School's Out for Summer--A trip to HK and Europe on TG A380 F/SQ F/UA F/OS J +more
Sep 28, 2013, 2:09 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, AS 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 302
School's Out for Summer--A trip to HK and Europe on TG A380 F/SQ F/UA F/OS J +more
Introduction
In late May, my family decided they wanted to travel to Vienna, Prague, and Krakow this summer. After just finishing my freshman year of college, and with an extra week on my hands (and some US Airways miles from the Oct. transfer bonus I was hoping to burn...), I decided to book a US-Asia award via Europe in F to visit Hong Kong and a friend who was in Hainan, China, before meeting up with my family in Krakow. With very little time to travel during the year, I wanted to make the longest possible routing on as many different carriers. Mainly, though, I wanted to fly on the A380, so I centered my trip on flying TG from FRA-BKK and BKK-HKG (both of which were on the A380). When I realized SQ released space in F on their SIN-DEL route to their *Alliance Partners, I decided I had to plan my trip around that, too. As US Air only allows one stopover, I used 13,500 BA miles for my flight to/from Hainan and bought a round-trip ticket (tossed the backend) for the VIE-KRK flight so I could meet my family. A couple of the highlights of the trip were Singapore and Thai Airways, the Upper House Hong Kong, Above and Beyond Restaurant Hong Kong, and touring Jewish sites in Eastern Europe. A lot was done over those two weeks so I'll try to keep things short and simple.
I've booked quite a few awards over the past couple of years and this was by far the most laborious and tiresome process. After finding available flights on UA, I called up US Air. I placed the following reservation on hold (I also have slipped in the side trips I booked using BA miles and the revenue ticket):
August 5, 2013 UA950 IAD-BRU, departing at 5:40pm, arriving at 7:15am, First Class
August 6, 2013 LH1005 BRU-FRA, departing at 8:30am, arriving at 9:35am, Business Class
August 6, 2013 TG921 FRA-BKK, departing at 2:45pm, arriving at 6:25am, First Class
August 7, 2013 TG600, BKK-HKG, departing at 8:00am, arriving at 11:45am, First Class
August 7, 2013 KA694, HKG-HAK, departing at 2:10pm, arriving at 3:25pm, Business Class [BA miles]
August 9, 2013 KA693, HAK-HKG, departing at 4:20pm, arriving at 5:35pm, Economy Class (single-cabin) [BA miles]
August 11, 2013 SQ891 HKG-SIN, departing at 12:30pm, arriving at 4:15pm, Business Class
August 11, 2013 SQ408 SIN-DEL, departing at 7:05pm, arriving at 10:10pm, First Class
August 12, 2013 OS34 DEL-VIE, departing at 1:35am, arriving at 5:55am, Business Class
August 12, 2013 LO228 VIE-KRK, departing at 9:40am, arriving at 11:00am, Economy Class [Revenue ticket]
August 19, 2013 OS93 VIE-IAD, departing at 10:25am, arriving at 2:20pm, Business Class
I called back later that evening to ticket the reservation and was quoted 180,000 miles (the South Asia award) rather than the North Asia award of 120,000, which was saved by the agent. As I was connecting--not stopping over-- in BKK, SIN, and DEL, I asked why the award was pricing higher. Long story short, it took over an hour for the agent to understand that I was arriving the following day rather than the same day on the FRA-BKK flight. I then was challenged on the MPM by the rate desk, yet the itinerary was under the MPM completely. So, segment-by-segment, I added up the itinerary with the agent to show the MPM wasn't violated. Still, the agent and rate desk were convinced connecting through India was completely out of the way. After going through all of the rate desk's questions, I was placed on a 25-minute hold. The agent came back on and said, "the rate desk is willing to ticket it for 125,000 miles, is this okay?" It was 5,000 miles more than it should've been, but as I was flying to Israel the next morning and wanted to have the trip set, I said fine. But, with the increased mileage amount, I had to top off the account with purchased miles. As usual, there was a buy miles promo, but when I purchased the points, the bonus points didn't post--so I had to wait until the service center was open so they could fix the balance. I called back and had to go through the same quoting the wrong mileage issue. I finally got in touch with a supervisor who said, "no, it should be 120,000. I'll take care of it." When the ticket ticketed, though, the mileage docked was 125,000 but I was just happy to have it set. To top it all off, when I looked at my credit card statement, I saw I was charged $40 for an international booking as well as $50. The $40 fee shouldn't have been charged because it was a Star Alliance booking but that too took awhile to clean up. As my family was arriving in Krakow the morning on Aug 12 and I was meeting them, I booked a VIE-KRK round-trip ticket using cash and threw the backend.
