jacob_m

During my stay in Hong Kong I made a day-visit to Macau (one hour by ferry) and a two days visit to Guangzhou to get a taste of real China. Even though Hong Kong is now technically a part of China, it still isn’t real China (culturally and administratively).
Funnily you still have to bring a passport to travel between Hong Kong and China even though it’s administratively the same country.

Guangzhou (or Canton as it is known as in the west for some time) has around four million inhabitants and is located two hours by train north of Hong Kong.
I think my guidebook summarises quite well what the city is about “Guangzhou isn’t exactly the prettiest of cities, but it’s a real Chinese city”.
Since I’m not a big fan of over-exploited tourist places packed with souvenir shops, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Guangzhou. As a matter of fact there are hardly any tourists there, the only westerners who make it to Guangzhou are a few business people (plenty of industries in the region) and American couples coming to adopt Chinese babies.
For the latter there is actually a hotel in Guangzhou where most of these couples stay called White Swan Hotel, and it has got the unofficial name “White Stork Hotel”.

I had to get a visa to go to China and it was arranged well in advance through the Chinese embassy in London close to Great Portland Street.
Quite a few Brits seem to go to China in these days, it actually took two hours before I reached the counter, and they don’t accept applications by mail.
My application was approved though, and three days later I could collect my passport with a valid Chinese visa for a stay up to 30 days.

By train to Guangzhou

To get to Guangzhou I had to take a train. The trains are operated by Kowloon-Canton Railway Company (KCRC) and depart from Hung Hom station in Hong Kong, just east of Tsim Sha Tsui.
What I didn’t know when I booked the tickets was that KCRC only operates some of the trains themselves, the other train departures are outsourced to the Chinese national railway company (whatever it is called).
The train to Guangzhou was indeed a proper Chinese train with a Chinese train crew onboard, quite an experience.
There was one train attendant (all of them girls) in each carriage who spoke almost no English, and during the train ride they kept going back and forth the aisle selling things from trays and calling out what they had on offer in Chinese (well Cantonese).
Nothing was ever said in English and there was no chance to see what was on the trays as everything was either packaged or in boxes, I didn’t see anybody buying from them.
A nice surprise though was that they handed out a bottle of water for free to each passenger, but there was never ever a smile, you could really feel the train was operated by the state railways of China.
The train attendants also handed out immigration forms and health declaration forms and when she got to my seat she said “passport” and pointed at the forms before continuing. Well I got it!
Quite an experience, but otherwise the train ride was smooth and hassle-free.

On the way back to Hong Kong the train in use was a proper KCRC train with a Hong Kong-based crew who spoke perfect English.
I had paid 40 HKD extra (only 6 USD) to travel in their premium class, well worth it!
In premium class they served coffee, tea, soft drinks and peanuts free of charge, and there were also free newspapers available. The train carriage was also very nice with a modern and elegant interior and comfortable seats, a very big difference from the Chinese trains.

Pics
The first class car on the train back to Hong Kong, quite nice!

Sightseeing in Guangzhou

Guangzhou itself was very interesting to visit, as it is not packed with tourists it felt very genuine and also due to the lack of tourists there were very few beggars, touts and sellers.
I could walk around the city and look around fairly undisturbed, other than some people who looked at me curiously (maybe it was exciting with a white young man) most people did not bother too much about my presence, which is the way it should be.

The main tourist attraction in Guangzhou is an island in central Guangzhou by the Pearl River called Shamian Island, that’s where most historical sights are located
Guangzhou was one of Asia’s most important trading places for several centuries, and if I remember the history right Shamian Island was the only place in Guangzhou where westerners were allowed to be. So there are several colonial buildings on the island including an old church and several buildings used for administrative purposes.
Shamian island is really a western oasis in the middle of this huge Chinese city and even in these days it has a large concentration of western hotels and this is also where the US consulate is located.

Pics
The Pearl River in Guangzhou
Colonial houses on Shamian Island
The exotic Qing Ping Market
Another photo of Qing Ping Market
Beijing Lu, the “Oxford Street” of Guangzhou
China Plaza shopping centre, this is described as “The new China”
A statue of some communist victory in Haizhu square
Haizhu Wholesale Market, basically anything labeled “Made in China” can be found here at discounted prices
Sunset over Guangzhou

Dong Fang Hotel, Guangzhou

In Guangzhou I decided to stay in a top-end hotel and after looking around and reading the reviews I could find I decided on a Chinese five-star hotel called Dong Fang.
There are not many international chains in the city yet, there is a Marriott and they are also constructing a Shangri-La, but that’s about it, although I thought it would be more fun to stay in a local hotel anyway.
Accommodation is very cheap in Guangzhou and even in the five-star Dong Fang hotel (renovated just a year ago) I only paid around 140 USD for a Business Deluxe room, basically a minisuite of something like 55 square meters.
The hotel was very nice and the service pretty good as well, but not impeccable. You could notice though that they were struggling hard to adapt to western standards. ^
Everybody spoke excellent English and even though the service wasn’t perfect I really have no complaints about it, they really tried hard!
The only drawback was the prices inside the hotel, even though the room rate was cheap everything else was bloody expensive, and that’s bloody expensive for a European.
In the bar a rather uninspiring club sandwich cost over 10 USD and a cup of coffee around 5 USD.
Still I enjoyed my stay. A nice surprise was also that they had a desk at the train station (Guangzhou East) and offered a free shuttle bus from the station to the hotel and back. ^

Pics
The entrance to Dong Fang Hotel
The nice Chinese garden inside the hotel
Another photo of the nice garden
The lobby in the hotel
The shopping arcade in the hotel
My “Business deluxe” room
The bathroom in my room

Retrieving my luggage in Hong Kong

Back in Hong Kong I had left my luggage in a locker at Hung Hom station as I didn’t want to bring it to China. There was actually a left luggage facility available, but they close at 10 pm and my train arrived at 10.12 pm, so the luggage locker was the only option.
I had already pre-paid for a day, but there were another 24 hours to pay for and apparently I owed the machine over 100 HKD, and everything had to be paid in coins.
They don’t use a lot of coins in Hong Kong, 5 HKD is the largest value, and occasionally you can get a 10 HKD coin, so I really didn’t have enough coins and just had to keep my fingers crossed the staff at the station or in the shops would be nice to me.
The girl at the ticket counter thought I was absolutely out of my mind asking for over 100 dollars in coins, but she finally decided to help me and I went back to the lockers with both my hands full of coins. Crazy! Well at least I got my luggage…

jacob_m

Check-in at Kowloon station and to the airport

The next part of this trip is Hong Kong-Zürich-Frankfurt-Brussels with Swiss and Lufthansa, the HKG-ZRH leg is with Swiss in first class, the other legs are in business class.

