India Immersion - TK C/6E Y/9W Y + a plethora of hotels
Jan 28, 2017, 1:24 pm
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Belgium
Programs: Miles&More/Iberia plus
Posts: 91
The Leela Goa
It took a bit less than an hour to arrive at The Leela Goa, where we were welcomed with a chilled coconut.
Check-in was swift and it was much appreciated that the receptionist took it upon him to provide us with free internet, by making us a member of their loyalty program (otherwise the internet is paying). We were quickly driven to the rooms in a golf cart.
We were booked in two lagoon terrace rooms, rooms which are spread across the several lagoons splattered around the property.
The rooms were spacious, however maybe a bit less luxurious or opulent than the ones at The Leela Palace New Delhi. Our rooms had connecting balconies, where you could open up the division which provided useful allowing to pass from one room to another without having to make the detour out the front through the front gardens. One time it however proved to be a problem at turn down services as I was in the other room, left my room keys in the room but the person doing the turn down managed to close the balcony doors.
The hotel is located on a strip of land between the sea and a lagoon/river. At this lagoon, the Riverside restaurant is located, which has a view like this.
The whole point of coming to Goa was to allow some beach time/rest before going home, however monsoon season was not cooperating and we made use of the happy hour at the lobby bar, before going to dinner at the Italian Riverside Restaurant, where food quality and service was incredible. For dessert the chef even proposed to make a plate with a sampler of all his desserts to share!
Luckily, the next morning, sun was shining over the lagoon under our terrace.
So we didn’t need a golf cart to go for breakfast at the main restaurant.
Unfortunately, I forgot about my job as a trip reporter and didn’t take pictures of breakfast at the main restaurant. However I can say that we were pleasantly surprised. Food at hotels of this size can sometimes be of a lesser quality, certainly in the big main restaurant where everybody is passing at the buffet. However the buffet was kept spotlessly clean and all food was of very good quality. Might have gained a few pounds on pancakes with chocolate sauce
.
The following days were spent around the pool and I myself booked myself a 3 day golf initiation, as the hotel has its own 12 hole (practice) golf court. However, because of the rain, I could only practice two out of the three days. It was a good first initiation but I might need to take some professional golf courses at home next spring so I can actually play. The courses did however result in hands full of blisters. Hope that isn’t the case everytime you play golf.
On the second night we had dinner at the main restaurant, to have a change from the Riverside. Normally the hotel also has a beach restaurant, but during the monsoon season this is closed as it are actually just tables on the beach. In the main restaurant we doubted eating a la carte or taking the buffet but after having a look around the buffet opted for the latter and just as with breakfast it was of a very high quality, which resulted in a near indigestion at the end of the evening.
On the third and last night, we again opted for the Riverside Italian Restaurant which confirmed its quality. Evening entertainment was provided by a guest who came in with a drunk lady (who was probably offering paid services for the night) that didn’t like her table so they switched tables five times, before leaving without having eaten anything.
Unfortunately, after three nights, it was already time to fly back to Mumbai for the last portion of the trip.
Coming up: Jet Airways to Mumbai
Check-in was swift and it was much appreciated that the receptionist took it upon him to provide us with free internet, by making us a member of their loyalty program (otherwise the internet is paying). We were quickly driven to the rooms in a golf cart.
We were booked in two lagoon terrace rooms, rooms which are spread across the several lagoons splattered around the property.
The rooms were spacious, however maybe a bit less luxurious or opulent than the ones at The Leela Palace New Delhi. Our rooms had connecting balconies, where you could open up the division which provided useful allowing to pass from one room to another without having to make the detour out the front through the front gardens. One time it however proved to be a problem at turn down services as I was in the other room, left my room keys in the room but the person doing the turn down managed to close the balcony doors.
The hotel is located on a strip of land between the sea and a lagoon/river. At this lagoon, the Riverside restaurant is located, which has a view like this.
The whole point of coming to Goa was to allow some beach time/rest before going home, however monsoon season was not cooperating and we made use of the happy hour at the lobby bar, before going to dinner at the Italian Riverside Restaurant, where food quality and service was incredible. For dessert the chef even proposed to make a plate with a sampler of all his desserts to share!
Luckily, the next morning, sun was shining over the lagoon under our terrace.
