deovrat

Very good report so far and superb picture quality waiting for more installments

BingBongBoy

Great report!

I love Japan… I love the people, the culture, most of the food etc. I was lucky to do a 7 day trip to NRT, and although we stay out in Narita, I went into Tokyo for 3 days and it was wonderful…

Looking forward to reading more of your trip.

stevie

40 years ago actually, so to compare anything from then to now makes no sense.

MarylandFlyer244

After a fantastic day seeing as much of Tokyo as we could, we arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) and proceeded to the ticket counter. Being that most of the regional flights are only 2-cabin planes (business class and economy), the business class line at the check-in counters was about 10 deep or so. Luckily, there were about 8 wonderful agents checking everyone in and the process went fairly quickly.

However, at NRT, there's no expedited security for business class passengers (at least on JAL). There is what looks to be a very nice first class security room passengers were going through, but we had to slum it with everyone else and wait in line. Fortunately for us there were about 50 middle school girls all together getting on a flight to Boston that were in front of us....joy!
After only about 15-20 minutes we were through security and on our way to the JAL Lounge!


Lounge Entrance!

We found the lounge pretty quickly and it was only just down the terminal a bit from our gate. Seeing as we came in the same morning, albeit from a different airport, on JAL First Class, we were able to enter the first class section of the lounge!


Entrance

We checked in with the ladies at the front desk and presented both boarding passes. They gave us the great news about going to the first class lounge and we continued straight into it.



The First Class section is on the top floor, while the Business Class lounge (Sakura Lounge) is on the bottom floor down the stairs. Upon facing to your right from the check in desk, you pass the sign on the wall above and walk down the hallway you see below. It is a beautiful lounge!




Baggage storage area immediately to your left when you walk in.

As you continue walking down the hallway there are chairs, loungers and tables on your left, and the open bar on your right.


Champagne, wine, coffee, sodas, etc.


Small finger foods to the left of the champagne.

Kevin and I snagged some champagne and headed down to some of the loungers at the left corner on the lounge. These were the best seats in the lounge and they went quickly. They boasted some pretty cool tarmac views on this overcast Japanese evening.




Kev enjoying the loungers and some champagne!

The area immediately behind us was nice with small tables and comfortable chairs. Very quiet and secluded areas. (Going from left to right in the 3 pictures below - the wall on the left side of the first one is the outer wall).





It's important to note that talking on cell phones is NOT ALLOWED in the lounge. Period! There are small signs all over the lounge and people absolutely abide by it. Sometimes I wish more US lounges did this...


Stairs that apparently used to connect the two lounges. Now blocked off by a couch and clear glass.

After a few minutes of drinking champagne and watching the planes, we left our comfortable loungers and headed to the restaurant area of the lounge to get some dinner!


Dinner table area

Sorry I didn't get many photos of the food! It was a little crowded and I felt weird enough as it was attempting to get pictures!


Food


More food


Champagne!


Dinner Time!

Before dinner, Kev had inquired about getting a massage. They said they were all full for the day - they end at 6 p.m. - rats! Right as we were sitting down for dinner, the massage desk agent found Kev and told him they actually do have one spot for 5:45 p.m.! Kevin didn't seem super interested, and told her we'd pass, but obviously I stopped her and said, "I'll take it!".
She took my boarding pass and came back about 3 minutes later with the massage pass!


Massage pass!

At 5:44 I walked the 50 steps to the massage section of the lounge and a gentleman (I didn't catch his name) showed me to my massage room and gave a pretty good 10 minute massage. I could have stayed in there for hours, but it was great after a long day of traveling and more still to come!


Up the main hallway from the back (towards the entrance)


Towards the back of the lounge. Our loungers we were on run along the window on the left side!

Overall, this was arguably the nicest lounge we went to on the trip. It had pretty good food options, great relaxing areas, views, and a massage area. I could spend some serious time with a layover in NRT!

After about an hour and a half or so we left the lounge to catch our flight to Seoul!

Up next is a review of our JAL Business Class flight from NRT-ICN!

cxr

subscribed

MarylandFlyer244

After a full day in Tokyo and a nice relaxing stay and dinner in the JAL First Class lounge, it was finally time to board our last flight to our final destination of Seoul, South Korea. This was on a regionally configured JAL 767 and not nearly as over the top as our last flight but it was perfect for the state we were in - tired. This will be one of my shorter flight reviews as Joe and I passed out before the plane even took off!