In Hong Kong they actually offer in-town check-in (even with luggage) at two of the railway stations, so you can check in any time of the day until 90 mins before departure and then go straight to the gate at the airport.
Check-in is offered for all major airlines at both Kowloon Station and Hong Kong Station (in Central), the only requirement is that you have to take the airport train to the airport.
Fair enough! They actually check that you have a valid ticket before you are allowed to check in, there are ticket gates at the entrance to the check-in area, so you either insert your train ticket or touch your Octopus card on the card reader to deduct the fare.
Great service! I really wish more cities would offer in-town check-in. There used to be one at Paddington station in London (for Heathrow), I used it several times while it existed but unfortunately they decided to remove it, what a shame!

I took the free transfer bus from Tsim Sha Tsui to Kowloon station, the bus is free of charge as long as you will take the airport train to the airport (a same-day airline ticket was enough to get me onboard as I did not have a train ticket yet).
I arrived at Kowloon station around 6 pm, even though my flight was not leaving until midnight.
The main reason was that I wanted to have enough time to check out the lounges at the airport. I had read on the internet that Swiss first class passenger are allowed to use the Cathay Pacific lounge “The Wing”, but more about that later.

I bought a train ticket from a machine and inserted it in the ticket gate to enter the check-in area. I found the dedicated Swiss check-in desk almost right opposite the ticket gate.
The check-in agent was busy helping a colleague but a minute later she came to assist me.
She got very confused by my ticket though and had difficulties to figure out where I was actually going (by now I was quite used to this though).
Well everything was sorted out and my luggage was properly tagged all the way to Brussels and as a Swiss first class passenger they also attached the F/HON-tag.
They could only issue a boarding pass to Zürich though since the other flights were not open for check-in yet, not all too surprising since my connecting flight from Zürich would not leave for another 24 hours.
And finally, just what I had been waiting for, I was given an invitation to the Cathay Pacific lounge. I was actually given a proper invitation and they even printed my name, flight number and the date on it, so it looked very nice!
The invitation also clearly stated I was allowed to use the first class side of the lounge! Score!

I thanked her for her help and went downstairs to the platform level and caught the train to the airport. It takes around 20 mins to get to the airport from central Hong Kong.

Pics
In-town check-in in central Hong Kong
Inside the Airport Express train to Hong Kong airport
The departure hall at Hong Kong Intl airport

Lounge hopping in Hong Kong

As I said I checked in and left early for the airport to have time for some lounge hopping. This was possible due to the in-town check-in, but I doubt it would have worked without it as the airport check-in probably does not open earlier than three hours before departure.

As you already know I had an invitation to the Cathay Pacific lounge, ranked as one of the best in the world, but that was not the only lounge I had access to.
As a Swiss first class passenger I was also regarded as a Star Alliance first class passengers, and with a same-day Star Alliance boarding pass in F I had access to all Star Alliance first class lounges (and business lounges) at the departure airport, that's what the rules say!
In Hong Kong there are as many as three dedicated Star Alliance first class lounges – Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, and Thai Airways.
That's a pretty decent selection of first class lounges!!! I decided to skip the UA lounge, but my intention was to visit the other two lounges plus CX The Wing.
After looking on the internet I found that all lounges would stay open until at least 9.30 pm (The Wing until last CX departure after midnight). As I arrived at the airport just before 7 pm there was still plenty of time for all the lounge visits as planned.

Time to start...

Thai Airways Royal Orchid lounge, First Class side, Hong Kong

The Thai Airways lounge was my first stop, the lounge is quite a walk from security in the left pier of the Y-shaped terminal. The lounge is completely new and very nice.

I presented my first class boarding pass at the reception, and after taking a photocopy of my boarding pass I was allowed inside and accordingly directed to the first class side.
No problem at all to enter and they did not mention anything about being in the wrong lounge either. However I was told the lounge would close at 9.30 pm, but I could naturally stay until that time.

The first class side was very empty with only three people inside, Thai only offers first class on two daily flights to Bangkok, so I am surprised they even have a first class lounge.

I had a seat at a table and was approached by young woman who welcomed me to the lounge and gave me the lounge menu, I was also asked if I wanted anything to drink and I asked for a glass of red wine.
While my drink order was taken care of I had a look at the menu, they basically offer an à la carte service to first class passengers, nothing extraordinary, but there is hot food available and you can have a proper meal in the lounge.
I had not had any dinner yet so when the waitress was back with my glass of wine I ordered the pasta dish with chicken.
It took around 10 minutes before the meal arrived, but the pasta was quite good.
I was offered more wine and after the meal I asked for the ice cream and a cup of coffee.

Overall the lounge was very nice and the à la carte service is great!! ^
The Thai Airways lounge is definitely the best lounge choice for *A first class passengers in Hong Kong (unless you fly Swiss and have access to CX The Wing of course ).
Other than the mentioned benefits in the first class lounge you are also welcome to make use of the facilities on the business class side where they have a fairly large self-service buffet.
In the lounge they also have a business centre with free internet and nice massage chairs, but they were all occupied during my visit.

I spent around an hour in the lounge having dinner and checking my e-mails before continuing to the next lounge.

Finally here is the à la carte menu for the Thai Airways first class lounge. I took a photo of the menu so it was quite easy to type and post.

Pics
The entrance to the Thai Airways lounge
Inside the first class lounge
Plenty of drinks in the lounge
The a la carte menu for first class passengers
The pasta dish and red wine
Coffee and Pappagallo ice cream
The business class side of the lounge

Singapore Airlines First Class lounge, Hong Kong

Next stop was the Singapore Airlines lounge which is located in the main shopping area just after security, so I had to walk all the way back to the central area.
It is quite a walk to get from the end of the Y-pier to the main shopping area, a few minutes walk at least, even though there are moving walkways.

