NOTE - Yellowstone and Montana parts now added in separate posts, please scroll down to the bottom for these.

Howdy everyone,

I thought it was about time I contributed something useful rather than just lurking in the background and enjoying the fruits of everyone else's labours. This is my first TR so please go easy.

Back in October I took a trip to Wyoming, Montana and California for work/pleasure. On the outbound I took the VS039 which was just coming towards the end of its seasonal stint.

I was flying on a Saturday morning so the wife graciously offered a lift to the airport to see me off. The traffic was annoyingly heavy on the M4 spur and I was becoming increasingly frustrated at my Clubhouse time being eaten into. I don't think Mrs bruns83 was too impressed as I practically long-jumped out of the car and into the Virgin T3 check-in area, mumbling 'see you in a week' in her general direction.

Fortunately I'd checked in online and there was no queue at the bag drop so I was able to whisk through the Upper Class Wing and into the Clubhouse within about 10 minutes.

The lounge was reasonably busy but I managed to get a table in the area directly behind the bar with a ‘view’ of the tarmac – now largely obstructed but what I think is some kind of transit area.

Service was swift and I enjoyed the Eggs Royale along with my new favourite hops-based libation, a cold Brewdog Punk IPA (if only these were served on board). For the uninitiated this is very much in the style of an American craft beer, but hails from Edinburgh I believe. I then repositioned to the bar as time was running short and I fancied a swift espresso martini before heading to the gate. As usual it was one of the furthest gates away and I was stopped in my tracks twice by that ridiculous (yet necessary I’m sure) door system that exists to stop inbound and outbound passengers mingling. Not the best designed terminal in the world but I don’t care what you say – I still love it!



I was one of the last on board the A330 through L1 – a quick glass of bubbly (alas no longer Lanson) and a couple of phone calls and we were en route. The crew were top notch on this flight – it was a pretty busy cabin but they kept the drinks topped up and were very friendly. The food was the best I remember in a long while. If I remember correctly it was a prawn and crab timbale, fillet steak (not exactly medium rare but pink hues were observed, and very tasty!), and bread and butter pudding to finish. In the interests of research I tried the cheese plate and washed it down with a sauvignon blanc (switched to red for the main but can’ remember what it was), and then a mint tea in the hope of avoiding being plunged into a food-induced coma for the duration. The rest of the flight was enjoyed over a few Tiger beers and accompanied by light entertainment in the form of Family Guy and Ted 2 – I just can’t watch anything serious on a plane.



























Prior to landing the afternoon tea service was offered. The sandwiches are never particularly impressive but I enjoyed the cakes and scone, and switched to coffee and water in preparation for landing.







The flight arrived on time into a gloriously sunny Chicago. There was a lengthy queue in immigration, even for ESTA holders, however I still had plenty of time to switch terminals for the horror of United flights to Denver an onto Jackson Hole (in reality they were fine, bog standard US domestic runs). I arrived into a rather chilly Wyoming at around 20:33 and was soon in my rented Toyota Rav4 and making my way up a dark, winding mountain road towards Amangani. From there I would embark on a road trip through Yellowstone and into Montana, before heading from Missoula to LAX to meet my wife for another week-long road trip up the coast to SFO. Plenty of photos of the journey if anyone is interested, taken with my Canon SLR as opposed to the iPhone pics of this report - sorry, I just couldn't justify unsheathing the big boy to take photos of the on board meal service

Thanks for reading all - any questions or comments welcome.

Nice trip report! Would love to hear about Amangani.

Thanks Farbster!

Amangani was great - it's a little away from town but a pretty easy drive, and there aren't any great properties in Jackson Hole itself. It has the whole zen Aman thing going on, but if you've been to certain other Amans around the world you may be a tad disappointed. Although minimalist and comfortable, it felt like the rooms could do with a refresh. Lovely setting though, and the pool is as spectacular as it looks. It feels more like a private home. I also checked out the nearby Four Seasons which had a very different vibe. A few photos of Amangani:

















Let me know if you have any other questions. Will post some of Yellowstone and Ranch at Rock Creek/Paws Up in due course.

Thanks for the trip report.

I having an upcoming trip to London ex USA and I'm considering trying out VS Upper Class either on the A330 or A340. I've read a lot of mixed reviews or very negative reviews of the A330 for seat/bed comfort because of the number of seats and design, etc.

I would be curious what your thoughts were on this?

Thx.

