It's our honeymoon to Thailand and New Zealand (NH/TG/5M/SQ/CX/PG/NZ)
Feb 9, 2018, 3:38 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: Meh
Posts: 2,598
I have often had to wait to be seated at breakfasts at high end hotels - maybe not 15 mins. Rush hour in the morning sometimes dictates this. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Feb 9, 2018, 4:43 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,522
OK, I´m not really used to it. Can only remember 1 high end Hotel (if you consider Rocco Forte Munich as high end) which has problems with it.
Feb 21, 2018, 4:26 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Feb 21, 2018, 4:38 am
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Conrad Koh Samui
I had arranged a transfer through the hotel and sure enough, a driver met us at the arrival meeting point with his Toyota Fortuner.
It was a not-quick-at-all hour-plus drive from one end of the island to the other, underscoring how the Conrad is at the most remote possible point on the island. But after a long drive and a last few kilometers of narrow back roads that couldn’t possibly lead to the right place, we emerged at the top of the hill at the hotel’s arrivals lobby.
A couple of cold towels and cold drinks were quickly delivered to us as we took a seat while the hotel staff processed our check-in. Even though it wasn’t that hot out—being February and all—they were still a great touch.
After a brief buggy ride down the hill, we arrived at our villa to complete the check-in process. Absolutely amazing.
A bottle of wine and some fruit were waiting for us as a welcome gift.
One surprise was that after a thorough walkthrough of my Hilton Diamond benefits, we ended up with a Hilton Gold welcome card and two drink vouchers. A call to the service line the next day cleared up the matter and netted us the four drink vouchers the hotel promises to Diamond members.
Also, while the staff noted several times that we had been upgraded to a 200-level villa, my understanding is that it was the same as the villa we had originally booked; some time in the last year, the points redemption went from being a 200-level villa to being a 100-level villa. No further upgrades presented themselves since the entire resort was very sold out for a wedding while we were there. That said, I don’t really see a need to worry about upgrades, as nearly all of the villas are the same and only differ in variations of the same breathtaking view.
No sooner had we opened the wine than the hotel staff arrived for turn-down service, and the two towel elephants on the bed turned into four.
The next morning, we woke up with the sunrise and checked out our private infinity pool. With views like this, we could probably just lounge here for the next week.
But alas, hunger got the best of us and we went over to Zest, the hotel’s main restaurant, for breakfast.
We were quickly seated at one of the best tables on the patio, which is pretty easy when most of the tables are the best table.
Like many breakfast buffets in this part of the world, there were options for days. Thai food, Chinese food, American food, a salad bar, fresh fruit, fresh pastries, a noodle bar, a smoothie bar, and more.
A separate menu contained made-to-order egg specials. We tried the Thai Benedict, which was outstanding.
Near the end of our breakfast, a server made the rounds with a tray of red velvet cake, for reasons that remain unclear. Nonetheless, it was also delicious.
After breakfast, we took an hour or so to explore the resort. The pool is nice, but who needs it when you have one of your own back at your villa?
We stopped for lunch later on at Azure, the hotel’s poolside restaurant. The fresh coconuts are nicely on brand.
The food was great, too. We got a salad and a pizza to share.
The drinks, on the other hand, were super watered down. Every cocktail I had on the resort was just tasteless.
On our second night, we had dinner at Jahn, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. We arrived just a couple minutes past our 6 pm reservation and were immediately seated in what was a relatively empty restaurant. Just over half of the tables are by the window and have the same signature view as most of the resort.
My wife ordered the “Journey of Jahn” and I ordered the “Tasting of Jahn”, both relatively equivalent but different tasting menus. We also got wine pairings.
The service seemed to be running on island time, so it was a solid half an hour after we sat down before we had anything to eat.
The appetizer trios:
Toong Thong chicken, betel leaf with prawns, vegetable spring roll
Mahor chicken, betel leaf with prawns, fresh spring roll with fish.
The carved pineapple was a novel serving plate for the little meatball, and the spring roll was straightforward. The betel leaf item sent coconut flying everywhere when I tried to eat it.
The first wines: Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2016 for her and Weingut Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner “Leicht & Trocken” 2015 for me.
First courses:
Seared red tuna, lotus seed, avocado purée topped with Thai herbs, lemon and mint sauce, served on the lotus leaf
Green papaya, papaya caviar, cashew nuts & deep fried chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves.