So we didn’t need a golf cart to go for breakfast at the main restaurant.
Unfortunately, I forgot about my job as a trip reporter and didn’t take pictures of breakfast at the main restaurant. However I can say that we were pleasantly surprised. Food at hotels of this size can sometimes be of a lesser quality, certainly in the big main restaurant where everybody is passing at the buffet. However the buffet was kept spotlessly clean and all food was of very good quality. Might have gained a few pounds on pancakes with chocolate sauce
.The following days were spent around the pool and I myself booked myself a 3 day golf initiation, as the hotel has its own 12 hole (practice) golf court. However, because of the rain, I could only practice two out of the three days. It was a good first initiation but I might need to take some professional golf courses at home next spring so I can actually play. The courses did however result in hands full of blisters. Hope that isn’t the case everytime you play golf.
On the second night we had dinner at the main restaurant, to have a change from the Riverside. Normally the hotel also has a beach restaurant, but during the monsoon season this is closed as it are actually just tables on the beach. In the main restaurant we doubted eating a la carte or taking the buffet but after having a look around the buffet opted for the latter and just as with breakfast it was of a very high quality, which resulted in a near indigestion at the end of the evening.
On the third and last night, we again opted for the Riverside Italian Restaurant which confirmed its quality. Evening entertainment was provided by a guest who came in with a drunk lady (who was probably offering paid services for the night) that didn’t like her table so they switched tables five times, before leaving without having eaten anything.
Unfortunately, after three nights, it was already time to fly back to Mumbai for the last portion of the trip.
Coming up: Jet Airways to Mumbai
Feb 4, 2017, 4:05 pm
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Belgium
Programs: Miles&More/Iberia plus
Posts: 91
Jet Airways from Goa to Mumbai
Our flight from Goa to Mumbai was planned at 2.40 pm, so we left the hotel around noon and of course a driver and an agent of our tour operator were waiting for us in the lobby.
The drive through the backroads of Goa once again took a little less than an hour, arriving at the airport about two hours before ETD.
Although we were booked in economy, our escort immediately took us to the front of the business class counter were we were immediately checked in and escorted by our agent and by an employee of jet airways to security were we had to split up as there was a separate que for men and women. Unfortunately, the only three seats together that were available were on the very last row of the Boeing 737.
Once through security, it soon appeared that this airport is way too small for the amount of people flying out of it and it really was a zoo.
After some searching we did find some seats to wait it out and went to find some drinks at a booth sending food and drinks. Don’t count on doing some shopping at the airport, as the amount of shops is very limited.
I went to check-out the gate at 2.15 pm, the scheduled boarding time, but no activity there and no Jet Airways plane to be seen on the apron.
Eventually the plane landed well after 3 pm, making this a 3 out of 3 of domestic flights being delayed (even on different airlines). It was noteworthy that every flight at Goa that afternoon was delayed.
Eventually we boarded about an hour behind scheduled departure time and took our seats in the last row, where leg room was tight and seat recline non existent, however the flight only being 45 minutes, this was no big deal.
The flight itself was uneventful. The crew managed to serve the whole plane a hot meal (some kind of taste filled pastry). However, being in the last row, we only received our meal at the top of descent and had to swallow it down in a couple of minutes.
Landing was at 5 pm, arriving at the gate at 5.15 pm and being in the last row, it took quite a while before we got moving. Had a nice chat with the steward in the back galley (who gave away the remaining meals to the cleaners waiting to board the aircraft, nice gesture) about the Belgian soccer players in the premier league, who was a Man U supporter who was very disappointed that Kevin Debruyne plays for Manchester City.
After a short wait at baggage reclaim, we were of into arrivals, where another driver was waiting for us.
Up next: Trident Nariman Point and Mumbai.
The drive through the backroads of Goa once again took a little less than an hour, arriving at the airport about two hours before ETD.
Although we were booked in economy, our escort immediately took us to the front of the business class counter were we were immediately checked in and escorted by our agent and by an employee of jet airways to security were we had to split up as there was a separate que for men and women. Unfortunately, the only three seats together that were available were on the very last row of the Boeing 737.
Once through security, it soon appeared that this airport is way too small for the amount of people flying out of it and it really was a zoo.
