Vegas, NYC, HK, Bali, Philippines - (OZ F/J, CX F/J, Amankila, Chedi)
Feb 24, 2016, 1:13 pm
#31
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
Ben, Mazel tov on the wedding. At first I thought you wedding was at the Andaz and that you were a doing what you could to acquire Hyatt points. I'm not judging mind you 
I really wish we had done the Chedi Club instead of the Four Seasons Sayan back in 2014. I think they were about the same price, but we chose poorly.
Who took the pics of you and your wife watching the movie? Camera on timer?
Looking forward to more reporting!
I really wish we had done the Chedi Club instead of the Four Seasons Sayan back in 2014. I think they were about the same price, but we chose poorly.
Who took the pics of you and your wife watching the movie? Camera on timer?
Looking forward to more reporting!
Feb 25, 2016, 10:24 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Ben, Mazel tov on the wedding. At first I thought you wedding was at the Andaz and that you were a doing what you could to acquire Hyatt points. I'm not judging mind you
I really wish we had done the Chedi Club instead of the Four Seasons Sayan back in 2014. I think they were about the same price, but we chose poorly.
Who took the pics of you and your wife watching the movie? Camera on timer?
Looking forward to more reporting!
I really wish we had done the Chedi Club instead of the Four Seasons Sayan back in 2014. I think they were about the same price, but we chose poorly.
Who took the pics of you and your wife watching the movie? Camera on timer?
Looking forward to more reporting!
Re: the pics. I had my GoPro wifi on and used the app on my phone to take a simulated shot of us (me pretending to sleep and her passed out)
Rest of the report coming up shortly.
Feb 27, 2016, 5:44 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Chedi Club and Amankila
While at The Chedi Club, we hired a local guide who toured us around some local temples, coffee and tea plantation, and other sites. We also went on a rice paddy trek with our butler.
Nasi Goreng with a view of some rice terraces.
Paddy trekking with the Chedi Club behind us
One last amazing breakfast at Chedi
After an amazing 3 nights at the Chedi Club, we were picked up by the driver from Amankila at about 11am for our hour and a half drive to Manggis, where Amankila is located. The driver greeted us and took our bags, offered us cold towels, a drink (water, soda, or beer), and some chocolate chip cookies and vegetable crackers.
The car was cool and comfortable and had wifi.
We arrived at Amankila and were greeted by the front office staff, who then escorted us directly to our room and described our honeymoon and Virtuoso benefits. We had requested suite 37, however, it's roof was being replaced, so we were booked in suite 36.
Suite 36
Welcome card and champagne
Welcome bath
View from Suite 36 with complimentary oil tankers ;(
Outdoor lounge area
Turndown service, with a little treat and a bedtime story
Suite at night
Room and property tour
Second day there and we awoke to mostly clear skies and beautiful weather. We lounged around and basically went from restaurant to pool to beach to pool to restaurant to room to restaurant. This monotony got to us and I think it's one of the main reasons we just were not wowed by Amankila. It's boring. We had an activity of snorkeling which was fun, however, the current was strong and we were snorkeling in the same channel the oil tankers come in and out of, so it just didn't seem magical. We only saw one couple while we were there and it was probably just a bit too quiet for us. We like to people watch, we like to interact with other people and we like to explore. I probably should have known better and realized too late that Manggis and East Bali is just very quiet in general. The food was good but not great. The massages were amazing. The vibe was not amazing, it was almost a bit sterile and bland. It was also expensive, no laundry included, no comp minibar, food and beverages were costly. Chedi wins.
Some more resort and food pics
Room service
Beach club pool
Snorkeling
Beach club to the left
After 3 nights at Amankila, we were excited to leave for the Philippines and spend time with family and friends there. We bid Amankila farewell, they gave us a blessing, bracelet, and luggage tags and we made our way to DPS to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Manila and then catch a PAL Express flight to Boracay, where we spent 3 nights at the Shangri-la Boracay resort.
Nasi Goreng with a view of some rice terraces.
Paddy trekking with the Chedi Club behind us
One last amazing breakfast at Chedi
After an amazing 3 nights at the Chedi Club, we were picked up by the driver from Amankila at about 11am for our hour and a half drive to Manggis, where Amankila is located. The driver greeted us and took our bags, offered us cold towels, a drink (water, soda, or beer), and some chocolate chip cookies and vegetable crackers.