Hi RRags,

There have been some negative reviews of the A330 J seat. The cabin looks great and very modern but without doubt feels more cramped than the other variants. The aisles are narrow as it is 4 abreast rather than 3. The seat is definitely shorter and narrower at shoulder height. If you choose the front row window seats or row 9 window they are a little longer. However row 9 has no actual window to look out of. I am just over 6 foot and did find it a little uncomfortable for sleeping on an overnight flight. If you're a little shorter you may be fine. I had no issue at all on the daytime flight. If you can get the A340 I would go for that. Most/all of them have had a soft refurb so the cabins are nice. They also have the little armrest on both sides which actually does make a difference when sitting. 787 is the top of the pile but not sure if that's an option?

Hope that helps!

Thanks, don�t see much of Amangani here. Would you choice it again over FS. I�m in General not a fan of the Aman-JS-style so I�m not so sure I would go with Amangani.

Hi Offerendum,

I have to say I don't really get all the fuss with Aman sometimes, given their price point. However I haven't stayed in many, so maybe I need to experience one in Asia. If I was a big skier or travelling with family I'd definitely go FS, which has direct access to the slopes. If I was looking for more of a quiet retreat I'd probably go for Amangani again. I have to say that neither compared to Ranch at Rock Creek, which was a real highlight. I'll post some photos of that tomorrow.

Thank you. It does help. flight is overnight and I am about 6 foot tall. Don't think the 787 is an option but I did check. Glad to hear there have been soft refurbs. I was torn because I wanted an updated and a comfortable seat as well.

I'd take the A340-600 every time. I find it a really nice aircraft to fly on - very spacious and if you get a seat on the A side you don't have anyone in the middle section facing you so it feels very private. The entertainment is essentially the same content, just a slightly smaller and lower res screen and no touch screen.

+1

After a couple of days in and around the charming town of Jackson Hole, it was time to hit the road.

Unfortunately the weather gods were not smiling on me and my view of the Grand Tetons was completely obscured - possibly a good thing as it meant I kept my eyes on the road! And what a pleasure it is to drive in this part of the world - wonderful scenery (weather notwithstanding), straight and fast roads, and hardly any other traffic, although this is possibly due to the time of year. Before I knew it I was up to the park entry for Yellowstone, paid my $50 and was on my way into the park. This is per standard vehicle and valid for a week, so pretty good value.

Of course, you can spend many days exploring this vast national park (and many do) but unfortunately I was on a tight schedule so I just stopped off a couple of times. Firstly I took a lunch break by Yellowstone Lake and scoffed the lovely tuna bagel I'd bought back in Jackson Hole. I then took a wander outside in the freezing conditions. The view across the lake was pretty non-existent but you could imagine how stunning it would be in the summer. You practically tripped over geothermal pools and I even stumbled across a few friendly elk (at least I think that's what they were - we don't see many of them in London).

























I then took the southerly route towards Old Faithful and was lucky enough to time it to coincide with the next 'eruption', which takes place roughly every two hours. Quite a crowd had gathered, although I imagined it would be much busier in peak season. The plume of water and steam would have appeared even more spectacular with a blue sky backdrop, but it was very impressive nonetheless, and I felt privileged to have witnessed it - something of a bucket list item ticked off.















There is a small interactive visitor centre, gift shop and hotel around Old Faithful, although the latter was closed at this time of year. Quite a good set up all in all. You can tell just how busy it gets in the summer by the sheer number of parking spaces available!

My plan after that was to head straight to West Yellowstone where I was overnighting at the Holiday Inn, but I kept getting distracted by the beauty around me...



























I arrived at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone later afternoon after a really enjoyable day. This was just a brief night stop but I was pleasantly surprised - comfy bed, decent wifi, small gym and pool, good burger washed down by a good local craft beer. There was also free coffee in the lobby the next morning. What more could I ask for?

Next up - deeper into Montana: The Resort at Paws Up and Ranch at Rock Creek.

Any questions or comments welcome.

Just to add to this, I may be wrong but I believe that the D&G seats on the A330 are shorter than the A&K seats, so don't choose one of those.

I was up early to fill up on gas and grab a quick McDonalds breakfast - don�t judge me, there isn�t a lot going on in West Yellowstone so this seemed like a safe option.

The drive over to the Resort at Paws Up (near Missoula) was almost 5 hours in the driving rain for the most part, but still the scenery was quite beautiful. Upon arrival I found the main area which is divided into a series or permanent �tents� and buildings, including the check-in area. The resort was set to close in a week until it re-opened for winter proper, so was somewhat deserted. Luckily for me this meant they put me in a huge two bedroom cabin, complete with kitchen, open fire place, veranda and front porch with a covered hot tub! Usually each cabin comes with its own little green crossover vehicle but as my rental was a 4x4 they let me keep it. It was actually great fun driving on the tracks through the woodland, despite nearly ploughing into a tree on two occasions! Although beautifully appointed, one slightly strange thing about the cabin was that the master bedroom only had a standard double bed rather than a king. Not a problem for me but there seemed to be plenty of room for a king and being in the US you sort of expect it.