No problem getting inside the SQ lounge either, the lounge staff in Hong Kong really seemed to know the rules, after writing down my ticket details the friendly lounge agent invited me inside the first class lounge.
The first class lounge was a bit dark and the self-service area looked a bit dated with the yellow lighting.
There was plenty to eat though including some hot food, and plenty of drinks as well.
Since I had already had a proper meal in the Thai lounge I continued my lounge dinner with wine and cheese in the SQ lounge and then coffee and some more ice cream. Just like in Singapore they had lovely Häagen Dazs ice cream on offer.

I had some more wine to drink and then surfed the internet for a while, they had several computers with free internet.
Around 9.20 pm the lounge was completely empty except for me, the last SQ departure for the day to San Francisco was soon leaving and all passengers had already boarded.
The nice lounge attendant came into the lounge and told me they would close at 9.30 pm, but I could still stay a few more minutes. I finished my wine and got ready to leave the lounge.
On the way out I chatted a bit with the reception girl, she knew my flight was not leaving until midnight, so she was a bit concerned how I should manage to kill all that time since her lounge was closing.
Well that was very thoughtful of her (really great staff at the SQ HKG lounge!), but obviously she didn’t know about the Swiss lounge agreements and that I had an invitation to CX The Wing in my bag.

Pics
The entrance to the Singapore Airlines lounge
Inside the first class lounge
The self-service buffet
Another photo of the self-service buffet

Cathay Pacific “The Wing”, Hong Kong

After a bit of shopping I went to the third lounge for the day, of course I had saved the best one to last (well the others were closing early anyway).
It was around 10 pm when I arrived at the entrance to the Cathay Pacific lounge “The Wing”, also located close to the main shopping area. After giving my invitation to the reception girl I was allowed inside and I took a lift to the lounge which is on the first floor
Apparently I used the business class entrance to the lounge, there is actually a separate first class entrance as well to the immediate left after the security check.

I first had a look inside the business class side of The Wing which is the main part and also the largest part of the lounge. There were plenty of nice features there like two bars named “The Long Bar” and “The Short Bar”, a noodle bar, and a room with plenty of magazines and newspapers.
There was a sign for the first class lounge though, so after having a look around and taking some photos I headed over to the first class lounge.

There was a lounge attendant standing at the entrance to the first class side, I showed her my first class boarding pass and was welcomed inside.
The first class side was much smaller and actually pretty crowded as there were many flight leaving around midnight, I found an empty seat though quite quickly.
The staff noticed my arrival and just a minute later I was approached by a waitress who asked me if I wanted anything to drink, and soon I had a glass of Moet & Chandon on my table.

The first class lounge also had a very nice self-service restaurant called “The Haven” with plenty of delicious food, snacks, fruit and desserts. Too bad I really wasn’t hungry and also wanted to save some room for the meal onboard, otherwise I would happily have tried some of the food on offer.
I had some fresh fruit though and some chocolate pralines and brought it to my seat in the lounge, although they have tables inside the restaurant if you want to eat properly.

On the whole the lounge was fantastic, great staff who passed frequently to take drink orders and a superb buffet in The Haven. ^
On top of that you obviously have access to all the facilities in the business class lounge, if you feel like having noodles for example.
The only drawback was that the lounge was fairly crowded and also the armchairs in the lounge were a bit too low for me.
But other than that I really enjoyed the lounge, definitely a real competitor to the Lufthansa first class lounges in Frankfurt, and after all Cathay Pacific recently won the award of the world's best first class lounge.

Pics
Lounge invitation to “enjoy a redefined standard in elegant luxury”
The entrance to The Wing
Inside the business class side of the lounge
Plenty of facilities in the lounge, so it's good to get directions!
The short bar
The noodle bar
Plenty of newspapers and magazines
The first class side of the lounge
Internet computers in the first class lounge
A glass of Moet & Chandon
Inside “The Haven” restaurant in the first class lounge
A part of the buffet in "The Haven"

Next it’s time to try Swiss First class, 13 hours to Switzerland! There might be some more first class lounges later on as well...

dsimon

Wonderful reading thus far. Eagerly awaiting your LX installments.

fumitani

Can't wait till the LX installments too

BTW did you like the TG or SQ lounge better? I'll be going through HKG during new years with limited time.

jef7

Like many others I had been closely following your report with much excitement jacob_m.

The ease and descriptive manner of your reporting is definitely a reflection of your enjoyment while taking these trips. Being 'confined' here in the cold and rainy Pacific Northwest, I can't help but hope to visit Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong again soon. Oooh, SQ F service and lounge hopping with all the amenities and hospitality, I wish flying within North America can be just as fun.

Again, thank you so much for the efforts. The hours you spend preparing these reports are truly appreciated!

SMART51

Jacob, some of your outdoor pictures are postcard perfect,like Sydney from the air and Sunset over Guangzhou

Nice really nice^

Also you should have tried the shower service at the wing, really great experience.

jacob_m

I don't think there have been many reports on Swiss, at least not Swiss F, so hopefully it should be interesting and a bit original to read.
Great flight, and the seat was awesome!! But that's for tomorrow...

Which airline and in which class are you flying?

Overall I liked the Thai lounge a lot, very bright and modern. It's very new, opened just a year ago I think.
Both the C and F sides are very nice, but of course the a la carte service makes the F side even nicer.

But it really depends on what airline you are flying and how much time you have.
It's a very large airport, the walking distance from the TG lounge to the SQ lounge for example (which I walked) was quite significant, we are talking about a couple of minutes, and I usually walk very fast.
If you have limited time you won't make it to a lounge on the other side of the airport, and even if you do it probably wouldn't be worth it.
So use the lounge nearest to your departure gate if time is a problem.

fumitani

I will be waiting for the trip report tomorrow. No worries the quicker the better
I'm flying OZ F one time and SQ F the other time. I will have no problems in getting into any lounges. I will have my UA 1P card with me. Unless United figures a way to issue my 1k card on the spot at the BKK office. I will be there around 7am in the morning and my departure will be at 8am. The other departure will be 1pm and I will be at the airport around 11am. So in total I will have about 2 hours max. I won't be early like you and arrive 6 hours early for lounge hopping.

