My First TR! European Babymoon - First Class/Park Hyatt/LXR/FOOD!
Aug 21, 2022, 6:26 pm
#1
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
My First TR! European Babymoon - First Class/Park Hyatt/LXR/FOOD!
Hello everyone and welcome to my first trip report!
I wrestled with the idea of weather to actually do one or not, as our itinerary was not particularly novel nor did I take a ton of photos. After giving it a bit of thought I figured if this post helps/informs even one person then it would be worth it. After all the knowledge I have garnered from this amazing community, why not take a few minutes to report on, and explain my methodology for booking, a trip that would not have been possible if it were not for this great forum. I imagine the following may be very remedial for some, but hopefully someone out there picks up a tidbit that helps them in the future. Additionally, I get to recant and remember a very special trip for my wife and I.
Feel free to reach out with any questions, and more importantly, what I may have potentially done different/better!
My wife and I are having a baby girl in December, and my goal was to book us (her) a lovely Babymoon. It was finally time for me to prove to her that all the weird/silly/crazy things I do in this points and miles game are worth it. She had only three requests:
· Booked so as to only miss one workweek
· Europe/Not Exotic
· Fancy
So off to work I went…
In this Report:
How I Booked
BA First Class DFW-LHR
Biltmore Mayfair, an LXR property
BA Traveler LHR-CDG
Waldorf Astoria Trianon Versailles
Park Hyatt Paris
Air France Business Class CDG-DFW
Various restaurants we really liked
This is not our first time to London or Paris, so our trip was more focused on a relaxing visit to each place and less about getting touristy things done. And lots of food….
How I Booked
Flights:
It was the April/May timeframe that I began my search for travel sometime in July/August. Based on my wife not wanting to miss more than a week of her work, I was a bit constrained in that I wanted to book a Friday departure and a following Sunday return to maximize our time abroad. I Have a good amount of points across various transferable programs, and being a DFW-based traveler, a good amount of AAdvantage miles, however I still wanted to get good value for my points.
I found a great redemption on the Air France CDG-DFW on a Sunday. This decided one of the cities we would visit and was the anchor for our trip.
Air France Business Class
55,000 Flying Blue miles each, transferred from Capital One Venture X.
Cash fare ~$3,500 each = $.063/mile (not including $350 each in taxes/surcharges)
Next, the outbound. Originally, I found DFW-LGA (change to) JFK-LHR on AA in Business. This was a Thursday night DFW departure, late checkout Friday with the afternoon spent in the JFK AA Flagship Lounge, and a Friday night departure to LHR. This was the best “Friday” departure I could find for a while, and allowed my wife to work remote for a full day on the Friday and adhering to one of my constraints of only one work week off.
The longer we had this booked, the less we liked the idea of it. So, about 3 weeks before departure, I went back on the hunt and found award space AUS-LHR on the A350 with their new Club Suite. This would mean an easy Thursday overnight in AUS which we decided was much easier. Cancelled our AA itinerary and booked:
British Airways Club Suite
66,000 Cathay Asia Miles each, transferred from Amex
Cash Fare = don’t remember L
Booking via Cathay saved us more than 50% of the surcharge fees. This was my first time using Cathay Asia Miles. Super clunky, but it worked, with an instantaneous Amex point transfer time.
It was at this point that I remembered my flight on BA in F back last September and though this could be a fun surprise for the wifey J I set ExpertFlyer alerts for availability out of DFW, IAH and ORD, as these are easy cities to position to the night previous, as well as have a first class flight longer than 7 hours. Then, about three days later, boom. Got the alert that seats opened up on the DFW flight (Perfect!). I transferred the required additional points, called them, and made the change. No positioning! Pregnant wife was happy = I was happy.
British Airways Club Suite
66,000 Cathay Asia Miles each, transferred from Amex
Cash Fare = don’t remember L
British Airways First
86,000 Cathay Asia Miles each, transferred from Amex
Cash Fare = $14,900 = $.16/mile (not including the ~6,500HKD in surcharges)
Excellent way to start the trip. And my first time on an A380. Yay.
Lastly, we booked two cash tickets LHR-CDG in coach for 70GBP each. OneWorld Emerald form my AA PlatinumPro was VERY useful here. I will elaborate later.
Hotels:
Once we had our cities determined as London and Paris, I felt somehow obligated to book the Park Hyatt in Paris. I had read the reviews in the FlyerTalk forum and they were mixed… But, as Hyatt was about to increase the hotel category, I thought why not and ended up booking it literally the day before the redemption requirements jumped.
Park Hyatt Paris
35,000 Hyatt points/night, transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards
Cash Rate = $1,400USD = $.04/mile
Next, London. I had three Hilton Asipre credit card free nights, two of which were rolled over from previous years due to Covid. Staying near Hyde Park was a request from the wife, and we had not really explored the Mayfair area before. The Biltomre LXR satisfied what we were looking for and so was able to use the free night certs there.
Biltmore Mayfair LXR
Hilton Apire Free Night Certs
Cash Rate = $900/night
Lastly, while we have been to Paris before, we had not been to Versailles. And would you know it, I had not yet used my $250 Hilton Aspire Resort Credit yet this year. After triple confirming that the Waldorf in Versailles was in fact considered a “Resort” by Hilton, it was a no-brainer.
Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace
Cash Rate = $250
Offset by Hilton Aspire $250 Resort Credit
The Hilton Aspire card’s $495 annual fee was well offset for MANY years thanks to this trip.
