NightTripper

I just returned from my family’s first longhaul trip. Destination was Bali. Family unit includes myself, Mrs., jr. #1 (9 yo), and jr. #2 (10 yo). The opinions here are presented with a family trip in mind – my thoughts may be different had it just been a romantic getaway. Obviously, I tried to fund as much of this as possible with points and miles, and the multiple AA Visa cards with 75,000 mile bonus were a big help. Let the journey begin…..

DCA – ORD (stop) – HKG (overnight connection) – DPS

Five nights at the Bali Hyatt in Sanur

Five nights at the Conrad Bali in Nusa Dua

DPS – HKG – YVR – JFK - DCA

Airfare was funded entirely with AA miles (I have no status on AA, btw – I’m usually a UA flier out of IAD). Flights were booked at 11 months out. If it’s not obvious yet, Cathay Pacific was the main carrier. For both the outbound and inbound, I booked 2 x J (adult/kid) and 2 x F seats (adult/kid) at a one way cost of 55,000 x 2 plus 67,500 x2 = 245,000 miles (490,000 miles for the RT).

DCA – ORD on an MD-80 rather uneventful. 11:50 am departure on a Wednesday was full of business passengers, so my vacationing Kettles crew stuck out - especially the two energetic boys in row 4. Had a great FA stop by and ask them where they were headed, and she was a bit taken aback when my younger boy said Hong Kong. I wish all FA’s were as nice as this one. We stopped in Chicago for a visit to family (utilizing the AA fare rules granting a stop at the NA gateway city).

Approximately 10 days before the trip began, CX released 2 additional F award seats on the ORD – HKG segment. For an upfare of 12,500 miles on each of the J tickets, I now have 4 of the 6 F seats on the Cathay Pacific 777-300. When I called CX to get seat assignments, the CSR said “wow, congratulations”.

NightTripper

The T5 at ORD is a bit tired, but I was more than pleased to find that after check in with CX, they had an agent walk us through security and personally deposit us in the lounge. She seemed to have her own lane that went right to the TSA passport man. I’ve been through plenty of “premier access” and “premium access” lines, but we walked right by that crowd on this one. I don’t mean to oversell this, but we were getting ... looks from people in the crowded hall as Jackie our escort whisked us by.

The Swiss Lounge at ORD gets bad reviews, but I found it perfectly suitable. Couple of cold Polish beers before the 3:30 pm departure, a few emails, and a few giddy kids (mine) hopping all around. Cathay has a small table of extra food out marked “Cathay Only”. No windows in the place, either.

The CX flight crew on the 777-300ER was incredible. They welcomed us into 1 and 2 D/K, which is the side that you want if your party includes 3 or more people. Reviews of CX First Class are everywhere – many of which provided some of the inspiration for this trip – so I won’t review the hard product or the soft in any detail here. Did I eat the caviar and drink the Krug? You bet, and loved every minute of it. Did my kids leave theirs untouched? You bet. The beds are incredible for a 16 hour flight. The service is top notch.



The flight from ORD arrives in HKG at about 8:00 pm, and the departure to DPS leaves at 10:00 am the next morning. A little short for a trip into the city (though it almost happened – see below*), so instead we stopped in the CX Arrivals lounge for some snacks before catching the free shuttle bus over to the Marriott Sky City for the night (US gov rate of 1890 ++ HKD). Oddly, Hilton and Hyatt don’t like to let you book 4 people to a single room in Hong Kong, but Marriott allows this without a problem. CX Arrivals lounge is plenty nice, but not overly fancy or decadent. Have a plate of noodles, stock up on some water, check some emails, shower if you wish, and move on.

(*Close, but no cigar: one afternoon several weeks before the trip, I was looking at spending the night at the Conrad Hong Kong. I was searching US Gov rates (2750 ++ HKD), and magically, every room type appeared for that price. So of course I booked the PRESIDENTIAL suite, which usually retails for about 30,000HKD/night. Got the confirmation email immediately, and about 24 hours later got the “oops, we’re sorry, for that rate we have moved you to a dumpster-view room”. I sat on it a few days, sent them a nice note requesting something better, and they put me in a mid-range suite for the night at that price. I later cancelled it……….)