I walk fast also and I plan to visit the IFL if I have enough time to do so

Ty Vil

wow I've been reading about one a day, this is amazing.

jacob_m

Actually it was only 5 hours of lounge hopping!
I very much enjoyed it though, Hong Kong is the best when it comes to lounges!

You won't need your *G card to enter the lounges, an F boarding pass will get you into all *A lounges at the airport, including the F lounges, same situation as me.
Do consider the walking distances though when deciding where to go. If you only have one hour there is no point in walking all the way to a particular lounge if it takes maybe 10-15 mins to get there and back (as it can do), even though the lounge itself might be nice.

jacob_m

After a very nice evening of lounge hopping in Hong Kong it was time to proceed to the gate for the flight to Zurich.

The gate was only a short walk from The Wing, it was packed with people when I got there.
Priority boarding was offered, starting with first class passengers. There was a long line of passengers at the gate and I was at the very back of it, so when the first boarding announcement was made for first class passengers I got to pass the entire line of passengers and walk straight onboard.

Pics
The transit hall in Hong Kong
The Swiss Airbus A340 that will take me to Zurich
The gate area for the flight to Zurich

Hong Kong-Zurich, flight LX 139 operated by Swiss
Departure: 00:05
Arrival: 06:10
Aircraft: Airbus A340
Class: First Class
Seat: 02K

I entered the aircraft through door 2L and walked through the business class cabin to my seat 02K in the first class cabin.
I was greeted by a female flight attendant who welcomed me onboard and offered to take my jacket. A smart thing is that they have a hanger in the seat pocket of every seat with the seat number on it, that's the one she used for my jacket, thus at the end of the flight it was very easy for the crew to find which jacket/coat belonging to which passenger.
I was also offered a pre-departure drink and naturally went for a glass of bubbles, they served one called Cuvée Allegra onboard which I was not familiar with.
Together with the pre-departure drink they also offered an amuse bouche, it is the first time I have been served food before take-off (other than nuts), but since this was a night flight and many people wanted to get some sleep after take-off it reduced the length of the meal service a bit up in the air.

The first class cabin onboard the Airbus A340 has eight seats, two rows with a 1-2-1 configuration, five of the seats were occupied on this flight.
There were two flight attendants in charge of the first class cabin, so with a ratio of two FAs for five passengers it meant a very attentive service.
It turned out I was the only passenger in first class who was not Swiss, so I was also the only person speaking English. I do get by in German, but still decided not to try as I would probably have had to switch to English sooner or later anyway.
Actually the other passengers spoke Swiss German, which really isn’t the same thing as German. I overheard a conversation between one of the flight attendants and the passenger in front of me and after 10 mins I had still not figured out what they were talking about. It’s a weird language!

The seats were very comfortable though with plenty of space and storage.
Each seat also has an ottoman in front of it which can actually be moved by pressing a button on the seat control. The ottoman can either be used as a footrest or as a seat if two people are travelling together and want to dine together. During the night the ottoman becomes part of the bed.
There is also some storage available inside the ottoman, where you preferably put your shoes.

More champagne was offered before the doors were closed, although I declined a top-up after all the drinks in the lounges.
We pushed back on time and a safety demonstration video was shown in English, afterwards they also made safety announcements in German, French and Cantonese. An impressive amount of languages! ^

After departure when the seat belt sign had been switched off the meal service started almost immediately, it was already after midnight and many people were tired and wanted to go to bed as soon as possible.
More drinks were offered and I had one more glass of champagne before switching to red wine with the meal.
An amenity kit was also handed out with toiletries from La Prairie, quite OK, I actually ended up using some of it. We also got slippers, pretty comfortable!

Pics
The first class cabin onboard
The ottoman in front of each seat which can be moved using the seat control
A glass of champagne and amuse bouche before departure
The amenity kit in first class

The menu

The menu was then handed out for the dinner and breakfast service, it also included the drink list onboard.
The menu was very nice, definitely the nicest looking menu of all menus I got on this trip, the cover was a beautiful photo of a Swiss landscape in the Alps.

Pics
The nice Swiss First class menu

This is what was on offer for dinner and breakfast on the flight to Zurich in first class:

Meal service

Next the table was prepared for the meal service with tablecloth and cutlery.
The table is really the largest I have seen onboard an airplane, it is huge!! I basically only used half of it.
However the good thing is that if you are two people travelling you can dine together at the table, the ottoman can be used as a visitor’s seat and the table is easily large enough for two people to eat at it, and it won't feel cramped.

The meal service started with a choice of hors d’oeuvres and salad from a trolley. The hors d’oeuvres were basically some canapés and sauces and then they offered salad with different garnishes and dressings. Quite good!
The nice flight attendant offered to put a bit of everything from the trolley on my plate, but I declined a few things to save some room for more food, and I actually was not that hungry after all the food in the lounges.
She also said they had some soup onboard, pumpkin soup, and for some reason I decided to have that as well even though I really wasn’t very hungry, I'm not quite sure why! Maybe it was something she said that made me change my mind?!

The soup arrived after a few minutes and the pumpkin soup was quite good.
Next it was main course, and I had the lamb which was excellent. A nice thing was that they served the potato purée in a separate bowl, almost like in a proper restaurant.
They had two main courses on offer plus a “special of a day” which was some kind of risotto if I remember correctly.
Three main courses isn’t a lot for a longhaul flight in first class, SQ had five in F, but on the other hand the flight departed very late and one of the passengers even skipped the meal.

After the main course they passed through the cabin with some lovely Swiss cheeses. I have actually been to Appenzell myself where some of the cheeses onboard came from, so I know how good they are, but I really could not manage cheese on top of everything else I had eaten.
I decided to make an attempt with the dessert though as the crème brûlée on offer just sounded too good to skip, and in fact it was.
Coffee and tea were also offered, but I declined as I soon wanted to get some sleep.