Anyway, I was looking forward to the trip. Pictures and reviews to come shortly!
In late May, my family decided they wanted to travel to Vienna, Prague, and Krakow this summer. After just finishing my freshman year of college, and with an extra week on my hands (and some US Airways miles from the Oct. transfer bonus I was hoping to burn...), I decided to book a US-Asia award via Europe in F to visit Hong Kong and a friend who was in Hainan, China, before meeting up with my family in Krakow. With very little time to travel during the year, I wanted to make the longest possible routing on as many different carriers. Mainly, though, I wanted to fly on the A380, so I centered my trip on flying TG from FRA-BKK and BKK-HKG (both of which were on the A380). When I realized SQ released space in F on their SIN-DEL route to their *Alliance Partners, I decided I had to plan my trip around that, too. As US Air only allows one stopover, I used 13,500 BA miles for my flight to/from Hainan and bought a round-trip ticket (tossed the backend) for the VIE-KRK flight so I could meet my family. A couple of the highlights of the trip were Singapore and Thai Airways, the Upper House Hong Kong, Above and Beyond Restaurant Hong Kong, and touring Jewish sites in Eastern Europe. A lot was done over those two weeks so I'll try to keep things short and simple.
I've booked quite a few awards over the past couple of years and this was by far the most laborious and tiresome process. After finding available flights on UA, I called up US Air. I placed the following reservation on hold (I also have slipped in the side trips I booked using BA miles and the revenue ticket):
August 5, 2013 UA950 IAD-BRU, departing at 5:40pm, arriving at 7:15am, First Class
August 6, 2013 LH1005 BRU-FRA, departing at 8:30am, arriving at 9:35am, Business Class
August 6, 2013 TG921 FRA-BKK, departing at 2:45pm, arriving at 6:25am, First Class
August 7, 2013 TG600, BKK-HKG, departing at 8:00am, arriving at 11:45am, First Class
August 7, 2013 KA694, HKG-HAK, departing at 2:10pm, arriving at 3:25pm, Business Class [BA miles]
August 9, 2013 KA693, HAK-HKG, departing at 4:20pm, arriving at 5:35pm, Economy Class (single-cabin) [BA miles]
August 11, 2013 SQ891 HKG-SIN, departing at 12:30pm, arriving at 4:15pm, Business Class
August 11, 2013 SQ408 SIN-DEL, departing at 7:05pm, arriving at 10:10pm, First Class
August 12, 2013 OS34 DEL-VIE, departing at 1:35am, arriving at 5:55am, Business Class
August 12, 2013 LO228 VIE-KRK, departing at 9:40am, arriving at 11:00am, Economy Class [Revenue ticket]
August 19, 2013 OS93 VIE-IAD, departing at 10:25am, arriving at 2:20pm, Business Class
I called back later that evening to ticket the reservation and was quoted 180,000 miles (the South Asia award) rather than the North Asia award of 120,000, which was saved by the agent. As I was connecting--not stopping over-- in BKK, SIN, and DEL, I asked why the award was pricing higher. Long story short, it took over an hour for the agent to understand that I was arriving the following day rather than the same day on the FRA-BKK flight. I then was challenged on the MPM by the rate desk, yet the itinerary was under the MPM completely. So, segment-by-segment, I added up the itinerary with the agent to show the MPM wasn't violated. Still, the agent and rate desk were convinced connecting through India was completely out of the way. After going through all of the rate desk's questions, I was placed on a 25-minute hold. The agent came back on and said, "the rate desk is willing to ticket it for 125,000 miles, is this okay?" It was 5,000 miles more than it should've been, but as I was flying to Israel the next morning and wanted to have the trip set, I said fine. But, with the increased mileage amount, I had to top off the account with purchased miles. As usual, there was a buy miles promo, but when I purchased the points, the bonus points didn't post--so I had to wait until the service center was open so they could fix the balance. I called back and had to go through the same quoting the wrong mileage issue. I finally got in touch with a supervisor who said, "no, it should be 120,000. I'll take care of it." When the ticket ticketed, though, the mileage docked was 125,000 but I was just happy to have it set. To top it all off, when I looked at my credit card statement, I saw I was charged $40 for an international booking as well as $50. The $40 fee shouldn't have been charged because it was a Star Alliance booking but that too took awhile to clean up. As my family was arriving in Krakow the morning on Aug 12 and I was meeting them, I booked a VIE-KRK round-trip ticket using cash and threw the backend.