After some searching we did find some seats to wait it out and went to find some drinks at a booth sending food and drinks. Don’t count on doing some shopping at the airport, as the amount of shops is very limited.
I went to check-out the gate at 2.15 pm, the scheduled boarding time, but no activity there and no Jet Airways plane to be seen on the apron.
Eventually the plane landed well after 3 pm, making this a 3 out of 3 of domestic flights being delayed (even on different airlines). It was noteworthy that every flight at Goa that afternoon was delayed.
Eventually we boarded about an hour behind scheduled departure time and took our seats in the last row, where leg room was tight and seat recline non existent, however the flight only being 45 minutes, this was no big deal.
The flight itself was uneventful. The crew managed to serve the whole plane a hot meal (some kind of taste filled pastry). However, being in the last row, we only received our meal at the top of descent and had to swallow it down in a couple of minutes.
Landing was at 5 pm, arriving at the gate at 5.15 pm and being in the last row, it took quite a while before we got moving. Had a nice chat with the steward in the back galley (who gave away the remaining meals to the cleaners waiting to board the aircraft, nice gesture) about the Belgian soccer players in the premier league, who was a Man U supporter who was very disappointed that Kevin Debruyne plays for Manchester City.
After a short wait at baggage reclaim, we were of into arrivals, where another driver was waiting for us.
Up next: Trident Nariman Point and Mumbai.
Feb 25, 2017, 12:34 pm
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Belgium
Programs: Miles&More/Iberia plus
Posts: 91
Mumbai and the Trident Nariman Point
As we left the airport around 5.30 pm, we got stuck in the Mumbai rush hour and it took almost two hours to get to the hotel.
Arriving at the hotel around 7.30 pm, we planned to just stay in for dinner.
However while checking in the concierge came by asking if we had dinner plans and making recommendations outside the hotel. As a result, we decided to have dinner at a French restaurant he recommended, The Table.
So up to the room it was for a quick change of clothes.
Rooms were on the smaller side (I believe the rooms at the Oberoi next door are nicer), however being on one of the top floors, we had a great view which the Oberoi can’t offer. The swimming pool is shared with the Oberoi by the way.
One perk the hotel offers, which is very nice, is the fact that they operate some Mini Countryman that drop you of for free anywhere in a 5 mile radius around the hotel. So armed with some umbrella’s offered by the concierge we were quickly on our way and dropped of in front of the restaurant which was quite full with mostly local people.
We shared some starters of which I forgot to take a pic (the French Fries with Truffle were to die for). This was the main:
As the food was so good, we decided on some desserts, however waiters warned us to share some and not take one per person which was good as they were huge and so good I forgot to take a picture. If you should pass by, the salted caramel ice cream Sunday is absolutely to die for.
After that it was back to the hotel for a nights rest before the last day in India.
Waking offered a great view of the Queen’s necklace.
Breakfast could be taken in the both the international and the Asian restaurant. We opted for the main restaurant which had the main buffet. It was not at the level of the Rambagh Palace but was of a very good quality, better than expected.
After breakfast, our driver and guide were waiting for us in the reception and we set of for a morning of visiting Mumbai, which started with Gateway of India and the Taj hotel.
Followed by the university and Victoria station where I jumped out in the middle of the road to take some very bad pictures.
This was followed by a visit to Mani Bhavan, a Mumbai Residence of Mahatma Ghandi, which was mainly interesting for some scenes picturing his life but otherwise not much to see.
After this it was up the the hanging gardens and the parks around it, where again lots of people wanted selfies (that was a long time ago).
Finally we ended at Dhobi Ghat, the open air laundry, where we said goodbye to our guide.
In the afternoon we would be taken by another guide as we were booked for the Dharavi Slum Tour, where you are taken by a local guide from the slum working for an NGO. No pictures as your are kindly asked not to take pictures inside the slum, but quite an eye opening and interesting experience. One of the most interesting tours we did in India. If you are interested, they are offered by reality tours (www.realitytoursandtravel.com).
After this tour it was back to the hotel to pack our bags as my mum and sister were leaving on Jet Airways to London departing 1.40 am so they had to leave the hotel around 10 pm. This time we opted for dinner at the hotel and started with some drinks in the very nice hotel bar (not pictured) where they refilled the bar snacks continuously to the point you would lose your appetite. After scrolling through the menu, we opted once again to have the buffet, which was once again of good quality, although the main courses were a bit to Indian to my taste.
