offerendum

At PH Saigon I had a relative similar view and found it quite interesting. Indeed itīs the same view the top-suites share.

swingaling

Okura Prestige Bangkok
Deluxe Room - King Bed

I booked this hotel mainly because it had a relatively good location right next to a BTS stop and the price was very reasonable for such a nice property. I also considered the Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, but couldn't justify the additional cost. The Okura is also a bit closer to the airport, making airport transfers a bit quicker and easier.

Unsurprisingly, the clientele at this hotel were mainly Japanese, but I had no problem getting by with English. I believe the majority of the staff were multilingual. The hotel itself is a beautiful property that felt relatively new. I didn't try the room service or any of the hotel restaurants, but everything seemed to be top notch.

As you can see, the room was a good size and had modern furnishings and fixtures. It was quite comfortable and had all the amenities I needed.

Room Entryway



Closet


Bedroom


Toilet
With built-in heated seat and bidet, naturally.


Bath



View from Room
Athenee Hotel in foreground



Breakfast
The room rate included breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The restaurant opens at 6AM, but I had an 8AM flight. Since I had to leave the hotel at 05:30AM, the hotel made a breakfast box for me and had me pick it up at the front desk when I checked out. While it wasn't as good as a hot breakfast, it was a good breakfast to go

Breakfast Box
Ham and cheese sandwich, yogurt, apple, tangerine, water and orange juice. The sandwich was quite good.


Croissant, banana bread and apricot cheese danish. The croissant and banana bread were very good. The croissant was not Parisian quality, but quite good nonetheless. The danish was a bit strange; the cheese was much saltier (and less sweet) than I'm accustomed to having in a cheese danish.

swingaling

Bangkok at Night
Temples, Tuk Tuks and Pad Thai

I booked a group tour with a local tour company to see some of the main sights at night. I couldn't get photos of everything and we weren't able to go inside the Grand Palace, which is closed at night. However, we had dinner at Thip Samai and it was very good. We also went to a night market and had some street food. The grilled sausage was especially good. Sadly, no photos of that.

Riding the BTS
The BTS is very easy to use and was quite cheap.



Tuk Tuk Ride
I'd never done this before, but it was quite fun. You felt very close to the traffic, naturally. Traffic was quite orderly in Bangkok, unlike Saigon. So it felt relatively safe.









Grand Palace





Wat Prayurawongsawat
A beautiful and well restored stupa with adjacent pagodas.













Pad Thai Dinner at Thip Samai
There's a sizable SE Asian community where I live, so there's plenty of authentic Cambodian, Viet and Thai restaurants. But this pad thai was different (and better) than any I've had stateside. High recommended.







Giant Swing





Wat Pho
This was the highlight of the tour. These stupas and pagodas were beautiful and it was great to be able to see them lit up close at night.







































Flower Market
We ended the tour at a 24 hour flower market where they were preparing snd selling flowers primarily for temple offerings (garlands and the like). It was pretty cool to see all the activity. We also had some mango stick rice. After that, the tuk tuk brought me back to my hotel and I crashed for 4 hours before getting up to catch my flight.

tennislover9

Great photos. That new terminal at ICN looks magnificent.

swingaling

Yes, it really is. They did a really good job with the design. It is quite beautiful. Functionally, I'd say it's probably on par with HKG (though HKG T1 is larger), but aesthetically there's no comparison. HKG isn't ugly, but ICN is light, airy and has a ton of greenery. Of course, the exterior views from HKG are far better than the views from ICN (when the smog/fog allow one to see anything).

swingaling

Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge
Bangkok (BKK) - Suvarnabhumi Airport

Despite the shortcomings with their onboard product, I did find the airport experience at BKK when flying business class on Thai to be quite good. There is a dedicated check-in, security and immigration section for Thai first and business class passengers. Getting through took maybe 10 minutes, max. It was very fast and streamlined. I suspect this is somewhat similar to what SQ offers its F & J pax at SIN. After immigration, you are right by an escalator leading to the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge.

My plan initially was to track down the Royal Orchid Spa and see if I could get a quick massage. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a map the showed the precise location of the spa and I wasted an inordinate amount of time finding the spa. By the time I'd found it, it was almost time to board my flight. Ah well, live and learn.

