5 year anniversary trip - NZ, OZ, SIN, DPS, TYO on F/J/Y
Apr 5, 2017, 3:49 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#wewalkedintherain #coffeeteaorwater #shewantedanothercookie
We collected our bags from the belt and went through customs and bag security. New Zealand is pretty strict on what you bring into the country i.e. if you have an apple and dont declare it, you are screwed.
Once we were through, we turned right out the doors and went to the domestic check-in area. Self check in completed, self tagged our bags and dropped the bags off.
We then had to walk over to the domestic terminal which was a good 10 minutes. We did not wait for shuttle as it just left. The walk itself was not bad but it sucks when you have to walk in the doom and gloom rain. Just follow the green line between each terminal.
Its not the yellow brick road. Its the tarmac road with the green line.
Made it to the terminal and went straight into the security line which was quite long but moved pretty quickly. Its amazing how I can keep my shoes and belt on in one part of the world, yet take everything off in another part.
Our bird taking us to Queenstown:
The wonderful interior of our plane. Its an all Y seat plane.
Our comfy seats for the next 1.5 hours.
Push back was slightly delayed but didnt affect our arrival time in Queenstown. The delightful safety video was played while taxi-ing and it was very intersting to watch compared to other airlines - too bad they didnt play the LOTR or Hobbit versions. Once the seat belt signs were off, the cabin crew went into action and provided a basic drink/snack service. The rear section of the plane was filled with a tour group of Chinese mainland nationals who barely spoke english other than the basics. The crew working the rear started from the back and asked them what they wanted. Most of the interactions went like this:
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE, WATER?"
Passenger - "..."
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE OR WATER?" *points at the items*
Passenger - "Coffee"
Crew - "COOKIE OR PRETZEL?"
Passenger - *silence*
CREW - "COOKIE or PRETZEL?" *points at the items*
Passenger - *points at the cookie*
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE, WATER?"
Passenger - "Juice"
Crew - "NO, I ONLY HAVE TEA, COFFEE OR WATER?" *points at the items*
Passenger - "Tea"
The crew handled it pretty efficiently despite the language barrier, so I assumed tour groups like this are normal on flights to Queenstown. When they got to us, they asked my wife first:
Crew - "Tea, Coffee or Water?"
Wife - "Coffee and a cookie please"
Crew - "Certainly love." *big smile*
Crew - "Tea, Coffee or Water?"
Me - "I will have the same as her."
Crew - "Excellent!" *big smile*
People next to me are Chinese nationals ...
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE, WATER?"
...
The mood of the crew changed once they were done with the tour group. After the service was done, I went back to the loo and waited for the person inside to finish. While waiting, I watched the two crew members quickly stock up the food carts for the turnaround service from Queenstown back to Auckland. One of them asked me if I wanted an extra cookie and I said no but my wife would like one because "Happy Wife ...". She laughed and happily obliged and Mrs.I was a happy camper.
Landed without any issues, collected our bags and took the Super Shuttle into town.
Check in area at the hotel.
The check in person was nice and informed us that our room was ready evening though it was 11.30 in the morning. It was on the top floor facing the inner courtyard.
Tiny bathroom
Bathtub had a silly folding door which did not stop water from spilling out onto the floor.
The room was comfy was two nights and I was happy choosing this hotel at it was right on the waterfront. We did not need a lakeview room since we were out walking around town most of the time and it was better just experiencing the water up close rather than seeing it from a balcony.
Next up - Around Queenstown and the delicious eats.
Once we were through, we turned right out the doors and went to the domestic check-in area. Self check in completed, self tagged our bags and dropped the bags off.
We then had to walk over to the domestic terminal which was a good 10 minutes. We did not wait for shuttle as it just left. The walk itself was not bad but it sucks when you have to walk in the doom and gloom rain. Just follow the green line between each terminal.
Its not the yellow brick road. Its the tarmac road with the green line.
Made it to the terminal and went straight into the security line which was quite long but moved pretty quickly. Its amazing how I can keep my shoes and belt on in one part of the world, yet take everything off in another part.
Our bird taking us to Queenstown:
The wonderful interior of our plane. Its an all Y seat plane.
Our comfy seats for the next 1.5 hours.
Push back was slightly delayed but didnt affect our arrival time in Queenstown. The delightful safety video was played while taxi-ing and it was very intersting to watch compared to other airlines - too bad they didnt play the LOTR or Hobbit versions. Once the seat belt signs were off, the cabin crew went into action and provided a basic drink/snack service. The rear section of the plane was filled with a tour group of Chinese mainland nationals who barely spoke english other than the basics. The crew working the rear started from the back and asked them what they wanted. Most of the interactions went like this:
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE, WATER?"
Passenger - "..."
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE OR WATER?" *points at the items*
Passenger - "Coffee"
Crew - "COOKIE OR PRETZEL?"
Passenger - *silence*
CREW - "COOKIE or PRETZEL?" *points at the items*
Passenger - *points at the cookie*
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE, WATER?"
Passenger - "Juice"
Crew - "NO, I ONLY HAVE TEA, COFFEE OR WATER?" *points at the items*
Passenger - "Tea"
The crew handled it pretty efficiently despite the language barrier, so I assumed tour groups like this are normal on flights to Queenstown. When they got to us, they asked my wife first:
Crew - "Tea, Coffee or Water?"
Wife - "Coffee and a cookie please"
Crew - "Certainly love." *big smile*
Crew - "Tea, Coffee or Water?"
Me - "I will have the same as her."
Crew - "Excellent!" *big smile*
People next to me are Chinese nationals ...
Crew - "TEA, COFFEE, WATER?"
...
The mood of the crew changed once they were done with the tour group. After the service was done, I went back to the loo and waited for the person inside to finish. While waiting, I watched the two crew members quickly stock up the food carts for the turnaround service from Queenstown back to Auckland. One of them asked me if I wanted an extra cookie and I said no but my wife would like one because "Happy Wife ...". She laughed and happily obliged and Mrs.I was a happy camper.
Landed without any issues, collected our bags and took the Super Shuttle into town.
Check in area at the hotel.
The check in person was nice and informed us that our room was ready evening though it was 11.30 in the morning. It was on the top floor facing the inner courtyard.
Tiny bathroom
Bathtub had a silly folding door which did not stop water from spilling out onto the floor.
The room was comfy was two nights and I was happy choosing this hotel at it was right on the waterfront. We did not need a lakeview room since we were out walking around town most of the time and it was better just experiencing the water up close rather than seeing it from a balcony.
Next up - Around Queenstown and the delicious eats.
Apr 6, 2017, 3:08 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#igotcarded #wewentupamountain #ourburgersweredevilicious
After freshening up, we headed out to walk around town. We absolutely loved walking around town and discovering all the shops, nook and crannies. The scenery was just amazing to take in no matter how many times you walked by certain areas. The town is pretty small and you can walk through all of it in a few hours but doing it over and over again did not make it less exciting.
Walking through the street right in front of the hotel
Looking back at the hotel
As we came out of the street, we saw Devils Burger and our stomachs started pulling towards the joint.
We selected the Devils Moroccan for myself and She Devil for Mrs.I plus a side of fries which ended up being a mistake as we barely finished it. I also ordered a beer and I was asked for ID ... really ...? Server said it was his job ... fine.
After scarfing down the food, we headed out again. We decided to take the gondola up to the top of the peak.
Looking down as we were going up the side of the mountain
3/4 way up ..
Once we got to the top, we made our way inside the building and out again onto the viewing platform. This would have been a even more spectacular sight if it was a sunny day. Still a great view despite the weather.
After walking about the top for a good half hour, we made our way back down. Walked back to town and came across Fergburger which I read up on on Tripadvisor.
We went back to our hotel to rest for a bit before heading out again in the evening. For dinner, we walked around town a bit to see which place was appetizing and settled on indian food. Ended up at Bombay Palace based on how busy it was and the menu looked good, so we dined in. Ended up choosing a lamb and fish dish - the lamb was really tasty.
The next day was not any better in terms of the weather. It was not raining but was cloudy throughout - this caused a problem with our Fly-Cruise-Fly excursion to Milford Sound. As per instructions, I called the airline company at 9am to find out if our flight was still on for 10am and was informed that it was postponed till 1pm pending improvement. To pass the time during the morning, we walked around the Queenstown Gardens trail and the lakefront. Around 12pm, I called the airline again and was informed that the excursion was cancelled and they would give me a refund - bummer. Well, at least we have another reason to come back to Queenstown.
Walking on the trail
For lunch, we went to Fergburger and respectively chose a single cheese and double patty cheese Fergburger - stick to the basics.
For dinner, went to Madame Woo's. How would it compare against hawker food from Singapore? Spoiler - it didnt compare ...
Laksa
Beef Rendang
We had an amazing 2 days in Queenstown despite the cloudy weather and the cancellation of our excursion. We could have rented a car and gone driving but we decided against and never regretted it - after all, we are on a lazy vacation.
Next up - Flight back to Auckland and Air NZ J class to Melbourne.
Walking through the street right in front of the hotel
Looking back at the hotel
As we came out of the street, we saw Devils Burger and our stomachs started pulling towards the joint.
We selected the Devils Moroccan for myself and She Devil for Mrs.I plus a side of fries which ended up being a mistake as we barely finished it. I also ordered a beer and I was asked for ID ... really ...? Server said it was his job ... fine.
After scarfing down the food, we headed out again. We decided to take the gondola up to the top of the peak.
Looking down as we were going up the side of the mountain
3/4 way up ..
Once we got to the top, we made our way inside the building and out again onto the viewing platform. This would have been a even more spectacular sight if it was a sunny day. Still a great view despite the weather.
After walking about the top for a good half hour, we made our way back down. Walked back to town and came across Fergburger which I read up on on Tripadvisor.
We went back to our hotel to rest for a bit before heading out again in the evening. For dinner, we walked around town a bit to see which place was appetizing and settled on indian food. Ended up at Bombay Palace based on how busy it was and the menu looked good, so we dined in. Ended up choosing a lamb and fish dish - the lamb was really tasty.
The next day was not any better in terms of the weather. It was not raining but was cloudy throughout - this caused a problem with our Fly-Cruise-Fly excursion to Milford Sound. As per instructions, I called the airline company at 9am to find out if our flight was still on for 10am and was informed that it was postponed till 1pm pending improvement. To pass the time during the morning, we walked around the Queenstown Gardens trail and the lakefront. Around 12pm, I called the airline again and was informed that the excursion was cancelled and they would give me a refund - bummer. Well, at least we have another reason to come back to Queenstown.
Walking on the trail
For lunch, we went to Fergburger and respectively chose a single cheese and double patty cheese Fergburger - stick to the basics.
For dinner, went to Madame Woo's. How would it compare against hawker food from Singapore? Spoiler - it didnt compare ...