Reviews and photos to follow, hope you enjoy
I wrestled with the idea of weather to actually do one or not, as our itinerary was not particularly novel nor did I take a ton of photos. After giving it a bit of thought I figured if this post helps/informs even one person then it would be worth it. After all the knowledge I have garnered from this amazing community, why not take a few minutes to report on, and explain my methodology for booking, a trip that would not have been possible if it were not for this great forum. I imagine the following may be very remedial for some, but hopefully someone out there picks up a tidbit that helps them in the future. Additionally, I get to recant and remember a very special trip for my wife and I.
Feel free to reach out with any questions, and more importantly, what I may have potentially done different/better!
My wife and I are having a baby girl in December, and my goal was to book us (her) a lovely Babymoon. It was finally time for me to prove to her that all the weird/silly/crazy things I do in this points and miles game are worth it. She had only three requests:
· Booked so as to only miss one workweek
· Europe/Not Exotic
· Fancy
So off to work I went…
In this Report:
How I Booked
BA First Class DFW-LHR
Biltmore Mayfair, an LXR property
BA Traveler LHR-CDG
Waldorf Astoria Trianon Versailles
Park Hyatt Paris
Air France Business Class CDG-DFW
Various restaurants we really liked
This is not our first time to London or Paris, so our trip was more focused on a relaxing visit to each place and less about getting touristy things done. And lots of food….
How I Booked
Flights:
It was the April/May timeframe that I began my search for travel sometime in July/August. Based on my wife not wanting to miss more than a week of her work, I was a bit constrained in that I wanted to book a Friday departure and a following Sunday return to maximize our time abroad. I Have a good amount of points across various transferable programs, and being a DFW-based traveler, a good amount of AAdvantage miles, however I still wanted to get good value for my points.
I found a great redemption on the Air France CDG-DFW on a Sunday. This decided one of the cities we would visit and was the anchor for our trip.
Air France Business Class
55,000 Flying Blue miles each, transferred from Capital One Venture X.
Cash fare ~$3,500 each = $.063/mile (not including $350 each in taxes/surcharges)
Next, the outbound. Originally, I found DFW-LGA (change to) JFK-LHR on AA in Business. This was a Thursday night DFW departure, late checkout Friday with the afternoon spent in the JFK AA Flagship Lounge, and a Friday night departure to LHR. This was the best “Friday” departure I could find for a while, and allowed my wife to work remote for a full day on the Friday and adhering to one of my constraints of only one work week off.
The longer we had this booked, the less we liked the idea of it. So, about 3 weeks before departure, I went back on the hunt and found award space AUS-LHR on the A350 with their new Club Suite. This would mean an easy Thursday overnight in AUS which we decided was much easier. Cancelled our AA itinerary and booked:
British Airways Club Suite
66,000 Cathay Asia Miles each, transferred from Amex
Cash Fare = don’t remember L
Booking via Cathay saved us more than 50% of the surcharge fees. This was my first time using Cathay Asia Miles. Super clunky, but it worked, with an instantaneous Amex point transfer time.
It was at this point that I remembered my flight on BA in F back last September and though this could be a fun surprise for the wifey J I set ExpertFlyer alerts for availability out of DFW, IAH and ORD, as these are easy cities to position to the night previous, as well as have a first class flight longer than 7 hours. Then, about three days later, boom. Got the alert that seats opened up on the DFW flight (Perfect!). I transferred the required additional points, called them, and made the change. No positioning! Pregnant wife was happy = I was happy.
British Airways First
86,000 Cathay Asia Miles each, transferred from Amex
Cash Fare = $14,900 = $.16/mile (not including the ~6,500HKD in surcharges)
Excellent way to start the trip. And my first time on an A380. Yay.
Lastly, we booked two cash tickets LHR-CDG in coach for 70GBP each. OneWorld Emerald form my AA PlatinumPro was VERY useful here. I will elaborate later.
Hotels:
Once we had our cities determined as London and Paris, I felt somehow obligated to book the Park Hyatt in Paris. I had read the reviews in the FlyerTalk forum and they were mixed… But, as Hyatt was about to increase the hotel category, I thought why not and ended up booking it literally the day before the redemption requirements jumped.
Park Hyatt Paris
35,000 Hyatt points/night, transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards
Cash Rate = $1,400USD = $.04/mile
Next, London. I had three Hilton Asipre credit card free nights, two of which were rolled over from previous years due to Covid. Staying near Hyde Park was a request from the wife, and we had not really explored the Mayfair area before. The Biltomre LXR satisfied what we were looking for and so was able to use the free night certs there.
Biltmore Mayfair LXR
Hilton Apire Free Night Certs
Cash Rate = $900/night
Lastly, while we have been to Paris before, we had not been to Versailles. And would you know it, I had not yet used my $250 Hilton Aspire Resort Credit yet this year. After triple confirming that the Waldorf in Versailles was in fact considered a “Resort” by Hilton, it was a no-brainer.
Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace
Cash Rate = $250
Offset by Hilton Aspire $250 Resort Credit
The Hilton Aspire card’s $495 annual fee was well offset for MANY years thanks to this trip.
Reviews and photos to follow, hope you enjoy
Last edited by ER-One; Aug 25, 2022 at 8:50 am
Aug 22, 2022, 6:42 pm
#3
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
And off we go!
British Airways First Class
DFW-LHR
Seats 2E/2F
While being able to find F award availability out of DFW was very nice so as to not position, there was another great perk; American Airlines Flagship First Dining. Before we even stepped foot on the plane, we were able to have a lovely, relaxing meal sheltered from the fairly busy AA Flagship lounge in DFW. Now I realize this is not an upscale restaurant, but the food quality that was served to us in an AIRPORT was positively surprising. This was my first time experiencing AA FFD and I hope to return soon.