The presentation of papaya salad was a cute one, but the papaya was bland and the “caviar” on top tasted of nothing more than a vague sensation of plastic. The pandan-wrapped chicken was hard to eat. The sauce underneath it was fantastic.
Fish courses:
Slow cooked lobster with aromatic Thai herbs, coconut reduction, red curry sauce and tapioca pearl
Hot and sour soup, tiger prawn, shallots, coriander and red chili.
This is their signature dish, and for good reason. Tom Yum Goong is ubiquitous especially in this touristy part of Thailand, and this take on it is unforgettable. Pouring the broth through the aromatics into a teapot and then into a bowl with the shrimp is way fun and turns out just perfectly.
Shrimp was overcooked, though.
Second wines: Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis 2014 for her and Grosset Springvale Riesling 2014.
Palate cleansers:
Lemongrass sorbet
Rosella sorbet, which tasted amazingly like Heinz ketchup.
Main courses:
Roasted crispy pork with Thai kale, ruby sauce
Wagyu beef tenderloin, new potatoes, pearl onions, peanuts and red onion.
This is the famous “Massaman of Wagyu beef”, about which they boast how long it was cooked sous-vide. And then they come out and ruin it by pressing it with a vintage clothing iron until it’s gray halfway through. I have no idea who came up with this idea.
The Massaman curry sauce was so amazingly delicious as to make up for it, though!
The rice was nicely green, but mostly tasted like water.
Main course wines: Torbreck Cuvée Juveniles GSM 2011 for her and Kanonkop Pinotage 2013 for me.
Pre-dessert: Thai melon ice cream and midori. Really great.
Desserts:
Grilled banana, banana parfait, almond crumbles, blossoms with caramel sauce and coconut ice cream
Sweet potato tart, apple compote, passion fruit coulis and guava sorbet.
Sweet and delicious. The tart on its own would have been every overlooked pumpkin pie on my family’s Thanksgiving table but when paired with the guava sorbet, the dish came alive. At least we can talk about ending on a high note.
Dessert wines: Monsoon Valley Chenin Blanc Late Harvest 2012 for her and Bird of Fire Botrytis 2015 for me.
Petits fours.
Overall, it was some very interesting nouveau Thai cuisine. It was also quite a lot of money for dishes where each one had something about it that wasn’t great and a lot more money for some pretty low-end wine.
The service was friendly and relatively proper, but also so slow that I wasn’t sure whether it was running on island time or whether something was genuinely wrong in the kitchen.
I’ve read quite a few reviews of this dining experience here on the forums and all of them say it’s over the top amazing, and I guess setting my expectations based on that just left me a bit disappointed.
It was still a good meal, but I’m not sure I would call it memorable.
The review
This is one of the two or three nicest resorts in the world under Hilton’s very large umbrella, and they didn’t get there by luck or by default. I’ve never before been in a premium hotel room that had such a good use of space and I’ve never before seen such a great balance of everything you need and nothing you don’t.
You’re met at every turn with delightful people and stunning vistas, and it’s very, very hard not to relax in paradise.
On the one hand, I think five nights is the upper limit of how long I’d want to spend in any one place, and on the other, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so sad when it was time to leave.
Next time, I might spend a little more time off resort, especially for meals, but this will still be a favorite for me. Coming here requires a very long trip (at least as long as we’re living in the USA) so I’m not sure when we’ll be back, but we’ll keep fond memories until we do.
I had arranged a transfer through the hotel and sure enough, a driver met us at the arrival meeting point with his Toyota Fortuner.
It was a not-quick-at-all hour-plus drive from one end of the island to the other, underscoring how the Conrad is at the most remote possible point on the island. But after a long drive and a last few kilometers of narrow back roads that couldn’t possibly lead to the right place, we emerged at the top of the hill at the hotel’s arrivals lobby.
A couple of cold towels and cold drinks were quickly delivered to us as we took a seat while the hotel staff processed our check-in. Even though it wasn’t that hot out—being February and all—they were still a great touch.
After a brief buggy ride down the hill, we arrived at our villa to complete the check-in process. Absolutely amazing.
A bottle of wine and some fruit were waiting for us as a welcome gift.
One surprise was that after a thorough walkthrough of my Hilton Diamond benefits, we ended up with a Hilton Gold welcome card and two drink vouchers. A call to the service line the next day cleared up the matter and netted us the four drink vouchers the hotel promises to Diamond members.