Laksa
Beef Rendang
We had an amazing 2 days in Queenstown despite the cloudy weather and the cancellation of our excursion. We could have rented a car and gone driving but we decided against and never regretted it - after all, we are on a lazy vacation.
Next up - Flight back to Auckland and Air NZ J class to Melbourne.
Last edited by injian; Apr 6, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Apr 7, 2017, 3:06 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#greatviewsoutofqueenstown #amaddashbetweenterminals #ourfirsttimeonadreamliner
After 2 days in Queenstown, it was time to head to Melbourne. The Super Shuttle picked us up from the hotel at 10.30am to catch our 12pm flight.
There are several flight options to get to Melbourne from Queenstown. The only real premium options were Emirates or Air NZ out of Auckland. I had flown Emirates before and I had never really flown on Air NZ in J. When choosing the NZ flight, I chose the 3.30pm flight as it was on a Dreamliner. Score! Two birds with one stone. Yes, I had to pay a little more but I took one for the FT team.
Did the self serve check-in, bag tag and drop off - very efficient. After that, we made our way to the gate area for security and wait for our departure. There is really nothing much to see at the airport as it is small.
Flight pulling in from Christchurch
Our flight arrived from Auckland and 30 minutes later, we were ready for boarding.
Our flight departed approx 20 minutes late and this cut down the connection time from our flight to Melbourne.
Lined up for take off.
Bye bye Queenstown.
Hilton Queenstown
Had the same drink/snack service. 1.5 hours later, we were back in Auckland.
At this point, we had 1h 20 minutes till our departure. Bags took a while to come outside and we just missed the terminal shuttle leaving us no choice but to run between the terminals with our bags. With an hour left, we just made it to the premium check in lounge. Right before we walked in, I heard an announcement indicating last call for check-in to Melbourne - just in time! And what a classy premium check in experience it was .... self check-in, bag tag and drop off. Face palm.
We then took the elevator up one floor and went through private immigration for premium passengers. Once we passed through security, we made our way to the lounge to quickly freshen up. The lounge was busy today.
View from the lounge. I flew her in 2013 - pretty bird.
As we finished freshening up, an announcement was made that the Melbourne flight was ready for boarding. Good timing.
Pics as were walking to our remote gate.
Counted 3 EK whaletjets today.
Made it to our gate and got on the bus to take us to our bird.
Pulling up to our bird.
Walked onboard and made our way to our seats. Business class was full today and we were the last two to board. As we got into our seats, the flight attendant greeted us by our names - well I guess she knew who we were!
Put my stuff down and started snapping away.
Was offered a PDB and went with the champagne.
Bottle of water was placed in an odd spot.
Backing up.
Lining up for take off.
Bye bye New Zealand.
More champagne and nuts.
Drinks cart coming around.
Followed by our meal. Awesome salmon appetizer with garlic bread to start with.
Followed by the Malabar Prawn Curry.
2.5 hours flying time went by quickly and we were in Melbourne.
Pulled up besides another EK whalejet.
It was an enjoyable flight. The service provided by the cabin crew was top notch and very friendly. One of crew was making conversation with Mrs.I about our trip and she wished us a happy anniversary. This type of service was consistent throughout our flight and even on the local flights between Auckland and Queenstown.
Next up - Melbourne and our flight to Hamilton Island.
There are several flight options to get to Melbourne from Queenstown. The only real premium options were Emirates or Air NZ out of Auckland. I had flown Emirates before and I had never really flown on Air NZ in J. When choosing the NZ flight, I chose the 3.30pm flight as it was on a Dreamliner. Score! Two birds with one stone. Yes, I had to pay a little more but I took one for the FT team.
Did the self serve check-in, bag tag and drop off - very efficient. After that, we made our way to the gate area for security and wait for our departure. There is really nothing much to see at the airport as it is small.
Flight pulling in from Christchurch
Our flight arrived from Auckland and 30 minutes later, we were ready for boarding.
Our flight departed approx 20 minutes late and this cut down the connection time from our flight to Melbourne.
Lined up for take off.
Bye bye Queenstown.
Hilton Queenstown
Had the same drink/snack service. 1.5 hours later, we were back in Auckland.
At this point, we had 1h 20 minutes till our departure. Bags took a while to come outside and we just missed the terminal shuttle leaving us no choice but to run between the terminals with our bags. With an hour left, we just made it to the premium check in lounge. Right before we walked in, I heard an announcement indicating last call for check-in to Melbourne - just in time! And what a classy premium check in experience it was .... self check-in, bag tag and drop off. Face palm.
We then took the elevator up one floor and went through private immigration for premium passengers. Once we passed through security, we made our way to the lounge to quickly freshen up. The lounge was busy today.
View from the lounge. I flew her in 2013 - pretty bird.
As we finished freshening up, an announcement was made that the Melbourne flight was ready for boarding. Good timing.
Pics as were walking to our remote gate.
Counted 3 EK whaletjets today.
Made it to our gate and got on the bus to take us to our bird.
Pulling up to our bird.
Walked onboard and made our way to our seats. Business class was full today and we were the last two to board. As we got into our seats, the flight attendant greeted us by our names - well I guess she knew who we were!
Put my stuff down and started snapping away.
Was offered a PDB and went with the champagne.
Bottle of water was placed in an odd spot.
Backing up.
Lining up for take off.
Bye bye New Zealand.
More champagne and nuts.
Drinks cart coming around.
Followed by our meal. Awesome salmon appetizer with garlic bread to start with.
Followed by the Malabar Prawn Curry.
2.5 hours flying time went by quickly and we were in Melbourne.
Pulled up besides another EK whalejet.
It was an enjoyable flight. The service provided by the cabin crew was top notch and very friendly. One of crew was making conversation with Mrs.I about our trip and she wished us a happy anniversary. This type of service was consistent throughout our flight and even on the local flights between Auckland and Queenstown.
Next up - Melbourne and our flight to Hamilton Island.
Apr 8, 2017, 12:23 am
#19
Join Date: Feb 2007
Programs: NZ Koru
Posts: 6,414
Great report, NZ defiantly has one of the best J products on the Tasman (on aircraft that J is offered)
Give an few more hours; then it will be standing room only Its hard to time an time when the AKL lounge isn't busy.
The lounge was busy today.
Its hard to time an time when the AKL lounge isn't busy.
Apr 10, 2017, 12:38 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#werodeonatram #wehadourfirstmeatpie #theFIDtoldustorelax
We visited family in Melbourne and this was the only reason why we went there in the first place. Otherwise, we would have spent more time in Sydney. We took the Skybus from the airport to Southern Cross Station. From there, we hopped onto the train to Carnegie and a tram thereafter to our relatives house. It was not fun lugging 2 suitcases around but at least we made an adventure of it. : )
The next morning, we went for walk around the neighbourhood and then took the tram into the city in the afternoon. We spent the day around Federation Square and the surrounding area, then walked up to the casino to try out our first meat pie. The trip to the downtown core was kept short as we had to come back in time to meet up with high school friends for drinks. The best part of the downtown core experience is that you can hop on a free tram system that will do a circuit around the core in 45 minutes. Only problem is waiting for the tram as it does take a while to come by each stop and on top of that is a large lineup.
On the Skybus passing a Costco
At the station waiting for our train to Carnegie.
Walking around the neighourhood the next morning and passing by the outdoor velodrome.
Taking the tram into the city.
Big size jenga.
Skyline.
Signs
Flinders Street Station.
Came across Hosier Lane which had street art on it.
Hallowed Ground in the distance - MCG.
Walking into Federation Square Atrium.
No Batman Sightings today.
Went to the Crown Casino to try our first meat pie of our Australian leg of the trip.
Verdict - meh.
Hopped back on the tram to Southern Cross Station back to Carnegie.
Mrs.I stayed at home to spend time with relatives while I went out to the Rosstown Hotel for drinks with old high school chums. Its definitely an interesting story to tell your kids when the bar pages you to take a call from your wife at the end of the night.
The next morning, we said our goodbyes and headed to MEL to catch our 8:45am flight to Hamilton Island.
6.30am taxi ride to the airport. YAWN.
It was so early even my camera couldnt focus properly.
No line ups at security but Mrs.I was pulled aside to get her bag swabbed for drugs ...
Ok Mr.FID, we will relax.
Had some breakfast and made our way to the gate area. Took some pics of other birds as we were waiting for the boarding annoucement.
Our bird docked at the worlds longest bridge.
Pushed back on time but lined up quite a bit for take off. Eventually, we were off and on our way to Hamilton Island.
2 hours later and we began our descent into Hamilton Island. Amazing views - a sign of good things to come.
Down the steps in hair frizzing/flopping heat.
Next up - Reef View Hotel and Hamilton Island.
The next morning, we went for walk around the neighbourhood and then took the tram into the city in the afternoon. We spent the day around Federation Square and the surrounding area, then walked up to the casino to try out our first meat pie. The trip to the downtown core was kept short as we had to come back in time to meet up with high school friends for drinks. The best part of the downtown core experience is that you can hop on a free tram system that will do a circuit around the core in 45 minutes. Only problem is waiting for the tram as it does take a while to come by each stop and on top of that is a large lineup.
On the Skybus passing a Costco
At the station waiting for our train to Carnegie.
Walking around the neighourhood the next morning and passing by the outdoor velodrome.
Taking the tram into the city.
Big size jenga.
Skyline.
Signs
Flinders Street Station.
Came across Hosier Lane which had street art on it.
Hallowed Ground in the distance - MCG.
Walking into Federation Square Atrium.
No Batman Sightings today.
Went to the Crown Casino to try our first meat pie of our Australian leg of the trip.
Verdict - meh.
Hopped back on the tram to Southern Cross Station back to Carnegie.
Mrs.I stayed at home to spend time with relatives while I went out to the Rosstown Hotel for drinks with old high school chums. Its definitely an interesting story to tell your kids when the bar pages you to take a call from your wife at the end of the night.
The next morning, we said our goodbyes and headed to MEL to catch our 8:45am flight to Hamilton Island.
6.30am taxi ride to the airport. YAWN.
It was so early even my camera couldnt focus properly.
No line ups at security but Mrs.I was pulled aside to get her bag swabbed for drugs ...
Ok Mr.FID, we will relax.
Had some breakfast and made our way to the gate area. Took some pics of other birds as we were waiting for the boarding annoucement.
Our bird docked at the worlds longest bridge.
Pushed back on time but lined up quite a bit for take off. Eventually, we were off and on our way to Hamilton Island.
2 hours later and we began our descent into Hamilton Island. Amazing views - a sign of good things to come.
Down the steps in hair frizzing/flopping heat.
Next up - Reef View Hotel and Hamilton Island.