Airline: Japan Airlines
Route: JL959 NRT-ICN
Cabin: J
Plane: 767-300ER
Seats: 3A and 3C
Flight time: 2.5 hours

As this was a regional flight with only two cabins we were two of the first to board through the door near 1C. We found the cabin to be in a 2-2-2 lay out with 5 rows. This gives it the potential to have 30 people in business class, however, on this flight there were 6 including the two of us!


The Business Class Cabin

These large recliner seats included a leg elevator (kind of like a recliner at home) and a foot rest. It also had some very old seat controls that I had never seen before that consisted of different levers which controlled the seat. I will say that it was not easy to use and it's probably a good thing that I don't know of other planes with these controls.


One of the 6 business class passengers and lot of leg room!


Our Seats - Yes, our sweet JAL First Class mugs are in that bag!


Weird seat controls that didn't work well

Our seats also had a pillow, blanket, headphones, slippers and a customs' card waiting for us when we took our seats as well as a menu which listed the beverages we could have during our flight (had we stayed awake).


Blanket, pillow, headphones, slippers and customs card


Menu...love that brand of beer, so simple


Menu

The cabin contained overhead screens and there were also fold out screens and controls in the seat. However, I am not sure the screens in the seat are actually functional as the only ones that ever seemed to turn on were the overhead screens.


Overhead Screens


Fold out in-seat screen

Although the controls were difficult, the seats were very comfortable. There was a very large amount of leg room and really it must have been pretty darn comfy if Joe and I fell asleep before take off and only awoke upon landing.


Tons of leg room


Seat-back pocket


Controls on center armrests


767-300

This was a really comfortable 2.5 hour flight although we can't speak about the service as we were asleep the whole time. Would I pay significantly more to fly in this seat for 2.5 hours over economy? No. However, for a small price difference it is worth it. And, if the rest of your award trip is in Business or First class anyway, you can add it for no extra cost. That's a no-brainer. We also had a debate whether it would be worth it to pay 20K miles compared to 10K for this flight alone. We both felt that 10K more miles was not worth a 2.5 hour flight in these seats, but someone who has a ton of miles, a longer flight, or just needs to be comfortable, may disagree.

Next up Park Hyatt Seoul, our Seoul Trip Report and more!

Teaser for the next installment!

MarylandFlyer244

After several flights and a day in Tokyo we had finally arrived at our final destinations of Seoul! We went through customs then headed to the baggage claim to grab my bag and inquire about Joe's lost luggage (he will talk about that adventure in a future post). It was finally time to get a ride to the center of Seoul.

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Seoul on this trip and before we arrived I had read a few things on what would be the best way to get there after our flight. The route that I decided sounded the easiest and most reasonably priced - the KAL Limousine Bus. There are several routes which serve most of the major hotels in the city. I was a little nervous about catching it when we landed as I knew the last bus to our area was at 10:50pm and by the time we went though customs and talked to the baggage people it was 10:40pm! However, it all worked out very well and quite easily. We found the KAL counter just outside the baggage area and although it was empty, someone quickly approached us to let us know that we could stand by the signs for your route outside and pay as you boarded.


Our route to Park Hyatt Seoul

On the signs they list the different hotels that the route serves. This sign was literally directly out of the door when we walked outside.


Our Bus


Headed to Gangnam

Once outside we stood by the sign and waited for the bus to arrive, which it did almost exactly on time. The driver came out and sold us a ticket for 16,000 Won each (under $16), loaded our bags and it was time to head out.


Our ticket for 16,000 Won (under $16)


Our almost private ride

Our seats were actually really comfortable and reclined a lot more than any bus I have ever been on, which was good since I was exhausted and fell asleep on the hour ride to the hotel. There was also a TV up front and WiFi available for purchase.


TV Screen up front


WiFi available for purchase while you ride


It's been a long day, the seat reclined more than you can tell here

The bus made 2 other stops for the 2 other passengers and then dropped us off right across the street from the Park Hyatt Seoul!