I was so full when the meal was finally over that I felt like bursting, so much food onboard!! You certainly don’t starve in international first class!!
I was quite tired at this point since it was around 2 am Hong Kong time, but I decided to wait for a while before going to bed to digest some of the food, as I said I was very full.

Pics
More champagne after departure
The table setting
Appetizer and salad
Soup
Main course
Dessert

Inflight entertainment system, and time to go to bed...

Before going to bed I had a look at the inflight entertainment system, Swiss has AVOD onboard which is always nice.
Through the entertainment system there are movies, documentaries, and TV-series episodes available. The selection is OK, but not exceptional, there are maybe 15 movies to watch.
There was some music to listen to as well, a nice variety of CD albums, I found they had the latest album of Enya for example called Amarantine which is one of my favourites and very nice to listen to before going to bed.
They also had a few games, for example "Who wants to be a millionaire", they used the UK version. I managed quite well, but no million for me I’m afraid.

Soon I started to feel all too sleepy and felt it was time to go to bed, so I asked one of the flight attendants to prepare my seat for the night.
The Swiss first class seat can be made completely flat, and they also move the ottoman to make the bed longer.
After the seat had been reclined and the ottoman was in place they added a mattress, pillow and a comfy duvet. It was basically a proper bed now!
I had once again brought my ANA sleeper suit onboard and changed in the lavatory before going to bed, unfortunately Swiss doesn't provide sleeper suits/pyjamas in first class.
The bed was really comfortable though!! It honestly felt like a real proper bed!!
The only thing is that they want you to keep your seat belt fastened even when sleeping, which feels a bit strange. Well you don’t actually need to have it fastened, but in case there is some turbulence during the flight and the seat belt sign is turned on the crew are required to make sure it is fastened and may have to wake you up in case it is not.
I slept pretty well onboard, I think I got a few hours of sleep in that adorable seat/bed!!
My only complaint was that the passenger in front of me really did not seem tired after the meal service and wanted to chat with one of the flight attendants instead of going to bed. Fortunately I found some earplugs in my amenity kit, problem solved!

Pics
The Swiss inflight entertainment system
The seat control and video console
The personal TV-screen
We are working our way through China
The seat made into a bed, very comfortable!!
It is a bit strange to have the seat belt fastened while sleeping

Breakfast and arrival in Switzerland

I woke up around three hours before landing, which meant 10 am Hong Kong time or 3 am Swiss time. Even though these westbound night flights are excellent as you can both sleep properly onboard and avoid jet lag fairly easily, it is still strange to experience a night lasting for 15-16 hours.
I asked one of the flight attendants to help me with the seat and remove the bedclothes, and afterwards I started watching a movie.
I was then offered a cup of coffee which was very needed and very appreciated, it ended up being two cups of coffee.
At this point most passengers in first class had woken up and started to get ready for the breakfast service.

Around two hours before landing they served breakfast, and once again the table was prepared with tablecloth and cutlery, the table setting onboard Swiss actually looks quite elegant.
They passed through the cabin with a breakfast trolley with a selection of fresh fruit, yoghurts, muesli, cereals and bread and preserves.
I skipped the cereals but had the rest of it. Nice fruit juices were also on offer including a mixed one with grapefruit juice, orange juice and something else, quite good!
Next they offered a hot dish with an omelette, a sausage and some mushrooms.
I had some more coffee as well (I think I managed four cups between waking up and landing) before asking the flight attendant to clear my table.

Soon my movie was coming to an end and shortly afterwards we started our descent into Switzerland. I changed back to my regular clothes and then started to pack my things while the cabin was prepared for landing.
Before landing one of the flight attendants who had been serving in the first class cabin came to say good-bye and thank me for flying Swiss and she also wished me a nice weekend.
Shortly afterwards the male purser onboard came to say good-bye, I think he was from the French-speaking part of Switzerland based on his accent, but he was fluent in German.
He was delighted to hear I would make a brief stop in Zurich and Switzerland (although I didn’t really tell him for how long ).

We landed right on time at Zurich Kloten airport and landed from the south providing nice views of the city centre during the approach. Even though I had been on that plane for 13 hours it was only 6 am in Zurich and completely dark outside.
We taxied to the E-pier which is the newest pier at Zurich airport used for intercontinental flights, it is linked to the main terminal building by an automatic train.

Once we were safely parked at the gate I said good-bye to the flight attendants and the purser and left the plane through the front door.
I thought the terminal would be quite empty considering the time of the day, but there seemed to have been quite a few longhaul flights arriving at the same time as us and there were plenty of people waiting for the train.
After the short train ride I entered the main terminal building. I tried to find a transfer desk to get my two next boarding passes issued, but I didn’t find one and decided to sort that out later, my connecting flight from Zurich was not leaving for another six hours.
I passed through passport control and followed the signs for the Swiss arrivals lounge to which I had access as a Swiss first class passenger.
The lounge was located next to the baggage reclaim, after passport control but before customs.

Pics
A cup of coffee after waking up
Preparations for breakfast with lovely fruit juices, looks like we are flying over Ukraine
Table setting for breakfast
Continental breakfast
Hot breakfast
Just landed in Zurich where it is early morning

Swiss Arrivals lounge, Zurich

I was greeted at the entrance to the lounge by a friendly Swiss woman, she even addressed me by name, doesn’t happen very often in lounges. ^
She immediately asked me if I wanted to take a shower and I said yes and was escorted to an empty shower room. I also asked if she had a shaving kit, which she had.
10 minutes later I was feeling like a new person, that shower really did wonders and I was now ready for a few more hours of travelling.
I had another two flights that day and would not reach Brussels until late afternoon, so there is still a lot more to come.

The arrivals lounge also had a small breakfast buffet with some bread and preserves, croissants and yoghurt, and of course hot and cold drinks.
Nothing extraordinary, but always nice to have something more to eat and another cup of coffee, so I actually had my second breakfast for the day.
The arrivals lounge was even mentioned on the menu and they advised passengers who wished to sleep a bit longer that they could have breakfast in the lounge instead.