NightTripper

After a mostly sleepless night at the Marriott, we took the free shuttle over for the morning flight HKG – DPS (CX 785). Flight was leaving out of Gate 1, which basically sits right under the Champagne Bar in the Wing FC lounge. The Wing FC section is very nice. (btw, the invites printed for us in ORD said Business Lounge – since the HKG-DPS is only two class on the 772 – but I showed my old ORD-HKG FC boarding stubs, and we were waived right in). Great restaurant and service, great views over the apron, great champagne bar. Did not use the day room/cabanas/shower.





CX 785 was on a 2-class 772 with the new regional product, which is perfectly suitable for the 4 hour 40 minute day flight. At this point we’ve been on the road and in the air for several days, and are ready to start the beach part of the vacation.

DPS arrival: hot and busy. Went straight to the Visa on arrival booth, and had four of those 5 minutes and $100 USD later. Then to immigration, which took about 20 or so minutes as an Air China (?) widebody had also just arrived. Bags were waiting, customs was easy, then we emerged into a sea of literally 100’s of drivers holding signs. Thankfully, the Bali Hyatt rep was dressed in traditional Balinese and somewhat easy to spot. I verified a few details to make sure he was legit, and he handed me off to a driver who went to retrieve his car.

This is pretty much the point where all of the sights, sounds, smells, movements, people, etc. all sink in, and you realize you are a long way from home. A very long way. The drive out of Denpasar was not a pretty one. I knew I was coming to SE Asia, but somehow I pictured Bali as a little oasis – and it is just that, in the end, but it looks a little rough on the way in.

quirrow

4 award seats on CX F? Congrats! Since that is really rare I think...

If you think DPS arrival is bad, you should see CGK (capital of Indonesia). However lest you think all of S.E Asia is that backward, do visit SIN if you get a chance, the whole airport departure and arrival experience makes ORD look like a dump.

NightTripper

Rooms: At 11 months out, I booked a Regency Club Suite + interconnecting Regency Club King room, all paid for with Hyatt GP points. I am Hyatt Platinum from Visa card. At the time of this trip, however, I was a Hyatt Diamond courtesy of the Diamond Challenge.

Asst. Manager checked us in, and personally showed us to the room. We were on the 4th floor, far building (Bougainvillea), far garden side corner. The suite is nowhere close to 120 m2, as listed, and the living room seating is a bit tight. The bathrooms are all dated, but clean. The King size beds are mucho grande and comfy. The patio outside of the suite was very big, and the treetops/gardens are alive with birds and flowers. At first I was disappointed that we were not oceanfront, but in the end I appreciated the gardens more. Treats showed up all the time – not sure if it was for Diamond, or all guests. Wine, sparling waters, and lots of sweets and treats – nearly every evening. Always delivered with a warm smile by the great Bali Hyatt service staff.

The grounds at the Bali Hyatt are incredible. More lounge chairs than people at the beach and the pools. Two nice pools, hot tub, and cold plunge pool. Life size chess, bochi ball, and two ping-pong tables by the pool. We used these all the time, and never had to wait more than a few minutes.

The expansive gardens between the road and the buildings are beautiful, and contain the spa, the Regency Club, two beautiful clay tennis courts, a lighted hard-court badminton court with basketball hoop, a putting green, and a par 3 golf hole. All the sport activities are free, and we never really ran into usage conflicts with anyone else. My kids are active, and we used all of these amenities. The gardens have expansive lighted paths.

My wife had a spa treatment and loved it. Prices were reasonable to begin with, and if you booked 2 or 3 days in advance they would throw you an additional 25% off. I took my spa treatment at a storefront in Sanur, at the cost of about $7.50 USD/hour.

Lunch at the resort is reasonably priced, especially for the kids, who took to the wood-fired pizzas. We had an exceptional dinner at the Chinese restaurant, where the buffet was hot and expansive.