Park Hyatt Seoul (yeah, that is a Helipad on top)


Park Hyatt Seoul

This place was FANTASTIC and I will have a FULL REVIEW of it later this week, but I can only say great things about this place. It is located in the Gangnam District of Seoul which is good and bad, but again, I will discuss that later.

After a great night sleep in a real bed for the first time in almost 2 days it was time for an OUTSTANDING breakfast at the Park Hyatt and then off to see the sites! Our first stop was originally going to be Gyeongbokgung Palace but of course, just like our day in Tokyo, it was closed the one day (Tuesday) we wanted to go there! However, it was easy to change course and see some of the other great palaces in the area and we could go there another day!

At the Park Hyatt there is a subway station directly in front of the hotel that can take you to everywhere in the city and is very easy to navigate. It is also one of the least confusing subways pricing systems as almost every ride, regardless of the number of stops or transfers was 1,000 won (under $1). Overall we were impressed with transportation here. TIP: Ask the front desk at the Park Hyatt Seoul or other hotels for subway cards as some have special hotel cards that already have money on it and are easily reloadable.


Subway screens showing where the next train is, with your stop on the far right


Such a happy Subway

Our first stop was at Anguk on the 3 line (Orange) in the Jongno Area which puts you right in the middle of numerous historical sites including our first stop at Changdeokgung Palace which is actually a UNESCO Heritage site.


UNESCO Heritage Site


Front gate of Changdeokgung


Front gate of Changdeokgung

After getting off the subway it was about 3 blocks down on our left and you can't miss it. The entrance fee is around $2-3, which was pretty standard for most of these historic places and I found to be really reasonable considering we spent over an hour there. After going through the gate we began to explore and quickly realized that it was a HUGE complex and an outstanding first stop. You can also pay a little more and see the Secret Garden behind the palace but you must take a tour as well which we weren't interested in.


Main Throne Room


Main Throne Room without us in the way


Entrance to throne area


Throne


Throne Room

This was the second palace after Gyeongbokgung and one of five Grand Palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty from 1392-1897. It was originally built in the 1400's and then reconstructed twice in the 1600's after being burnt down.





Here are some more pictures from this awesome palace:


Seoul Tower in the background





























Following this we decided to walk a few blocks up the road to the Bukchon Hanok Village which has become very touristy but is a great area to walk around and is a traditional Korean village set between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. We walked up Bukchon-ro from Yulgok-ro where we eventually found a very small visitor center on our right which had maps of the area which we glanced at but really just walk around and enjoyed the views. There are lots of small alleys, narrow roads and tons of hills, so if you have trouble climbing stairs this area may be difficult.


The first narrow road leading into the village


Korean Tourists in traditional dress from the local shop


Door of the one of the houses


Rooftops in the village


More Rooftops


My favorite picture


Joe walking the streets


More narrow streets


Beautiful streets of Bukchon Hanok


More great street views


Two of the only people not taking selfies every where


Nearing the edge of the village


Look over at Gyeongbukgung

We had started our visit on the east side of the village and ended it on the west side coming out on to a road that I don't recall the name of but eventually turned into Insadong-gil when we crossed the main road. This was a great little pedestrian street with tons of places to eat and small shops.


Pedestrian Street


Pedestrian Street

We walked down this path and into the Insa-dong district which is touristy but also with some great street food and shops. This is where we will pick up from in our next installment (Part 2)!

Seoul Tower, more Palaces, Korean Baseball and more to come! As always, a preview of Part 2!

makin'miles

Such a great trip report guys - and looks like a great trip too! Thanks for putting it together.

The rest of the report looks good too .

MarylandFlyer244

Thanks makin'miles! It was a fantastic trip, wish we could do it all again!

HangukStyle

Wow, it's 16.000 for a bus ticket to Gangnam these days? I know it's not THAT expesive, but prices(and the number of tourists) surely have risen a lot in Korea during the last couple of years.

MarylandFlyer244

How much did it used to be? We were pretty happy with less than $16 for the hour ride!

HangukStyle

These days I actually only take the airport railroad express, but in 2010 I payed 9000 won for a busride from Sinchon to Incheon airport.

MarylandFlyer244

When we arrived at the Park Hyatt Seoul via our KAL bus from the airport, we would have been honestly happy to see any hotel with a bed, but this hotel very quickly impressed me in almost all aspects.