Pics
The entrance to the Swiss Arrivals lounge next to the baggage reclaim
Inside the lounge
The small but nice breakfast buffet

After a nice shower and some more breakfast I left the lounge.
It was now just after 7 am, with another five hours before my connecting flight would depart I decided to make a short visit to Zurich which is only 10 mins by train from the airport.

Verdict

On the whole the Swiss flight was very nice, the seat was simply fantastic and the food pretty good as well, even though the menu was not the most extensive of all the flights I have taken.
Regarding the service it was friendly and attentive, I will especially stress attentive since there were two flight attendants serving only five passengers, and they were both very nice, always smiling!
The service was a bit more formal though than my previous flights with Asian airlines, which is probably related to the Swiss culture which I know is quite formal. After two months away from Europe I definitely felt I was on my way back to Europe again.
Still I have no complaints, the flight was excellent and I will happily consider Swiss again in the future. ^

Next instalment will be part 3 of HKG-ZRH-FRA-BRU with two business class flights and a few more lounges, actually a few more first class lounges…

hoyateach

I have followed this thread with rapt attention and you are making me very, very envious.

Keep up the good work!^

das

Hey there - this report is looking awesome! I've only read through New Zealand, but just downloaded all of it to read tomorrow when I enjoy the fine service of Ted from ORD to SJU. I notice you took SQ 232 SYD-SIN - I also flew this SQ flight number, as a kick off to my FRTW.

You set the new standard in trip reports - I only reported on about half of my flights, I'll do better next time. ;-)

Thanks again for some fantastic reading and inspiration!!! I just can't wait to read it....

jacob_m

After my visit to the arrivals lounge I passed through customs and went to the departure hall to get boarding passes for the next two flights before going to downtown Zurich.
They have a special “Swiss First class island” in the departure hall where I went first, but there was only one agent inside and he was quite busy sorting something out for another passenger.
There were several empty desks in the main departure hall though, it was surprisingly empty this morning, so I went to one of the baggage drop counters and asked if they could issue my boarding passes.
There was a young and very friendly girl behind the baggage drop counter who said she could definitely help me. She didn’t really understand though why I came to the departure hall to get the boarding passes when I was in fact in transit at the airport, but I explained I had plenty of time and wanted to make a quick visit to Zurich.
She was even more surprised to see my ticket, in fact she was absolutely amazed to see the itinerary and all the places I had visited. Even though there was not much left of the actual ticket the receipt was still there at the back with the full itinerary, not particularly hard to read.
She said she was so envious of what I had done, but also happy I decided to make a visit to Zurich as well, albeit a very short one.
When my two boarding passes had been issued and my bags registered in the reservation she explained how to get to the railway station and wished me a nice “stay” in Zurich.

Pics
The Swiss premium check-in area in Zurich with the First class island to the right

A quick visit to Zürich

I took a local S-Bahn train from the airport to Zurich HB, it was rush hour so the train was packed. It’s very quick to get to central Zurich from the airport though, roughly 10 mins, and not very expensive either.
I used to spend a lot of time in Switzerland, I have been almost all over the country, but I had not been to Zurich for several years now so it was fun to come back and have a look around.
It is such a nice and charming little city, but unfortunately it was bloody cold this morning. Since I had just arrived from Hong Kong where it was 28 degrees I was not really properly dressed for such a cold weather and it was not at all enjoyable to walk around.
After less than two hours I decided to head to the railway station and go back to the airport.

Back at the airport I already had a boarding pass so I could go airside straight away.
Passport control was very swift, the man didn’t even look at my passport. No I’m serious, he didn’t even open it! He saw the red cover (which all EU-passports have) and waived me through.
Well I don’t really care if he looks at it or not, it saved me some time so I was happy.

The transit area is quite nice, pretty modern, but even though Switzerland is not part of the EU and I would be allowed to buy tax-free to Frankfurt the shops seemed pretty expensive.
I skipped the shopping and decided to make some lounge visits instead.
Zurich has two lounges I had access to, the Swiss lounge and the Star Alliance lounge. I started with the Star Alliance lounge.

Pics
Sunrise over Lake Zurich
Downtown Zurich
The main transit hall at Zurich Kloten airport

Star Alliance First class lounge, Zurich

The Star Alliance lounge is the world’s first common Star Alliance lounge used by all *A carriers in Zurich, even though Lufthansa is the dominant airline.
It opened a long time before Swiss became member of Star Alliance though, so now there is a second option for Star Alliance passengers.
The lounge has two sides, a business class side and a first class side. As far as I know the first class side is only open to first class passengers and LH Senator/HON Circle cardholders.
Business class passengers obviously use the business class side, and I think all other Star Golds also have to use the business class side.

I presented my boarding pass at the reception and after seeing I had a business class boarding pass and also a Star Alliance gold card (she saw the status on the BP) I was instantly allowed to enter.
Although before entering I showed her the boarding pass stub from Hong Kong and asked very nicely if I would get access to the first class side since I had arrived in first class in the morning.
After looking at it for five seconds she directed me to the left, to the first class lounge, rather than to the right. Great!!

The first class side was pretty small, a lot smaller than the business class side, but it was very empty, only two people were inside when I arrived and maybe 7-8 when I left.
They had a fairly large self-service buffet available, but at 9.30 am there was still breakfast on offer with croissants, bread rolls, yoghurt etc. I had my third breakfast for the day and a large cup of coffee, possibly the sixth one that day (I should really try to cut down on coffee!).
After finishing the breakfast I had a more proper look in the buffet area, and what do I see? Yes, a bottle of champagne nicely chilled in an ice bucket!!
At the same time a couple entered the lounge and instantly went for the champagne, so when half of the lounge was drinking champagne at 9.45 am it felt a bit less embarrassing to do it myself. I actually ended up having two glasses as the champagne was pretty good.
Well it was 5 pm in Hong Kong, so I’ll blame the time difference!!
Looking at the photo it seems like it was Saint Evremond they had on offer.

After two glasses of champagne and some lovely Swiss chocolate I left the lounge, I spent about an hour inside.