Apr 10, 2017, 3:42 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#thewaterwaswarm #thebirdswerewatching #allhailthesuperleague #moarmeatpiesplease
We walked through the terminal to the resort kiosks. There was one for each hotel - One&Only Haymand Island, Qualia, Beach Club and around the corner from them, Reef View Hotel. We gave our names, received our baggage tags and waited for the bags to arrive. It was interesting to notice the level of service at each kiosk - O&O and Qualia providing cold water bottles plus cold towels, Reef View providing a bag tag and telling you to line up lol. Eventually, the baggage truck came into the waiting area, unhitched itself and everyone came forward to collect their respective bags. Once collected, we gave our bags to the driver driving us to the Reef View and got on board. It was a short 5 minute ride to the front of the hotel.
Welcome desk for the Reef View
Waiting for our bags to arrive.
Everyone piling in.
Pulling up to the front of the hotel.
Lining up to check in. We had a 5 minute wait before being helped - we were given a package explaining everything about the resort and the island. Guaranteed check in was 2pm and since we arrived at the hotel at 11.30am, we were told that we would be given a call when our room was ready. We changed in the Arrival/Departure lounge into our pool gear and hung out by the pool.
12pm came around and I received a phone call that our Reef Suite room was ready. Yay! We picked up our keys from the front desk and headed up to our room. The bags would be brought up by the staff.
Top most floor.
2 levels.
Powder room off to the right side as you enter the room.
Kitchen just after the powder room.
Main floor balcony.
The bedroom as you come up the stairs.
Second floor balcony.
The bathroom directly behind the bed.
Looking down.
View from our balcony.
A few friends decided to visit us and welcome us to the hotel.
More friends joined in and suddenly we wondered if we were in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Around 5pm, we headed down to the beach. The water recedes in the evening so much that you can walk at least 100ft out and the water level will be around your knees. At the same spot in the afternoon, the water level would be at your shoulders or neck. We saw people walking out at least 200ft and this was where the snorkelling reef was.
Looking at our hotel from the water. Our room was the 2nd from the right on the right building.
Do you see anything?
How about now?
We went into town that night to see what food was available and ended up getting fish and chips. The next morning, we hit up the Pool Terrace restaurant for breakfast. Its pretty standard fare every day and doesnt deviate - eggs, bacon, meats, rice, veggies, juice, coffee, fruits, cold stuff.
Omelette station.
Heat lamps on full blast.
Sitting outside.
I love streaky bacon - its the only way it should be made. Crispy bacon is a crime against humanity.
Hit up the beach after. The water was warm in the morning and got warmer as the day went. It was my first time experiencing warm water like this.
Beach chairs were plentiful in the morning and only got busy after 12pm. Even then, it was never really packed.
Beach in the afternoon.
Under the palm trees.
Forgot to mention that the Beach Club was right here - duh yeah, its on the beach.
We went into town every day for lunch and dinner. While it was not cheap to buy, it was MUCH cheaper than the hotel itself. To put it in perspective, 8 chicken wings off the romm service menu cost $30 AUD. 10 chicken wings from the Fish&Chips joint in town cost $20 AUD. Yes, I get it - when you are on an island, you are subjected to the price mark up but there is expected mark up and then there is mark up to milk you out of every penny.
The Super League Triathalon made its stop on Hamilton Island during the time we were there. There were 3 days of races and was minor disruption in the town i.e. the road was used for the marathon portion of the race and it prevented people from driving golf carts through the town. Bus service was also disrupted where it took a longer route to get to town. If the bus left from the hotel and you chose to walk to town, you would reach the town at the same time as the bus. There are a variety of restaurants (sit down and take out) and other stores in town, a general store and even a post office. We stuck to getting food from the Fish & Chips shop and the Bakery.
Went into the General Store to check out the goods. Hamilton Island residents shop here for their daily needs.
I found you and I will devour you.
The only dive shop on the island meaning no competition meaning they could charge whatever they wanted. Their price for one dive is equivalent to two dives elsewhere. This was the consensus amongst other divers who were with me but we understood the reasons. Besides, I did not coming all the way to Australia to not dive on the Great Barrier Reef.
Italian restaurant.
Aforementioned F&C shop.
Yummy meat pies within.
It was so yummy, we had two each. Gluttony!
Yacht Club. Where the elite play.
The boat I took on the dive excursion.
Local demon bird. If you stare long enough into its eyes, it will know your deepest, darkest thoughts.
The weather for the first three days of our stay was absolutely amazing - perfect sunshine and heat. The last day was pure thunder showers. While I was away diving, Mrs.I was stuck in the room due to the rain - she had intended to go to the beach but it was a wash out.
After the dive, Mrs.I and I picked up lunch before heading back to the room. We managed to catch the marathon portion of the final heat of the Triatho
On checkout day, we went to Sails restaurant for breakfast and it was the same food - we thought it would be different but it was not.
Our 4 days at the Reef View was amazing and the poor weather on the last day did not do anything to dampen the experience. The staff were friendly and always helpful along with the service.
There are minor niggles about the experience such as:
- Room is showing signs of age.
- Extra costs like food and excursions can be high but there are ways to work around it.
- Walking into town at night can be cumbersome due to poor street lighting.
- Communicating with the excurions desk ahead of our stay was dreadfully slow to the point where they could not book me on my requested timeslot. This was coupled with the fact that they charged me for someone else's excursion and it was by pure luck that I checked my credit card balance online. They did acknowledge the error though, refunded me the amount plus the foreign exchange fees.
Again, these hiccups did not dampen our mood while staying on the resort. A week after we left, Cyclone Debbie the Queensland and this included the Whitsunday Islands. I checked the Hamilton Island website and there was a message on their main page indicating that they were welcoming guests back as of April 8th. So judging by that message, it does look like they were hit but not as extensive as other areas. My thoughts go out to the families living in the area and hope they get back on their feet soon.
Next up - Sydney
Welcome desk for the Reef View
Waiting for our bags to arrive.
Everyone piling in.
Pulling up to the front of the hotel.
Lining up to check in. We had a 5 minute wait before being helped - we were given a package explaining everything about the resort and the island. Guaranteed check in was 2pm and since we arrived at the hotel at 11.30am, we were told that we would be given a call when our room was ready. We changed in the Arrival/Departure lounge into our pool gear and hung out by the pool.
12pm came around and I received a phone call that our Reef Suite room was ready. Yay! We picked up our keys from the front desk and headed up to our room. The bags would be brought up by the staff.
Top most floor.
2 levels.
Powder room off to the right side as you enter the room.
Kitchen just after the powder room.
Main floor balcony.
The bedroom as you come up the stairs.
Second floor balcony.
The bathroom directly behind the bed.
Looking down.
View from our balcony.
A few friends decided to visit us and welcome us to the hotel.
More friends joined in and suddenly we wondered if we were in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Around 5pm, we headed down to the beach. The water recedes in the evening so much that you can walk at least 100ft out and the water level will be around your knees. At the same spot in the afternoon, the water level would be at your shoulders or neck. We saw people walking out at least 200ft and this was where the snorkelling reef was.
Looking at our hotel from the water. Our room was the 2nd from the right on the right building.
Do you see anything?
How about now?
We went into town that night to see what food was available and ended up getting fish and chips. The next morning, we hit up the Pool Terrace restaurant for breakfast. Its pretty standard fare every day and doesnt deviate - eggs, bacon, meats, rice, veggies, juice, coffee, fruits, cold stuff.
Omelette station.
Heat lamps on full blast.
Sitting outside.
I love streaky bacon - its the only way it should be made. Crispy bacon is a crime against humanity.
Hit up the beach after. The water was warm in the morning and got warmer as the day went. It was my first time experiencing warm water like this.
Beach chairs were plentiful in the morning and only got busy after 12pm. Even then, it was never really packed.
Beach in the afternoon.
Under the palm trees.
Forgot to mention that the Beach Club was right here - duh yeah, its on the beach.
We went into town every day for lunch and dinner. While it was not cheap to buy, it was MUCH cheaper than the hotel itself. To put it in perspective, 8 chicken wings off the romm service menu cost $30 AUD. 10 chicken wings from the Fish&Chips joint in town cost $20 AUD. Yes, I get it - when you are on an island, you are subjected to the price mark up but there is expected mark up and then there is mark up to milk you out of every penny.
The Super League Triathalon made its stop on Hamilton Island during the time we were there. There were 3 days of races and was minor disruption in the town i.e. the road was used for the marathon portion of the race and it prevented people from driving golf carts through the town. Bus service was also disrupted where it took a longer route to get to town. If the bus left from the hotel and you chose to walk to town, you would reach the town at the same time as the bus. There are a variety of restaurants (sit down and take out) and other stores in town, a general store and even a post office. We stuck to getting food from the Fish & Chips shop and the Bakery.
Went into the General Store to check out the goods. Hamilton Island residents shop here for their daily needs.
I found you and I will devour you.
The only dive shop on the island meaning no competition meaning they could charge whatever they wanted. Their price for one dive is equivalent to two dives elsewhere. This was the consensus amongst other divers who were with me but we understood the reasons. Besides, I did not coming all the way to Australia to not dive on the Great Barrier Reef.
Italian restaurant.
Aforementioned F&C shop.
Yummy meat pies within.
It was so yummy, we had two each. Gluttony!
Yacht Club. Where the elite play.
The boat I took on the dive excursion.
Local demon bird. If you stare long enough into its eyes, it will know your deepest, darkest thoughts.
The weather for the first three days of our stay was absolutely amazing - perfect sunshine and heat. The last day was pure thunder showers. While I was away diving, Mrs.I was stuck in the room due to the rain - she had intended to go to the beach but it was a wash out.
After the dive, Mrs.I and I picked up lunch before heading back to the room. We managed to catch the marathon portion of the final heat of the Triatho
On checkout day, we went to Sails restaurant for breakfast and it was the same food - we thought it would be different but it was not.
Our 4 days at the Reef View was amazing and the poor weather on the last day did not do anything to dampen the experience. The staff were friendly and always helpful along with the service.
There are minor niggles about the experience such as:
- Room is showing signs of age.
- Extra costs like food and excursions can be high but there are ways to work around it.
- Walking into town at night can be cumbersome due to poor street lighting.
- Communicating with the excurions desk ahead of our stay was dreadfully slow to the point where they could not book me on my requested timeslot. This was coupled with the fact that they charged me for someone else's excursion and it was by pure luck that I checked my credit card balance online. They did acknowledge the error though, refunded me the amount plus the foreign exchange fees.
Again, these hiccups did not dampen our mood while staying on the resort. A week after we left, Cyclone Debbie the Queensland and this included the Whitsunday Islands. I checked the Hamilton Island website and there was a message on their main page indicating that they were welcoming guests back as of April 8th. So judging by that message, it does look like they were hit but not as extensive as other areas. My thoughts go out to the families living in the area and hope they get back on their feet soon.