Instead, I spent some time in the lounge and bought some souvenirs in the terminal proper. The J class lounge is really nothing special. It's quite large, but it was extremely crowded at 6-7AM on a weekday. I was able to find a seat, but just barely. The food selection was incredibly poor and not very good. I had an espresso and tried a couple things, which were decent but not great. They really could learn a thing or two from Cathay's Pier Lounges in HKG. Providing some signage for the spa would also be nice.

Spa Entrance
Took far too long to locate this. Shame on me for not going all the way through the J lounge and exiting on the transit level.



Food Offerings
The Royal Orchid Lounge had very limited food offerings. This photo was taken in the lounge near the C gates, not at the much larger main lounge. For some strange reason, the smaller lounge by the C gates had a more extensive food selection than the flagship lounge. It would be nice if they gave their lounges different names to make it clear which one I'm talking about.... Anyway, the obligatory Diet Coke. The puff pastry was good, but the stuffed banana leaf was not so great and not heated.

swingaling

Thai Airways
Business Class (C)
TG433: BKK-CGK (Bangkok to Jakarta)
23 January 2018
Boeing 777-200ER (Booked Boeing 787-8)
HS-TJE
Seat 12F
Departure: 08:48AM
Arrival: 12:07PM

Equipment Change
The first major disappointment with this flight was the equipment. When I booked this flight a few months prior, it was supposed to be operated by one of Thai's newer Boeing 787-8 planes. In fact, I intentionally chose this flight because I wanted to fly their 787-8. The B788 has an updated hard product that is true lie flat. It's still a 2+2+2 configuration, but the true flat bed with foot rest is a big improvement. It's similar to the J product in the QR A330.

I'm not sure when it happened, but I noticed the equipment swap a few days prior to the flight. At that point, I was already committed, so it made no sense to try to get myself rerouted on a different flight. I'm not even sure if TG allows free flight changes due to equipment changes. Since it was a relatively short flight, I was less concerned with the hard product than I might otherwise be. This flight was very full, so presumably that's the reason they up-gauged from the 788 to the 772. So I got stuck on a tired old 772 that hasn't been retrofitted since it was launched in 2006.

Boarding
For this flight, we boarded via a remote stand. The shuttle bus was packed with a mix of J & Y pax. I was a bit surprised they didn't have a bus dedicated for J pax and elites only. It somewhat negates the whole point of priority boarding when they cram everyone on the same bus.

HS-TJE
Not a great photo, but this is the aging bird we flew to Jakarta. These are the Y pax boarding through 2L. We boarded via a covered jet stair connected to 1L.


Seats
The seats were identical to those I flew the previous day from SGN to BKK (on an A330). As I mentioned previously, I'm not a fan of this product and I would strive to avoid flying it again in the future.


Breakfast Menu
As a rule, breakfast is my least favorite meal to have aboard a plane. On this flight we a choice of three entrees, which was a nice surprise. Objectively speaking, I find the best meal option is almost always the cuisine native to the departure airport. In this case, the Thai breakfast was probably the best choice. But, since I don't do seafood I went with the Indonesian entree instead. The Western entree would undoubtedly been the worst choice, as airplane eggs are seldom good.


Food
The doughnut and fruit were quite good. The noodle dish was decent and also a bit spicy, which was nice. The bircher muesli was not so good. A couple bites was more than enough for me. I also had an espresso (not pictured), which was fairly good.


IFE
The IFE was enabled on this flight, thankfully. That said, the selection of films and TV shows was fairly bland. The IFE system interface was very slow and lagged often. It's an old system and desperately in need of replacement. One thing that really irked me was the fact that the IFE system was not enabled until we reached cruising altitude (approx. 30,000+ feet). Most airlines enable the IFE on the ground, which helps pass the time. TG does it differently and I'm not a fan.