After saying my goodbyes to the family, I had a nightcap at the hotel bar before retiring to bed as my Turkish Airlines flight took of at 6.20 am and my driver was picking me up around 2.30 am.
Up next Turkish to Brussels via Istanbul in C.
Arriving at the hotel around 7.30 pm, we planned to just stay in for dinner.
However while checking in the concierge came by asking if we had dinner plans and making recommendations outside the hotel. As a result, we decided to have dinner at a French restaurant he recommended, The Table.
So up to the room it was for a quick change of clothes.
Rooms were on the smaller side (I believe the rooms at the Oberoi next door are nicer), however being on one of the top floors, we had a great view which the Oberoi can’t offer. The swimming pool is shared with the Oberoi by the way.
One perk the hotel offers, which is very nice, is the fact that they operate some Mini Countryman that drop you of for free anywhere in a 5 mile radius around the hotel. So armed with some umbrella’s offered by the concierge we were quickly on our way and dropped of in front of the restaurant which was quite full with mostly local people.
We shared some starters of which I forgot to take a pic (the French Fries with Truffle were to die for). This was the main:
As the food was so good, we decided on some desserts, however waiters warned us to share some and not take one per person which was good as they were huge and so good I forgot to take a picture. If you should pass by, the salted caramel ice cream Sunday is absolutely to die for.
After that it was back to the hotel for a nights rest before the last day in India.
Waking offered a great view of the Queen’s necklace.
Breakfast could be taken in the both the international and the Asian restaurant. We opted for the main restaurant which had the main buffet. It was not at the level of the Rambagh Palace but was of a very good quality, better than expected.
After breakfast, our driver and guide were waiting for us in the reception and we set of for a morning of visiting Mumbai, which started with Gateway of India and the Taj hotel.
Followed by the university and Victoria station where I jumped out in the middle of the road to take some very bad pictures.
This was followed by a visit to Mani Bhavan, a Mumbai Residence of Mahatma Ghandi, which was mainly interesting for some scenes picturing his life but otherwise not much to see.
After this it was up the the hanging gardens and the parks around it, where again lots of people wanted selfies (that was a long time ago).
Finally we ended at Dhobi Ghat, the open air laundry, where we said goodbye to our guide.
In the afternoon we would be taken by another guide as we were booked for the Dharavi Slum Tour, where you are taken by a local guide from the slum working for an NGO. No pictures as your are kindly asked not to take pictures inside the slum, but quite an eye opening and interesting experience. One of the most interesting tours we did in India. If you are interested, they are offered by reality tours (www.realitytoursandtravel.com).
After this tour it was back to the hotel to pack our bags as my mum and sister were leaving on Jet Airways to London departing 1.40 am so they had to leave the hotel around 10 pm. This time we opted for dinner at the hotel and started with some drinks in the very nice hotel bar (not pictured) where they refilled the bar snacks continuously to the point you would lose your appetite. After scrolling through the menu, we opted once again to have the buffet, which was once again of good quality, although the main courses were a bit to Indian to my taste.
After saying my goodbyes to the family, I had a nightcap at the hotel bar before retiring to bed as my Turkish Airlines flight took of at 6.20 am and my driver was picking me up around 2.30 am.
Up next Turkish to Brussels via Istanbul in C.
Feb 25, 2017, 1:57 pm
#49
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: BOS
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott/SPG/Hilton Gold, PreCheck + Clear
Posts: 2,306
Our itinerary this October eerily mirrors yours -- right down to ending in Goa, a brief stop in Mumbai, then flying home on TK.
Can I ask, would you recommend the Leela Goa? It gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, but if I'm going to spend that much I'd want something truly sublime and/or exotic. I'm inclined to go with either Ahilya by the Sea or the Park Hyatt, depending on whether we opt for a boutique hotel or resort feel. But perhaps there's something special about the Leela that I'm missing!
Can I ask, would you recommend the Leela Goa? It gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, but if I'm going to spend that much I'd want something truly sublime and/or exotic. I'm inclined to go with either Ahilya by the Sea or the Park Hyatt, depending on whether we opt for a boutique hotel or resort feel. But perhaps there's something special about the Leela that I'm missing!