After a delicious meal, we headed to our gate. Boarding started not long after, and was a complete mess. Pre-boading was crazy with some families getting quite liberal with the age of their children. Finally, they called groups one and two at the same time. Not quite the ground experience you would expect for First Class. The one nice thing about the A380 in DFW is that they boarded F through door 1L with its own jet bridge. no one else boarded that way, so it did feel nicely secluded in that regard.
Once on the plane, the BA crew was, for lack of a better word, robotic. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, but it lacked a certain personal feel one would expect for an F seat. Neither of us were ever addressed by last name, though all the while the crew was very attentive and polite. This is all in contrast to the last time i flew BA F last September where one of the F crew members and i had a 45 minute av-geek conversation which all started from a simple "where are you off to?" question. Nonetheless, we had a great flight in an extremely comfortable seat/bed.
Dinner service was coursed out great, not too fast and not too slow. Our flight time was on the quicker side at only 7:45 in the air which left a decent amount of time to enjoy our meal, get about 5.5 hours of sleep, have a quick coffee/baked good, and land. Although my entree (the fish) was actually not bad, my biggest complaint was that there were only three to pick from, none of which were anything interesting. LPGS and Johnny Blue make everything ok...
(I feel the need to mention hat's a Mocktail in her hand...)
After a great flight I was very happy that we landed in time for yet ANOTHER meal, Concord Breakfast room in the BA Galleries arrivals lounge (breakfast room closes at noon). Only our fourth meal in 10 hours Passport control was automated and took a grand total of 47 seconds. off to the lounge.
Not pictured, LPGS mimosas. Yum.
After several cappuccinos and taking two handfulls of Elemis Sleep Spray sample bottles, it was off to the Heathrow Express to Paddington, then a cab to the hotel. Mayfair is not located in the easiest location from the tube, so instead of connecting and walking, we just hopped into a London cab. As we made our way to the Heathrow Express, for which i had pre-purchased tickets for us, we learned that there was a one-day strike and the line was not in operation. So, instead, we used the new Elizabeth line to get to Paddington. Very pleasant, but about three times longer in duration. In what was a bit of a win when we returned home, i submitted a refund request for 50% of the Heathrow Express ticket and they wound up just refunding the entire ticket.
The Biltmore Mayfair, LXR by Hilton
We pulled up to the hotel and the lobby was quite busy. After piecing it all together, it was clear that the hotel was hosting the UEFA top brass during the 2022 UEFA Women's Euro Championships in England, as there were blazers, lanyards, and credentials everywhere.
Success Story: I had booked a 2-twin bed room for us, as that was the only room available to book with my Aspire free night certificates. All the while, I was making the gamble that my Diamond status would pull through, as i never mentioned to my pregnant wife that she may be liable to sleeping in a twin bed. Well, after making excellent small talk with the desk agent and explaining why we were there, she walked away to speak to her manager for a moment and when she returned she was very happy to let me know that she was able to secure us a one-bedroom suite for our stay. This was a 1,500GPB/night room. WOW. Im not sure if it was polite/customary/common/silly, but I was very thankful for the upgrade and tipped the agent out of appreciation.
Big fan of the Penhaligons Quercus products in the room. the bottle size was quite large and i certainly took the leftovers with me.
Not pictured - Amazing breakfast buffet, free for Diamonds. Easily worth $100 for the two of us every day.
After a few great nights in London, it was off to Versailles/Paris!
British Airways First Class
DFW-LHR
Seats 2E/2F
While being able to find F award availability out of DFW was very nice so as to not position, there was another great perk; American Airlines Flagship First Dining. Before we even stepped foot on the plane, we were able to have a lovely, relaxing meal sheltered from the fairly busy AA Flagship lounge in DFW. Now I realize this is not an upscale restaurant, but the food quality that was served to us in an AIRPORT was positively surprising. This was my first time experiencing AA FFD and I hope to return soon.
After a delicious meal, we headed to our gate. Boarding started not long after, and was a complete mess. Pre-boading was crazy with some families getting quite liberal with the age of their children. Finally, they called groups one and two at the same time. Not quite the ground experience you would expect for First Class. The one nice thing about the A380 in DFW is that they boarded F through door 1L with its own jet bridge. no one else boarded that way, so it did feel nicely secluded in that regard.
Once on the plane, the BA crew was, for lack of a better word, robotic. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, but it lacked a certain personal feel one would expect for an F seat. Neither of us were ever addressed by last name, though all the while the crew was very attentive and polite. This is all in contrast to the last time i flew BA F last September where one of the F crew members and i had a 45 minute av-geek conversation which all started from a simple "where are you off to?" question. Nonetheless, we had a great flight in an extremely comfortable seat/bed.
Dinner service was coursed out great, not too fast and not too slow. Our flight time was on the quicker side at only 7:45 in the air which left a decent amount of time to enjoy our meal, get about 5.5 hours of sleep, have a quick coffee/baked good, and land. Although my entree (the fish) was actually not bad, my biggest complaint was that there were only three to pick from, none of which were anything interesting. LPGS and Johnny Blue make everything ok...
(I feel the need to mention hat's a Mocktail in her hand...)
