PUNTA CANA 2 days at the Natura Park Resort, Bavaro.
A beach, a bar and a spa! Margaritas on tap, food OK but very 'international buffet'... a little dull. My room was dated but clean but it was incredibly cheap so no complaints from me. Lots of interesting wildlife in lovely grounds, two power cuts and a spa where I had a massage and facial on both days. It was nice to walk on the beach, paddle in the surf and swim but that was enough beach time for me!
Saturday 30th April
Flight 7: PUJ-CLT AA1966 A321 Business Class
Punta Cana airport has no Oneworld Lounge! The transfer I'd booked got me to the airport with 2 hours to spare and nowhere to spend it! PUJ Terminal B is quite small, it only takes about 10 minutes to walk from one end of the concourse to the other. I have a quick check in Duty Free for the Clarins face cream my sister likes but it's as expensive here as it is in the US (which is more expensive than the UK). I'm surprised by how expensive everything seems at the airport, even a Snickers bar is $2. I head to the bar at the end of the concourse and buy a beer, the waiter rattles off the list so fast I don't catch anything but "Corona" - which turns out to be the most expensive beer they sell at a whopping $9 a bottle!
The flight is showing as running 20 minutes late which will now give me less than an hour to connect at CLT and it suddenly occurs to me that I'll have to clear customs again as I'm re-entering the US. Doh! I begin to worry that I'll miss my connection and consequently lose my onward flights.
All through the flight I'm worried until the wi-fi comes on and I check my next flight. It's not 1914 as I thought, it's 1944 (1914 is the boarding time printed on the BP.) We actually land 10 minutes early and I'm first off the plane and double timing it through a deserted airport to immigration. This bodes well I think. Then I turn the corner and hit the queue for non-US citizens... It takes nearly an hour to get to the front of the queue, and when I do it takes a while for the woman in charge of detailing off which desk to go to to stop gossiping with her college and call me forward. I get the whole US issue with security, I really do, but if you're going to be that strict would it hurt to man sufficient kiosks whenever a flight comes in?
Flight 8: CLT-IND AA4572 First Class Embraer 190
Anyway, I'm finally allowed into the US and go recheck my bag, dash through security and head the Admiral's Club for a quick cup of tea before walking to the gate. And announcements are being made about the weather and delayed flights, my 1944 flight is now 2020.
Back to the lounge for a beer. Back to the gate, after ten minutes the announcements board shows 2100.
Back to the lounge; I'm on first name terms with the barman now.
Back to the gate, flight time changes to 2145. Back to the lounge where J, the barman, puts my beer on the bar as I walk in.
Back to the gate, time changed to 2230. Back to the bar, J sees me coming and once again puts a beer down. I think I'll adopt him.
Back to the gate at 2220, time changes to 2300. Back to the lounge, tell J we're past beer now, it's time for whisky. He pours a very generous measure... I'm no longer adopting J, I'm marrying him...
Back to the gate, sixth time lucky as the saying doesn't go. Crew turn up to a round of applause and take it with great aplomb. There's been some grumbling at the gate about the delay but given a choice I'd rather be late than try to fly through lightning...
The flight attendant on this leg is really lovely, she also knows this neat trick with club soda for getting melted chocolate chips out of your shirt. And jeans. And the seat belt. And the seat. Who knew there was that much chocolate in one cookie? I'm probably on the TSA No Cookie list now...
I finally make it to my hotel at 2am. The room is lovely, Hyatt have converted me away from Hilton. Also, their far more generous military discount helps. Sleep.
Sunday 1st May
Flight 9: IND-CLT AA4542 A319 First Class
Breakfast next morning is chaos, I think there's some kind of kids football/soccer camp going on, I grab a coffee and egg muffin thingy and retreat to my lovely room to watch a bit of breakfast TV and marvel at how direct American election campaign adverts are.
I had planned to go into downtown Indianapolis for a quick sightseeing trip but the hotel staff persuade me I really need to visit the Speedway, they even generously drive me there and pick me up in the hotel shuttle. It's a good call, I take the $20 tour which includes entry to the museum and a tour of the track - in a bus at 25mph! My only knowledge of NASCAR and speedway is 'Talledega Nights' so it's all very educational.
Apparently there's a tradition of 'kissing the brick' at the finish line, the other three on my tour do this, I give it a miss!
Postcards, fridge magnets and t-shirts for nephews purchased it's time to head for the airport. There's no AA lounge at IND so I buy a burger at Harry & Izzy's and write my postcards. I rarely eat burgers at home but I do like to treat myself when I'm in America, not least because there you're allowed to be a grown up and have your burger pink in the middle.
I get a text telling me that my LHR-EDI flight at 1415 tomorrow is cancelled but I've been rebooked on the 1515, no drama, that's another glass of fizz in the lounge!
The flight to CLT is one of the best domestic US ones so far, the FA is very proactive in offering the G&Ts, my seat companion is on Bloody Marys (that grammar looks wrong!) we start chatting (I did warn you I'm one of those who will talk to my fellow passengers...) He kindly invites me me to join him and his colleagues in the lounge as his guest, I'm in on my own ticket anyway, and we pass a pleasant hour or so before our respective flights depart.
Flight 10: CLT-CDG AA786 A330 Business Class Seat 1H
Wow. Just wow. This is the plane I was meant to fly out on until I was re-routed onto an older B777. I felt a little bit guilty taking the $800 voucher before but having seen what I missed out on, I now feel fully justified in taking it!
OK, I've never flown First, but this feels like I'm in F. I'm in 1H and the guy in 2H asks me if I'll take his picture in his seat as its its his first time in Business. Hurrah, I've found someone who's as excited as I am by all this and we spend a bit of time taking pictures for each other.
The seat is nice and private and very roomy.
The meal is nice but sadly the crew seem more interested in discussing their upcoming Paris layover so the service is a bit lacking. The warmth of BA is definitely missing.
I get my head down to try and sleep the rest of the way to Paris but it's a struggle as the cabin is so hot and when I ask if the temperature can be turned down I'm met with a disinterested shrug.
Breakfast is served but it's not up to much, I think I prefer the BA economy breakfast. My cup of tea is hilarious, hot water with a dash of milk and the teabag on the side! The FA on the outbound TATL leg made a fab cuppa but I think this lady missed the "making tea for those peculiar Brits" memo.
As we taxi to the gate at CDG I realise I left my sunglasses on the IND-CLT flight... bummer, they're prescription lenses so I can't even take advantage of duty free and pick up a replacement pair.
I've got a couple of hours before my flight to LHR, which is lucky as CDG seems to be most chaotic airport I've been in... It takes nearly 90 minutes to go from the aircraft to the lounge! But the lounge is the CX one, a first for me, which makes up for it, and after a lovely refreshing shower and a bowl of noodle soup I'm ready to face the world again!
Flight 11: CGD-LHR BA0309, Euro Traveller
Flight 12: LHR-EDI BA1448, Domestic Economy
Nothing much to report here, you've all been there, done that!
So, to summarise, I really enjoyed my little TP jaunt, and AA was nice but I think I'm still a BA girl at heart.