Next up - Sydney
Last edited by injian; Jan 25, 2018 at 1:38 pm
Apr 11, 2017, 2:07 pm
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#itookhertotheopera #iwasfeelingsleepy #wewerefeelingverymanly
#itookhertotheopera #iwasfeelingsleepy #wedidnotdothebondicoogeewalk
After 4 fun and some sun filled days, it was time to move on to Sydney. Checkout time was at 10am and we caught the bus at 10.30am for our 12pm flight. Nothing much to report here - small terminal, quick check-in process, our bags were tagged as heavy even though it was under 23kg, flight was 2 hours.
The waiting game.
The obligatory FT tag shot.
As the gate agent came in, people started to line up. Shortly thereafter, boarding was called.
Qantas bird.
Our bird.
Our descent into Sydney. Excellent views.
Took the Airport Express. Excellent way to commute.
Got off at Wynyard station and walked over to the Shangri La Hotel.
Walked right up to the first agent who immediately helped us to check-in. We booked the hotel through Virtuoso (@DavidO) and received appropriate benefits. I originally booked in a Executive Darling Harbour View room but was upgraded to the Executive Opera House City View room - their exactly the same in design and layout but just a better view. Other benefits included daily breakfast, $100 USD food/beverage credit, fruit plate, late check out and free WIFI.
Champagne gift to celebrate our anniversary.
Lovely view.
Canadian consulate right below us. Now I know where to go in case I lose my passport.
At this point, it was around 5pm and we needed to get ready for date night. I told Mrs.I that I was taking her to see a "play" but did not tell her the name of the play - she was excited nonetheless.
Full house tonight. As the opera was in Italian (duh), there were ticker boards placed throughout the auditorium translating in english. It can get annoying after a while to look up to see the translation and look back down to see the action.
Inside of the opera house.
Taking a break after the 2nd act. I will be honest and say that I pretty much lost interest in the opera after this point. Yes, I am a neanderthal but at least Mrs.I was happy.
It was around 10.15pm when the play ended and we wanted to go for dinner near the Rocks area. When we got there, we found out that restaurants were closed or closing. We also noticed that most restaurants near the Circular Quay area were also closed with the exception of fast food joints. I am not sure if anyone can comment on this but the downtown area felt like a ghost town at night - maybe it was the area we were in but we did walk quite a bit and it was dead wherever we went.
Headed down for breakfast the next morning which is located on the 2nd floor at Cafe Mix.
Hot cross buns underneath the heat lamps.
After breakfast, we walked around the harbour and took the fast ferry to Manly. Once there, we took our time strolling down to the beach area and along the Marine Parade.
Carnival Spirit getting ready for another cruise.
Our ride to Manly.
Point us to beach please.
Reached the beach. Damn, the waters were rough.
Walking down the Marine Parade.
A local.
Rock Pool. Dude in the pic jumped off the rocks with this surf board.
The end of the parade. Much better beach with calmer waters.
All the walking and the heat made us hungry and thirsty. Time for a pit spot. Whipped out the phone, checked Yelp and picked the restaurant with the most reviews.
Ended up here.
A cold one.
Mrs.I chose the grilled barramundi while I chose the grilled calamari. Mrs.I's choice was the hands down winner.
After dinner, we took the ferry back to Circular Quay and went around the Rocks area.
Park Hyatt.
Walking under the bridge.
Decided to take a short cut back to the hotel. Bad choice.
This brings us to the end of the Sydney portion of the trip. Time to leave Australia and head to Bali ... the long way.
Next up - Singapore Airlines Suites Class.
After 4 fun and some sun filled days, it was time to move on to Sydney. Checkout time was at 10am and we caught the bus at 10.30am for our 12pm flight. Nothing much to report here - small terminal, quick check-in process, our bags were tagged as heavy even though it was under 23kg, flight was 2 hours.
The waiting game.
The obligatory FT tag shot.
As the gate agent came in, people started to line up. Shortly thereafter, boarding was called.
Qantas bird.
Our bird.
Our descent into Sydney. Excellent views.
Took the Airport Express. Excellent way to commute.
Got off at Wynyard station and walked over to the Shangri La Hotel.
Walked right up to the first agent who immediately helped us to check-in. We booked the hotel through Virtuoso (@DavidO) and received appropriate benefits. I originally booked in a Executive Darling Harbour View room but was upgraded to the Executive Opera House City View room - their exactly the same in design and layout but just a better view. Other benefits included daily breakfast, $100 USD food/beverage credit, fruit plate, late check out and free WIFI.
Champagne gift to celebrate our anniversary.
Lovely view.
Canadian consulate right below us. Now I know where to go in case I lose my passport.
At this point, it was around 5pm and we needed to get ready for date night. I told Mrs.I that I was taking her to see a "play" but did not tell her the name of the play - she was excited nonetheless.
Full house tonight. As the opera was in Italian (duh), there were ticker boards placed throughout the auditorium translating in english. It can get annoying after a while to look up to see the translation and look back down to see the action.
Inside of the opera house.
Taking a break after the 2nd act. I will be honest and say that I pretty much lost interest in the opera after this point. Yes, I am a neanderthal but at least Mrs.I was happy.
It was around 10.15pm when the play ended and we wanted to go for dinner near the Rocks area. When we got there, we found out that restaurants were closed or closing. We also noticed that most restaurants near the Circular Quay area were also closed with the exception of fast food joints. I am not sure if anyone can comment on this but the downtown area felt like a ghost town at night - maybe it was the area we were in but we did walk quite a bit and it was dead wherever we went.
Headed down for breakfast the next morning which is located on the 2nd floor at Cafe Mix.
Hot cross buns underneath the heat lamps.
After breakfast, we walked around the harbour and took the fast ferry to Manly. Once there, we took our time strolling down to the beach area and along the Marine Parade.
Carnival Spirit getting ready for another cruise.
Our ride to Manly.
Point us to beach please.
Reached the beach. Damn, the waters were rough.
Walking down the Marine Parade.
A local.
Rock Pool. Dude in the pic jumped off the rocks with this surf board.
The end of the parade. Much better beach with calmer waters.
All the walking and the heat made us hungry and thirsty. Time for a pit spot. Whipped out the phone, checked Yelp and picked the restaurant with the most reviews.
Ended up here.
A cold one.
Mrs.I chose the grilled barramundi while I chose the grilled calamari. Mrs.I's choice was the hands down winner.
After dinner, we took the ferry back to Circular Quay and went around the Rocks area.
Park Hyatt.
Walking under the bridge.
Decided to take a short cut back to the hotel. Bad choice.
This brings us to the end of the Sydney portion of the trip. Time to leave Australia and head to Bali ... the long way.
Next up - Singapore Airlines Suites Class.
Apr 12, 2017, 3:24 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#thehastagsweretoolongforthetitlefield
#theloungehadasecretdoor #theyknewournamesbeforeweenteredtheplane #howdoyouscrewuplobster
This was the point of the trip that I was eagerly waiting for. Anything we experienced before this was nothing but a distant memory pushed back to the far reaches on my brain. Its on every FT-ers bucket list and now I was able to cross it off mine. While Cathay Pacific First Class may have set the tone for what a First/Business Class flight and service should be, Singapore Airlines just blew them out of the water ... with a bazooka. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating about the bazooka part but even Mrs.I agreed that Singapore Airlines came out on top in every way.
We checked out of Shangri La before noon and made our way to the Circular Quay station to catch the Airport Express. We came up to the departure level at Aisle A and had to make our way to J.
Walking, Walking, Walking, Walking, hop, hop, hop, running, running, running ....
... Now lets stop.
Ahhhhhh.
There was a couple being checked in ahead of us, so we have a 2 minute wait. Since we had a 12 hour layover before connecting to Bali, I booked a hotel for the night. I requested one of our bags be checked all the way to Bali so that we didnt have to lug both of them to the hotel and back. The lady helping us was efficient and friendly enough but lacked that little extra something - I noticed the name tag indicate they were Dnata agents, so maybe thats why? I dont know, I'm picking at straws. We received our invite to the SilverKris Lounge located at gate 60 something which was close to where our plane was docked. Made our way through customs using the Express lane and security was easy enough.
Airside.
Ok, is this Duty Free or are we in a mall?
Following the signs.
Up the escalator to get to the lounge.
Ok, so some of you who may have been here or read up on this may know that there are seperate entrances for First and Business class. You see that wood panel behind the lounge dragons? Just to the right of it, is the entrance into the First Class lounge section and I did not notice it when I was taking the picture.
When we walked up, the lounge dragon scanned our boarding passes and then hit a button (at least I think she did or I was imagining it) which caused a portion of the panel to slide open and reveal the entrance. My reaction was "WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!". I looked over at Mrs.I and even her mouth dropped open.
Images of Illidan from World of Warcraft flashed through my head:
Before ushering us in, she gave us the invite to the Private Room. This day just keeps getting better and better.
The Golden Ticket.
Oh joy of joys.
Excellent place to park ourselves for the next hour and a half.
Temptation to swipe.
Gluttony yet again. Tasted some of the rice, beef curry and veg. The beef was exceptionally good.
The concierge helped another gentleman for a food order but never came up to us. While serving myself from the buffet, I asked the passing chef if there was another menu. He sent a different concierge out to help us - I was given a menu.
I ordered the laksa while Mrs.I ordered the barramundi. Yet again, the fish was the hands down winner.
View from where we were sitting.
United heading home.
Thai.
Our bird.
With 30 minutes left before our departure time, we decided to head towards the gate. Here's a shot of the secret entrance door.
The line ups were in full swing and was orderly.
Lining up ourselves. A gate agent came around checking everyone's passports and boarding passes.
Boarding became on time and soon we were on the tube. The excitement was mounting.
Hello beauty.
Dedicated Suites bridge.
So can you make out the gentleman who is standing right inside the door?
When he saw us coming down the bridge, he stepped off the plane, took a good 5 steps forward and as we approached, he warmly greeted us - "Welcome Mr and Mrs. I!" ... he did not even look at our boarding passes to see who we were - How did he know who we were? Did the gate agent radio ahead?
Mrs.I and I looked at each other and our eyes said "WOW!" - Definitely a good sign of how amazing this flight was going to be. Spoiler alert - it was amazing.
There were 3 flight attendants serving in First today. Since we were sitting in C and D, the male attendant (I think he was the senior purser) who met us at the door escorted me to my seat while Mrs.I was escorted to her seat by the female attendant. She joked to Mrs.I that she was happy there was another female other than her in the First class cabin and they laughed. It was then that I understood how they knew who we were - we were the only couple in First today while the other 3 passengers were single males. The female attendant asked Mrs.I if she would like champage and this is how the conversation went:
Crew - "Mrs.I, would you like some champage?"
Mrs.I - "Sure!"
Crew - "Which one would you like - Dom or Krug?"
Mrs.I - "Oh, anything will do"
Crew - "And Mr.I, which one would you like?"
Me - "Definitely the Dom please!"
I looked at Mrs.I and tsk tsk-ed her.
Getting all the obligatory pics out of the way.