After a great flight I was very happy that we landed in time for yet ANOTHER meal, Concord Breakfast room in the BA Galleries arrivals lounge (breakfast room closes at noon). Only our fourth meal in 10 hours
Passport control was automated and took a grand total of 47 seconds. off to the lounge.Not pictured, LPGS mimosas. Yum.
After several cappuccinos and taking two handfulls of Elemis Sleep Spray sample bottles, it was off to the Heathrow Express to Paddington, then a cab to the hotel. Mayfair is not located in the easiest location from the tube, so instead of connecting and walking, we just hopped into a London cab. As we made our way to the Heathrow Express, for which i had pre-purchased tickets for us, we learned that there was a one-day strike and the line was not in operation. So, instead, we used the new Elizabeth line to get to Paddington. Very pleasant, but about three times longer in duration. In what was a bit of a win when we returned home, i submitted a refund request for 50% of the Heathrow Express ticket and they wound up just refunding the entire ticket.
The Biltmore Mayfair, LXR by Hilton
We pulled up to the hotel and the lobby was quite busy. After piecing it all together, it was clear that the hotel was hosting the UEFA top brass during the 2022 UEFA Women's Euro Championships in England, as there were blazers, lanyards, and credentials everywhere.
Success Story: I had booked a 2-twin bed room for us, as that was the only room available to book with my Aspire free night certificates. All the while, I was making the gamble that my Diamond status would pull through, as i never mentioned to my pregnant wife that she may be liable to sleeping in a twin bed. Well, after making excellent small talk with the desk agent and explaining why we were there, she walked away to speak to her manager for a moment and when she returned she was very happy to let me know that she was able to secure us a one-bedroom suite for our stay. This was a 1,500GPB/night room. WOW. Im not sure if it was polite/customary/common/silly, but I was very thankful for the upgrade and tipped the agent out of appreciation.
Big fan of the Penhaligons Quercus products in the room. the bottle size was quite large and i certainly took the leftovers with me.
Not pictured - Amazing breakfast buffet, free for Diamonds. Easily worth $100 for the two of us every day.
After a few great nights in London, it was off to Versailles/Paris!
Aug 22, 2022, 6:45 pm
#4
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
Aug 23, 2022, 9:08 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: St. Paul, MN
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, IHG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 448
Great report so far. My wife and I took a babymoon in November 2019 to Vienna/Budapest, before our son was born in April 2020. This trip brought back memories of enjoying a premium cabin and beautiful hotels before the exciting life change!
Looking forward to seeing more about your trip and a big Congratulations to you both as you embark on this exciting new chapter!
Looking forward to seeing more about your trip and a big Congratulations to you both as you embark on this exciting new chapter!
Aug 23, 2022, 10:11 pm
#6
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,741
Really appreciated your first post, explaining what you booked and why, when you booked, when you rebooked, and how much it cost in points/money. It positioned what was to come perfectly and was an excellent tutorial. I was happy to learn there is a luxury Hilton property in Mayfair. I did not know this. Mayfair is my go to neighborhood when I travel to London. Looking forward to what is ahead.
Aug 24, 2022, 6:11 am
#7
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
Great report so far. My wife and I took a babymoon in November 2019 to Vienna/Budapest, before our son was born in April 2020. This trip brought back memories of enjoying a premium cabin and beautiful hotels before the exciting life change!
Looking forward to seeing more about your trip and a big Congratulations to you both as you embark on this exciting new chapter!
Looking forward to seeing more about your trip and a big Congratulations to you both as you embark on this exciting new chapter!
we went to Budapest for a few nights on our honeymoon and it was beyond expectations. Hope to go back eventually.
Aug 24, 2022, 6:17 am
#8
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
Really appreciated your first post, explaining what you booked and why, when you booked, when you rebooked, and how much it cost in points/money. It positioned what was to come perfectly and was an excellent tutorial. I was happy to learn there is a luxury Hilton property in Mayfair. I did not know this. Mayfair is my go to neighborhood when I travel to London. Looking forward to what is ahead.
pretty incredible what can be done with some time, ~400k points, and a few free night credits from a credit card.
My wife certainly has a new appreciation for when I politely ask her to put “this” card in her wallet and to spend it on “that”.
Aug 24, 2022, 6:48 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,344
Aug 24, 2022, 6:56 am
#10
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
British Airways Euro Traveller
LHR-CDG
Seats 5D/E (No one in the window seat)
So admittedly I forgot to take any photos of this part, but I will try to paint the picture.
First off, LHR T5 was chaos. As soon as we got off the Heathrow Express and up to the departure level it was just a sea of people, and I can see she is getting visibly nervous that we would maybe miss our flight. She's the multi-hour-before-the-flight type of airport person.... My wife has no clue what OneWorld Emerald is nor does (did) she care, and she has no idea we are walking toward the BA First wing to check in and enjoy the F lounge. As we passed all the Security locations with rather large lines I can tell she is getting uptight. Very confused, she follows me into the First check-in area. After checking in, and going through the positively civil F security checkpoint, we walk down the hall and right into the Galleries F lounge.
Remember how you constantly make fun of me for being a points "nerd"? Well, here you go."
She apologized very fast
Full English breakfast at the buffet which was very good, and a full menu to order from on your phone. Soon after we arrived, it transitioned to Lunch with tea sandwiches and Indian food offerings. The food quality seemed identical to what I experienced in the Concord Room last year, just obviously not presented the same way. I would imagine it all comes from the same place... The lounge was rather busy, and full of what i would imagine were mostly BA Gold, as the only way to get in there is with BA status/OWE. No published ticket gets you into Galleries F.
Uneventful boarding and we were off.