Feb 26, 2017, 8:50 am
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Belgium
Programs: Miles&More/Iberia plus
Posts: 91
Our itinerary this October eerily mirrors yours -- right down to ending in Goa, a brief stop in Mumbai, then flying home on TK.
Can I ask, would you recommend the Leela Goa? It gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, but if I'm going to spend that much I'd want something truly sublime and/or exotic. I'm inclined to go with either Ahilya by the Sea or the Park Hyatt, depending on whether we opt for a boutique hotel or resort feel. But perhaps there's something special about the Leela that I'm missing!
Can I ask, would you recommend the Leela Goa? It gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, but if I'm going to spend that much I'd want something truly sublime and/or exotic. I'm inclined to go with either Ahilya by the Sea or the Park Hyatt, depending on whether we opt for a boutique hotel or resort feel. But perhaps there's something special about the Leela that I'm missing!
Mar 12, 2017, 4:27 pm
#51
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Belgium
Programs: Miles&More/Iberia plus
Posts: 91
Turkish Airlines BOM-IST-BRU in C
As planned, my driver was at the hotel at 2.30 am to pick me up. Unfortunately the pick-up time was planned in order to allow for traffic delays which in the middle of the night was way to early. Especially after some drinks in the bar, packing my bags and laying in bed not closing an eye in order not to miss my alarm clock.
Check-out of the hotel was very swift and in no time we were on our way to the airport in the fastest speed we experienced during our time in Mumbai, arriving at the airport just after 3 a.m.
I didn’t take any pics (middle of the night and finally starting to get sleepy), but light up in the dark I must say that the international terminal in Mumbai is gorgeous.
After having my ticket checked by security I was allowed into the terminal within a minute and proceeded to check in which was also a swift affair as I had already done online check in. Fortunately there was a separate business class line for immigration and security so that was also only a matter of minutes before I emerged into the tax free area where I exchanged my remaining rupees back into euros before heading to the common GVK lounge which I believe is used by all airlines serving Mumbai.
Upon presenting my boarding pass, I was directed one level done which was the business class level of the lounge. I must say the lounge looked much better than I expected and I made a quick tour of it. However having eaten only a couple of hours before and having not slept, I didn’t desire any food or drinks and just laid myself down on a 3 person coach set my alarm for boarding time and finally fell asleep.
Unfortunately around 4.30 a.m. someone woke me up to tell that they were closing the business part of the lounge and that I could move to the level above which normally is the first class part of the lounge.
Upstairs, I didn’t find an equally comfortable coach in this part of the lounge, so I settled for some chaise longue overlooking the apron. Sleeping wasn’t really an option anyway as some guy who would be joining me on my Turkish flight was boozing up at the bar and bragging loudly how he got upgraded to business class and was making the most of it… Luckily on the flight he was so boozed up he immediately fell asleep.
Just before boarding time I headed over to the gate which was still quite a walk away where it was proved that a combination of Indian and Turkish culture leads to chaos. No lines whatsoever, everyone just rooming around the boarding gate. So I pushed through at the side of the podium asked business class and was allowed down the jet way where I took the left side for business and was abruptly stopped at the door of the plane as apparently they were not yet ready for boarding. With some other passengers we stood around waiting for about five minutes before being allowed on the plane.
I had reserved seat 2B with seat 2A being open so I hoped to eventually move over to 2A (I prefer window seats but don’t want to get closed in).
As usual, welcome drinks were offered and as usual I took the lemonade which I love.
Unfortunately while enjoying my lemonade I was joined by a seat mate in 2A, an older Indian gentleman with calloused feet in sandals who didn’t really seemed to know how to behave on a plane, certainly not an experienced flyer and I wasn’t really a happy camper. Fortunately boarding was soon completed and the purser must have seen the dissatisfaction on my face as immediately after boarding was completed she came over to invite me to take one of the seats in the middle block which was mostly empty. Immediately much happier.
We took of during the Mumbai sunrise and as on the previous flight immediately after take off the flight attendants came around offering a sleeping kit (large cushion, duvet, blanket) which I gladly accepted. At the same time, the menu for the flight was offered.
Also offered was an amenity kit, which was the batman vs. superman version. Contents was the same as on the way over.