The special bubbles has arrived. I have to admit that I am not a champagne connoisseur - after tasting Dom and comparing it to Krug, I could not tell the difference. Please dont beat me - like I mentioned before, I am a neanderthal.
The purser handed us the menus to decide what we wanted for dinner. Dinner service would after take off.
Our amenity kits.
The captain came on the PA and welcomed us aboard. He indicated a flight time of 7 hours and were almost ready to go. There was a no show passenger and had to find the luggage to offboard. No problem!
Since we had time, we both went to change in our PJs. When we came out, the crew helped us to hang our clothes on the hangars and store them away. Fifteen minutes later, the captain came on the PA again and informed us that the bags were offloaded but now they were not getting permission for push back. It had just started raining and local labour laws prohibited ground crew working in the rain. Uh - please come to Canada to see our ground crew working in the snow.
Another 10 minutes later, we began push back. As it was a full-on rain storm, traffic control were releasing planes for take off at a slower rate than normal. Better safe than sorry no?
Take off was smooth depsite the rain and 2 lightening strikes on either side of the aircraft as we were climbing. After the seat belt was turned off, I walked around the get some cabin pics.
The grand staircase.
Time flies by when you are having fun and before we knew it, dinner was being served.
Oh so yummy GB.
Mrs.I went with the salmon starter.
While I went with the caviar. Mmmmmm.
Mrs.I's soup choice. I tasted it and it was meh.
And my choice.
We both BTC-ed the Boston Lobster Thermidor. While the choices from the menu were good, we could not miss the opportunity to BTC. In fact, we BTC-ed on all Singapore flights where available.
So here's my rant - I dont know what the catering company did with this dish but they screwed it up royally. The rice had no flavour and the lobster itself was bitter to the taste buds - it was like I was eating dried herbs. Mrs.I had the same problem. Folks - please enlighten me - is the Boston Lobster supposed to taste like this? I was expecting savoury, buttery, melty goodness. In retrospect, we should have alerted the crew but it just didnt occur to us at the time. The stubborn side of my brain probably kicked in and said "We wanted BTC and we will be damned if some bitterness is going to dampen our mood."
For dessert, we both had the flourless cake. It was meh but the ice cream was good.
We were stuffed after this and asked for our beds to be made. The purser asked us what time we would like to be woken up for the snack service and we had turned it down.
Glorious double bed in the sky.
We were joined by these cuddly critters.
4 hours of sleep and we began our descent into Singapore. We wanted to change out of the PJs and freshen up - the purser proactively helped us to remove the clothes from the storage area and put it in the washroom for us. Toilettries were available in the washroom as our disposal.
Final approach.
As we disembarked, the crew thanked us for flying with Singapore Airlines and we both thanked them for looking after us during the flight. Immigration was easy and bags were out in no time. Grabbed a cab to the Holiday Inn Express Katong for a quick 6 hour snooze. I chose this hotel as it was 15 minutes for the airport plus it was 10k IHG points a night.
Our First Class flight with Singapore Airlines definitely raised the bar for the rest of the trip. The flight crew were absolutely amazing and were highly engaging. How would Business class compare? How would our ANA F flight compare to this? Stay tuned for more!
Next up - The Private Room + Singapore Airlines Business Class to Bali
This was the point of the trip that I was eagerly waiting for. Anything we experienced before this was nothing but a distant memory pushed back to the far reaches on my brain. Its on every FT-ers bucket list and now I was able to cross it off mine. While Cathay Pacific First Class may have set the tone for what a First/Business Class flight and service should be, Singapore Airlines just blew them out of the water ... with a bazooka. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating about the bazooka part but even Mrs.I agreed that Singapore Airlines came out on top in every way.
We checked out of Shangri La before noon and made our way to the Circular Quay station to catch the Airport Express. We came up to the departure level at Aisle A and had to make our way to J.
Walking, Walking, Walking, Walking, hop, hop, hop, running, running, running ....
... Now lets stop.
Ahhhhhh.
There was a couple being checked in ahead of us, so we have a 2 minute wait. Since we had a 12 hour layover before connecting to Bali, I booked a hotel for the night. I requested one of our bags be checked all the way to Bali so that we didnt have to lug both of them to the hotel and back. The lady helping us was efficient and friendly enough but lacked that little extra something - I noticed the name tag indicate they were Dnata agents, so maybe thats why? I dont know, I'm picking at straws. We received our invite to the SilverKris Lounge located at gate 60 something which was close to where our plane was docked. Made our way through customs using the Express lane and security was easy enough.
Airside.
Ok, is this Duty Free or are we in a mall?
Following the signs.
Up the escalator to get to the lounge.
Ok, so some of you who may have been here or read up on this may know that there are seperate entrances for First and Business class. You see that wood panel behind the lounge dragons? Just to the right of it, is the entrance into the First Class lounge section and I did not notice it when I was taking the picture.
When we walked up, the lounge dragon scanned our boarding passes and then hit a button (at least I think she did or I was imagining it) which caused a portion of the panel to slide open and reveal the entrance. My reaction was "WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!". I looked over at Mrs.I and even her mouth dropped open.
Images of Illidan from World of Warcraft flashed through my head:
Before ushering us in, she gave us the invite to the Private Room. This day just keeps getting better and better.
The Golden Ticket.
Oh joy of joys.
Excellent place to park ourselves for the next hour and a half.
Temptation to swipe.
Gluttony yet again. Tasted some of the rice, beef curry and veg. The beef was exceptionally good.
The concierge helped another gentleman for a food order but never came up to us. While serving myself from the buffet, I asked the passing chef if there was another menu. He sent a different concierge out to help us - I was given a menu.
I ordered the laksa while Mrs.I ordered the barramundi. Yet again, the fish was the hands down winner.
View from where we were sitting.
United heading home.
Thai.
Our bird.
With 30 minutes left before our departure time, we decided to head towards the gate. Here's a shot of the secret entrance door.
The line ups were in full swing and was orderly.
Lining up ourselves. A gate agent came around checking everyone's passports and boarding passes.
Boarding became on time and soon we were on the tube. The excitement was mounting.
Hello beauty.
Dedicated Suites bridge.
So can you make out the gentleman who is standing right inside the door?
When he saw us coming down the bridge, he stepped off the plane, took a good 5 steps forward and as we approached, he warmly greeted us - "Welcome Mr and Mrs. I!" ... he did not even look at our boarding passes to see who we were - How did he know who we were? Did the gate agent radio ahead?
Mrs.I and I looked at each other and our eyes said "WOW!" - Definitely a good sign of how amazing this flight was going to be. Spoiler alert - it was amazing.
There were 3 flight attendants serving in First today. Since we were sitting in C and D, the male attendant (I think he was the senior purser) who met us at the door escorted me to my seat while Mrs.I was escorted to her seat by the female attendant. She joked to Mrs.I that she was happy there was another female other than her in the First class cabin and they laughed. It was then that I understood how they knew who we were - we were the only couple in First today while the other 3 passengers were single males. The female attendant asked Mrs.I if she would like champage and this is how the conversation went:
Crew - "Mrs.I, would you like some champage?"
Mrs.I - "Sure!"
Crew - "Which one would you like - Dom or Krug?"
Mrs.I - "Oh, anything will do"
Crew - "And Mr.I, which one would you like?"
Me - "Definitely the Dom please!"
I looked at Mrs.I and tsk tsk-ed her.
Getting all the obligatory pics out of the way.
The special bubbles has arrived. I have to admit that I am not a champagne connoisseur - after tasting Dom and comparing it to Krug, I could not tell the difference. Please dont beat me - like I mentioned before, I am a neanderthal.
The purser handed us the menus to decide what we wanted for dinner. Dinner service would after take off.
Our amenity kits.
The captain came on the PA and welcomed us aboard. He indicated a flight time of 7 hours and were almost ready to go. There was a no show passenger and had to find the luggage to offboard. No problem!
Since we had time, we both went to change in our PJs. When we came out, the crew helped us to hang our clothes on the hangars and store them away. Fifteen minutes later, the captain came on the PA again and informed us that the bags were offloaded but now they were not getting permission for push back. It had just started raining and local labour laws prohibited ground crew working in the rain. Uh - please come to Canada to see our ground crew working in the snow.
Another 10 minutes later, we began push back. As it was a full-on rain storm, traffic control were releasing planes for take off at a slower rate than normal. Better safe than sorry no?
Take off was smooth depsite the rain and 2 lightening strikes on either side of the aircraft as we were climbing. After the seat belt was turned off, I walked around the get some cabin pics.
The grand staircase.
Time flies by when you are having fun and before we knew it, dinner was being served.
Oh so yummy GB.
Mrs.I went with the salmon starter.
While I went with the caviar. Mmmmmm.
Mrs.I's soup choice. I tasted it and it was meh.
And my choice.
We both BTC-ed the Boston Lobster Thermidor. While the choices from the menu were good, we could not miss the opportunity to BTC. In fact, we BTC-ed on all Singapore flights where available.
So here's my rant - I dont know what the catering company did with this dish but they screwed it up royally. The rice had no flavour and the lobster itself was bitter to the taste buds - it was like I was eating dried herbs. Mrs.I had the same problem. Folks - please enlighten me - is the Boston Lobster supposed to taste like this? I was expecting savoury, buttery, melty goodness. In retrospect, we should have alerted the crew but it just didnt occur to us at the time. The stubborn side of my brain probably kicked in and said "We wanted BTC and we will be damned if some bitterness is going to dampen our mood."
For dessert, we both had the flourless cake. It was meh but the ice cream was good.
We were stuffed after this and asked for our beds to be made. The purser asked us what time we would like to be woken up for the snack service and we had turned it down.
Glorious double bed in the sky.
We were joined by these cuddly critters.
4 hours of sleep and we began our descent into Singapore. We wanted to change out of the PJs and freshen up - the purser proactively helped us to remove the clothes from the storage area and put it in the washroom for us. Toilettries were available in the washroom as our disposal.
Final approach.
As we disembarked, the crew thanked us for flying with Singapore Airlines and we both thanked them for looking after us during the flight. Immigration was easy and bags were out in no time. Grabbed a cab to the Holiday Inn Express Katong for a quick 6 hour snooze. I chose this hotel as it was 15 minutes for the airport plus it was 10k IHG points a night.
Our First Class flight with Singapore Airlines definitely raised the bar for the rest of the trip. The flight crew were absolutely amazing and were highly engaging. How would Business class compare? How would our ANA F flight compare to this? Stay tuned for more!
Next up - The Private Room + Singapore Airlines Business Class to Bali
Apr 13, 2017, 6:11 am
#24
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: QF TG
Posts: 10
Thanks for a great report so far.Sadly central sydney is quiet after 930pm with limited food options out side the very good thai chinese and korean districts north of central station. The state government through complex licencing laws encourages people to go to the casino owned and run by its political mates.