Side note, though we all know that inter-europe first class is useless, being the same seats as economy, I was extremely surprised that F was served a full hot meal on a 50 min flight. that was interesting. I would easily give up the meal for a US-domestic F seat.
Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace, Versailles
Hilton Diamond status to the rescue, yet again. This hotel has the main "Palace" building and the separate "Pavilion" building. I had originally booked us the cheapest cash rate room in the pavilion, as that price was slightly less than the $250 Hilton Resort credit i had not used yet from my Aspire card. Another "Diamond" gamble i made... At check in, we were told that they had upgraded us to a room in the Palace, and the gable paid off.
It is definitely a bit of an older property, but the service and staff were what you would expect of a Waldorf, and the property was extremely nice. One particular annoyance of it being an older property was the A/C was not very good. I realize we were there during a French heat wave, as it was over 90 degrees, but the A/C would not get the room much below 78. It cools off at night, so with a window open we didnt melt.
Also pictured was a little snack on the terrace, of grilled aubergine and other veggies, which was really yummy.
Bonus: Gardens at the Palace of Versailles. A lovely walk on a lovely day
After a delightful two days/one night, it was off to the City!
LHR-CDG
Seats 5D/E (No one in the window seat)
So admittedly I forgot to take any photos of this part, but I will try to paint the picture.
First off, LHR T5 was chaos. As soon as we got off the Heathrow Express and up to the departure level it was just a sea of people, and I can see she is getting visibly nervous that we would maybe miss our flight. She's the multi-hour-before-the-flight type of airport person.... My wife has no clue what OneWorld Emerald is nor does (did) she care, and she has no idea we are walking toward the BA First wing to check in and enjoy the F lounge. As we passed all the Security locations with rather large lines I can tell she is getting uptight. Very confused, she follows me into the First check-in area. After checking in, and going through the positively civil F security checkpoint, we walk down the hall and right into the Galleries F lounge.
Remember how you constantly make fun of me for being a points "nerd"? Well, here you go."
She apologized very fast
Full English breakfast at the buffet which was very good, and a full menu to order from on your phone. Soon after we arrived, it transitioned to Lunch with tea sandwiches and Indian food offerings. The food quality seemed identical to what I experienced in the Concord Room last year, just obviously not presented the same way. I would imagine it all comes from the same place... The lounge was rather busy, and full of what i would imagine were mostly BA Gold, as the only way to get in there is with BA status/OWE. No published ticket gets you into Galleries F.
Uneventful boarding and we were off.
Side note, though we all know that inter-europe first class is useless, being the same seats as economy, I was extremely surprised that F was served a full hot meal on a 50 min flight. that was interesting. I would easily give up the meal for a US-domestic F seat.
Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace, Versailles
Hilton Diamond status to the rescue, yet again. This hotel has the main "Palace" building and the separate "Pavilion" building. I had originally booked us the cheapest cash rate room in the pavilion, as that price was slightly less than the $250 Hilton Resort credit i had not used yet from my Aspire card. Another "Diamond" gamble i made... At check in, we were told that they had upgraded us to a room in the Palace, and the gable paid off.
It is definitely a bit of an older property, but the service and staff were what you would expect of a Waldorf, and the property was extremely nice. One particular annoyance of it being an older property was the A/C was not very good. I realize we were there during a French heat wave, as it was over 90 degrees, but the A/C would not get the room much below 78. It cools off at night, so with a window open we didnt melt.
Also pictured was a little snack on the terrace, of grilled aubergine and other veggies, which was really yummy.
Bonus: Gardens at the Palace of Versailles. A lovely walk on a lovely day
After a delightful two days/one night, it was off to the City!
Aug 24, 2022, 9:15 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: PERTH
Programs: QF P1 LTG SQ PPS IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 227
Fantastic, lucid writing style and great photos - enjoying the read!
The blob of caviar and the effort at plating seems to indicate improvements on BA F
The AA Flagship dining looks great and a bit like Qantas F illustrates how some carriers have great lounge food for ultra premium travellers and then its all downhill with the food and wine on board relative to this
Enjoy the rest of your trip
The blob of caviar and the effort at plating seems to indicate improvements on BA F
The AA Flagship dining looks great and a bit like Qantas F illustrates how some carriers have great lounge food for ultra premium travellers and then its all downhill with the food and wine on board relative to this
Enjoy the rest of your trip
Aug 24, 2022, 9:39 am
#13
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
This is a great question:
I thought the same. We started early in the morning as it was a high of ~90 that day.
I had no idea what to really expect there, but thought it would be fun/cure/romantic on a babymoon. We spent almost two hours, walking fairly quickly, following the suggested path and did not even see it all. It was much better than i thought it would be.
The only issue was inside the palace was absolutely packed and was WAY too busy. we gave up immediately. Will have to go back in the fall/early spring when it is not so busy.
I'm happy you are enjoying! It is a lot of fun to have to recall all of this as i write this report.
I was really surprised by AA's FFD, as was my wife. It was a great meal and an interesting menu. There was clearly actual thought and intention put into the FFD experience and i would never think something like this would be possible in an airport.
Same goes for the Concord Room when i was there last year. Just a lovely, quiet (when i was there...), cozy place to hang out before a long flight.
As for the BA meal, the canapes and appetizer was certainly the best part of the meal, as the Entrée was ok but the choices were meh. Also, the desert selections were not terribly inspiring and i think they could really change the experience with a solid ending to the meal.
Having said that, there is something to be said for their presentation and proper course service on classy plate ware. What BA lacked in creative food offerings the certainly make up for in aesthetic.