You enter the building on the first floor (through the beautiful entrance seen in the featured picture) and encounter a doorman and elevator that takes you to the lobby on the 24th floor. This hotel is very interesting in the respect that you really need to go through the lobby to get anywhere. There are 2 sets of elevators with the connection being in the 24th floor lobby. Therefore after going to the lobby you take a second elevator to access the guest rooms on floor 4 through 22. Everywhere else is accessed by the first elevator. This does provide extra security as you need a key to access the guest-room elevators.


Hotel Floor Layout

Upon arrival we were met by the lovely hotel staff who explained the layout of the hotel as well as our Diamond breakfast benefit (which we had the option of taking in the room as room service) and asked if I would like the Diamond gift or 1,000 points. As we were on vacation I decided to go with the gift which was a local Korean Liquor called Soju.


Front Desk


Front Desk

Upon leaving the lobby for our room, we left the mostly stone, sleek layout of the entrance and lobby for a the low key, soft, light wood interior of the hotel guest room floors. Just one of the many things I like about Park Hyatt hotels are their simple elegance which can be achieved in many different ways. The doors are flush with the wall and the superior portion of the wall juts out and contains old Korean antiques with a glass window.


Elevator which activates to light touch and can be unselected as well


Our Room


Our Hall


One of the antiques in the wall


More in-wall art

Our room was 1803 and located on the back side of the hotel. We were upgraded due to my Diamond Status from a Park King (which you are booked into with points) to a Park Deluxe King Room. From pictures it appears the layouts of the room are similar but the Deluxe is bigger (42 sq m vs 48-52 sq m).

Upon entering the room we were met with a wide open layout and the continued simple but elegant combination of stone and lightly colored wood. The bedroom and bathroom are divided by a wall that contains the closet and the far wall which is 100% tall windows over looking the city which can be covered by regular and blackout blinds.


Welcome Letter and Fruit


View of the bed from the door


Regular Blinds and Blackout blinds going up


Beautiful large windows at night


Beautiful large windows during the day

Looking around the room from right to left there is a large flat screen tv, a very comfortable lounge chair, a king size bed, nights stands on each side with controls for all the lights in the room as well as the curtains, a bar area with an espresso machine, and fridge, and a table with decorative lamp. In side the drawers there were also helpful things such as a power outlet adapter to use.


TV with tub and shower on the other side of glass


Lounge Chair


King Size Bed


Night stand with alarm, free water and controls for lights and shades


Bar area with espresso machine and drawer full of goodies


Shelf, bar area and table

After a few minutes in the room one of the bellman arrived with our Diamond welcome gift! Soju, a local liquor which is usually consumed cold and straight up in the small cups to the side.


Diamond Welcome Gift, Soju!


Soju!

To the right when you walk in the room, on the other side of the closet is the bathroom. One thing that I found interesting is that the closet can be accessed from either side and you can see through to the bedroom if both sides are open. Also, there is clear glass between the shower/tub and the bedroom which can be partially or completely blocked by a sliding partition. The toilet featured a bidet, there was a large sink with a stool and vanity area and the shower and tub were in the same glass enclosure. The shower was an over head rain shower and there was an in-wall TV at the end of the tub. The exterior wall is also glass just like the bedroom which can also be cover with the same type of shade.


Looking through the closet - yes, I am rocking my JAL PJ's!


View into the shower/tub with no divider


With Divider


With Divider


View of the bathroom with sink/toilet on the right


Sink/Toilet


Toilet/Bidet


Bidet Controls


Sink


Sink


Vanity Area


Vanity Area




Shower


Tub with TV


Soap and bath salts


Rain shower from the ceiling

While at the hotel there is a Spa, Pool, Workout Area, The Cornerstone (Restaurant) and the Timberline (Bar and restaurant). The pool and workout area are located on the same floor as the main lobby (24th). When facing the front desk there is a sitting and restaurant area (The Lounge) to the left and when you walk through this area you will come to a gorgeous pool and past that a workout area with free weights, cadio machine, weight machines, plenty of bottled water and even a trainer waiting around to help out! They also had a stack of cards showing the best running paths!