The car was cool and comfortable and had wifi.
We arrived at Amankila and were greeted by the front office staff, who then escorted us directly to our room and described our honeymoon and Virtuoso benefits. We had requested suite 37, however, it's roof was being replaced, so we were booked in suite 36.
Suite 36
Welcome card and champagne
Welcome bath
View from Suite 36 with complimentary oil tankers ;(
Outdoor lounge area
Turndown service, with a little treat and a bedtime story
Suite at night
Room and property tour
Second day there and we awoke to mostly clear skies and beautiful weather. We lounged around and basically went from restaurant to pool to beach to pool to restaurant to room to restaurant. This monotony got to us and I think it's one of the main reasons we just were not wowed by Amankila. It's boring. We had an activity of snorkeling which was fun, however, the current was strong and we were snorkeling in the same channel the oil tankers come in and out of, so it just didn't seem magical. We only saw one couple while we were there and it was probably just a bit too quiet for us. We like to people watch, we like to interact with other people and we like to explore. I probably should have known better and realized too late that Manggis and East Bali is just very quiet in general. The food was good but not great. The massages were amazing. The vibe was not amazing, it was almost a bit sterile and bland. It was also expensive, no laundry included, no comp minibar, food and beverages were costly. Chedi wins.
Some more resort and food pics
Room service
Beach club pool
Snorkeling
Beach club to the left
After 3 nights at Amankila, we were excited to leave for the Philippines and spend time with family and friends there. We bid Amankila farewell, they gave us a blessing, bracelet, and luggage tags and we made our way to DPS to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Manila and then catch a PAL Express flight to Boracay, where we spent 3 nights at the Shangri-la Boracay resort.
Feb 28, 2016, 8:12 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 57
I never respond on trip reports but really love yours! Going to be in HKG in 5 weeks and already booked The Mira Hong Kong on my stopover. Great restaurant suggestions for Vegas too and hope to visit a few when I am there next year.
Mar 2, 2016, 11:27 am
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Thanks scentcrazy Enjoy your trips! We also ate at Scarpetta in Las Vegas, really loved the short rib and bone marrow agnolotti (must try!), great views of the Belaggio fountains as well.
Mar 4, 2016, 1:56 am
#37
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Fdw
Mar 8, 2016, 1:14 pm
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Thanks FlyingDoctorwu We debated between Amandari and Chedi as well but went with our initial choice and it seemed to work out well. Bali was great but not on my to do list in the near future, however, I would not hesitate to go back to Chedi once there.
Mar 9, 2016, 9:54 pm
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Boracay/Manila
The time had come for us to leave Bali and head to Manila and on to Boracay. We were transferred to DPS via Amankila car with breakfast loaded (coffee in to-go cups, fruit, pastry basket) and were greeted by an Amankila representative who loaded our luggage on to a cart, escorted us into the terminal and bid farewell.
We didn't get to see much of DPS when we landed so I was excited to explore a bit. It's got a lovely tropical feel via the open air terminal.
Informative signs in the DPS bathroom
Post security
Stopped by the Premier lounge for a cup of coffee. It was fairly empty and had some breakfast offerings.
Cebu Pacific
Flight 5J280
DPS-MNL
Boarding was orderly for the most part and the plane was about 80% full
We had booked the emergency row and nobody sat next to us which left us with a nice amount of space to move around in and stretch out a bit
Landed in MNL, had a friend come pick up some heavier bags, checked in to our PAL Express flight to MPH (Caticlan Airport)
This is the first sight you are greeted with when you step outside of baggage claim at MNL
Boarded the PAL Express Bombardier Q300
Row 2 has maximum legroom.
The flight was full and I was unable to sit with my wife, but my seat mate had some critical reading material for me.
Landed safely in cloudy Boracay
Shangri-la Boracay representative greeted us at baggage claim and transferred us to a waiting van, which drove us about 10 minuted to the Shangri-la Welcome Lounge, which is located just steps from the port and waiting speed boat.
We didn't really splurge on this part of the trip as it was somewhat of an afterthought, but we ended up with a nice ocean view room at the end of the property which kept things quiet.
After arriving we wanted to get a quick workout in and headed down the fitness center. It was one of the most fully equipped hotel gyms i've seen. Really a nice facility.