Also, while the staff noted several times that we had been upgraded to a 200-level villa, my understanding is that it was the same as the villa we had originally booked; some time in the last year, the points redemption went from being a 200-level villa to being a 100-level villa. No further upgrades presented themselves since the entire resort was very sold out for a wedding while we were there. That said, I don’t really see a need to worry about upgrades, as nearly all of the villas are the same and only differ in variations of the same breathtaking view.
No sooner had we opened the wine than the hotel staff arrived for turn-down service, and the two towel elephants on the bed turned into four.
The next morning, we woke up with the sunrise and checked out our private infinity pool. With views like this, we could probably just lounge here for the next week.
But alas, hunger got the best of us and we went over to Zest, the hotel’s main restaurant, for breakfast.
We were quickly seated at one of the best tables on the patio, which is pretty easy when most of the tables are the best table.
Like many breakfast buffets in this part of the world, there were options for days. Thai food, Chinese food, American food, a salad bar, fresh fruit, fresh pastries, a noodle bar, a smoothie bar, and more.
A separate menu contained made-to-order egg specials. We tried the Thai Benedict, which was outstanding.
Near the end of our breakfast, a server made the rounds with a tray of red velvet cake, for reasons that remain unclear. Nonetheless, it was also delicious.
After breakfast, we took an hour or so to explore the resort. The pool is nice, but who needs it when you have one of your own back at your villa?
We stopped for lunch later on at Azure, the hotel’s poolside restaurant. The fresh coconuts are nicely on brand.
The food was great, too. We got a salad and a pizza to share.
The drinks, on the other hand, were super watered down. Every cocktail I had on the resort was just tasteless.
On our second night, we had dinner at Jahn, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. We arrived just a couple minutes past our 6 pm reservation and were immediately seated in what was a relatively empty restaurant. Just over half of the tables are by the window and have the same signature view as most of the resort.
My wife ordered the “Journey of Jahn” and I ordered the “Tasting of Jahn”, both relatively equivalent but different tasting menus. We also got wine pairings.
The service seemed to be running on island time, so it was a solid half an hour after we sat down before we had anything to eat.
The appetizer trios:
Toong Thong chicken, betel leaf with prawns, vegetable spring roll
Mahor chicken, betel leaf with prawns, fresh spring roll with fish.
The carved pineapple was a novel serving plate for the little meatball, and the spring roll was straightforward. The betel leaf item sent coconut flying everywhere when I tried to eat it.
The first wines: Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2016 for her and Weingut Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner “Leicht & Trocken” 2015 for me.
First courses:
Seared red tuna, lotus seed, avocado purée topped with Thai herbs, lemon and mint sauce, served on the lotus leaf
Green papaya, papaya caviar, cashew nuts & deep fried chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves.
The presentation of papaya salad was a cute one, but the papaya was bland and the “caviar” on top tasted of nothing more than a vague sensation of plastic. The pandan-wrapped chicken was hard to eat. The sauce underneath it was fantastic.
Fish courses:
Slow cooked lobster with aromatic Thai herbs, coconut reduction, red curry sauce and tapioca pearl
Hot and sour soup, tiger prawn, shallots, coriander and red chili.
This is their signature dish, and for good reason. Tom Yum Goong is ubiquitous especially in this touristy part of Thailand, and this take on it is unforgettable. Pouring the broth through the aromatics into a teapot and then into a bowl with the shrimp is way fun and turns out just perfectly.
Shrimp was overcooked, though.
Second wines: Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis 2014 for her and Grosset Springvale Riesling 2014.
Palate cleansers:
Lemongrass sorbet
Rosella sorbet, which tasted amazingly like Heinz ketchup.
Main courses:
Roasted crispy pork with Thai kale, ruby sauce
Wagyu beef tenderloin, new potatoes, pearl onions, peanuts and red onion.
This is the famous “Massaman of Wagyu beef”, about which they boast how long it was cooked sous-vide. And then they come out and ruin it by pressing it with a vintage clothing iron until it’s gray halfway through. I have no idea who came up with this idea.
The Massaman curry sauce was so amazingly delicious as to make up for it, though!
The rice was nicely green, but mostly tasted like water.
Main course wines: Torbreck Cuvée Juveniles GSM 2011 for her and Kanonkop Pinotage 2013 for me.
Pre-dessert: Thai melon ice cream and midori. Really great.