The Regency Club is one of the true highlights of this property. It is open air, set back in the gardens and ponds, has plenty of comfortable seating, live Balinese music in the evening, and access is controlled so there were never heavy crowds. Breakfast has the usual fruits and breads, a couple of hot dishes, and a cook to order egg station. It is not an “expansive” breakfast like I have seen other places (and will describe at the Conrad Bali), but I never left hungry. Most importantly, breakfast was a peaceful, relaxing experience, served by a warm staff. My two young boys would play with the fish and keep a watchful eye out for one of the large lizards that roamed the RC ponds and property. Evening drinks and snacks were also excellent. Canned beer, wine, and several bottles of spirits available for drinks. No real “drink list” to order from. The hot selections each evening were enough for this tired (and jet-lagged) family to call dinner on one or two evenings.

Sanur itself is a nice little Bali beach town; you are in the heart of Sanur after a short five minute walk from the Hyatt. It has plenty of requisite souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, massage joints, ATMs, etc. A tall bottle of Bingtang or Bali Hai always tastes better when it costs half of resort prices. I can’t speak to the nightlife in Sanur, as we were in bed by 7:30 pm most evenings.

We kept the suite until 4 pm on day of departure. We used a transport arranged by the Hyatt to get down to Nusa Dua and the Conrad – at a cost of $60 USD. In the end, I could have gone with Plan A – free Hyatt shuttle to the Grand Hyatt, then taxi to Conrad – but decided the ease of a single transfer was worth a few bucks.

NightTripper

I had pre-arranged a day trip through DM for $55 USD (wayyyyy below the transport cost at the Hyatt, btw). Driver was right on time. We did this while at the Hyatt since Sanur is located much further up the coast than Nusa Dua. Our driver was great – I gave him my general requests for destinations, and he took us to the right spots. We stopped in Ubud to shop and visited the Monkey Forest. He gave us great advice to not bring ANYTHING in with us, as I saw those dam monkeys assault people for a bottle of water. After we witnessed a girl get bit in the arm, the driver picked up a large stone and took on the role of bodyguard for the rest of our visit. I’m glad we visited (also a nice temple in the forest), but aggressive monkeys are a bit frightening.

Rice terraces, lunch on the edge of the Batur caldera, coffee tasting – all good stops on this day trip.

NightTripper

Rooms: (pre-devaluation) – at 11 months out, I booked 2 standard award Deluxe Garden King rooms for 28,000 points per night each (280,000 points total). I then contacted the hotel for upgrade opportunities, and I was presented an option for upcharge of $235++/night to secure an Ocean Suite plus interconnecting Ocean King. Deal accepted. (could have played upgrade roulette on arrival, but this was July high season and I wanted to know that we would be comfortable).

Arrival at Conrad Bali was far different than the Bali Hyatt. We were checked in by an under-informed front desk clerk who presented me with a “Welcome HH GOLD member” letter (I am Diamond), and told me that the rooms were not connecting. I showed her my paperwork, asked her to check with the manager, and she was able to confirm that the rooms were connecting. A bellman escorted us to our rooms in the central wing (“B” building) on the 3rd floor. I think that this is probably the best building, as the south building (“A”) is right next to a construction project, and the “C” building does not overlook the pools. Also, “B” is a short and easy walk to everything – lobby, pools, beach, Conrad Suites,….

The rooms here are modern and extremely spacious. Our setup included a suite with the bedroom in the corner (a balcony overlooking the yoga garden and an oceanfront window overlooking the pools/beach), a living area in the middle with an oceanfront balcony, and an adjoining/connecting King room with oceanfront balcony for the kids on the other side of the living room. Both rooms had a shower and a nice tub. The living room had a half bath, a four top dining table, and lots of comfy seating which I hardly ever used. Other than fresh fruit and water, plus a bath amenity selection option in the suite, there were no special deliveries of gifts/treats/sweets like at the Bali Hyatt.