Although i do believe, after incessantly lurking in the FT BA forum, that the catering was updated just a few days after our flight
- We have taken the Eurostar before and I'm just not a huge fan of trains.
- Sounds weird, but i actually really like airports and flying.
- This is the first time I have had OWE while in LHR T5 and wanted to "flex" a little
. Because why the heck not.
I had no idea what to really expect there, but thought it would be fun/cure/romantic on a babymoon. We spent almost two hours, walking fairly quickly, following the suggested path and did not even see it all. It was much better than i thought it would be.
The only issue was inside the palace was absolutely packed and was WAY too busy. we gave up immediately. Will have to go back in the fall/early spring when it is not so busy.
Fantastic, lucid writing style and great photos - enjoying the read!
The blob of caviar and the effort at plating seems to indicate improvements on BA F
The AA Flagship dining looks great and a bit like Qantas F illustrates how some carriers have great lounge food for ultra premium travellers and then its all downhill with the food and wine on board relative to this
Enjoy the rest of your trip
The blob of caviar and the effort at plating seems to indicate improvements on BA F
The AA Flagship dining looks great and a bit like Qantas F illustrates how some carriers have great lounge food for ultra premium travellers and then its all downhill with the food and wine on board relative to this
Enjoy the rest of your trip
I was really surprised by AA's FFD, as was my wife. It was a great meal and an interesting menu. There was clearly actual thought and intention put into the FFD experience and i would never think something like this would be possible in an airport.
Same goes for the Concord Room when i was there last year. Just a lovely, quiet (when i was there...), cozy place to hang out before a long flight.
As for the BA meal, the canapes and appetizer was certainly the best part of the meal, as the Entrée was ok but the choices were meh. Also, the desert selections were not terribly inspiring and i think they could really change the experience with a solid ending to the meal.
Having said that, there is something to be said for their presentation and proper course service on classy plate ware. What BA lacked in creative food offerings the certainly make up for in aesthetic.
Although i do believe, after incessantly lurking in the FT BA forum, that the catering was updated just a few days after our flight
Aug 24, 2022, 5:42 pm
#14
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
Park Hyatt Paris Vendome
We arrived to what was a very non-descript street-side entrance. As we entered, it was very apparent you were in a fancy hotel. Everyone fighting to help with your bags and being walked right up to the check-in counter. Just a lowly Hyatt Discoverist, via the Chase credit card, but it was good enough for an "upgrade" to a "deluxe" king room. After admiring the seemingly 12-ft ceilings of the room, we noticed something a bit odd, almost all of the wall space were mirrors. Floor to ceiling.
I have to say, $1,500/night seemed a bit outrageous for this room. Thats Vegas penthouse-with-a-staircase territory and i could not imagine paying that cash rate for a king-bed room. And as i reflect, I would likely find a nice SLH for 25k/night in Paris next time we go. This hotel felt expensive for expensive's sake, including a Cappuccino and pastry in the lobby bar area for 30EUR . Everything about our stay was fantastic and i'm happy that we stayed here as it was a points geek bucket list sort of thing; my only complaint was the cost.
CDG Airport
I have lots to say here.
CDG is a disaster. Full Stop. Thank god i did a bit of recon to learn we needed to get there early. Arrived at the airport 3h before departure and had 15mins in the AF lounge before boarding.
Firstly, the traffic even getting to terminal 2E was a joke. the roads are useless and were designed when there must have been 10% of the flight traffic.
Next, we get dropped off righ in front of the door that leads directly to the SkyPriority section. Yay? Well there was a preposterously long line. I asked the agent at the front if there was a seperate line for people that have a boarding pass but only need to drop off checked luggage. That was a no. Person 1 checked our passport/boarding pass when we got into the line. Person 2 checked them again once we got to the front of the line. They then waved us over to a check-in counter for flights to the US and Israel.
Now comes person 3, sitting at a makeshift desk still before the actual check in counter. After flipping through my passport, she looks at me and asks for my "ARC". I asked her what that was and she lost it on me. "How do you not know what that is???" she was really agitated. Finally she revealed that it was my "Alien Resident Card" aka green card.... I dont usually get very uptight in an airport, but i could not understand why she cared to see it, so i asked her why. Bad idea. It was at this point that I'm putting the pieces together; Securitas Badge on her shirt, USA/France flag pin, Israel/France flag pin.... Outsourced customs agent making sure we were allowed back. Whatever. I then played nice and we were fine to go to the bag drop. Passport checked for the 4th time.
Then we were spat out into a "Sky Priority" passport control line. It was certainly shorter than the main line but moving really slow. after about 10 minutes, some airport rep came to our line and was asking if anyone had a passport from a country on his list, and if so to follow him. Similar to LHR, everyone with a Europe/USA/Canada passport was taken to a really short line with an automated door that lead to an agent who basically looked at it for 2 seconds and let you through. If this airport agent had not come get us, we would have never known about the expedited line. Passport checked for the 5th time.
Then you take a train to your gate area, which is where security is. I could not believe they packed trains full of people LANDSIDE without screening. Seems counter productive to security. Sky Priority security line was short but slow. Passport checked for the 6th time.
FIANLLY made it just in time for a quick breakfast in the 2E AF Business lounge. Essentially a full English was served with many types of pastries. Food was fairly good and the breakfast sausage was YUM. The lounge was nice with a lot of natural light. Sorry no photos
Boarded on time (passport checked for the 7th time), but was delayed at the gate for a reason i cannot remember. Delay me all you want while i have a widebody J seat.