Locker room had wet and dry saunas
Open air lobby at Shangri-la
View from the Lobby
The hotel offers a free shuttle every hour to and from D'Mall, which is the main strip in Boracay. We would have breakfast at the hotel and head into town to people watch, stroll around, have lunch and enjoy the sites. We would head back to town for dinner at the D'Talipapa(Wet Market)
The main beach for most hotels in Boracay, White Beach, is loaded with restaurants, hawkers for activities, shopping and bars. It's not my idea of vacation but it was clearly popular with tourists from all over. We met many nice people from Italy, Germany, Israel and beyond.
Had some famous fruit shakes on the beach at Jonah's
Wet market for dinner. This was great. I let my wife go on her own and pick up some prawns and fish because if they saw me we would get the tourist price, that's just the way the world works.
Our prawns turned into these delicious butter garlic prawns. So good.
We went back the next night and had crabs, clams and some more prawns
We checked out Nami hotel for lunch, it had a nice view, however the food was mediocre.
Took a trike back to the resort and relaxed for the rest of the day. On to Manila tomorrow.
This counts as relaxing
The breakfast buffet and Shangri-la was a nice spread and as breakfast was the only meal we would eat there, we were really pleased.
The ube ensaymada were amazing
After 3 nights, we were back to Manila via CebuPacific. We arrived at the airport and were informed that we had a delay. One hour turned into two and then into 4 and after 5 hours, we finally boarded, but not before countless hours of people watching and this guy was the real gem.....maybe it's me, but I usually like to shave in private or at the barber. c'est la vie.
ATR72-500 to Manila
Interesting sign in MNL bathroom
Checked into the Marco Polo Ortigas - Manila. We stayed here last year for 4 nights and had a great stay. We were staying 2 nights before heading back to NYC. We were assigned room 3906 which is a superior suite, which has a large bedroom area and small semi-private seating area/corridor.
Lobby
View from the room
Up next: More of Manila, 2nd wedding celebration, CX MNL Lounge, Pier Lounge, CX J/F MNL-HKG-JFK, and debating about including a spontaneous trip to the Super Bowl in this trip report.
We didn't get to see much of DPS when we landed so I was excited to explore a bit. It's got a lovely tropical feel via the open air terminal.
Informative signs in the DPS bathroom
Post security
Stopped by the Premier lounge for a cup of coffee. It was fairly empty and had some breakfast offerings.
Cebu Pacific
Flight 5J280
DPS-MNL
Boarding was orderly for the most part and the plane was about 80% full
We had booked the emergency row and nobody sat next to us which left us with a nice amount of space to move around in and stretch out a bit
Landed in MNL, had a friend come pick up some heavier bags, checked in to our PAL Express flight to MPH (Caticlan Airport)
This is the first sight you are greeted with when you step outside of baggage claim at MNL
Boarded the PAL Express Bombardier Q300
Row 2 has maximum legroom.
The flight was full and I was unable to sit with my wife, but my seat mate had some critical reading material for me.
Landed safely in cloudy Boracay
Shangri-la Boracay representative greeted us at baggage claim and transferred us to a waiting van, which drove us about 10 minuted to the Shangri-la Welcome Lounge, which is located just steps from the port and waiting speed boat.
We didn't really splurge on this part of the trip as it was somewhat of an afterthought, but we ended up with a nice ocean view room at the end of the property which kept things quiet.
After arriving we wanted to get a quick workout in and headed down the fitness center. It was one of the most fully equipped hotel gyms i've seen. Really a nice facility.
Locker room had wet and dry saunas
Open air lobby at Shangri-la
View from the Lobby
The hotel offers a free shuttle every hour to and from D'Mall, which is the main strip in Boracay. We would have breakfast at the hotel and head into town to people watch, stroll around, have lunch and enjoy the sites. We would head back to town for dinner at the D'Talipapa(Wet Market)
The main beach for most hotels in Boracay, White Beach, is loaded with restaurants, hawkers for activities, shopping and bars. It's not my idea of vacation but it was clearly popular with tourists from all over. We met many nice people from Italy, Germany, Israel and beyond.
Had some famous fruit shakes on the beach at Jonah's
Wet market for dinner. This was great. I let my wife go on her own and pick up some prawns and fish because if they saw me we would get the tourist price, that's just the way the world works.