Dining/Sitting Area to the left of the front desk


Dining/Sitting Area


Dining/Sitting Area


Walking to the Pool from the Dining/Sitting Area


Pool


Hall to the gym, with pool on the right


Water, Towels and Running Path Cards


Cardio Machines


Free weights and Weights Machines


More Gym Pics


More Gym Pics


Beautiful Pool


Running Path Card


View behind the Front Desk

During our stay Joe and I had our free Diamond Breakfast at Cornerstone (2nd Floor) each morning and it was FANTASTIC! Not only do they have several buffet stations with fresh bread/pastries, fruits, meats, an area of hot Korean specialties AND fresh smoothies, there is also full menu! You are able to order as much as you would like as well as espresso drinks and juices.


Front Desk at CornerStone


Sorbet


Sorbet


Other Small dishes


Menu


Our Table


Breakfast is served!


Eggs Benedict


Fresh Banana Strawberry Smoothie


Great French Toast!


Pancakes


Bulgogi with wagyu beef


Fancy Butter


Pear Juice


Cappuccino


Main seating area


Bread Station


Kitchen Area


Bar area for later in the day


Fruit, cereal, smoothie area with bread on the other side


Kitchen Area


Our awesome Chefs!


Hot Food Station


Meal that day


Meal that day


More seating


Hot food


Joe grabbing some food


Some coffee to go

We ordered several things each meal and were nice and full so that we never needed lunch. We found that the Eggs Benedict's was made with a different meat each day (Bacon, Pork, Ham, etc) which was great because we both had one each day and the hot/Korean Buffet area also changed each day. To say that the service was personal and friendly is an understatement! They knew us by name each morning after our first breakfast and even asked us when we would be coming back on our last day. They were wonderful.

Our second night in town we ended our night at Timberline (bar) in the lower level. This place was not nearly as simple as the rest of the hotel with a very modern and swank feel. There are small private seating area and tables around the periphery of the room with a center bar slightly offset. Next to this is a stage area with a piano and a live singer the night we were there. In the back left there is a second bar which is sunken so that the bartender's floor is several feet below the regular floor. We had a great time there with delicious drinks (that are super expensive) and we actually spent most of our time there chatting with the bar manager who was a great guy.


The Timber House


Beautiful Bar


Bar (sorry the pics are so dark)


Private seating area


Piano player and singer


View from the back bar


Delicious house mojito

The night before we left we found a hand written note from the GM and a parting gift!


Gift and hand written note


Hand made thimble


The last view from our room

When were ready to leave a car was called which gave us a complimentary ride to the city airport/bus station that we will discuss in Seoul (Part 2).


Our free ride

How do I get there? We took the KAL Bus for about $16 from the airport which was really easy and discussed in more detail HERE.

Any restaurants suggestions? One cheap, really good, close by restaurant is in the very large mall across the street. I have no idea what it is called because I don't speak Korean but here is a picture.


Top Right


Delicious and cheap!


Way to dinner, to the left

TIP: You can get a free metro card from the front desk that has 3,000 won already on it and it is really easy to reload and use during your stay.



Cost of 3 nights: This stay cost 15K points per night (45K total) at the time we stay which I feel is a FANTASTIC deal! Since my booking it has been raised to 20K per night which I think is more in line with it's true value. A nice bonus to go along with this stay is that we stayed during the 20% back Hyatt promotion which means I had 9K points deposited back into my account making the true cost 36K for 3 nights. Most of these points were manufactured on my Hyatt Credit card and from other Hyatt stays. I would estimate the cost to me for 3 nights was << $200

CONCLUSION

To say I was impressed with this hotel is a huge understatement! From the incredibly helpful and friendly staff to the wonderful facilities and architecture, and delicious breakfast this is a wonderful hotel. If there is one negative I can think of about this hotel is that it's location could be a little better for historical site seeing as it takes 30-40 min on the metro to get to the historical sites. With that being said, with a station in front of the hotel and such a nice metro we really didn't mind. I can't believe I am saying this but this hotel may rival or surpass the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome (especially for breakfast)!

MarylandFlyer244

Picking up where we left off from PART 1 we were in Insa-dong walking through the somewhat touristy street with tons of shops and street food stands.


Insa-dong

After walking down and stopping to get a coffee we doubled back up to Yulgok-ro and over to the Palace of Changgyeonggung! This is about a 10 min walk east of Changdeokgung and also incredibly cheap ($1) and expansive!