Air France Business Class
CDG-DFW
Seats 4E/F
777-200
As awful as the airport was, this AF crew was amazing. The seat is totally fine, and the IFE screen is totally fine. Not much going on there. Also the toiletries bag was whatever as it only had two or three products in it. The star of the flight were the crew and surprisingly excellent food/meal service.
After we got our drink service, the first meal was "lunch" and the service was perfect. I was very surprised to receive a proper coursed meal in a J cabin, as i had just assumed it would be a one-tray situation. Hands down the freshest bread i have ever had on a plane. Appetizers were ok, not the greatest quality Foie Gras but it got the job done. But my fish/curry/rice entree was delightful. The deserts did not look super exciting, but wow did they taste great. Especially the cream puff (far right). Great cappuccino after the meal and ended up getting almost 5 hours sleep on a daytime TATL which was great.
Woke up with about three hours until landing. watched a show on my iPad and then was served our snack. Shredded Duck Shepard's pie. Phenomenal.
It was during this meal we really hit it off with the pursuer, who was HARD at work helping the snack service. He was so nice and humorous, as we came to learn that his WIFE was WORKING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SERVING CART. It was unreal cute and we had a blast with them. Very personable while still getting the service complete.
for 55,000 Flying Blue miles, i would actively try to fly AF again TATL. Great experience.
Global Entry at DFW took 6 seconds to which, even as a CANADIAN with a GREEN CARD, we received a "Welcome Home" from the CBP agent.
Cant wait to do it all over again with our little one
Stay tuned for some odds'n'ends photos, as well as lots of FOOD!
We arrived to what was a very non-descript street-side entrance. As we entered, it was very apparent you were in a fancy hotel. Everyone fighting to help with your bags and being walked right up to the check-in counter. Just a lowly Hyatt Discoverist, via the Chase credit card, but it was good enough for an "upgrade" to a "deluxe" king room. After admiring the seemingly 12-ft ceilings of the room, we noticed something a bit odd, almost all of the wall space were mirrors. Floor to ceiling.
I have to say, $1,500/night seemed a bit outrageous for this room. Thats Vegas penthouse-with-a-staircase territory and i could not imagine paying that cash rate for a king-bed room. And as i reflect, I would likely find a nice SLH for 25k/night in Paris next time we go. This hotel felt expensive for expensive's sake, including a Cappuccino and pastry in the lobby bar area for 30EUR . Everything about our stay was fantastic and i'm happy that we stayed here as it was a points geek bucket list sort of thing; my only complaint was the cost.
CDG Airport
I have lots to say here.
CDG is a disaster. Full Stop. Thank god i did a bit of recon to learn we needed to get there early. Arrived at the airport 3h before departure and had 15mins in the AF lounge before boarding.
Firstly, the traffic even getting to terminal 2E was a joke. the roads are useless and were designed when there must have been 10% of the flight traffic.
Next, we get dropped off righ in front of the door that leads directly to the SkyPriority section. Yay? Well there was a preposterously long line. I asked the agent at the front if there was a seperate line for people that have a boarding pass but only need to drop off checked luggage. That was a no. Person 1 checked our passport/boarding pass when we got into the line. Person 2 checked them again once we got to the front of the line. They then waved us over to a check-in counter for flights to the US and Israel.
Now comes person 3, sitting at a makeshift desk still before the actual check in counter. After flipping through my passport, she looks at me and asks for my "ARC". I asked her what that was and she lost it on me. "How do you not know what that is???" she was really agitated. Finally she revealed that it was my "Alien Resident Card" aka green card.... I dont usually get very uptight in an airport, but i could not understand why she cared to see it, so i asked her why. Bad idea. It was at this point that I'm putting the pieces together; Securitas Badge on her shirt, USA/France flag pin, Israel/France flag pin.... Outsourced customs agent making sure we were allowed back. Whatever. I then played nice and we were fine to go to the bag drop. Passport checked for the 4th time.
Then we were spat out into a "Sky Priority" passport control line. It was certainly shorter than the main line but moving really slow. after about 10 minutes, some airport rep came to our line and was asking if anyone had a passport from a country on his list, and if so to follow him. Similar to LHR, everyone with a Europe/USA/Canada passport was taken to a really short line with an automated door that lead to an agent who basically looked at it for 2 seconds and let you through. If this airport agent had not come get us, we would have never known about the expedited line. Passport checked for the 5th time.
Then you take a train to your gate area, which is where security is. I could not believe they packed trains full of people LANDSIDE without screening. Seems counter productive to security. Sky Priority security line was short but slow. Passport checked for the 6th time.
FIANLLY made it just in time for a quick breakfast in the 2E AF Business lounge. Essentially a full English was served with many types of pastries. Food was fairly good and the breakfast sausage was YUM. The lounge was nice with a lot of natural light. Sorry no photos
Boarded on time (passport checked for the 7th time), but was delayed at the gate for a reason i cannot remember. Delay me all you want while i have a widebody J seat.
Air France Business Class
CDG-DFW
Seats 4E/F
777-200
As awful as the airport was, this AF crew was amazing. The seat is totally fine, and the IFE screen is totally fine. Not much going on there. Also the toiletries bag was whatever as it only had two or three products in it. The star of the flight were the crew and surprisingly excellent food/meal service.