Anyway, I was looking forward to the trip. Pictures and reviews to come shortly!
Sep 28, 2013, 4:17 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, AS 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 302
IAD-BRU-FRA in UA F and LH J
I arrived at IAD around 3:30pm for my 5:40pm departure. UA could only print the first two boarding passes (didn't think they would be able to print TG passes) but that wasn't much of an issue. TSA pre-check was virtually empty and I was through security in a minute or two. I headed to the GF Lounge, which was nothing spectacular but packed with Europe departures for the evening.
There was some sushi and shrimp too, but it looked as if it had been in the refrigerator for a while.
A bit before boarding began, I started the walk over to the D gates. The simplified boarding groups were complete chaos--there were probably 90 people already in the Group 1 line who were Global First, Business, and SA Golds. From the end of the line, it took about 10 minutes, which was not terrible but certainly something I think UA could fix.
Once on board, I made my way to seat 1A. The flight was booked 4/8 with rev. The other 4 were UA employees/standby. Normally, just by looking, you wouldn't know but the man behind me asked everyone in the cabin if they were NRSA...not the best question for the guy paying full fare behind me.
Meal service began almost immediately
I started with the warm appetizer selection and the salad (I passed on the soup). The spring rolls and shrimp skewer were a bit soggy and the salad was very overdressed for me.
For my main course, I selected the grilled salmon with lump crabmeat. The salmon was surprisingly perfectly cooked but the crabmeat was flavorless. I forgot to snag a picture of it, though.
As the meal service took well over an hour for just the first two courses, I passed on all dessert except the petit fours and asked not to be woken up for breakfast so I could sleep.
After a solid four-hour rest, I woke up about 30 minutes outside of Brussels and we landed 10 minutes early despite our late departure. We landed in the B gates and my connecting flight from BRU-FRA was in the A gate so I had time to drop in the Brussels Air Lounge in Terminal A for about an hour. It certainly wasn’t a large spread but enough for a light breakfast.
About 8:20am, I headed to the gate, which was just a short walk away to board. There was only one other person flying in business class so service throughout the short-hop ended up being very attentive. Breakfast consisted of some cold cuts and cheese.
Despite the late departure, I landed on time in FRA at a remote gate and made my way via bus to the main terminal.
I arrived at IAD around 3:30pm for my 5:40pm departure. UA could only print the first two boarding passes (didn't think they would be able to print TG passes) but that wasn't much of an issue. TSA pre-check was virtually empty and I was through security in a minute or two. I headed to the GF Lounge, which was nothing spectacular but packed with Europe departures for the evening.
There was some sushi and shrimp too, but it looked as if it had been in the refrigerator for a while.
A bit before boarding began, I started the walk over to the D gates. The simplified boarding groups were complete chaos--there were probably 90 people already in the Group 1 line who were Global First, Business, and SA Golds. From the end of the line, it took about 10 minutes, which was not terrible but certainly something I think UA could fix.