Desserts:
Grilled banana, banana parfait, almond crumbles, blossoms with caramel sauce and coconut ice cream
Sweet potato tart, apple compote, passion fruit coulis and guava sorbet.
Sweet and delicious. The tart on its own would have been every overlooked pumpkin pie on my family’s Thanksgiving table but when paired with the guava sorbet, the dish came alive. At least we can talk about ending on a high note.
Dessert wines: Monsoon Valley Chenin Blanc Late Harvest 2012 for her and Bird of Fire Botrytis 2015 for me.
Petits fours.
Overall, it was some very interesting nouveau Thai cuisine. It was also quite a lot of money for dishes where each one had something about it that wasn’t great and a lot more money for some pretty low-end wine.
The service was friendly and relatively proper, but also so slow that I wasn’t sure whether it was running on island time or whether something was genuinely wrong in the kitchen.
I’ve read quite a few reviews of this dining experience here on the forums and all of them say it’s over the top amazing, and I guess setting my expectations based on that just left me a bit disappointed.
It was still a good meal, but I’m not sure I would call it memorable.
The review
This is one of the two or three nicest resorts in the world under Hilton’s very large umbrella, and they didn’t get there by luck or by default. I’ve never before been in a premium hotel room that had such a good use of space and I’ve never before seen such a great balance of everything you need and nothing you don’t.
You’re met at every turn with delightful people and stunning vistas, and it’s very, very hard not to relax in paradise.
On the one hand, I think five nights is the upper limit of how long I’d want to spend in any one place, and on the other, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so sad when it was time to leave.
Next time, I might spend a little more time off resort, especially for meals, but this will still be a favorite for me. Coming here requires a very long trip (at least as long as we’re living in the USA) so I’m not sure when we’ll be back, but we’ll keep fond memories until we do.
Last edited by puls; Feb 21, 2018 at 4:45 am
Feb 21, 2018, 4:59 am
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Samui Domestic Departures
Unwinding our experience arriving in Koh Samui, our driver from the Conrad drove us the very long hour back to the same airport in the same Fortuner.
The airport is completely open air, which is certainly appropriate for the weather.
Since we’re in economy for this short flight, it’s all about printing our own boarding passes and then joining the queue to check in.
The queue for checking bags after printing a boarding pass at the kiosk was significantly shorter than the full-service check-in line. I don’t know why anybody would use the latter.
A few minutes of waiting later, it was off for the long walk to the boarding gates.
Bangkok Airways owns and operates the facility, which sees only a few flights from other airlines. It certainly doesn’t see flights from Thai Airways any more. 🤬
We walked, and walked, and walked some more.
We finally happened upon a shopping mall that reminded us a bit of Disneyland…
Finally, we got to the security checkpoint, where everybody was nice and the line was almost nonexistent. Through to the domestic gates, all three of which consist of a small hut with seating.
The gate had a “courtesy corner” with some snacks and beverages.
Every gate at this airport is a bus gate.
After a half hour or so of waiting around with some visitors, it was almost time to board.
Unwinding our experience arriving in Koh Samui, our driver from the Conrad drove us the very long hour back to the same airport in the same Fortuner.
The airport is completely open air, which is certainly appropriate for the weather.
Since we’re in economy for this short flight, it’s all about printing our own boarding passes and then joining the queue to check in.
The queue for checking bags after printing a boarding pass at the kiosk was significantly shorter than the full-service check-in line. I don’t know why anybody would use the latter.
A few minutes of waiting later, it was off for the long walk to the boarding gates.
Bangkok Airways owns and operates the facility, which sees only a few flights from other airlines. It certainly doesn’t see flights from Thai Airways any more. 🤬
We walked, and walked, and walked some more.
We finally happened upon a shopping mall that reminded us a bit of Disneyland…
Finally, we got to the security checkpoint, where everybody was nice and the line was almost nonexistent. Through to the domestic gates, all three of which consist of a small hut with seating.
The gate had a “courtesy corner” with some snacks and beverages.
Every gate at this airport is a bus gate.
After a half hour or so of waiting around with some visitors, it was almost time to board.
Feb 21, 2018, 5:20 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Bangkok Airways 952, Samui (USM) to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
February 8th, 2018
10:25 am–11:40 am
Airbus A319 HS-PPF
Seats 7E/F (aisle/window, economy class)
After way too long watching all of the codeshare flight numbers scroll past mismatched to their logos, the last group (“Group 1”) was ready to head to the buses.