Within half an hour after take of, breakfast was served. I took the veggie omelet as a main which was what you would expect of an airplane omelet (it seems to be impossible to serve a good omelet on a plane), but forgot to picture as unfortunately I developed a case of Delhi Belly during the flight.
After breakfast I put the seat down in bed mode and slept as much as possible, interrupted now and then by some toilet visits. Being sick I was happy to be in business class, can’t imagine having internal problems in economy. I must also comment that the business class toilets were kept spotlessly clean during the whole flight and every time you went to use it, the flight attendants had already put up a fresh seat cover, so good points on this for Turkish.
I finally woke up and put my seat upright about an hour out of Istanbul and was immediately offered some samosas by a flight attendant but not feeling very well I declined and just requested a can of coke which is my grandmothers cure for intestine problems.
Touch down into Istanbul was smooth and for the first time ever for me in Istanbul, we arrived at a jet way so didn’t have to be bussed over to the terminal. I was one of the first of the plane and got yelled at when I took a right turn to take a pic of the plane.
After this, I correctly headed to the left and started the long trek to the lounge as apparently we had arrived at one of the further gates of the airport. Scanned my boarding pass at the automatic gates, stored my bags in a locker and fell down in a seat. I was happy to see lots of fruit on the buffet as banana’s are another natural medicine for upset intestines. I had a couple of hours in the lounge and survived on banana’s, tea and coke zero.
I got so sick in the lounge that I messaged the family to bring me medicines when picking me up at Brussels airport. Same comment as on the plane here, I could experience that although a big facility toilets were kept spotlessly clean.
After a couple of hours boarding time came and I headed over to the gate that was mentioned on all information screens, where we had this view:
I already found it strange that the plane wasn’t connected to the jet way, but the gate was full of Belgian people, so although no flight/destination was mentioned on the screen above the gate, I just took a seat and waited for boarding to start. Fortunately someone who was wandering around instead of just waiting saw on the closest flight information display (about 4 gates away) that our gate had been changed. Pay attention Turkish airlines: when changing a gate at the boarding time, maybe it might be a good idea to make an announcement at the original gate. To make matters even more fun, the new boarding gate was at the totally opposite side of the airport so the mass started jogging down the pier back to the main area to another pier at the other side of the airport. When arriving at the gate boarding was in full swing but this was a bus gate where everyone was pushed like sardines on a hot bus (weather was great in Istanbul) and driven for 15 minutes to a far away stand. Quite a premium boarding experience… The Turkish lounge is great, but for the rest Istanbul remains a zoo! Wouldn’t mind normally, but feeling a bit under the weather I could not appreciate and was happy to arrive at the plane.
I had seat 2 A, with the seat next to me being free, on this airbus a320 which had business class seats in American first class style. I prefer the long haul seat, however only one flight to Brussels per day is operated in a long haul configuration. I was however happy it was not European business class (economy with empty middle seat).
Once again welcome drinks were offered and I decided to go away from my habit and opt for the strawberry drink.
Boarding was quickly completed and we soon joined the traffic jam for take off. Views were interesting with airlines I don’t often see like this Iraqi Airways a320.
Shortly after take of, menus were distributed:
I decided my illness would maybe be cured by some red wine so took this with my meal and actually managed to enjoy the meal. As a main I opted for the minced beef and ended with some cognac. Once again unfortunately forgot to take a pic of the main.
The chocolate dessert wasn’t bad either.
For the rest of the flight I watched a movie and when this ended put on some music. My favourite band I U2 and I thoroughly enjoyed watching trough the window with the music at full volume until we arrived at the gate in Brussels.
Upon landing in Brussels I was happy to spot Rackham, the special Tintin livery of Brussels airlines, in the distance.
Being upfront, I was first of the plane and after some wait through the electronical immigration gates at Brussels airport. Had to wait a short while before luggage started to appear but luckily my suitcase was amongst the first to appear after which I quickly headed out to find my ride home.
Check-out of the hotel was very swift and in no time we were on our way to the airport in the fastest speed we experienced during our time in Mumbai, arriving at the airport just after 3 a.m.
I didn’t take any pics (middle of the night and finally starting to get sleepy), but light up in the dark I must say that the international terminal in Mumbai is gorgeous.