Once on board, I made my way to seat 1A. The flight was booked 4/8 with rev. The other 4 were UA employees/standby. Normally, just by looking, you wouldn't know but the man behind me asked everyone in the cabin if they were NRSA...not the best question for the guy paying full fare behind me.
Meal service began almost immediately
I started with the warm appetizer selection and the salad (I passed on the soup). The spring rolls and shrimp skewer were a bit soggy and the salad was very overdressed for me.
For my main course, I selected the grilled salmon with lump crabmeat. The salmon was surprisingly perfectly cooked but the crabmeat was flavorless. I forgot to snag a picture of it, though.
As the meal service took well over an hour for just the first two courses, I passed on all dessert except the petit fours and asked not to be woken up for breakfast so I could sleep.
After a solid four-hour rest, I woke up about 30 minutes outside of Brussels and we landed 10 minutes early despite our late departure. We landed in the B gates and my connecting flight from BRU-FRA was in the A gate so I had time to drop in the Brussels Air Lounge in Terminal A for about an hour. It certainly wasn’t a large spread but enough for a light breakfast.
About 8:20am, I headed to the gate, which was just a short walk away to board. There was only one other person flying in business class so service throughout the short-hop ended up being very attentive. Breakfast consisted of some cold cuts and cheese.
Despite the late departure, I landed on time in FRA at a remote gate and made my way via bus to the main terminal.
Last edited by Gberg; Sep 28, 2013 at 4:30 pm
Sep 29, 2013, 9:38 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, AS 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 302
A Brief Trip to Mainz
With a five-hour layover in FRA, I did some research on Milepoint and FlyerTalk and saw threads suggesting a quick trip to Mainz might be possible. I’m not all that familiar with FRA airport or the train system so I shot TG an email inquiring about trains and escorts in FRA. They offered to meet me upon arrival at my gate, escort me to the train station in the airport, and pick me up upon my return at the station. They also provided the times of the S-bahn trains, so I was able to plan accordingly.
Sure enough, a TG rep met me at my gate and we made our way down to the station. The train took about 30 minutes and I was able to spend an hour or so in Mainz getting a snack and visiting the Gutenberg museum before I had to head back to the station to catch a return train.
If anyone else is considering the side-trip, I thought I should mention two two quick points. With a five-hour connection, I had about an hour (leaving myself 1.5 hours before my connecting flight). Also, I didn’t realize this until returning to the Mainz station but there are lockers in the station that are large enough to store a carryon (I ended up dragging my suitcase all around!) It was certainly much better than just spending time in the Senators lounge and seeing original Gutenberg Bibles was a very cool experience.
FRA-BKK in F on TG A380
Upon my train arrival, the TG rep was waiting for me and we made our way to the TG check-in counter and then to the Senator’s Lounge. Sweating from running around with a suitcase, I took a quick shower in one of the shower rooms. After I had a quick bite to eat from the good food selection before the TG rep returned and escorted me to the gate for boarding.
Upon boarding, everyone seemed just as excited as me about flying F on the A380. All but two passengers were snapping pictures--from young couples to old ladies. One passenger even videotaped himself walking down the jet-bridge, onto the plane, and into his seat. He then set up a tripod at his seat for the next 10 minutes to snap a video of the flight attendant pouring him a glass of Dom Perignon…
First was booked 12/12 and the upper deck was boiling. Flight attendants, who were drenched with sweat due to the heat, were passing around cold towels as soon as soon as we boarded. As all the single seats were reserved, I booked 1E. Pre-departure beverages were served and pajamas and Rimowa amenity kits were distributed.
Once airborne, more drinks were served as well as a late lunch.
The caviar and canapés were fantastic:
The beef tenderloin was also well done
I pre-ordered the prawns, pictured below, but they were very disappointing, so I switched to the duck breast, which was much better.
For dessert, I just had some tea.
After service, I watched a couple of movies and tried to catch some more sleep. The bathroom is massive on the A380 which was great for changing into the pajamas. The only disadvantage was there was just one bathroom for 12 passengers.
After some rest, I had a snack and later woke up again for breakfast and ordered fresh fruit and the Spanish omelet, pictured below.