Our prawns turned into these delicious butter garlic prawns. So good.
We went back the next night and had crabs, clams and some more prawns
We checked out Nami hotel for lunch, it had a nice view, however the food was mediocre.
Took a trike back to the resort and relaxed for the rest of the day. On to Manila tomorrow.
This counts as relaxing
The breakfast buffet and Shangri-la was a nice spread and as breakfast was the only meal we would eat there, we were really pleased.
The ube ensaymada were amazing
After 3 nights, we were back to Manila via CebuPacific. We arrived at the airport and were informed that we had a delay. One hour turned into two and then into 4 and after 5 hours, we finally boarded, but not before countless hours of people watching and this guy was the real gem.....maybe it's me, but I usually like to shave in private or at the barber. c'est la vie.
ATR72-500 to Manila
Interesting sign in MNL bathroom
Checked into the Marco Polo Ortigas - Manila. We stayed here last year for 4 nights and had a great stay. We were staying 2 nights before heading back to NYC. We were assigned room 3906 which is a superior suite, which has a large bedroom area and small semi-private seating area/corridor.
Lobby
View from the room
Up next: More of Manila, 2nd wedding celebration, CX MNL Lounge, Pier Lounge, CX J/F MNL-HKG-JFK, and debating about including a spontaneous trip to the Super Bowl in this trip report.
Mar 18, 2016, 8:38 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Manila, CX F
Quick night out in Manila, went for yakitori at Tambai in Makati and hit up a few bars
Next morning hit the gym at Marco Polo and the club lounge on the 42nd floor for a quick bite
Marco Polo from a block away
We had a 2nd wedding celebration in Manila, which was amazing and probably too much fun...woke up with the worst hangover but was looking forward to CX F back home.
We ran around for the morning, went to a foot spa, and then headed to NAIA for our CX flight to HKG and then on to JFK
CX904
MNL-HKG
Seats 15H/K
NAIA- MNL Terminal 3
Business Class check in was empty and we were checked in and on our way to the new CX lounge in a few minutes
Lounge invite
Entrance to the lounge is one level up after security
The lounge is very nice and is up to par with the new style of CX lounges. It's brilliantly decorated and has some very nice finishes. A bar is to your right when you enter and has a fully stocked bar and some light bites there. The noodle bar is located past the bar and to the back of the lounge. It has nice hunter green tiles and some sleek wood booths. The menu was dim sum style and I had some soup and a pork bun which were both very good.
Snacks at the bar
Bar
Noodle bar
Finished up at the lounge and headed down to the gate. Boarding was orderly and we settled in to our comfortable seats for a quick flight to HKG
Menu
Breakfast was offered for this early morning flight. A Western option of an egg omelette was offered and a Filipino option of fried milk fish was also offered.
I opted for the western and it was tasty
We hadn't showered since running around Manila the whole day and as no showers were offered at MNL, we headed straight to The Pier and were escorted to very nice shower suites.
Entry to the shower suites
Love the Aesop products.
\
The decor is so choice. The feel of this lounge has a very Mad Men vibe to it.
Decent views of the tarmac
Some snack offerings in The Pantry
We had a nice time refreshing at The Pier and headed to the gate to board. We arrived a bit late and economy passengers were already boarding. We showed the agent our boarding passes and she escorted us to the front of the pre-boarding security check. Passed the brief security check and we boarded a full F cabin. Seated in 2D/K
Pajamas and amenity kit
Amuse bouche and Krug offered
Scheduled flight time of 14hours 35 mins
Cabin shots
Menu
Unfortunately, describing and executing seemed to be two completely different things on this flight as the menu sounded decent but the food was pretty poor. Clear first world problems here. I will say it was quite a pleasure to share fine champagne, caviar and lunch while sitting with my wife at 35K feet.
Caviar service
Cream of Chicken soup. Something about cream and chicken in soup form, just does not work. skip.
The Mrs. enjoyed the pork soup with winter melon
The salads were terrible.
We both had the braised duck and while it wasn't terrible, it was not memorable and it just seemed like a fail.
Dessert
Maybe I'm completely jaded but the meal was lacking in flavor and quality. I also noticed no handwritten note, has CX stopped this? I received one on previous CX F flight. Service was typical CX, very reactive, not so much proactive. I went on to order some noodle soup and afternoon tea service during the rest of the flight. Dinner service was on the menu but no offer was made to take an order for it. I remember waiting to see if the FA would come around to take an order but no such effort was made. I suppose I could've just rang but I would've preferred some initiative.