After having my ticket checked by security I was allowed into the terminal within a minute and proceeded to check in which was also a swift affair as I had already done online check in. Fortunately there was a separate business class line for immigration and security so that was also only a matter of minutes before I emerged into the tax free area where I exchanged my remaining rupees back into euros before heading to the common GVK lounge which I believe is used by all airlines serving Mumbai.
Upon presenting my boarding pass, I was directed one level done which was the business class level of the lounge. I must say the lounge looked much better than I expected and I made a quick tour of it. However having eaten only a couple of hours before and having not slept, I didn’t desire any food or drinks and just laid myself down on a 3 person coach set my alarm for boarding time and finally fell asleep.
Unfortunately around 4.30 a.m. someone woke me up to tell that they were closing the business part of the lounge and that I could move to the level above which normally is the first class part of the lounge.
Upstairs, I didn’t find an equally comfortable coach in this part of the lounge, so I settled for some chaise longue overlooking the apron. Sleeping wasn’t really an option anyway as some guy who would be joining me on my Turkish flight was boozing up at the bar and bragging loudly how he got upgraded to business class and was making the most of it… Luckily on the flight he was so boozed up he immediately fell asleep.
Just before boarding time I headed over to the gate which was still quite a walk away where it was proved that a combination of Indian and Turkish culture leads to chaos. No lines whatsoever, everyone just rooming around the boarding gate. So I pushed through at the side of the podium asked business class and was allowed down the jet way where I took the left side for business and was abruptly stopped at the door of the plane as apparently they were not yet ready for boarding. With some other passengers we stood around waiting for about five minutes before being allowed on the plane.
I had reserved seat 2B with seat 2A being open so I hoped to eventually move over to 2A (I prefer window seats but don’t want to get closed in).
As usual, welcome drinks were offered and as usual I took the lemonade which I love.
Unfortunately while enjoying my lemonade I was joined by a seat mate in 2A, an older Indian gentleman with calloused feet in sandals who didn’t really seemed to know how to behave on a plane, certainly not an experienced flyer and I wasn’t really a happy camper. Fortunately boarding was soon completed and the purser must have seen the dissatisfaction on my face as immediately after boarding was completed she came over to invite me to take one of the seats in the middle block which was mostly empty. Immediately much happier.
We took of during the Mumbai sunrise and as on the previous flight immediately after take off the flight attendants came around offering a sleeping kit (large cushion, duvet, blanket) which I gladly accepted. At the same time, the menu for the flight was offered.
Also offered was an amenity kit, which was the batman vs. superman version. Contents was the same as on the way over.
Within half an hour after take of, breakfast was served. I took the veggie omelet as a main which was what you would expect of an airplane omelet (it seems to be impossible to serve a good omelet on a plane), but forgot to picture as unfortunately I developed a case of Delhi Belly during the flight.
After breakfast I put the seat down in bed mode and slept as much as possible, interrupted now and then by some toilet visits. Being sick I was happy to be in business class, can’t imagine having internal problems in economy. I must also comment that the business class toilets were kept spotlessly clean during the whole flight and every time you went to use it, the flight attendants had already put up a fresh seat cover, so good points on this for Turkish.
I finally woke up and put my seat upright about an hour out of Istanbul and was immediately offered some samosas by a flight attendant but not feeling very well I declined and just requested a can of coke which is my grandmothers cure for intestine problems.
Touch down into Istanbul was smooth and for the first time ever for me in Istanbul, we arrived at a jet way so didn’t have to be bussed over to the terminal. I was one of the first of the plane and got yelled at when I took a right turn to take a pic of the plane.
After this, I correctly headed to the left and started the long trek to the lounge as apparently we had arrived at one of the further gates of the airport. Scanned my boarding pass at the automatic gates, stored my bags in a locker and fell down in a seat. I was happy to see lots of fruit on the buffet as banana’s are another natural medicine for upset intestines. I had a couple of hours in the lounge and survived on banana’s, tea and coke zero.
I got so sick in the lounge that I messaged the family to bring me medicines when picking me up at Brussels airport. Same comment as on the plane here, I could experience that although a big facility toilets were kept spotlessly clean.