Throughout the flight, service was very great. Drinks were constantly refilled and meals were paced individually so those eating slower weren’t rushed. The inflight entertainment system was physically large and had a decent selection and the seat was great for sleeping in. Overall, probably one of my favorite flights due to the great ambiance of the upper deck, service, and seat.
Upon departure, we were given a deck of A380 cards and a flower.
With a five-hour layover in FRA, I did some research on Milepoint and FlyerTalk and saw threads suggesting a quick trip to Mainz might be possible. I’m not all that familiar with FRA airport or the train system so I shot TG an email inquiring about trains and escorts in FRA. They offered to meet me upon arrival at my gate, escort me to the train station in the airport, and pick me up upon my return at the station. They also provided the times of the S-bahn trains, so I was able to plan accordingly.
Sure enough, a TG rep met me at my gate and we made our way down to the station. The train took about 30 minutes and I was able to spend an hour or so in Mainz getting a snack and visiting the Gutenberg museum before I had to head back to the station to catch a return train.
If anyone else is considering the side-trip, I thought I should mention two two quick points. With a five-hour connection, I had about an hour (leaving myself 1.5 hours before my connecting flight). Also, I didn’t realize this until returning to the Mainz station but there are lockers in the station that are large enough to store a carryon (I ended up dragging my suitcase all around!) It was certainly much better than just spending time in the Senators lounge and seeing original Gutenberg Bibles was a very cool experience.
FRA-BKK in F on TG A380
Upon my train arrival, the TG rep was waiting for me and we made our way to the TG check-in counter and then to the Senator’s Lounge. Sweating from running around with a suitcase, I took a quick shower in one of the shower rooms. After I had a quick bite to eat from the good food selection before the TG rep returned and escorted me to the gate for boarding.
Upon boarding, everyone seemed just as excited as me about flying F on the A380. All but two passengers were snapping pictures--from young couples to old ladies. One passenger even videotaped himself walking down the jet-bridge, onto the plane, and into his seat. He then set up a tripod at his seat for the next 10 minutes to snap a video of the flight attendant pouring him a glass of Dom Perignon…
First was booked 12/12 and the upper deck was boiling. Flight attendants, who were drenched with sweat due to the heat, were passing around cold towels as soon as soon as we boarded. As all the single seats were reserved, I booked 1E. Pre-departure beverages were served and pajamas and Rimowa amenity kits were distributed.
Once airborne, more drinks were served as well as a late lunch.
The caviar and canapés were fantastic:
The beef tenderloin was also well done
I pre-ordered the prawns, pictured below, but they were very disappointing, so I switched to the duck breast, which was much better.
For dessert, I just had some tea.
After service, I watched a couple of movies and tried to catch some more sleep. The bathroom is massive on the A380 which was great for changing into the pajamas. The only disadvantage was there was just one bathroom for 12 passengers.
After some rest, I had a snack and later woke up again for breakfast and ordered fresh fruit and the Spanish omelet, pictured below.
Throughout the flight, service was very great. Drinks were constantly refilled and meals were paced individually so those eating slower weren’t rushed. The inflight entertainment system was physically large and had a decent selection and the seat was great for sleeping in. Overall, probably one of my favorite flights due to the great ambiance of the upper deck, service, and seat.
Upon departure, we were given a deck of A380 cards and a flower.
Sep 30, 2013, 5:55 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: RDU
Programs: AA EXP 2MM
Posts: 267
Nice start to the trip report - am very eager to hear about your travels to Krakow as I am planning to visit later this year and haven't found many trip reports about the place. And have a HKG trip scheduled for next year - seems like I'm stalking you!
Oct 3, 2013, 2:10 am
#6
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 229
School's Out for Summer--A trip to HK and Europe on TG A380 F/SQ F/UA F/OS J +more
Nice start to the report. I'm particularly looking forward to the next installment as I'll do the same connection in a few weeks (well, almost: CDG-BKK followed by TG600 to HKG). Also in first and am curious what the transfer is like.