Tank of Eels on the street




Peace signs outside Changgyeonggung


Changgyeonggung Gate


Changgyeonggung


Changgyeonggung


Main building of Changgyeonggung


Main building of Changgyeonggung


Gotta have peace sign selfies




The following day we decided to do a little something different than seeing more palaces and looked up the baseball schedule! Joe and I are avid baseball fans seeing 28 Major League Baseball teams stadium around the US and we decided this would be a cool experience. Seoul has 3 baseball teams, the Nexen Heroes, the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears. Two of these teams, the Bears and Twins play at Jamsil Baseball Stadium which is 1 subway stop from the Park Hyatt Seoul, located in the Seoul Sports Complex near the Olympic Stadium. The season had not started yet so we were able to see a free exhibition game!


On our way to the game!


Olympic Stadium (1988 Summer Olympics)


Front row seats!


Front row seats!




Empty but nice stadiium


Beverages at the game


Very strange but entertaining scoreboard cartoons


One of the Official hats of the Doosan Bears!

The game was really entertaining. Not only did we get to see a ball game but the fans were great! Even though this was an exhibition game on an overcast Wednesday people were continually chanting, singing, and doing cheers and dances that everyone seemed to know. After the game we just had to get a cap!

When the game we decided to have dinner in the Seoul Tower at Hancook. A little tip, if you are taking the metro to Seoul tower make sure you get off at the Myeong-dong stop on the 4 (blue) line. It is just a few block walk from a gondola up to the Tower. We did NOT do this and trusted google maps to guide us and this was a very bad idea. Google maps directions aren't always accurate in other countries. We ended up hiking up one side of the hill, down the other and back up again to get to the Tower. It took us about an hour walking at a pretty brisk pace...don't do that, go to the above station.


View from the path on our walk to Seoul tower


View from the top of the hill next to the Tower


Cool building on our long walk up


Seoul Tower


Hancook for Dinner


Us at dinner


I'm guessing this was not translated correctly

Although the Seoul Tower is a very cool tourist attraction and has great views in all directions I really can not recommend Hancook which is a Korean restaurant located on Tower 1F which is the first floor of the top level of the tower. This is marketed as a nicer restaurant but is really a mediocre buffet with 1 entree included and no beverage except tea and water. Not only is it pretty expensive to go along with that the service was by far the worst of any place on this entire trip.

The following day was our last in Seoul and it was time to see the main Palace before flying to Vegas! As we had done previoulsly we took the metro to the Jongno historical area to view Gyeongbokgung Palace. This was the first and grandest of the Joseon Dynasty and the seat of power for centuries. Like the other palaces this was very reasonable at 3000 won (about $3).


The front gate of Gyeongbokgung


Other side of front gate of Gyeongbokgung


Main throne room


Main throne room


Throne


Chinese Calendar in statues


Boar


Boar


Snake


Snake


Gyeongbokgung Pagoda




Guard at front gate

Following this we headed back to the hotel and took a free ride over to the the COEX Complex where there is the Korea City Air Terminal. This was actually a pretty cool facility as it is connected to the Coex Mall but is a full airport check in and transfer to the airport. We used it simply as a bus to the airport - which was really reasonable at $15-16 considering it took almost an hour - but you can do everything here! You are able to check-in, and check your bags right there before getting on the bus so when you get there you should only have to get off the bus and into security. We wanted to see how the check-in experience was for Singapore Airlines at the airport so we skipped this but if you have a lot of bag or kids or both this could be really really helpful.


Korea City Air Terminal


Full Service Korean Air office


Check in looks the same as the airport


Other airline check ins


Departures Board




Immigration Office


Bus departure and arrivals


Tickets we bought at the Park Hyatt

So after a free short ride from the Park Hyatt to the City Air Terminal (its close, you could walk in 10 min) it was time to board a pretty comfortable bus for our 45 min ride to the airport!



Next up Asiana First Class Lounge(s)!

farbster

Hey, if I post about a terrible series of flights and mishaps that I had on Emirates or Singapore, would you all pitch in and fly me first class? I'd even make my way from BWI-NYC on my own nickel to catch the good planes.

But seriously, not to pick on Bretteee too much, comparing anything from today to something from that many years ago is quite silly. It's not like you were flying in the cargo hold eating stale granola bars!