The grounds at the Conrad are dominated by the large pools. Lagoon pools that you could seemingly swim in forever, plus the central pool that is far bigger than the pictures suggest. We would usually secure some lounge chairs early in the morning (as would most other guests). No lounge chairs on the beach. Service around the pools was OK, not great. A great little off-property restaurant/bar was located right next door on the beach, and although I never saw anyone eating there (nor did I), I did saddle up for an occasional afternoon tall beer and glass of Arak at about half of the Conrad prices. Grounds include a ping-pong table and a life size chess set (free). Also, the “tennis club” was much more pretentious than the beautiful clay courts at the Bali Hyatt. The Conrad courts were synthetic and mostly enclosed, and the courts, racquets, etc. all had a fee for use. We did not use them.

Kids eat free at the Conrad, so we usually had lunch at 8 Degrees South; decent food, though nothing memorable. Make sure to clarify with the server what exactly the kids get free, or you can end up in some fairly long-winded negotiations after the fact. We had the Japanese buffet one evening at Rin and it was very good. We also enjoyed the Italian buffet one evening at Suku in the main building, where the food was OK but the Balinese dance/performance was excellent. Probably close to 50 performers who gave 100% and made the evening very fun (though my 10 yo had exhausted himself and fell sound asleep). We had room service one sleepy evening that was best described as adequate – no problems with it, but nothing special.

Diamond/Suite benefits: We had access to the Conrad Suites pool (though, no kids allowed), which was beautiful and peaceful – but we did not use it. We had access to happy hour at the Conrad Suites lounge (no kids allowed), but instead we mostly accessed this benefit at the East bar in the main lobby. The staff would bring canapés (some were good, some not so good) and a VERY extensive drink menu. Service was slow in a Balinese kind of way, so I would often order double fisted. The kids could get great milkshakes, smoothies, etc. At menu prices, my family of four easily had $100 USD worth of drinks every evening. Taking the happy hour in the East bar was definitely convenient when the kids were still playing in the pools (the patio of East overlooks the main pool), and when we arranged for a car to arrive at 6 pm for dinner (drinks while you wait).



On two occasions my wife and I started at East for milkshakes and canapés for the kids, then deposited the kids in the room, and spent the second half of the 5 – 7 pm happy hour at the Conrad Suites. The drinks and snacks are the same (though here you can self-serve beer, wine, and champagne), but the service is much better.

We definitely took advantage of the 15% off all meals, though you need to remind the staff to include it. We ate breakfast most mornings at Suku*, which had an incredibly expansive buffet. The food and selections were plentiful and tasty, with cook to order eggs and crepes, lots of hot Balinese and Japanese dishes, fruits, breads, etc. No guest should leave hungry from this breakfast, as it was delicious. My two complaints here are: 1) getting the service staff to bring you a cup of coffee seemed to be a real chore; they would ask you what you want, then vanish into the sea of humanity. We came to appreciate/understand the slower pace of service while in Bali, but an empty cup is an empty cup. 2) breakfast is crowded and chaotic. You could wait 10 minutes to get through a serving station. By the end of our 5 night stay, I longed for the tranquility of breakfast at the Bali Hyatt.

*Wife and I ditched the kids and had the exclusive Conrad Suites breakfast at Rin one morning - this was a completely different experience. Much more peaceful and relaxing, as you're quitely dining with 10 others, rather than jostling and dodging 150 people.

NightTripper

Just a brief word about this place: it is very well-reviewed on TA, and has been noted on FT as well. The owner picked us up at the Conrad for a short 5 minute ride to the restaurant just up the beach. You can pick out your fish from the ice chest as you walk in, and the “cook” is working a BBQ pit right off the sidewalk. Great snapper, prawns, oysters, calamari – apps, mains, several tall Bingtangs, and we were out the door for about $75 USD for the family. Great stuff.

NightTripper

As mentioned, I had booked 2 x F and 2 x Biz on CX at 11 months out for both the outbound and return. I was able to upfare the outbound segments to 4 x F, but had no such luck for the return.

DPS airport was very busy. We checked in and went to the Premier Lounge, which has a great outside patio that overlooks the runway. I wrongly assumed that we were already airside; we stayed there a little too long, and were surprised to find a long security line outside of the departure gate. Departure was at 4:10 pm, and we were deep in the line at 3:55 pm – I was a ghostly shade of white thinking about trying to re-book all of our flights for the next day. Nearly sick, actually. But of course we made it, and when the champagne was served as we were hustling into our seats, I chugged it. So did my wife. Service to HKG was on a 2 cabin 772 with the old CX product. Slumming it, if you will.