Jun 9, 2014, 2:14 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, AS 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 302
TG F Lounge, BKK-HKG in TG F, Star Alliance lounge in HKG, and HKG-HAK in KA J
Before continuing, I apologize for the 9 month hiatus between installments. I'm sure some of the information now (menus, etc.) might not be useful. However, hopefully information regarding seats, transfer, and hotels are of interest to some...
Arrival in Bangkok
Upon our arrival in Bangkok, the F cabin was met by an entourage of golf carts to shuttle us to the lounge (or through immigration for other passengers).
[/IMG]
I was the only passenger transferring and was escorted by two agents to the TG F lounge.
[/IMG]
With just a little over an hour before my connecting flight to Hong Kong, I knew I didn’t have time for the full body massage in the Royal Orchard Spa but asked if a 30 minute foot massage would be possible, which it was. After the massage, and some tea, I went back to the lounge before being called by an attendant at 7:45am for the 8:00am flight. Four other passengers and I were then escorted through security and driven what was probably well over 1km in a golf cart to the gate.
[/IMG]
Golf Cart from TG F lounge to the plane
The plane was waiting just for the F passengers so as soon as we boarded, the door was closed and the plane pushed back.
I took my seat, 2A, and placed my phone on the counter surface next to the seat. On takeoff, though, the phone slipped through a crack between the seat and wall, so there are unfortunately no pictures for this flight. Once we were airbone, three flight attendants tried to get the phone out but to no avail so they told me a mechanic would be on board upon landing. The purser couldn't have been more apologetic about the whole situation.
Service on this flight was phenomenal--multiple entrees and appetizers were offered and the two or three flight attendants working first were all very pleasant. While I did have breakfast on the FRA-BKK flight, I also had some pastries and fruit (sorry for no pictures!). The cabin was also just 5/12 full and all of the F passengers ended up chatting about the plane with the pursers and each other.
Upon landing, before the door opened, one of the flight attendants was able to pull out my phone (I think he cut up his hand a bit doing it so I felt terrible about it, as I said we could wait for the mechanic) but he just said he was happy to help.
[/IMG]
Crevice that my phone slipped into during take-off
Upon my arrival in Hong Kong, a Dragon Air representative who planned to escort me to the Cathay business class lounge met me. As I was coming in on TG F, though, I requested to go to the Star Alliance F lounge, which I was admitted to (I'd been to the CX lounge several times but never to the Star Alliance lounge) The lounge was nothing special--except it was empty while the business side was nearly full.
After about an hour or so, I made my way over to the remote gate. In between my departure from the lounge and my arrival at the gate, the flight had been delayed about 40 minutes, but I waited it out at the gate.
HKG-HAK flight
The flight from HKG-HAK was full and business class was only Westerners. The short hop was fairly non-eventful. The seat was spacious and similar to a regional first product which was perfect for such a short hop. A meal was served but after traveling for over 30 hours, I was beginning to feel a bit queasy so just had fruit and water.
Fruit and water
Arrival in Bangkok
Upon our arrival in Bangkok, the F cabin was met by an entourage of golf carts to shuttle us to the lounge (or through immigration for other passengers).
[/IMG]I was the only passenger transferring and was escorted by two agents to the TG F lounge.
[/IMG]With just a little over an hour before my connecting flight to Hong Kong, I knew I didn’t have time for the full body massage in the Royal Orchard Spa but asked if a 30 minute foot massage would be possible, which it was. After the massage, and some tea, I went back to the lounge before being called by an attendant at 7:45am for the 8:00am flight. Four other passengers and I were then escorted through security and driven what was probably well over 1km in a golf cart to the gate.
[/IMG]Golf Cart from TG F lounge to the plane
The plane was waiting just for the F passengers so as soon as we boarded, the door was closed and the plane pushed back.
I took my seat, 2A, and placed my phone on the counter surface next to the seat. On takeoff, though, the phone slipped through a crack between the seat and wall, so there are unfortunately no pictures for this flight. Once we were airbone, three flight attendants tried to get the phone out but to no avail so they told me a mechanic would be on board upon landing. The purser couldn't have been more apologetic about the whole situation.