The labour laws preventing outside work at the airport apply if thunder storms with lightning are in the area. Usually a 5-10 km radius. The sight of snow in Sydney would cause 5 million people to evacuate north pronto!
The labour laws preventing outside work at the airport apply if thunder storms with lightning are in the area. Usually a 5-10 km radius. The sight of snow in Sydney would cause 5 million people to evacuate north pronto!
Apr 13, 2017, 3:55 pm
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#wemissedthefirstclassentrace #ihuffedandpuffed #theprivateroommademehappyagain
Checked out at 6am and caught a taxi to Changi T3. The intent was to check-in our 2nd bag at the much talked about First Class section of T3 but things did not go so well. Factors came into play that caused us to completely miss the entrance i.e. our driver not understanding what first class entrance meant, me not doing my homework on where the entrance was and it was still dark outside when we drove up to the terminal. We were dropped outside the business class entrance and I went up to the the information desk to ask where the FC entrance was. She first said aisle 4 but what was SQ economy, then she said aisle 1 but it was some other airline and then she said aisle 6 also had a FC lane but that was not what I was looking for. After 15 minutes of walking around and my frustration building, I gave up and checked in at the Business class lane. I did end up finding it later on in our trip .. NOTE TO SELF - do whatever it takes to use SQ Changi FC entrance before I die.
Turn left after immigration/security to head to the SilverKris lounge. We took the first escalator up instead of the 2nd escalator and did the long walk around the KrisGold lounge to get to the SK lounge. Mrs.I pointed at the Gold lounge and said "That looks like a nice lounge", to which I replied "You know nothing, Jon Snow" and just made it out of the reach of her slap.
The lounge dragons guarding the front checking everyone's BP as they entered.
I showed one of the dragons our BPs along with the Golden Ticket and she inquired which flight we came off. I said Sydney and the answer was happily accepted. Escorted past the J lounge, through the F lounge and into Xanadu. All pictures in previous TR's (mine included) will never do justice to seeing the PR in person. She asked us if we would like to sit in the dining area or the lounge and we chose the dining area. A waiter immediately helped us by filling glasses with water and providing the menus. Mrs.I chose the Eggs Benedict while I chose the Roti Prata. I am happy to report that my choice was the hands down winner this time.
The lunch and dinner menus made me wish I went the previous night in addition to this morning.
As it was 7am-ish in the morning, there were quite a few people coming in for breakfast. This was the same for the First and Business class sections.
To any FT-er who will be visiting the PR for the first time or never has had the Roti Prata before - please, please, please try this. You will not regret it. Finger licking good.
Meh
After breakfast, we relaxed by the big screen area and watched the new about the London attack on Parliament.
Too bad for this stuff blocking views of the tarmac.
Mrs.I got bored and wanted to go walking around. Since our flight was out of T2, we left to take the train over. Took some pics of the F lounge as we walked out.
The madness of the Business Lounge. Hightailed it out of there.
Noticed the signage for the SQ lounge, soooo why not.
Showed BPs to the male dragon who pointed left to the business class lounge to which I replied if we had access to F lounge. He looked again and pointed right.
There was a "made to order" counter off to the left and I did notice Roti Prata being brought out by a waiter. Do I want another, hmmmmm? No, no, I did BTC and I wanted to have room.
After a quick bio, we left to make our way to the gate. Did not realize our gate was at the far end of the terminal and ran on the movators to make it in time as boarding was almost complete.
Our bird to Bali.
We were welcomed aboard and shown to our seats. The stewardess greeted us by our names and pointed out the menus for our meal selection. The captain came on and informed us of a 2.5 hr flight and would be pretty smooth all the way.
Wonderful angled lie flat seats - appropriate for this short haul leg.
Apple juice to start.
Cabin shot.
while Mrs.I was filling out the immigration forms, I snapped the menu pics.
Funny enough, this was the same menu from Bali to Singapore. The rest of the menu was the standard alcoholic and non-alcoholic stuff, so I will not post it twice.
Hello Scooty.
Pushback.
Lining up for take off with a whalejet in the distance.
Toodles Changi. See you in 4 days.
Once the seat belt sign was turned off, the cabin crew swung into action for the lunch service. The stewardess who greeted us earlier was taking meal orders on our side of the plane. When she came to us, she noted our BTC selections and wanted to confirm we were still ok. Oh hell yeah.
My choice was the Singapore Chicken Rice. It was my first time having chicken rice and OMG, it was phenomenal. The rice and chicken breast were perfectly moist and the 3 sauces (dark soy, garlic and chilli) accompanying the dish were perfect enhancements. In my zeal to try the chicken rice, I skipped the fruit altogther lol .. like who needs fruit right? The pannacotta dessert was good as well.
Mrs.I chose the chicken curry and it was also very good. It was tough to choose a winner as both dishes were really good.
After brunch, we were watching movies on the IFE. The system was old and clunky but servicable. 2 hours passed by pretty quick and we began the descent into Bali.
Another SQ bird heading home.
Made our way to immigration, collected our bags and went to find our Amankila rep. The start of our Amankila stay began with a hiccup which I will cover in the next post.
Overall, the experience and service at the Private Room and our flight was very good. The wait staff and cabin crew were very friendly and attentive but never intrusive. Did I forget to mention that the female cabin crew were gorgeous? ... like "WOW, eyes popping out of my sockets" gorgeous. Mrs.I asked why I was wearing my sunglasses inside the cabin.
Next up - Amankila.
Checked out at 6am and caught a taxi to Changi T3. The intent was to check-in our 2nd bag at the much talked about First Class section of T3 but things did not go so well. Factors came into play that caused us to completely miss the entrance i.e. our driver not understanding what first class entrance meant, me not doing my homework on where the entrance was and it was still dark outside when we drove up to the terminal. We were dropped outside the business class entrance and I went up to the the information desk to ask where the FC entrance was. She first said aisle 4 but what was SQ economy, then she said aisle 1 but it was some other airline and then she said aisle 6 also had a FC lane but that was not what I was looking for. After 15 minutes of walking around and my frustration building, I gave up and checked in at the Business class lane. I did end up finding it later on in our trip .. NOTE TO SELF - do whatever it takes to use SQ Changi FC entrance before I die.
Turn left after immigration/security to head to the SilverKris lounge. We took the first escalator up instead of the 2nd escalator and did the long walk around the KrisGold lounge to get to the SK lounge. Mrs.I pointed at the Gold lounge and said "That looks like a nice lounge", to which I replied "You know nothing, Jon Snow" and just made it out of the reach of her slap.
The lounge dragons guarding the front checking everyone's BP as they entered.
I showed one of the dragons our BPs along with the Golden Ticket and she inquired which flight we came off. I said Sydney and the answer was happily accepted. Escorted past the J lounge, through the F lounge and into Xanadu. All pictures in previous TR's (mine included) will never do justice to seeing the PR in person. She asked us if we would like to sit in the dining area or the lounge and we chose the dining area. A waiter immediately helped us by filling glasses with water and providing the menus. Mrs.I chose the Eggs Benedict while I chose the Roti Prata. I am happy to report that my choice was the hands down winner this time.
The lunch and dinner menus made me wish I went the previous night in addition to this morning.
As it was 7am-ish in the morning, there were quite a few people coming in for breakfast. This was the same for the First and Business class sections.
To any FT-er who will be visiting the PR for the first time or never has had the Roti Prata before - please, please, please try this. You will not regret it. Finger licking good.
Meh
After breakfast, we relaxed by the big screen area and watched the new about the London attack on Parliament.
Too bad for this stuff blocking views of the tarmac.
Mrs.I got bored and wanted to go walking around. Since our flight was out of T2, we left to take the train over. Took some pics of the F lounge as we walked out.
The madness of the Business Lounge. Hightailed it out of there.
Noticed the signage for the SQ lounge, soooo why not.
Showed BPs to the male dragon who pointed left to the business class lounge to which I replied if we had access to F lounge. He looked again and pointed right.
There was a "made to order" counter off to the left and I did notice Roti Prata being brought out by a waiter. Do I want another, hmmmmm? No, no, I did BTC and I wanted to have room.
After a quick bio, we left to make our way to the gate. Did not realize our gate was at the far end of the terminal and ran on the movators to make it in time as boarding was almost complete.
Our bird to Bali.
We were welcomed aboard and shown to our seats. The stewardess greeted us by our names and pointed out the menus for our meal selection. The captain came on and informed us of a 2.5 hr flight and would be pretty smooth all the way.
Wonderful angled lie flat seats - appropriate for this short haul leg.
Apple juice to start.
Cabin shot.
while Mrs.I was filling out the immigration forms, I snapped the menu pics.
Funny enough, this was the same menu from Bali to Singapore. The rest of the menu was the standard alcoholic and non-alcoholic stuff, so I will not post it twice.
Hello Scooty.
Pushback.
Lining up for take off with a whalejet in the distance.
Toodles Changi. See you in 4 days.
Once the seat belt sign was turned off, the cabin crew swung into action for the lunch service. The stewardess who greeted us earlier was taking meal orders on our side of the plane. When she came to us, she noted our BTC selections and wanted to confirm we were still ok. Oh hell yeah.
My choice was the Singapore Chicken Rice. It was my first time having chicken rice and OMG, it was phenomenal. The rice and chicken breast were perfectly moist and the 3 sauces (dark soy, garlic and chilli) accompanying the dish were perfect enhancements. In my zeal to try the chicken rice, I skipped the fruit altogther lol .. like who needs fruit right? The pannacotta dessert was good as well.
Mrs.I chose the chicken curry and it was also very good. It was tough to choose a winner as both dishes were really good.
After brunch, we were watching movies on the IFE. The system was old and clunky but servicable. 2 hours passed by pretty quick and we began the descent into Bali.
Another SQ bird heading home.
Made our way to immigration, collected our bags and went to find our Amankila rep. The start of our Amankila stay began with a hiccup which I will cover in the next post.
Overall, the experience and service at the Private Room and our flight was very good. The wait staff and cabin crew were very friendly and attentive but never intrusive. Did I forget to mention that the female cabin crew were gorgeous? ... like "WOW, eyes popping out of my sockets" gorgeous. Mrs.I asked why I was wearing my sunglasses inside the cabin.
Next up - Amankila.
Apr 17, 2017, 2:56 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#amankilahiccup #peaceandquiet #theviewsdontgetanybetter
I looked for the Amankila rep as we came out the doors. After spotting him, we walked up to him and said we were staying at the Amankila. He had a confused look on this face and ask us to walk around to the front. We were met by him and another Amankila rep who pulled out a sheet to check our names and indicated that his notes said we would get our own transportation ... le sigh. He called up the Amankila front desk to sort out the issue. While he was waiting for them to call back, he quickly de-escalated the situation by thanking us for choosing to stay at the Amankila and he would take it upon himself to ensure that everything would be sorted. True to his word, after a short wait of 10 minutes, he escorted us to the taxi stand where we hopped into a private car that was hired by Amankila to bring us to the resort. Cold water bottles were provided and we were then off on a 90 minute car ride.
