o clock! It was so nice and quiet, I had a little inner scream... you know the kind I'm talking about. Like when you get into a business or first class cabin and realise you are the only person there!!!

The egg station is on the far left as you enter, and I noticed a few guests who appear not have seen it. It is rather tucked away so I can see how you could miss it.

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The breakfast spread was generous and also quite varied. I don't really want to go over board with compliments as the bread felt a bit stale and the croissants were kinda average. In some cases I think it's better to provide less but of a better quality. For example, I would have dumped the heating cabinet and the desert style offerings. In exchange spending more on the croissants and the bread would have been much more welcome.

The hotel was generous with its offerings not just of juice and milk but also the hot drinks that are available on the other side. They had warm ginger drink (along with a coffee machine) along with other types of warm drink, which I unfortunately can't remember what else there was.

As with anywhere in Thailand, they have a really excellent spread of fruits. Unfortunately it was also the most disappointing part of the meal. There fruits were in general quite bland, that is to say that they have been picked way too early. There was virtually no flavour which is extremely disappointing for a hotel that is based in one of the best fruit bearing countries in the region some might say the world.


Centre Point Hotel Chidlom
No.60 Soi 1,
Langsuan Road,
Lumpini,
Patumwan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand.
Tel: +66 2 657 2400
Fax: +66 2 657 2430

SQTraveller

Sorry for the delay in finishing this report, I have been busy with work.

I have been to Bangkok on numerous occasions over the last few years and yet have never, ever been to the Jim Thompson House. I had been to Grand Palace & Wat Prakeaw, Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn), I'd been to a floating market, Wat Pho, been on the Chao Phraya River, been to Chatuchak Weekend Market which is 7 of the top 10 things that Bangkok.com suggests tourists see. Never to Jim Thompson's House (you can find the full review here).

But who was this Jim Thompson? Born in the U.S. state of Delaware he was educated both at Princeton University and then subsequently at the University of Pennsylvania (incomplete). He spent a number of years following this working in New York helping to design homes, before enlisting in the National Guard. It was from here that he was recruited to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner to the present day Central Intelligence Agency. He served in North Africa, Europe and then latterly to Sri Lanka to work to free Thailand from the Japanese. However, by the time he actually arrived in Thailand in 1945, Japan had already surrendered.

After discharging himself from the military he returned to Thailand to set up a hotel business, which did not work out with his associates, and they parted ways. As a result he moved into the silk industry. One could say that this was a fortuitous turn of events both for him and for the Thai silk industry. What you see at the Jim Thompson House is what I guess what one would described broadly as his legacy. The Thai silk industry was actually not well known when Thompson first arrived in the country and from what you learn on the tour (i.e. take with a pinch of salt) he was instrumental in reinvigorating it. His house has become a museum to his efforts to revitalise the Thai silk industry - and the Jim Thompson machine has made its way to many other countries in Asia - Singapore and Japan being the other two destinations. For someone who is supposed to be dead, he's running a pretty good business! The house

The nearest BTS is the National Stadium. For the life of my I can't remember what exit it is, but the signs are quite clear. Bear in mind there is actually a little tuk tuk service that takes you all the way to the Jim Thompson house, which is good for the lazy ones like me

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Entry is THB 150 for adults.

There are tours in multiple languages including English, French, Chinese, Thai and German from what I could tell from my trip. I'm sure other languages are catered for so don't feel left out.

The main house itself is made up of a number (6?) Thai houses joined together with a bit of a redesign, and is located right on the river/canal. This clearly used to be an entry point for visitors but is now sealed up and there is no obvious quay.

You are not allowed to go into the main house without a tour guide and if I recall correctly, you can't take photos while on the tour. To be honest, the tours are too short and quite perfunctory. I didn't feel like I had sufficient time to enjoy each room. As I mentioned previously, unfortunately I don't have any photos of the inside of the main house, save that which is appears to be the afternoon siesta area.

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There are many other rooms in the house which I would love to have taken longer over. Maybe it was because I had arrived in the afternoon and it was busy, but I did feel a bit rushed. It is difficult to take in all the art, sculptures and unique furniture in the 5 odd minutes we had in each room (in some cases less).

Outside the main house are several service quarters where the house help used to live. These are now extensions of the museum - with each showing particular aspects of Jim Thompson's collection.

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On the way in/on the way out, there is a little areas where there is some traditional Thai dancing, and also a small (unguided) exhibition as to how to extract the silk from the silk worm, and then put on a yarn.



There is also the store and a restaurant. I have been to the Jim Thompson restaurant in Singapore, and if that is anything to go by, this one is probably expensive.

Jim Thompson House
6 Soi Kasemsan 2,
Rama 1 Road,
Pathumwan

SQTraveller

Firstly, let me start by wishing everyone a very Happy Holidays! It is indeed Boxing Day (26 December) and I am posting the last leg of this trip as I am about to go on another trip so keep an eye out for that.

I have cut some of the pictures from here, but not all of them. You can find them all on this direct link to the webpage on my site. I typically don't adjust the text, but to save space, I don't add all the urls for photos.