Overall
The other issue I had with this flight was the cabin temperature. It was unbearably hot almost the entire time and the flight crew did nothing about it. There's really no excuse for that. That aside, service was prompt, courteous and friendly. I really cannot fault FA service in any way.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining a lot, and perhaps I am. But Thai is marketing themselves as having a premium product, for which they charge premium prices. What they deliver really doesn't stand up to the competition. They are the flag carrier for Thailand, so they really should do better. The Thai government is the majority owner, so they can certainly afford to invest in the airline if they so desire. Honestly, they act as if they have a monopoly. There are other options when flying in the region and I'll be sure to use those options in the future. I'll be back there in May, and next time I plan to fly Bangkok Airways instead.

swingaling

FM7 Resort Hotel Jakarta
Standard Non-Smoking Room (King Bed)

There wasn't anything in particular I wanted to see in Jakarta, so I decided to make it a same day return instead of staying the night. At the same time, I did not relish spending 6 hours at the Jakarta airport. So, upon the recommendation of several FTers, I booked a day room at the FM7 Hotel located a 5km from the airport. It would have been nice to go into the city, but traffic is horrendous. It took nearly 20 minutes to travel the 5km between the hotel and airport. Traveling the 35km to the city center would have taken 1.5-2 hours each way. Not exactly a relaxing way to spend the layover. I felt the FM7 was a better decision.

Shuttle
The shuttle to and from the airport was free and (relatively) quick. I provided the hotel with my flight information and they were waiting for me when I arrived. The return trip was similarly prompt and uneventful. On the way from the airport, we passed through some slums, which was a bit surprising to see. We also passed through an area of new development (complete with a Starbucks, naturally) that was largely deserted.



Check-in
I did not prepay the reservation, but paid upon check-in. The room cost roughly $50 USD for up to 6 hours (including airport transfers), which I found very reasonable.

Hotel Layout
The hotel had a very sprawling layout that was a bit confusing at first. There was a rooftop lounge from which to view arriving and departing aircraft, but it was only open in the evenings (probably due to the heat). Many long hallways like this:



Room
The room was clean and relatively large. It was furnished a bit sparsely, but was absolutely fine for a few hours. It was quiet, the bed was comfortable and the air conditioning worked well. I left a credit card in the room key slot by the door so the air con would cool the room while I was out.


Bathroom
The bathroom was perfectly fine, but the hot water ran out fairly quickly. I found that odd given I was showering at around 3PM.


Hotel Restaurant
Since it was by then past lunch time, I decided to visit the restaurant adjacent to the hotel lobby for a quick meal. The menu had a pretty diverse offering, but I wanted to get something that was spicy and at least vaguely Indonesian. In other words, not a burger or pizza. They'd run out of my first choice, so I went with the mango chicken. It was tasty and quite spicy, and came with rice. The obligatory Diet Coke is not pictured, but don't worry. I had a Diet Coke too.For a grand total of $8 USD, I was very happy with my choice.

Interestingly, there was an earthquake on Java that day and the government issued a tsunami warning. Luckily, the earthquake occurred 50+ miles away and we did not feel it where I was.



Summary
I checked out around 4PM and went directly to the airport via shuttle. Overall, I was pleased with this hotel. If I were going to stay overnight, I would've stayed somewhere a bit nicer and closer to the city. But FM7 was perfect for a quick layover.

offerendum

I get „hungry“😉

swingaling

KLM Royal Dutch
Business Class (C)
KL810: CGK-KUL (Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur)
23 January 2018
Boeing 777-200ER
PH-BQB
Seat 1A & 1C
Departure: 07:22PM
Arrival: 10:24PM

Check-in
The monitors in the terminal didn't list all the flights that were available for check-in, so it took a while to find the KLM counters. When I finally found the counters, check-in was quick and painless. There was no line, as the flight was less than 50% full. The incoming flight seemed like a much more popular route for whatever reason. Though I'd checked-in online in advance, I was unable to issue my boarding pass. The KLM agent asked for a copy of my onward ticket out of KUL, which I'd brought with me for this eventuality.

Lounge
There isn't much positive to say about the lounge situation for KLM pax in CGK. Along with my ticket, I had access to the Pura Indah Lounge and it was a dump. The seating area was incredibly packed with furniture (and passengers). The food was mediocre, if I'm being very charitable. On balance, it was worse than the SASCO Rose CIP lounge in Saigon. If you find yourself in Jakarta, don't bother with this lounge at all. However, the lounge attendants were very friendly and welcoming despite the other shortcomings of the lounge.

Instead of wasting my time there, I went to OldTown White Coffee where I had some Nasi Lemak and a Lime Juice. I parked myself at a table by the windows and enjoyed the views of the runway. This was the most interesting thing I saw in the Jakarta airport:



PH-BQB
This was the same model plane as the one I flew from BKK to CGK. However, this KL frame is 4 years older than the TG jet. Despite that, this plane had a superior hard product to the Thai 772 (retrofitted in 2014). Fully lie flat, with the first row having more foot room than the other rows. The flight had a low load and the fare was very inexpensive. The J cabin was roughly 25% full.