We arrived HKG at about 9 pm, and the departure to YVR left at 12:30 am. The Pier FC was the most convenient lounge to kill some time in. While nice, this lounge is underground and has a far different feel than The Wing. We sat down for dinner, and were amused at the 6 or so attendants hanging around the lounge entrance who never visited us to clear plates, bring drinks, etc. The food was fine. We were all tired. But one thing was certain – we would leave ourselves plenty of time to be at the gate for the next departure.

For the HKG-YVR segment, my son and I took the FC seats, and my wife and other son took row 11 center seats in Biz class (immediately behind FC on the 777). We skipped dinner with the intent to go straight to bed, though my son was already asleep after the climb out, and the FA’s did their best to get him comfy without the full “turndown service”. All passengers de-plane at YVR into a sterile area, and after a quick aircraft service, we were underway to JFK. We now felt like traveling pros, confident such that we sent the two boys back to row 11 Biz, and my wife and I took the 2 x FC seats. (after the fact, I got a chuckle when my son told me he asked the FA to “make his bed”).



Even though we were pretty tired, my wife and I had the table set for two and had a romantic dinner at 35,000 for the next several hours. The other 4 FC passengers were sleeping, so we had the full attention of the cabin crew. Grilled prawns for starters, a nice salad, braised rack of lamb, champagne – all served with a smile. At some point on this flight, the feeling settled over me that I had actually pulled this thing off……

The AA Flagship Lounge at JFK is about as nice as domestic lounges get, I think. We had access for the 2 FC passengers, plus each are allowed one guest. Great breakfast spread, self-serve spirits and drinks, nice view of the JFK apron, showers, etc... We had about a four hour layover and were exhausted, as we had now been in transit for close to 30 hours. The final flight to DCA was on a regional jet.

NightTripper

I live in suburban DC where Disney World and the NC Outer Banks are the normal summertime excursions (We’re not a Disney kind of family, but the OBX are one of my favorite places on earth). So half the fun of this trip was the look on friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches’ faces when my children answered the requisite “where did you go this summer?” question by saying “Indonesia”. Are the beaches in Bali nicer than the OBX? Not really. But this was an adventure designed to expose them to other cultures of the world, and in that sense it was an absolute success. While lots of friends noted “boy, that sure is a long flight”, we just nodded – knowing that the CX FC ride was actually a big part of the vacation experience.

I liked the Bali Hyatt better than the Conrad Bali. Both were great, but the Hyatt delivered a charm in a Balinese way that the Hawaii-like Conrad could not.

Now the pressing question – where next?

(PM if you want more details on anything specific)

SanDiego1K

Great report. I really enjoyed reading all the logistics of how you pulled it off for a family of four, air and hotel alike. It's going to be a hard vacation to top, after hotel suites, airline suites, turndown service on both, and free hotel snacks. Thanks for explaining how you used your FT knowledge to organize this.

isaifan

Very nice and helpful. Planning our own family getaway to Bali next year. I've heard great things about the Hyatt and looked into it personally, especially considering their extremely cheap redemption rates. Unfortunately, it seems like they will be closed for construction for the next year and half or so.

tomy77

Nice TR, since i'm planning to stay at Conrad too this Dec. Too bad the Hyatt is closed already during my stay.

So kids eat free (i'm assuming parents have to dine and order), is this benefit for Diamond or just general benefit for all the restaurant?

pdsuk

Wonderful report.

Answering your "where next ?" question I would suggest Thailand -- it offers richness through the different experiences and extremes: from say Chiang Mai to the craziness-that-is-still-surprisingly-relaxing Bangkok (I am convinced the people are the relaxing factor) to the luxurious beach resorts.

THECLIPPERS

Great trip report. I go to Bali every year and stay at the Peninsula Beach Resort which is right up the road from the Conrad. I also fly FC on Cathay and I'm disappointed whenever I fly other carries except JAL.