After a short, fun ride, we arrived at the plane.
Unlike the plane we had been on coming in from Bangkok, this one had newer slimline seats with a bit more knee space. I was certainly not uncomfortable.
One last view of the town of Chaweng on takeoff.
Sure enough, the hot meal commenced eight minutes in to the 50-minute flight. It was described as “chicken with rice noodles”, and boy, was it ever edible.
But really, kudos for putting in the effort at all. Meal service on a sub-one-hour flight and perfectly nice staff throughout the whole experience left me not complaining.
A few minutes later, we landed back at Suvarnabhumi, where taxiing all the way around the airport meant I could finally see some interesting planes.
British Airways 772.
Thai Airways A380 HS-TUE, on which the greatest flight of my life to this point took place.
Myanmar National Airlines 737-800 (a new one for me!)
After making it to the remote stand and boarding the bus, we got the grand tour of the tarmac to get to domestic arrivals, whence we waited almost half an hour for our bags.
The review
Same as before, we didn’t have a choice whether or not to take this flight. And it was fine. Nice, even.
That said, I don’t see any reason to fly this airline if you could choose another and either save money or redeem miles.
February 8th, 2018
10:25 am–11:40 am
Airbus A319 HS-PPF
Seats 7E/F (aisle/window, economy class)
After way too long watching all of the codeshare flight numbers scroll past mismatched to their logos, the last group (“Group 1”) was ready to head to the buses.
After a short, fun ride, we arrived at the plane.
Unlike the plane we had been on coming in from Bangkok, this one had newer slimline seats with a bit more knee space. I was certainly not uncomfortable.
One last view of the town of Chaweng on takeoff.
Sure enough, the hot meal commenced eight minutes in to the 50-minute flight. It was described as “chicken with rice noodles”, and boy, was it ever edible.
But really, kudos for putting in the effort at all. Meal service on a sub-one-hour flight and perfectly nice staff throughout the whole experience left me not complaining.
A few minutes later, we landed back at Suvarnabhumi, where taxiing all the way around the airport meant I could finally see some interesting planes.
British Airways 772.
Thai Airways A380 HS-TUE, on which the greatest flight of my life to this point took place.
Myanmar National Airlines 737-800 (a new one for me!)
After making it to the remote stand and boarding the bus, we got the grand tour of the tarmac to get to domestic arrivals, whence we waited almost half an hour for our bags.
The review
Same as before, we didn’t have a choice whether or not to take this flight. And it was fine. Nice, even.
That said, I don’t see any reason to fly this airline if you could choose another and either save money or redeem miles.
Feb 21, 2018, 9:24 am
#27
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Alpharetta, GA, USA
Posts: 948
I certainly hope Thai still flies USM-BKK as I have that flight booked in July as part of an Aeroplan biz award. Nice review. Looking forward to the Conrad in July for 2 free nights. We can't sit around a resort all day so we booked a snorkel tour to Angthong with 100 Degrees East for one of the days we are there. Will hopefully do a trip report as it's been many years since I've done one on here.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:56 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
I certainly hope Thai still flies USM-BKK as I have that flight booked in July as part of an Aeroplan biz award. Nice review. Looking forward to the Conrad in July for 2 free nights. We can't sit around a resort all day so we booked a snorkel tour to Angthong with 100 Degrees East for one of the days we are there. Will hopefully do a trip report as it's been many years since I've done one on here.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:59 pm
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Feb 21, 2018, 4:46 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 391
Thai Airways Royal First Lounge and Royal Orchid Spa, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
After exiting baggage claim, we went up four levels of escalators in the huge, airy main terminal building and made our way all the way to the left past row A to the Royal First check-in lounge.
The bouncers at the door seemed surprised to see anybody approaching—I think most of Thai’s long-haul flights with first class depart late at night and it was just after noon—and doubly surprised to see us with hiking backpacks, but after a quick check of our names against the list, they warmly escorted us to some seats and brought us some bottled water and cold towels while printing our boarding passes and checking our bags. Quite the relaxing way to check in!
Security and departure controls had no lines and took no time at all and the person escorting us through brought us down the escalator to our buggy driver.
After the classic buggy ride through the business class lounge and out into the terminal, swerving around unsuspecting tourists at breakneck speeds (not really), we arrived at the Royal First lounge.
