Trip Report: Amansara (Cambodia) & Both Four Seasons Maldives
FLIGHTS
We flew the long way on this trip, trying to squeeze as much free business class as possible out of our Star Alliance miles.
We started with Thai biz class from JFK to BKK. The angled-flat seating, service, meals and on-demand video were all very good but just a notch below Singapore Air. The new BKK airport was very nice despite all the recent press. All of our flights (and there were many) came in and out on-time and with great efficiency. Baggage was pretty fast and the Thai lounges were crowded, but very nice and well-staffed.
Our economy Bangkok Air flight from BKK to Siem Reap and back was fine. It’s a good airline for these kind of 45 minute hops.
To get to the Maldives, we flew Singapore Air from BKK to SIN to CMB (brief overnight at the Taj Airport Garden Hotel) and then Sri Lankan biz class to MLE. It sounds worse than it was, though there are certainly more efficient ways to get to Male. The Singapore biz class even on these relatively short hauls still exceeded all other airlines in service, entertainment and dining. And the “Singapore girls” had memorized our names just 15 minutes into these flights when we encountered them outside of the restrooms or the galley.
In Colombo, the Taj Airport Garden Hotel had undoubtedly seen better days. The rooms matched the pictures on the website, but the pictures were taken a long time ago. Unfortunately, I don’t believe there are better options in the vicinity of the airport.