Service on this flight was phenomenal--multiple entrees and appetizers were offered and the two or three flight attendants working first were all very pleasant. While I did have breakfast on the FRA-BKK flight, I also had some pastries and fruit (sorry for no pictures!). The cabin was also just 5/12 full and all of the F passengers ended up chatting about the plane with the pursers and each other.
Upon landing, before the door opened, one of the flight attendants was able to pull out my phone (I think he cut up his hand a bit doing it so I felt terrible about it, as I said we could wait for the mechanic) but he just said he was happy to help.
[/IMG]Crevice that my phone slipped into during take-off
Upon my arrival in Hong Kong, a Dragon Air representative who planned to escort me to the Cathay business class lounge met me. As I was coming in on TG F, though, I requested to go to the Star Alliance F lounge, which I was admitted to (I'd been to the CX lounge several times but never to the Star Alliance lounge) The lounge was nothing special--except it was empty while the business side was nearly full.
After about an hour or so, I made my way over to the remote gate. In between my departure from the lounge and my arrival at the gate, the flight had been delayed about 40 minutes, but I waited it out at the gate.
HKG-HAK flight
The flight from HKG-HAK was full and business class was only Westerners. The short hop was fairly non-eventful. The seat was spacious and similar to a regional first product which was perfect for such a short hop. A meal was served but after traveling for over 30 hours, I was beginning to feel a bit queasy so just had fruit and water.
Fruit and water
Jun 9, 2014, 2:56 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, AS 75K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 302
Sanya and Hong Kong
Immigration was a breeze and I took an underground tunnel to the bullet train station in Meilan airport to head on to Sanya. As the train was sold out in “1st class” which was $3 more than “2nd class,” I just went ahead and bought a second class ticket. What I wasn’t told was that meant I didn’t have a seat for the two hour ride and had to stand next to the bathroom for the whole journey with my suitcase. After a not so glamorous end to a fantastic journey, I finally made it to the Sanya station and met my friend and headed straight out to dinner. We had a fabulous seafood meal before heading back to the MGM Grand and crashing.
Lobby of the MGM Grand Sanya
Pool at MGM Grand
Enormous buffet breakfast
Beach at the hotel
Amazing fresh sea food
After touring the main sights in Sanya the next day and going scuba diving off of Boundary Island, we left the following morning to go to Hong Kong. The hour flight was operated by Dragon Air was only economy class. I didn’t bother to take any pictures as we were just given water and cookies. I did, though, take a picture of the “lounge” in Hainan we were invited to due to Priority Pass. Food consisted of packaged snacks, instant ramen, and cherry tomatoes.
Lounge at HAK airport
Cherry tomatoes and drinks
Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we made our way to the Ritz Carlton to go to the bar and watch the light show. Afterwards, we headed to the Chinese restaurant a couple of floors below for a late dinner. The restaurant was very flashy with enormous ceilings and obsequious service but the food was pretty good, especially the Peking duck.
Knowing we would be arriving late and heading out early the next morning, we decided to stay at the Salisbury YMCA (right next-door to the Peninsula in a Harbor view room. The rate was $200 with breakfast. I had stayed there before and knew while certainly not luxurious, the hotel was a great location, had a perfect view, and was a relatively good deal for Hong Kong.
View from our Room at the Salisbury YMCA
In the morning, we had the buffet breakfast which was included in our rate and walked around Tsim Sha Tsui before heading to Above and Beyond for lunch. We sampled about 9 dishes, which in my opinion were better than Lung King Heen’s dim sum. Both the food and the view were spectacular.
Food selection at Above and Beyond
Not wanting to spend both nights in YMCA accommodations, we made decided to stay in the Upper House the second night. We made our reservation through Virtuoso and were upgraded two categories to a 80sqm suite. Breakfast, a small welcome gift, and a $100 stay credit was included for our pricey rate of $600.
Room at the Upper House
The switch from the YMCA to the Upper House was smooth and well worth it. The service was phenomenal and the room was one of the nicest hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in. There was a complimentary minibar and a way to play music from your iPhone to the speakers in the room. The highlight of the room, though, was the bathroom, which had an enormous tub and stunning views.