Please feel free to follow my website as I do post non flight related reports there as well (mods feel free to remove this comment).

CX713 BKK - SIN
November 2015
Airbus A330-342X
Class: Economy (upgraded to business)
Estimated duration: 2hr 30mins
Scheduled Departure: 12:45
Actual Departure: 13:00
Scheduled Arrival: 16:45
Actual Arrival: 16:57
Plane registration: B-LBF

The return leg of this trip was at a bit of an inconvenient time for me. I wanted to go for a massage but by the time I would have finished the massage, I wouldn't have made it to the airport on time - as you can read from my previous trip report that was a problem I also experienced then. Also I didn't want a repeat of the panic I had on the previous trip. This unfortunately meant that I only had time for one massage for my entire trip.

Instead of going for a massage, I intended to have a relaxing morning at the hotel and then take a BTS and the airport express to reach the airport by 10am. This would mean leaving the hotel at 9am. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men. When it came to waking up in the morning I didn't actually get to breakfast until after 8am. Having a leisurely breakfast, it transpired it was already 10am by the time I was ready to leave. This meant it would take about an hour to get the airport from the hotel. This is just a simple journey from my hotel's nearest BTS station which was Chidlom (using the complimentary tuk tuk service) towards Paya Thai station so that you can transfer to the airport link train. In generally an uneventful journey I had time to catch up on news and emails on the train.

"Sorry sir we are overbooked for your flight"

Horror! I was at check in at about 11:30 so just at the edge of the 1 hour before boarding. Had my online check in from the night before worked? Would I be offloaded for the next flight? I really needed to get back to work the following day so the inconvenience of having to wait another day would have really messed up my schedule.

"You have been upgraded to business class"

Joy! I was going to make the flight! Hang on.... Did you say upgrade?! Yes he did! kop khun krap!!!!!!!

So since I was already late I charged to the lounge to see what it was like ... I already have access through my BA Silver Card, but now I was travelling business --- one of the few times I get upgraded!!!!

According to the Cathay website the lounge in Bangkok is very new, having only opened on 9 June 2015 and uses a similar design as other new airports such as Haneda Airport and Manila. You can find it on Level 3 in the Concourse G Departure Hall. I have not had the pleasure of visiting the previous Cathay lounge so some of my comments stand alone.

My impressions (brief though they were) were pretty favourable. It overlooks the tarmac which is good. It is designed by Studioilse, a London-based design studio, and I was impressed with the use of wood paneling and stone to produce a classy feel.

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I wouldn't really agree with Cathay's description that this is supposed to be "more like a living room than an airline lounge." Though it isn't sterile or over the top like some other lounges can be.

The flight was departing for G2 which, like all gates in BKK are quite far from the central area (shops, immigration etc). Fortunately the lounge is not very far away at all, so it gives you plenty of time to enjoy the lounge. I hadn't worked this out so probably left the lounge a bit too early.

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After I had settled into my seat I spent the next 10 minutes trying to work out where things were --- it took so long because I was trying to look cool and knew everything about the seat... but first ... a glass of champagne, thank you very much.

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I often gripe about other passengers. On this particular trip it is people who travel with their kids and then let them do whatever the want without any consideration to others. Oh your child is crying? I'm sorry for you, but at least try to soothe it. Don't just sit there ignoring it. Oh, your child is kicking the seat in front? That's so cute, NOT!! Oh, you child runs shouting around the cabin, and you sit in your seat pretending not to hear anything ... until it headbuts the arm of a stationary meal trolley. Then you spring into action. Shooting daggers at the cabin crew. Lady, it's not their fault. It's your own. And maybe it'll knock some sense into it and into you.

Fortunately this trip was only a couple of hours long, or else I might have said something. Also it was good that the child was not kicking my seat, but my neighbours. He was clearly really p****d off about the whole affair.

Sure I didn't pay for the business class experience, but I think trying to manage your children is the parents job, not anyone elses, no matter which class you are in.

This is where the service broke down a bit. After putting my tray down and letting me eat the starter, the proceeded to served everyone else the main course ... but forgot all about poor old me. It suddenly dawned on them that they had forgotten my main --- whoopsie! Anyway, they were very apologetic and served it almost straight away. Again I had gone for the non Beef option. Not sure why they served me the prawn dish (as it was clearly catered just for me) because there were no beef dishes for any of the main courses. The prawns were very nicely cooked -- I'm always impressed by airlines that can serve food like this --- prawns that are not overcooked --- it must be so difficult to get this right.

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After the meal was cleared away, I settled down to watch some tv. I put the seat into recline and managed to get through one episode of NCIS: New Orleans. Unfortunately mid way through the second episode ... well I don't remember ... I had managed to nod off, until just before touch down.... typical.

Comments of course welcome!!!!


My next trip report will be on my sickness-affected (first time) trip to Philippines!!!

You won't see anything from me for the next couple of weeks probably, so in the meantime Happy New Year to anyone that follows me!!!