After a couple of hours boarding time came and I headed over to the gate that was mentioned on all information screens, where we had this view:
I already found it strange that the plane wasn’t connected to the jet way, but the gate was full of Belgian people, so although no flight/destination was mentioned on the screen above the gate, I just took a seat and waited for boarding to start. Fortunately someone who was wandering around instead of just waiting saw on the closest flight information display (about 4 gates away) that our gate had been changed. Pay attention Turkish airlines: when changing a gate at the boarding time, maybe it might be a good idea to make an announcement at the original gate. To make matters even more fun, the new boarding gate was at the totally opposite side of the airport so the mass started jogging down the pier back to the main area to another pier at the other side of the airport. When arriving at the gate boarding was in full swing but this was a bus gate where everyone was pushed like sardines on a hot bus (weather was great in Istanbul) and driven for 15 minutes to a far away stand. Quite a premium boarding experience… The Turkish lounge is great, but for the rest Istanbul remains a zoo! Wouldn’t mind normally, but feeling a bit under the weather I could not appreciate and was happy to arrive at the plane.
I had seat 2 A, with the seat next to me being free, on this airbus a320 which had business class seats in American first class style. I prefer the long haul seat, however only one flight to Brussels per day is operated in a long haul configuration. I was however happy it was not European business class (economy with empty middle seat).
Once again welcome drinks were offered and I decided to go away from my habit and opt for the strawberry drink.
Boarding was quickly completed and we soon joined the traffic jam for take off. Views were interesting with airlines I don’t often see like this Iraqi Airways a320.
Shortly after take of, menus were distributed:
I decided my illness would maybe be cured by some red wine so took this with my meal and actually managed to enjoy the meal. As a main I opted for the minced beef and ended with some cognac. Once again unfortunately forgot to take a pic of the main.
The chocolate dessert wasn’t bad either.
For the rest of the flight I watched a movie and when this ended put on some music. My favourite band I U2 and I thoroughly enjoyed watching trough the window with the music at full volume until we arrived at the gate in Brussels.
Upon landing in Brussels I was happy to spot Rackham, the special Tintin livery of Brussels airlines, in the distance.
Being upfront, I was first of the plane and after some wait through the electronical immigration gates at Brussels airport. Had to wait a short while before luggage started to appear but luckily my suitcase was amongst the first to appear after which I quickly headed out to find my ride home.
Mar 12, 2017, 4:37 pm
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Belgium
Programs: Miles&More/Iberia plus
Posts: 91
Conclusion
India has been amazing. Unfortunately I caught a case of Delhi Belly on the way back and needed about a week to recover but for the rest the whole trip went without a hiccup.
Turkish Airlines was as I had experienced before. Seat is comfortable, but I prefer more individual kind of seats. Food is good. All crews were great on this trip.
Turkish lounge is one of the best lounges I used until now, however the rest of the airport is and remains a zoo, although it wasn't my worst time at Istanbul airport (but that's a story for another trip report).
Five star hotels in India are amazing although there are different levels. Taj and Leela's were fantastic. Others were good, but not more. If I ever return to Jodhpur I would however splurge and stay at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
If anyone is looking for a travel agency to organize in India, I can very much recommend Calindia Tours which we used. It was one of the best organized tours we ever took.
So this is it for now, as no big trip is planned yet. Only a short skiing holiday in Kaprun Austria next week.
However last year (at easter) we took another short trip to Malta which I have heaps of pictures of so if anyone is interested I might write up a short trip report on this as I'm starting to enjoy writing these reports.
Turkish Airlines was as I had experienced before. Seat is comfortable, but I prefer more individual kind of seats. Food is good. All crews were great on this trip.
Turkish lounge is one of the best lounges I used until now, however the rest of the airport is and remains a zoo, although it wasn't my worst time at Istanbul airport (but that's a story for another trip report).
Five star hotels in India are amazing although there are different levels. Taj and Leela's were fantastic. Others were good, but not more. If I ever return to Jodhpur I would however splurge and stay at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
If anyone is looking for a travel agency to organize in India, I can very much recommend Calindia Tours which we used. It was one of the best organized tours we ever took.
So this is it for now, as no big trip is planned yet. Only a short skiing holiday in Kaprun Austria next week.
However last year (at easter) we took another short trip to Malta which I have heaps of pictures of so if anyone is interested I might write up a short trip report on this as I'm starting to enjoy writing these reports.