Last time we were here, the experience was markedly lackluster, but I had a feeling all along that they wouldn’t fail us twice.
Sure enough, instead of having only two empty seats directly in front of a noisy bar, the lounge was virtually empty and we had our pick of virtually anywhere to sit.
The bar was pretty quiet, too, though they happily brought us a couple of glasses of champagne.
I took a look around and noted the token buffet that seems redundant when anybody will bring you anything you want to eat at a moment’s notice.
There’s also a dining room where one could (I suppose) have a full meal. It was empty.
Feeling a bit hungry, we ordered some tom yum goong and some grilled pork with sticky rice. Both were delicious.
Another hour later, it was time to head across the hallway to the Royal Orchid Spa for our massages.
For the couple of minutes between our arrival and our rooms being ready, we sat in a waiting area with more cold towels and beverages.
We were then escorted separately to the Royal First Zone to our spa suites.
The suite was surprisingly large, and in addition to the massage table had a tub and a full bathroom with a shower. But I think those are for if you request a shower while in the lounge and not for while you’re getting a massage.
The massage itself was thorough and extremely firm and left me feeling loose for days. It was great.
Back to the Royal First Zone in the waiting area for some tea and some sweets while I waited for my wife’s massage to finish.
Back to the lounge for the last two hours before our flight. Even the restrooms, which were dirty and full of smoke on our last visit, were in great shape and (like the lounge itself) quite empty.
The lounge attendants gathered the first class passengers for our flight just in time to be the last to board, and we were off!
The review
Last time we visited this lounge, we left wondering if it was some sick joke. This time, we left convinced that it was indeed among the great lounges of the world. It’s not as private as, say, The Private Room in Singapore, and the staff aren’t quite as on their toes as at, say, the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. But I’d still put this in the top tier of first class lounges I’ve been to around the world.
After exiting baggage claim, we went up four levels of escalators in the huge, airy main terminal building and made our way all the way to the left past row A to the Royal First check-in lounge.
The bouncers at the door seemed surprised to see anybody approaching—I think most of Thai’s long-haul flights with first class depart late at night and it was just after noon—and doubly surprised to see us with hiking backpacks, but after a quick check of our names against the list, they warmly escorted us to some seats and brought us some bottled water and cold towels while printing our boarding passes and checking our bags. Quite the relaxing way to check in!
Security and departure controls had no lines and took no time at all and the person escorting us through brought us down the escalator to our buggy driver.
After the classic buggy ride through the business class lounge and out into the terminal, swerving around unsuspecting tourists at breakneck speeds (not really), we arrived at the Royal First lounge.
Last time we were here, the experience was markedly lackluster, but I had a feeling all along that they wouldn’t fail us twice.
Sure enough, instead of having only two empty seats directly in front of a noisy bar, the lounge was virtually empty and we had our pick of virtually anywhere to sit.
The bar was pretty quiet, too, though they happily brought us a couple of glasses of champagne.
I took a look around and noted the token buffet that seems redundant when anybody will bring you anything you want to eat at a moment’s notice.
There’s also a dining room where one could (I suppose) have a full meal. It was empty.
Feeling a bit hungry, we ordered some tom yum goong and some grilled pork with sticky rice. Both were delicious.
Another hour later, it was time to head across the hallway to the Royal Orchid Spa for our massages.
For the couple of minutes between our arrival and our rooms being ready, we sat in a waiting area with more cold towels and beverages.
We were then escorted separately to the Royal First Zone to our spa suites.
The suite was surprisingly large, and in addition to the massage table had a tub and a full bathroom with a shower. But I think those are for if you request a shower while in the lounge and not for while you’re getting a massage.
The massage itself was thorough and extremely firm and left me feeling loose for days. It was great.
Back to the Royal First Zone in the waiting area for some tea and some sweets while I waited for my wife’s massage to finish.
Back to the lounge for the last two hours before our flight. Even the restrooms, which were dirty and full of smoke on our last visit, were in great shape and (like the lounge itself) quite empty.
The lounge attendants gathered the first class passengers for our flight just in time to be the last to board, and we were off!
The review
Last time we visited this lounge, we left wondering if it was some sick joke. This time, we left convinced that it was indeed among the great lounges of the world. It’s not as private as, say, The Private Room in Singapore, and the staff aren’t quite as on their toes as at, say, the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. But I’d still put this in the top tier of first class lounges I’ve been to around the world.