90 minutes later and we arrived at our destination. The resort is located in the town of Manggis and is truly out of the way from the normal tourist areas such as Seminayk or Ubud. The main road is a single lane in either direction and the front entrance is covered with trees and other shrubbery which makes it blend in with the rest of the area.
We pulled up into the main lobby area where there was a welcome committee waiting for us.
Reception Area.
Two girls handed a flower to Mrs.I and myself and we were welcomed by the rest of the front house staff. The manager informed us that we were upgraded to an Ocean View suite as we were celebrating our 5 year anniversary - a gesture much appreciated. He handed us to one of the staff members who gave us a quick tour of all the facilities on the resort before walking us to our room and did the check-in formalities there. The GM was also there to welcome us (Ian, I believe) which was a nice touch - we would not see him for the rest of the stay. The service delivered throughout our stay was phenomenal - the little nuiances by the staff really showcased what Amankila was all about and it spoke volumes. Let me explain:
1. Whenever we passed by the front lobby, the staff sitting at their desks would always get up, come forward to greet us and ask us how we were doing or if we wanted anything.
2. Whenever we finished breakfast and pass through the lobby, they would ask us how our breakfast was. When we got back to the room from breakfast, the room was already cleaned and made up - this really shocked us on the first morning because we went for an early breakfast (7.30am due to jetlag) and we were done in 45 minutes. Ninja cleaning crew.
3. They also knew exactly what excursions we booked and would ask us if we enjoyed it.
4. When turn down service was done, the beds were made up again and water bottles were placed by the bedside along with bottle openers.
5. Whenever we ordered room service, the waiter bringing the food would ring a little bell to let us know that he was outside (they dont have actual electric bells on the door). After delivering the food, he would never ask us to sign a bill like other hotels/resorts.
Mrs.I saw this view for the first time and her jaw hit the floor.
The entrance to our casa.
Lucky number 19. Our anniversary date.
View from the front door.
Welcome sorbet, chocolates were provided.
Once all the check-in formalities were taken care of, we were left to our own devices. Snapped pictures of the room before we went out to explore the rest of the resort.
Our bed to the right as we enter the front door.
Mrs.I was so gaga over the room that she called back home and gave them a live video tour lol.
To the right side of the bed was an ipod playing balinese music along with room service menu and other reading material about the resort.
To the left of the front door was a desk and a lounge bed.
Past this area is the toilet and shower areas.
Shower area with jacuzzi.
Another lounge bed outside the toilet.
In between this area is the coffee station.
Yummy chips and cookies that is replenished everyday.
Past this area are the sinks and closets. Obviously Mrs.I got the sink with the bigger counter space.
My man space.
"Closets" on either side.
Ok, room pics done. Time to the make the most of our day and hit the beach.
One of the many interlinking walkways throughout the resort. Felt really bad for the two staff members having to carry the bags during the check-in/check-out process but I guess the tips made it all better.
The lower seating area near the pool. The breakfast area is directly above.
Coming out of the area to see the first of three famous infinity pools. Two swimmers were already taking advantage of the cloud cover to get some laps in.
View across the bay. It was a sunny day when we landed in Bali and became cloudy when we were at the resort but did not rain. The 2nd and 3rd days were pure sunshine while our last day was heavy rain.
There are two ways to get down to the beach.
1 - Walk down the long staircase built into the side of the cliff. This includes getting bitten by teeny tiny insects on your way down.
2 - ride in a buggy.
It was easy walking down but we took a buggy back up. Once we were at the bottom, we came upon another seating area with another pool.
We walked further and came to the beach. The sand is the volcanic kind, therefore it looks black. Some people may not like it but it was fine for us.
There was one staff member at the equipment shack and he greeted us as we approached. He quickly set up chairs with towels and glasses of cold water - this was done without asking which was awesome.
After hanging out at the beach, we moved back to the swimming pool area for a dip. Another staff member saw us and quickly set up the chairs with towels and cold water.
Daily breakfast was always a good experience as it was made to order rather than a buffet. Most hotels would ask for your room number before escorting you to a table. We were never asked for our room number once during our stay - even when ordering room service.
Our first morning, we found this outside our room. Awesome!
Seating was never a problem and we were always able to select where we wanted to sit.
Time for the food pr0n. Every bite was an orgasmic food explosion.
Mie Goreng.
Banana bread.
Egg white omelette stuffed with veggies. The avocado was OMG.
Balinese coffee. I am now a believer.
Eggs Benedict with salmon.
Middle eastern breakfast.
Spanish Baked Eggs.
Bubur Ayam porridge.
After it was properly mixed.
Scrambled eggs with chorizo.
There was daily afternoon tea at 4pm at the library and it was awesome. Never saw anyone else come to try it out. More sweets for us!
Since we were at the library, we checked it out.
The one TV in the entire resort. I forgot to mention that there was no TV in the room and I assumed this was by design. Mrs.I instantly latched onto the remote.
Some more pics of our time spent by the pool.
I will end this post here for now. My next post will show our excursions in Bali. As mentioned earlier, the level of service provided by the staff was over and beyond what we expected. Would we come back? Tough call, as we would like to visit the other Amans and use Amankila as a benchmark. If they installed a TV in the room, I would definitely come back.
Next up - out and about in Bali.
90 minutes later and we arrived at our destination. The resort is located in the town of Manggis and is truly out of the way from the normal tourist areas such as Seminayk or Ubud. The main road is a single lane in either direction and the front entrance is covered with trees and other shrubbery which makes it blend in with the rest of the area.
We pulled up into the main lobby area where there was a welcome committee waiting for us.
Reception Area.
Two girls handed a flower to Mrs.I and myself and we were welcomed by the rest of the front house staff. The manager informed us that we were upgraded to an Ocean View suite as we were celebrating our 5 year anniversary - a gesture much appreciated. He handed us to one of the staff members who gave us a quick tour of all the facilities on the resort before walking us to our room and did the check-in formalities there. The GM was also there to welcome us (Ian, I believe) which was a nice touch - we would not see him for the rest of the stay. The service delivered throughout our stay was phenomenal - the little nuiances by the staff really showcased what Amankila was all about and it spoke volumes. Let me explain:
1. Whenever we passed by the front lobby, the staff sitting at their desks would always get up, come forward to greet us and ask us how we were doing or if we wanted anything.
2. Whenever we finished breakfast and pass through the lobby, they would ask us how our breakfast was. When we got back to the room from breakfast, the room was already cleaned and made up - this really shocked us on the first morning because we went for an early breakfast (7.30am due to jetlag) and we were done in 45 minutes. Ninja cleaning crew.
3. They also knew exactly what excursions we booked and would ask us if we enjoyed it.
4. When turn down service was done, the beds were made up again and water bottles were placed by the bedside along with bottle openers.
5. Whenever we ordered room service, the waiter bringing the food would ring a little bell to let us know that he was outside (they dont have actual electric bells on the door). After delivering the food, he would never ask us to sign a bill like other hotels/resorts.
Mrs.I saw this view for the first time and her jaw hit the floor.
The entrance to our casa.
Lucky number 19. Our anniversary date.
View from the front door.
Welcome sorbet, chocolates were provided.
Once all the check-in formalities were taken care of, we were left to our own devices. Snapped pictures of the room before we went out to explore the rest of the resort.
Our bed to the right as we enter the front door.
Mrs.I was so gaga over the room that she called back home and gave them a live video tour lol.
To the right side of the bed was an ipod playing balinese music along with room service menu and other reading material about the resort.
To the left of the front door was a desk and a lounge bed.
Past this area is the toilet and shower areas.
Shower area with jacuzzi.
Another lounge bed outside the toilet.
In between this area is the coffee station.
Yummy chips and cookies that is replenished everyday.
Past this area are the sinks and closets. Obviously Mrs.I got the sink with the bigger counter space.
My man space.
"Closets" on either side.
Ok, room pics done. Time to the make the most of our day and hit the beach.
One of the many interlinking walkways throughout the resort. Felt really bad for the two staff members having to carry the bags during the check-in/check-out process but I guess the tips made it all better.
The lower seating area near the pool. The breakfast area is directly above.
Coming out of the area to see the first of three famous infinity pools. Two swimmers were already taking advantage of the cloud cover to get some laps in.
View across the bay. It was a sunny day when we landed in Bali and became cloudy when we were at the resort but did not rain. The 2nd and 3rd days were pure sunshine while our last day was heavy rain.
There are two ways to get down to the beach.
1 - Walk down the long staircase built into the side of the cliff. This includes getting bitten by teeny tiny insects on your way down.
2 - ride in a buggy.
It was easy walking down but we took a buggy back up. Once we were at the bottom, we came upon another seating area with another pool.
We walked further and came to the beach. The sand is the volcanic kind, therefore it looks black. Some people may not like it but it was fine for us.
There was one staff member at the equipment shack and he greeted us as we approached. He quickly set up chairs with towels and glasses of cold water - this was done without asking which was awesome.
After hanging out at the beach, we moved back to the swimming pool area for a dip. Another staff member saw us and quickly set up the chairs with towels and cold water.
Daily breakfast was always a good experience as it was made to order rather than a buffet. Most hotels would ask for your room number before escorting you to a table. We were never asked for our room number once during our stay - even when ordering room service.
Our first morning, we found this outside our room. Awesome!
Seating was never a problem and we were always able to select where we wanted to sit.
Time for the food pr0n. Every bite was an orgasmic food explosion.
Mie Goreng.
Banana bread.
Egg white omelette stuffed with veggies. The avocado was OMG.
Balinese coffee. I am now a believer.
Eggs Benedict with salmon.
Middle eastern breakfast.
Spanish Baked Eggs.
Bubur Ayam porridge.
After it was properly mixed.
Scrambled eggs with chorizo.
There was daily afternoon tea at 4pm at the library and it was awesome. Never saw anyone else come to try it out. More sweets for us!
Since we were at the library, we checked it out.
The one TV in the entire resort. I forgot to mention that there was no TV in the room and I assumed this was by design. Mrs.I instantly latched onto the remote.
Some more pics of our time spent by the pool.
I will end this post here for now. My next post will show our excursions in Bali. As mentioned earlier, the level of service provided by the staff was over and beyond what we expected. Would we come back? Tough call, as we would like to visit the other Amans and use Amankila as a benchmark. If they installed a TV in the room, I would definitely come back.
Next up - out and about in Bali.
Last edited by injian; Apr 18, 2017 at 2:41 pm
Apr 18, 2017, 3:37 pm
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#wedidtouristythings #weswamwiththefishies #whogetsupat4amforanexcursion
This post is mostly around the excursions we went on while in Bali. Our first day was a full day tour to see the sights and sounds of Bali and for this we hired Made Real Bali Tours who is very much recommended in the Bali driver / car service recommendations forum.