The seat is quite comfortable but is definitely starting to show some wear and tear. Looking forward to the next gen of CX F. Pen marks all over, jam or some sort of jelly like substance was caked on to the interior paneling, and cracking along the IFE screen plastic.
I was let down by this trip on CX F and it seemed to be an off day for them on this one. I had high hopes but left with a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively and literally. In the end, I'm still amazed that I can drink expensive champagne, watch movies, eat till my belly is full while speeding through the upper atmosphere in a metal tube. Cheers to the next trip.
Next morning hit the gym at Marco Polo and the club lounge on the 42nd floor for a quick bite
Marco Polo from a block away
We had a 2nd wedding celebration in Manila, which was amazing and probably too much fun...woke up with the worst hangover but was looking forward to CX F back home.
We ran around for the morning, went to a foot spa, and then headed to NAIA for our CX flight to HKG and then on to JFK
CX904
MNL-HKG
Seats 15H/K
NAIA- MNL Terminal 3
Business Class check in was empty and we were checked in and on our way to the new CX lounge in a few minutes
Lounge invite
Entrance to the lounge is one level up after security
The lounge is very nice and is up to par with the new style of CX lounges. It's brilliantly decorated and has some very nice finishes. A bar is to your right when you enter and has a fully stocked bar and some light bites there. The noodle bar is located past the bar and to the back of the lounge. It has nice hunter green tiles and some sleek wood booths. The menu was dim sum style and I had some soup and a pork bun which were both very good.
Snacks at the bar
Bar
Noodle bar
Finished up at the lounge and headed down to the gate. Boarding was orderly and we settled in to our comfortable seats for a quick flight to HKG
Menu
Breakfast was offered for this early morning flight. A Western option of an egg omelette was offered and a Filipino option of fried milk fish was also offered.
I opted for the western and it was tasty
We hadn't showered since running around Manila the whole day and as no showers were offered at MNL, we headed straight to The Pier and were escorted to very nice shower suites.
Entry to the shower suites
Love the Aesop products.
\The decor is so choice. The feel of this lounge has a very Mad Men vibe to it.
Decent views of the tarmac
Some snack offerings in The Pantry
We had a nice time refreshing at The Pier and headed to the gate to board. We arrived a bit late and economy passengers were already boarding. We showed the agent our boarding passes and she escorted us to the front of the pre-boarding security check. Passed the brief security check and we boarded a full F cabin. Seated in 2D/K
Pajamas and amenity kit
Amuse bouche and Krug offered
Scheduled flight time of 14hours 35 mins
Cabin shots
Menu
Unfortunately, describing and executing seemed to be two completely different things on this flight as the menu sounded decent but the food was pretty poor. Clear first world problems here. I will say it was quite a pleasure to share fine champagne, caviar and lunch while sitting with my wife at 35K feet.
Caviar service
Cream of Chicken soup. Something about cream and chicken in soup form, just does not work. skip.
The Mrs. enjoyed the pork soup with winter melon
The salads were terrible.
We both had the braised duck and while it wasn't terrible, it was not memorable and it just seemed like a fail.
Dessert
Maybe I'm completely jaded but the meal was lacking in flavor and quality. I also noticed no handwritten note, has CX stopped this? I received one on previous CX F flight. Service was typical CX, very reactive, not so much proactive. I went on to order some noodle soup and afternoon tea service during the rest of the flight. Dinner service was on the menu but no offer was made to take an order for it. I remember waiting to see if the FA would come around to take an order but no such effort was made. I suppose I could've just rang but I would've preferred some initiative.
The seat is quite comfortable but is definitely starting to show some wear and tear. Looking forward to the next gen of CX F. Pen marks all over, jam or some sort of jelly like substance was caked on to the interior paneling, and cracking along the IFE screen plastic.
I was let down by this trip on CX F and it seemed to be an off day for them on this one. I had high hopes but left with a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively and literally. In the end, I'm still amazed that I can drink expensive champagne, watch movies, eat till my belly is full while speeding through the upper atmosphere in a metal tube. Cheers to the next trip.
Jul 12, 2016, 8:54 pm
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