Seat and IFE
The seat was a modern lie flat design and it was very comfortable. I'd gladly fly this on a long haul route. The IFE was also quite good. The screen was sharp and responsive with a large selection of recent movies and TV shows. The lack of aisle access for window seats is really the only drawback for this type of design, so it's not quite as good as a reverse herringbone layout. But overall no complaints.



Amenity Kit
I was very surprised to receive an amenity kit on such a short flight, but I appreciated the gesture all the same. The amenity kit was nearly identical to what one would receive from CX when flying PE on a LH or ULH route (such as BOS-HKG). In J class, CX offers a better amenity kit than this. However, I should point out that I received no amenity kits flying F on KE on two longer flights (same goes for my TG flights, no amenity kit). So KLM definitely gets kudos for the amenity kit.



Contents: Socks, eye mask, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, earplugs



Menu
Only two entree choices for dinner this time around. Perfectly ok given the short duration.



Food
The appetizer was strange and I did not care for it. The entree was an Indonesian chicken curry and was pretty tasty. The dessert had a strong nutmeg flavor (unsurprisingly), but it was decent. I wouldn't have it again. There was also a warm roll (not pictured) and it was good.



KLM Blue Delft House
As is the custom on KLM flights in J, we were each offered a porcelain house toward the end of the flight. It was filled with gin, which I later dumped out. But I kept the house. I wasn't sure they'd give these out on such a short flight, but I'm glad they did.



KUL Immigration Fast Track
I also received a pass to use the fast track immigration line at KUL. This easily saved me 30 minutes of waiting in line, so it was definitely appreciated.

Final Thoughts
I was very impressed with the high level of service on this flight, despite the very short distance and duration. They did a full (abbreviated) meal service, offered champagne prior to departure and provided amenity kits and Delft houses. And the ticket cost a whopping $168 USD. This was my first flight on KLM, but I'd happily fly with them again in the future.

swingaling

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Tower View Deluxe King

I chose this hotel because of its location in KLCC and the positive things I'd read about it online. I was not disappointed. Until the Four Seasons opens, this is pretty much the place to stay in KL. The location is very convenient, it has all the amenities one could hope for and the room rates are extremely reasonable. It's far less expensive than a comparable hotel in HKG, for example.

Entryway



Bedroom



Bathroom



The View





Breakfast Buffet
The front desk comped me breakfast during my stay since it was my first visit to the property. I'd heard excellent things about the breakfast buffet at the GH KL, but I was a bit underwhelmed when I actually had breakfast there. The breads were a bit stale and the eggs were ridiculously undercooked. The PH Taipei, Raffles Le Royal and Manila Marriott all had better buffets. The breakfast box from the Okura Prestige was better than any breakfast I had in KL. For comparison, the Island Shangri La Hong Kong was head and shoulders above the GH KL buffet, though that's not exactly a fair comparison.

Final Thoughts
Buffet aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here. There's really nothing bad I can say about this property. The property is beautiful, as the photos show.

757

Great report and photos! Looks like an amazing trip so far!

swingaling

Kuala Lumpur

For the morning, I booked a KL city tour. We saw the following sights.

National Palace



National Monument



National Mosque
The mosque was beautiful and definitely worth a visit.



Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad



Old KTM Train Station



Kuala Lumpur City Gallery
This is not a must-see. Totally skippable.



Sultan Abdul Samad Building



Royal Selangor Club



KL Tower
This is way easier to get up than the Petronas Towers and it's nearly the same height. I couldn't get tickets for the Petronas Towers due to my last minute planning (and procrastination), so I figured the KL Tower would be a good substitute.



Petronas Towers



Afternoon Tour
In the afternoon, I went on a group tour to the Batu Caves. It also stopped at the Royal Selangor pewter factory and at a batik cloth producer. Royal Selangor and the batik cloth dyer were a waste of time and could've been skipped entirely. And you can do the Batu Caves in an hour or so. Instead I was stuck on a 3 hour tour. Not ideal, but it worked out fine.

Batu Caves

Don't feed the monkeys!

offerendum

Jakarta Airport seems to be great😂

stevie

Great TR thanks