After a few emails and a quick Skype to my wife and in-laws to gloat  I headed out to explore. This place is like a luxury summer camp on heat, and there are endless activities, depending on the season. As I was just there for a night I had a walk around and tried out the gym, which was pretty basic but then I don�t think it sees much action. This place is all about the great outdoors. The next morning I tried out the aptly named �Grizzlyman Trail�, which was fun, exhausting, and literally breathtaking in the early morning chill.

I was able to sample breakfast and dinner, both of which were decent enough with very attentive service as I was the only person dining. My server at dinner was a student so I enjoyed chatting with him about life in Missoula (most of the staff live there it seems). It wasn�t the most atmospheric of dining experiences but that�s hardly the resort�s fault!

Paws Up:










This tickled me






Never got to try this out













Before long it was time to hit the road for the two hour journey down to the Ranch at Rock Creek, which is close to Philipsburg. The sun had come out to play and the drive in was absolutely jaw dropping. This was quite a remote spot and I have to say even more impressive than Paws Up. The last stretch was on a gravel road, although they do offer airport transfers for guests via helicopter or Lincoln Navigator so you don�t have to drive. Once you get there, there isn�t really anywhere to go to be honest!

The Ranch felt very homely, with extremely attentive and personable staff. There was a lot of opportunity to mingle with fellow guests over a drink in the bar before dinner. And I have to say the food really was top notch, with menus changing daily. Clearly the chef was on top of his game. Apologies that I didn�t get any photos of the food but I ended up dining with other guests who very kindly invited me to join them so I felt it might be a little rude!

Accommodation is split into the main building (where I was) which are essentially very high end hotel rooms, then self-contained homes, and luxury tents down by the river. These were heated which meant they can stay open year round, whereas at Paws Up they only offer camping in summer. Everyone gets a mountain bike with a little licence plate with the name of their accommodation. I was in Palomino. Nice touch!

The Ranch operates on an all-inclusive basis, including most activities. There are limitless possibilities � during my two days I did some hiking, clay pigeon shooting and downhill biking, but there was also high ropes, horse riding and a number of off-site paid activities like white water rafting. I believe they also do a heli-tour to Yellowstone for those cash-rich, time-poor folks. In the evenings the Silver Dollar Saloon is good fun, with bowling, pool and karaoke. I have to say that all in all this was one of the best places I�ve ever stayed at � their prices aren�t exactly cheap but I feel it offers great value, especially for families. I�d love to go back someday. I'll let some photos do the talking now:






Swimmin' hole! (maybe in summer)


Wildlife was a little more jumpy here and I didn't have time to switch lenses








The guys in Nepal may have something to say about this...






Incredibly warm and comfy bed






Complimentary snacks


Nice shower, although it was either scolding or freezing!


Silver Dollar Saloon


Yee haa - heavily filtered, sorry


Outdoor pool


Job done



The next leg of my journey involved hot-footing it back to Missoula, where I arrived practically running on vapour! On the flight to Denver I sat next to a friendly local chap who owned a bar in town and was heading down to Austin to watch the F1 race. I had a very short connection in Denver and was afraid I�d miss it due to a slight delay leaving Missoula, however all was well in the end and I even had time to grab a Wolfgang Puck chicken sandwich for the onward flight to LAX, much to the envy of my seatmate! I was fortunate enough to get moved to a window exit seat to enable a couple to sit together. The FA was incredibly appreciative�I wasn�t exactly going to turn that down was I! Otherwise the flight was uneventful and I enjoyed the views of the Southwest desert landscape. We arrived into LAX around 17:00 on a Friday evening. By the time I�d grabbed my next rental car �rush hour� (does that phrase even exist in LA?) was in full swing so it took well over an hour to creep my way up to Bel Air. Quite a shock to the system after those clean, empty mountain roads. At least it was a little warmer�

The next phase of the journey involved a couple of nights in the Beverly Hills area before heading to Santa Monica, then upto Santa Barbara, Carmel Valley, Napa and finally SF, with a night in each. Mrs bruns83 joined me in LA for the road trip which was nice. I appreciate this has gone off on a tangent since my LHR-ORD post so not sure if this is still of interest? Let me know and I�ll post the rest ASAP!

Thanks for reading � questions and comments welcome of course.