Our second day was a sunrise cruise that involved us waking up at 4am to get ready for a 5am pickup to the port. From there, we jumped on one of the Aman boats for a leisure cruise around the bay. It was overcast for the first half of the cruise with some lightening flashes - we were worried that it was going to rain but the captain said not to worry as this is the norm. And he was right, because it did clear up half way through. The cruise itself took 3 hours and the time just flew by. After the cruise, we snorkelled on the Blue Lagoon reef which had abundant marine life and the colours were amazing.
Made driving us for the day.
After an hour of driving, we stopped by a silver shop. Bought a little opal ring for Mrs.I as an advance gift for our anniversary.
Pretty accurate after drinking Balinese coffee.
From there, we made our way to a local temple. From the looks of it, the donations made by tourists are used to restore part of the temple. The temple is used often to celebrate alot of the local Balinese Hindu festivals.
Wearing the traditional sarong.
What are you laughing at?
After the temple, we headed to the waterfalls. As per Made, the water level was low this year - still made a trip of it.
I wonder if the shower facilities are as nice as the Emirates Lounge Shower facilities?
From there, we moved onto the coffee plantation which was more of a place where they showcased how the coffee was grown and harvested. The actual coffee was grown towards the centre of Bali where the dormant volcano was located. Rice fields surrounded the coffee plantation area.
This civet cat was just a display model for tourists and is released back into the wild every 3 months or so. I pushed on this topic to the lady giving us the tour and asked about the controversy regarding the civet cats who are kept in captivity and force fed the coffee beans constantly to produce the expensive luwak coffee that is famous all over. She provided assurance that this was not the case here.
Heading downstairs to the tasting area. Ended up buying some teas, luwak coffee and balinese coffee.
From there, we passed by the tourist trap rice plantation that you could walk through. Skipped it and went to lunch.
Went for lunch which was close to the Ritz Carlton Mandapa.
Three of this dish plus a 40 ounce of beer and juice cost $17 CAD. Very good deal.
The next morning, we went for our sunrise cruise. As stated, we had to get up at 4am to get ready for the 5am pickup. From there it was a 10 minute ride to the dock.
So sleepy.
Behold the dawn of a new day.
Passing by Amankila.
After this, we anchored at the Blue Lagoon reef for snorkelling.
Good colour.
Our boat.
Back to the dock/beach.
Mrs.I taking in the view after our cruise.
Next up - Diving at Tulamben and another surprise for Mrs.I.
Our second day was a sunrise cruise that involved us waking up at 4am to get ready for a 5am pickup to the port. From there, we jumped on one of the Aman boats for a leisure cruise around the bay. It was overcast for the first half of the cruise with some lightening flashes - we were worried that it was going to rain but the captain said not to worry as this is the norm. And he was right, because it did clear up half way through. The cruise itself took 3 hours and the time just flew by. After the cruise, we snorkelled on the Blue Lagoon reef which had abundant marine life and the colours were amazing.
Made driving us for the day.
After an hour of driving, we stopped by a silver shop. Bought a little opal ring for Mrs.I as an advance gift for our anniversary.
Pretty accurate after drinking Balinese coffee.
From there, we made our way to a local temple. From the looks of it, the donations made by tourists are used to restore part of the temple. The temple is used often to celebrate alot of the local Balinese Hindu festivals.
Wearing the traditional sarong.
What are you laughing at?
After the temple, we headed to the waterfalls. As per Made, the water level was low this year - still made a trip of it.
I wonder if the shower facilities are as nice as the Emirates Lounge Shower facilities?
From there, we moved onto the coffee plantation which was more of a place where they showcased how the coffee was grown and harvested. The actual coffee was grown towards the centre of Bali where the dormant volcano was located. Rice fields surrounded the coffee plantation area.
This civet cat was just a display model for tourists and is released back into the wild every 3 months or so. I pushed on this topic to the lady giving us the tour and asked about the controversy regarding the civet cats who are kept in captivity and force fed the coffee beans constantly to produce the expensive luwak coffee that is famous all over. She provided assurance that this was not the case here.
Heading downstairs to the tasting area. Ended up buying some teas, luwak coffee and balinese coffee.
From there, we passed by the tourist trap rice plantation that you could walk through. Skipped it and went to lunch.
Went for lunch which was close to the Ritz Carlton Mandapa.
Three of this dish plus a 40 ounce of beer and juice cost $17 CAD. Very good deal.
The next morning, we went for our sunrise cruise. As stated, we had to get up at 4am to get ready for the 5am pickup. From there it was a 10 minute ride to the dock.
So sleepy.
Behold the dawn of a new day.
Passing by Amankila.
After this, we anchored at the Blue Lagoon reef for snorkelling.
Good colour.
Our boat.
Back to the dock/beach.
Mrs.I taking in the view after our cruise.
Next up - Diving at Tulamben and another surprise for Mrs.I.
Apr 19, 2017, 1:16 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
#divinginsideashipwreck #anothersurprise #weleftwithheavyhearts
The last day of our stay was a busy day for me especially. Mrs.I chickened out on our diving trip and I was lucky to the only one on the dive excursion with the Geko dive centre team. I was picked up at 7.30am from the lobby and it was a one hour drive to Tulamben where the USS Liberty ship wreck was located. When we arrived around 8.30-ish, I saw that some dive groups were already done their dives for the day - talk about early birds. All cars had to park in a parking lot and the gear was given to locals who stacked the tanks, bcd's etc on the tanks of the bikes and drove down to the beach to drop them off. As the tanks were taken off the bikes, they were just dropped on the ground. The beach was not your typical sandy beach but was full of small, smooth pebbles and stones. Everytime a tank was dropped on the ground, you would hear a clang of metal hitting rock - safety of the gear was obviously the #1 priority. :|
This was my first time doing a shore dive and it was interesting walking into the water, putting your flippers on and then diving in - always good to experience things for the first time. The wreck came into view a couple minutes after going under. Despite the rainy weather, the visibility conditions were really good.
The view right after you go under.
The wreck came into view.
The gun.
Staring down the barrel.
In the bowels.
A wheel.
Ladder ... or staircase.
Nemo's cousin.
Me.
Human intruders.
After the dives were done, lunch and drinks were provided. Wolfed down the food before I realized that I had to take a pic. I did capture this tasty drink however.
View of the rice fields on the way back to the resort.
Relaxed for the rest of the day because we were going out for dinner in the evening. Mrs.I thought we were going to dinner in town at a local restaurant called Vincents. Little did she know that I made plans for a private dinner at the beach. Unfortunately, due to the bad weather, the dinner setting was moved poolside which was just as amazing. At 7.30pm, we made our way to the front lobby where we were hopped in the buggy. It took us down the winding road to the beach to which Mrs.I asked why we were taking this road to go to the restaurant. I mumbled something about the driver taking us a different way. When we got to the bottom, a staff member was waiting and welcomed us when we got out. The jig was up and Mrs.I figured out that we were not going to town but was very happy at having dinner by the pool area.
Infinite brownie points achievement unlocked.
Coming down the stairs to our seating area.
We were escorted to our table.
Mrs.I ordered some sort of pina colada and I went with the same.
We were presented with the menus. I met with the head chef on the previous day to set the menu and this is what we came up with. I could have ordered more but the food provided was more than enough for us. We were left alone when we were not being served and but were discreetly in the area whenever we needed assistance.
First course - the soup. WOW OMG, I would have been happy just having multiple bowls of this for the night.
Once the soup was done, the mains were brought out all at once. Due to poor lighting, I enlisted Mrs.I to shine the phone flashlight on the food for better shots lol.
Placed directly on the banana leafs were the grilled fish and prawns. In the bowls were the chicken curry and fern tips respectively. Everything was made to perfection and by the end, we could not move.
But then, the dessert came out and space magically appeared in our stomachs. Kudos to the chef team for making the ice bowls that kept the sherbet formed the entire time despite the ambient heat.
After dinner was done, we thanked the staff for the wonderful food and service and walked around for some more pictures.
We were driven back from the base area to the front lobby where the main staff greeted us and asked us how dinner was. Mrs.I was over the moon and told them it was a great evening. We retired to our room to pack as we would be checking out in the morning and heading back to Singapore.
Next up - Flight to Singapore + the Westin Singapore.
This was my first time doing a shore dive and it was interesting walking into the water, putting your flippers on and then diving in - always good to experience things for the first time. The wreck came into view a couple minutes after going under. Despite the rainy weather, the visibility conditions were really good.
The view right after you go under.
The wreck came into view.
The gun.
Staring down the barrel.
In the bowels.
A wheel.
Ladder ... or staircase.
Nemo's cousin.
Me.
Human intruders.
After the dives were done, lunch and drinks were provided. Wolfed down the food before I realized that I had to take a pic. I did capture this tasty drink however.
View of the rice fields on the way back to the resort.
Relaxed for the rest of the day because we were going out for dinner in the evening. Mrs.I thought we were going to dinner in town at a local restaurant called Vincents. Little did she know that I made plans for a private dinner at the beach. Unfortunately, due to the bad weather, the dinner setting was moved poolside which was just as amazing. At 7.30pm, we made our way to the front lobby where we were hopped in the buggy. It took us down the winding road to the beach to which Mrs.I asked why we were taking this road to go to the restaurant. I mumbled something about the driver taking us a different way. When we got to the bottom, a staff member was waiting and welcomed us when we got out. The jig was up and Mrs.I figured out that we were not going to town but was very happy at having dinner by the pool area.
Infinite brownie points achievement unlocked.
Coming down the stairs to our seating area.
We were escorted to our table.
Mrs.I ordered some sort of pina colada and I went with the same.
We were presented with the menus. I met with the head chef on the previous day to set the menu and this is what we came up with. I could have ordered more but the food provided was more than enough for us. We were left alone when we were not being served and but were discreetly in the area whenever we needed assistance.
First course - the soup. WOW OMG, I would have been happy just having multiple bowls of this for the night.
Once the soup was done, the mains were brought out all at once. Due to poor lighting, I enlisted Mrs.I to shine the phone flashlight on the food for better shots lol.
Placed directly on the banana leafs were the grilled fish and prawns. In the bowls were the chicken curry and fern tips respectively. Everything was made to perfection and by the end, we could not move.
But then, the dessert came out and space magically appeared in our stomachs. Kudos to the chef team for making the ice bowls that kept the sherbet formed the entire time despite the ambient heat.
After dinner was done, we thanked the staff for the wonderful food and service and walked around for some more pictures.
We were driven back from the base area to the front lobby where the main staff greeted us and asked us how dinner was. Mrs.I was over the moon and told them it was a great evening. We retired to our room to pack as we would be checking out in the morning and heading back to Singapore.
Next up - Flight to Singapore + the Westin Singapore.
Last edited by injian; Apr 19, 2017 at 2:12 pm