Pics
The entrance to the common Star Alliance lounge in Zurich
Inside the first class lounge
The self-service buffet area
Some alcohol, and two bottles of champagne!!
A glass of champagne, and lovely Swiss chocolates
Pretty nice view from the lounge

Swiss First class lounge, Zurich

Next I went to the Swiss lounge which is located on the first floor above the main departure hall.
Once again I showed my business class boarding pass to Frankfurt and my boarding pass stub from Hong Kong and asked very nicely if I would get access to the first class lounge as I had arrived on Swiss in first class the same morning.
The young reception girl seemed unsure and asked her colleague, but she immediately said yes. Fantastic!! So that’s my second first class lounge in Zurich!
The girl told me she would escort me to the lounge, I was soon to find out why.
The first class lounge is actually located inside the business class lounge, so you enter the business class lounge like all other passengers and enter the first class lounge through a locked door, that’s why I was escorted as she needed to open that door for me.

Inside the first class lounge we went to the reception desk where the girl confirmed with a supervisor I was indeed allowed to be there, but the answer was once again yes.
She registered my boarding pass in the computer and also checked my flight would depart on time, after that I was welcome to take a seat.
They had a self-service buffet available and also two types of champagne, a standard white one and a pink one.
Still only breakfast available in the buffet, but just after 11 am they brought a large trolley inside the lounge with some hot food.
I decided to have a look on what was on offer and one of the lounge attendants in charge of the buffet immediately approached me to explain what they had on offer.
They had two types of chicken skewers for example, one of them served with chilli sauce, quite spicy!! That’s what I had, pretty tasty!
She also asked me if I wanted anything to drink, I had not planned to drink more bubbly, but somehow she managed to convince me to have a glass anyway, I guess it wasn’t too hard after all.

There were not a lot of people in this lounge either, but that’s half the point with a first class lounge I guess.
On the whole the lounge was nice, but not spectacular. The staff was most friendly though and really made the lounge visit enjoyable. ^

Before leaving for the gate I made a brief visit to the business class lounge (well I had to pass through it anyway to leave the lounge).
The business class lounge was a lot more crowded, it almost seemed hard to find an empty seat. Inside the business lounge they also have the world’s longest attended lounge bar, which they make quite a big deal about. It is one floor above the main lounge, but it is indeed pretty long.

Pics
The entrance to the Swiss lounges in Zurich
Inside the Swiss first class lounge
The self-service buffet in the first class lounge
Yummy skewers to eat at lunch time
The main business class lounge
In the Swiss lounge they have the world’s longest attended lounge bar
And here is the bar, pretty long indeed!

Zurich-Frankfurt, flight LX 1072 operated by Swiss
Departure: 12:20
Arrival: 13:25
Aircraft: Avro ARJ100 (Aircraft change from Airbus A319)
Class: Business Class
Seat: 02F

In Zurich the security controls are located at the beginning of the piers, i.e. after the lounges and tax-free shops.
There was a separate line for first class and business class passengers which I used (they didn’t mention anything about star gold). Fortunately they did not say anything about the amenity kit from the HKG-ZRH flight I had in my bag, I was not prepared to give that one up unless being specifically asked to.

At the gate I realised we would be taken to the aircraft by a bus, and once we had reached the aircraft at the remote stand I realised there had been an aircraft change.
The flight was originally supposed to be operated by an Airbus A319, but there was now an Avroliner there instead.
Well it’s only a short flight so it doesn’t matter and I got to keep my pre-assigned seat as well, but I suppose an A319 would have been more comfortable.

The flight to Frankfurt was short, a total flight time of around 50-55 minutes, still they had a full inflight service in business class.
In business class we were offered a plate with two sandwiches and some grapes. They also had a full bar service onboard with two reds, two whites, and I think they even had champagne available (might have been sparkling wine, I didn’t see the bottle).
The two reds were a Swiss one and a French one, and the flight attendant tried to look as disappointed as possible when I chose the French one rather than the Swiss.
Well I actually had a Swiss wine from Hong Kong, and she agreed that that was a valid excuse.
Coffee and tea were also offered and finally Swiss chocolates. Overall a short but nice and enjoyable flight.
The weather was also nice during most of the flight and I got some nice views of northern Switzerland during the climb and an excellent view of downtown Frankfurt during the approach. I actually managed to recognise the Radisson hotel from the plane where I stayed in the beginning of this trip, the building has a very distinctive look.

Landing right on time in a sunny Frankfurt, but we were directed to a remote stand so once again a bus to the terminal building.
I end up in remote stands more than 50% of the time I visit Frankfurt, irrespective of aircraft type and destination/origin, it gets quite annoying after a while.
We were taken by bus to the B-pier where I had to pass through security again.

Pics
The view shortly after take-off from Zurich
Inflight service in business class to Frankfurt
Nice view of downtown Frankfurt during the approach

Lufthansa First class lounge, A-pier/Schengen area, Frankfurt

I had read on the internet that from this summer Swiss first class passengers would also have access to the Lufthansa first class facilities in Frankfurt, which means the first class terminal and the three first class lounges.
But how would they interpret this rule if I fly HKG-ZRH with Swiss in F and then ZRH-FRA-BRU in C?
I didn’t really know, in the Lufthansa forum they thought I would get access, but the only way to really find out would be to try.
I had already been to the first class terminal, nice place, but with only two hours between flights I would waste a lot of time (too much time) to just get over there.
There are three first class lounges though, one of them very conveniently located in the Schengen area of the A-pier, the escalator to get to the lounge is right opposite the Lufthansa Senator lounge.

I know Frankfurt airport almost inside out by now, so I easily found my way to the lounge after a long walk through that dreadful tunnel between the B-pier and A-pier.
I was quite excited when I arrived at the lounge to see if I would actually get in.

Upon entering the lounge I was approached by a lounge agent and I showed her my boarding pass to Brussels and my boarding pass stub from Hong Kong and said I had arrived the same morning with Swiss in first class.
The woman looked at my boarding passes and thought for a while, but eventually said I would not get access.
Well she still seemed very unsure, so I told her I had actually asked about it and had been told Swiss first class passengers do have access to the first class lounges in Frankfurt, and I did have a same-day Swiss first class boarding pass to present.
She was quiet for a few seconds, and suddenly she completely changed her mind.
She said I was indeed very right, I would get access, she told me she was still not used to this new rule about Swiss first class passengers.
I think she apologised three times, but I told her not to worry about it. Hey, she had just given me access to the LH First class lounge, I was too happy to listen to her excuses!!