After we got our drink service, the first meal was "lunch" and the service was perfect. I was very surprised to receive a proper coursed meal in a J cabin, as i had just assumed it would be a one-tray situation. Hands down the freshest bread i have ever had on a plane. Appetizers were ok, not the greatest quality Foie Gras but it got the job done. But my fish/curry/rice entree was delightful. The deserts did not look super exciting, but wow did they taste great. Especially the cream puff (far right). Great cappuccino after the meal and ended up getting almost 5 hours sleep on a daytime TATL which was great.
Woke up with about three hours until landing. watched a show on my iPad and then was served our snack. Shredded Duck Shepard's pie. Phenomenal.
It was during this meal we really hit it off with the pursuer, who was HARD at work helping the snack service. He was so nice and humorous, as we came to learn that his WIFE was WORKING THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SERVING CART. It was unreal cute and we had a blast with them. Very personable while still getting the service complete.
for 55,000 Flying Blue miles, i would actively try to fly AF again TATL. Great experience.
Global Entry at DFW took 6 seconds to which, even as a CANADIAN with a GREEN CARD, we received a "Welcome Home" from the CBP agent.
Cant wait to do it all over again with our little one
Stay tuned for some odds'n'ends photos, as well as lots of FOOD!
Aug 25, 2022, 6:16 pm
#15
formerly DreAAmliner
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 419
Some Food in London
Veeraswamy
One of the best restaurants we have ever been to. This was our second time, and we were worried that it would not live up to what we remembered. I cannot say enough good things about this place. From the service to the ambiance, to the flavor, everything was excellent. When we saw the tasting menu on the first page, we didn't even bother to look further....
Afternoon Tea at Sketch
Controversial take. Did not like this place. Trying way to hard to be trendy and it just didn't have the quality to justify the cost. The restroom had a bar in it (not photo'd) and the stalls were eggs (photo'd). Sandwiches were ok and the pastries were acceptable. For the same price, I much preferred our teat at the JW Marriott Grosvenor or the Conrad St. James we have had in the past.
Mimi Mayfar
I don't have a lot of photos, but really great meal. Quaint 2-story restaurant that used to be a residence. Fun, upscale Chinese food. We would go back.
Rock and Sole Plaice
After spending a few hours at the British Museum, we realized we had not yet had a good fish and chips. We found this place as it was a close walk from the museum and had good reviews. We got lucky, as we loved it. Fish was golden crispy, as were the fries. Washed it down with a beer to completely offset all the walking we had done that day.
Versailles
Vous
We had no idea where to go for dinner so we asked the Concierge at the Waldorf for advice. She totally came through. My suspicion is that she knew/was friends with the restaurant owner, as she was very casual with him on the phone when calling. Regardless, the food was excellent and the owner was very accommodating. We talked with the owner for a while and learned that he and his best friend opened the restaurant, he front of house and his friend in the kitchen. Great menu and tasty food. Best Caesar salad either of us have had to date.
The dumplings are filled with Langoustines and the steak was served in a soy/ponzu situation.
Paris
Bakus
Right across the side street from the PH was a little bistro. The first day there we were hungry and didn't want to venture far. We just happened upon it as it looked good, and it was. We ate here twice....
And lastly...........
L'absinthe
Small menu but great presentation and flavor. Also, their cocktails were absinthe-forward. Mine (not pictured) had gin and matcha. Top 5 cocktail I have had.
Also, there was a pupper joining our neighbors for dinner. I had to order the Picanha, as you just don't see it very often in the North America.
Full stomachs for the entire trip
Veeraswamy
One of the best restaurants we have ever been to. This was our second time, and we were worried that it would not live up to what we remembered. I cannot say enough good things about this place. From the service to the ambiance, to the flavor, everything was excellent. When we saw the tasting menu on the first page, we didn't even bother to look further....
Afternoon Tea at Sketch
Controversial take. Did not like this place. Trying way to hard to be trendy and it just didn't have the quality to justify the cost. The restroom had a bar in it (not photo'd) and the stalls were eggs (photo'd). Sandwiches were ok and the pastries were acceptable. For the same price, I much preferred our teat at the JW Marriott Grosvenor or the Conrad St. James we have had in the past.
Mimi Mayfar
I don't have a lot of photos, but really great meal. Quaint 2-story restaurant that used to be a residence. Fun, upscale Chinese food. We would go back.
Rock and Sole Plaice
After spending a few hours at the British Museum, we realized we had not yet had a good fish and chips. We found this place as it was a close walk from the museum and had good reviews. We got lucky, as we loved it. Fish was golden crispy, as were the fries. Washed it down with a beer to completely offset all the walking we had done that day.
Versailles
Vous
We had no idea where to go for dinner so we asked the Concierge at the Waldorf for advice. She totally came through. My suspicion is that she knew/was friends with the restaurant owner, as she was very casual with him on the phone when calling. Regardless, the food was excellent and the owner was very accommodating. We talked with the owner for a while and learned that he and his best friend opened the restaurant, he front of house and his friend in the kitchen. Great menu and tasty food. Best Caesar salad either of us have had to date.
The dumplings are filled with Langoustines and the steak was served in a soy/ponzu situation.
Paris
Bakus
Right across the side street from the PH was a little bistro. The first day there we were hungry and didn't want to venture far. We just happened upon it as it looked good, and it was. We ate here twice....
And lastly...........
L'absinthe
Small menu but great presentation and flavor. Also, their cocktails were absinthe-forward. Mine (not pictured) had gin and matcha. Top 5 cocktail I have had.
Also, there was a pupper joining our neighbors for dinner. I had to order the Picanha, as you just don't see it very often in the North America.
Full stomachs for the entire trip