Bathroom
For dinner, we met up with a friend who goes to Hong Kong University for a fantastic street meal. We got directions from the hotel, and headed to Central to Sing Kee (Long story short, the hotel gave us the wrong address, which ended up costing us about an hour of time. Upon my return, they were very apologetic and gave us a free transfer to the airport the next morning). Anyway, Sing Kee had plastic chairs and tables and almost no Westerners. The food was fabulous and of course, very cheap. Below are pictures.
Sing Kee
Delicious clam dish
The next morning, we had breakfast at Cafe Grey. The food was very good and the Virtuoso breakfast was more than enough
Breakfast at Cafe Grey
Breakfast at Cafe Grey
After breakfast, we packed our things and headed to the airport. The Upper House had a Lexus crossover ready for us. After 36 hours in Hong Kong, I was off to Krakow by way of Singapore, Delhi, and Vienna
Upper House transfer to the airport
Lobby of the MGM Grand Sanya
Pool at MGM Grand
Enormous buffet breakfast
Beach at the hotel
Amazing fresh sea food
After touring the main sights in Sanya the next day and going scuba diving off of Boundary Island, we left the following morning to go to Hong Kong. The hour flight was operated by Dragon Air was only economy class. I didn’t bother to take any pictures as we were just given water and cookies. I did, though, take a picture of the “lounge” in Hainan we were invited to due to Priority Pass. Food consisted of packaged snacks, instant ramen, and cherry tomatoes.
Lounge at HAK airport
Cherry tomatoes and drinks
Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we made our way to the Ritz Carlton to go to the bar and watch the light show. Afterwards, we headed to the Chinese restaurant a couple of floors below for a late dinner. The restaurant was very flashy with enormous ceilings and obsequious service but the food was pretty good, especially the Peking duck.
Knowing we would be arriving late and heading out early the next morning, we decided to stay at the Salisbury YMCA (right next-door to the Peninsula in a Harbor view room. The rate was $200 with breakfast. I had stayed there before and knew while certainly not luxurious, the hotel was a great location, had a perfect view, and was a relatively good deal for Hong Kong.
View from our Room at the Salisbury YMCA
In the morning, we had the buffet breakfast which was included in our rate and walked around Tsim Sha Tsui before heading to Above and Beyond for lunch. We sampled about 9 dishes, which in my opinion were better than Lung King Heen’s dim sum. Both the food and the view were spectacular.
Food selection at Above and Beyond
Not wanting to spend both nights in YMCA accommodations, we made decided to stay in the Upper House the second night. We made our reservation through Virtuoso and were upgraded two categories to a 80sqm suite. Breakfast, a small welcome gift, and a $100 stay credit was included for our pricey rate of $600.
Room at the Upper House
The switch from the YMCA to the Upper House was smooth and well worth it. The service was phenomenal and the room was one of the nicest hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in. There was a complimentary minibar and a way to play music from your iPhone to the speakers in the room. The highlight of the room, though, was the bathroom, which had an enormous tub and stunning views.
Bathroom
For dinner, we met up with a friend who goes to Hong Kong University for a fantastic street meal. We got directions from the hotel, and headed to Central to Sing Kee (Long story short, the hotel gave us the wrong address, which ended up costing us about an hour of time. Upon my return, they were very apologetic and gave us a free transfer to the airport the next morning). Anyway, Sing Kee had plastic chairs and tables and almost no Westerners. The food was fabulous and of course, very cheap. Below are pictures.
Sing Kee
Delicious clam dish
The next morning, we had breakfast at Cafe Grey. The food was very good and the Virtuoso breakfast was more than enough
Breakfast at Cafe Grey
Breakfast at Cafe Grey
After breakfast, we packed our things and headed to the airport. The Upper House had a Lexus crossover ready for us. After 36 hours in Hong Kong, I was off to Krakow by way of Singapore, Delhi, and Vienna
Upper House transfer to the airport