The first class lounge was virtually identical to the first class terminal. The facilities are exactly the same with an extensive bar, a restaurant, plenty of sitting areas, showers etc.
The lounge obviously doesn’t have the limousine transfer though, but other than that it’s exactly the same. Since so many people want to visit the terminal it may actually be worth going to one of the lounges instead as they may be less crowded.

There were very few people inside the lounge when I arrived, not even 10 people.
I had a seat and was approached by a waiter who asked me if I wanted anything to drink. I decided to have a glass of champagne and asked him what he had on offer, he said he could recommend the pink Taittinger champagne they had, I followed his recommendation.
Together with the tasty champagne he also brought a bowl with some nice snacks, there was some Parma ham in it I think, and a few other things.

After drinking champagne and browsing through some newspapers I decided to have something proper to eat and headed over to the restaurant and had a seat at one of the tables.
The restaurant was completely empty, that’s why I could take so many photos, I have uploaded almost all of them since I thought they might be of interest. Everything is also identical to the first class terminal, so these pics complement the ones I posted in the beginning of the report.
I had some food from the very extensive self-service buffet. Plenty plenty of food was available including hot food, cold cuts, salad, sauces, many types of bread, fresh fruit, delicious desserts, and god knows what else. It’s really a lot!! I was told the buffet also changes every three weeks.
I also had a glass of red wine from the drink trolley in the restaurant, I decided to try an Italian wine with the meal.

After a delicious late lunch (or early dinner, or whatever it was) I moved back to the main lounge.
One thing I never got to try in the first class terminal was their superb selection of whiskeys. The first class lounge/terminal is a heaven for whiskey-lovers like me, there are as many as 75 types of whiskey on offer, including some very rare ones and a few vintage ones.
There was a new guy in the bar who was really friendly, so we discussed the whiskey selection a bit, he actually seemed to know quite a bit about what he had on offer at the bar.
After looking through the drink list I finally decided to try a 15-year old vintage whiskey called Knockando, not bad at all! I also asked for a cup of coffee and got a chocolate dessert from the buffet.

All too soon it was time to leave for the gate, I wished I could have stayed a bit longer in the lounge, but I still got almost two hours in there which I am very grateful for.
The Lufthansa first class facilities in Frankfurt are really fantastic! Great staff, great facilities, fantastic food and a very impressive selection of drinks! ^ ^
I hope I get the change to come back there again one day...

Pics
The entrance to the Lufthansa First class lounge in the A-pier in Frankfurt
Inside the fantastic LH First class lounge
A glass of Taittinger pink champagne and some nice cocktail snacks
One of many sitting areas in the lounge
The very extensive bar
The entrance to the cigar lounge, and the bar to the right
Nice view from the lounge
Inside the restaurant in the lounge
My table
The very extensive self-service buffet in the restaurant
Second part of the very nice buffet, and delicious desserts!
The drink trolley in the restaurant with plenty of wine
Late lunch in the restaurant, bon appetit!
Coffee, Knockando whisky, and a chocolate dessert from the buffet
Some of the 75 whiskeys available at the bar listed in the drink list

Frankfurt-Brussels, flight LH 4580 operated by Lufthansa Cityline
Departure: 15:45
Arrival: 16:40
Aircraft: Canadair CRJ-700
Class: Business Class
Seat: 05D

I left the lounge very late and almost had to run to make it to the gate in time, the gate was just at the beginning of the A-pier next to the security check.
A bus would take us to the plane parked at a remote stand, and I think I was the very last person to board the bus.

Most of the passengers were already onboard when we got to the aircraft parked close to the Lufthansa hangars in the western part of the airport.
The aircraft in use was a CRJ-700 which seemed almost fully booked. The nice thing though is that in business class the seat next to you remains empty, so you automatically get both a window seat and an aisle seat.

The flight time to Brussels was surprisingly short, only around 35 minutes, but they still offered inflight service onboard
In business class they handed out a small tray with some bread and cold cuts and a dessert, nothing remarkable, but definitely not bad either.
Drinks were also offered, but I declined more alcohol and settled with a glass of orange juice. I really had no idea how much wine and champagne I had been drinking in the past 24 hours, well probably best not to count either!!

Due to the short flight time we landed 15 minutes early in Brussels and actually parked at the main terminal building (the Schengen pier) so we could walk from the plane right into the terminal building.
It’s quite a walk from the Schengen pier to the baggage reclaim though.

Baggage delivery started fairly quickly but not even the Hon Circle/First class-tags on my bags seemed to make a big difference, but on the other hand it was a small plane with not a lot of checked luggage onboard anyway.
It was nice to see my luggage again, I realised 30 hours had passed since I checked it in at Kowloon station in Hong Kong. But what a 30 hours!!
I don't think I have ever got so much use of one small piece of paper as that boarding pass stub from the HKG-ZRH flight. It gave me access to three first class lounges in Hong Kong, two first class lounges in Zurich, and one first class lounge in Frankfurt.

Pics
The A-pier in Frankfurt, rushing to the gate as I’m running late
The business class cabin onboard the CRJ-700
Inflight service to Brussels in business class

After collecting my luggage I took a train from the airport to central Brussels.
I had a reservation at the new Radisson SAS EU hotel in Brussels, it is located 2 mins from the Bruxelles-Luxembourg station and not too far from the EU institutions.
I had actually used some Eurobonus points for the stay, so it was completely free with breakfast included as well.
I was pretty tired when I arrived though, and I actually fell asleep at 7 pm with both the TV and all the lights in my room turned on, I must have been completely exhausted after over 30 hours of travelling.
But if you ask me if it was worth the long layover in Zurich and the extra transfer in Frankfurt, I would say ABSOLUTELY!!

hoyateach

LH First Class Lounges offer the 18 year old Macallan and 21 year old Glenfiddich? At the Northwest lounges I'm used to, all we get is Jack Daniels and Dewar's.