Showing posts with label Asiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asiana. Show all posts

June 25, 2017

Review: Asiana A330-300 Business Class Seoul to Osaka

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330-300 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Osaka (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

Asiana OZ 112
Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
May 22, 2017
Aircraft: A330-300
Seats: 2H/2K

Seoul to Osaka is a similar distance as San Diego to San Francisco yet we were boarding a wide body A330 for the 90 minute flight.  We flew Asiana business class in 2014 and the experience was relatively similar.  The seats on this aircraft are nothing special - fixed shell backs and angled lie-flight.  But they are perfectly comfortable for such a short flight.  Unfortunately that means no storage  under the seat for takeoff and landing.


June 18, 2017

Review: Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

After a great flight from LAX in Asiana First Class, we headed over to the first class lounge near gate 42.  At this point, it was around 6:15AM local time so we would only have an hour in the lounge before boarding commenced for our flight to Osaka.

We've both visited the lounge before so this visit was very utilitarian - drink water, shower, and catch up on work.  We were welcomed into the lounge which was basically empty at this hour.



June 17, 2017

Review: Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

Asiana Airlines OZ 203
Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (ICN)
May 21, 2017
Aircraft:  A380-800
Seats: 2K/3K

This would be my third time flying Asiana first class and the second time flying first on the A380 so I was looking forward to comparing how things had changed.  After a great couple hours in the Star Alliance lounge, we had made our way down to the concourse and to our gate.  Boarding was delayed a few minutes for now apparent reason and passengers had begun to line up.


June 3, 2017

Review: Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First & Business Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
Kansai-Airport Express Haruka Green Car Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
JAL Sakura Business Class Lounge Osaka (KIX)
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300 Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

After an easy flight on United from Denver, we arrived at T7 and made our way through the mess of tunnels that is is LAX.

High above Breckenridge en route to LAX
We usually try to stick to carry-on bags for the outbound so we were traveling pretty light.  The connector to TBIT took us through essentially all of LAX's terminals but we made it from our gate at LAX to the Star Alliance lounge at TBIT in just under 30 minutes.  We didn't have to reclear security and other than the hotel maze in the basement, the entire experience was pretty seamless.  I have to say that the TBIT is stunning.  Easily the nicest terminal in the US.

TBIT LAX

April 30, 2017

A Week in Japan: Planning & Booking II

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Star Alliance First Class Lounge LAX
Asiana First Class A380 LAX to Seoul (ICN)
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul (ICN)
Asiana A330 Business Class Seoul (ICN) to Kyoto (KIX)
The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Kyoto (KIX) to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Hong Kong to San Francisco
Hyatt Regency SFO

For a variety of reasons, we shortened our upcoming trip by a few days.  Unfortunately that means no visit to Osaka or Tokyo but we'll still get 3 days in Kyoto and 3 days in Hong Kong.  All hotels remain the same - we just mixed it up a bit with the flights.  If you're interested in reading more about the initial booking process, please read the first planning and booking segment.

We swapped our United Polaris flight for Asiana's A380 first class service from LAX.  Instead of 130,000 United miles, this set us back 110,000 United and 105,000 Aeroplan miles.  Not the greatest use of an additional 75,000 miles but we'll be more comfortable.  In Seoul, we'll visit the Asiana First Class lounge for a shower before boarding an Asiana A330 in business class to Osaka (KIX).

After three nights in Kyoto, we'll take the train back to KIX and fly Cathay Pacific business class direct to Hong Kong.  Not as fancy as Cathay first but should be plenty fine for a 4 hour flight.  I booked this flight with 40,000 (total) British Airways miles - pretty good deal considering the length of the flight and better than Alaska's award chart by 5,000 total miles.

Everything else remains the same.  I should have the first segment up in the next month or so!

September 27, 2015

Review: Asiana First Class A380 Seoul to Los Angeles

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Qantas First Class Lounge LAX
Cathay Pacific 777-300 ER First Class Los Angeles to Hong Kong
The Pier Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Le Meridien Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa
Thai Airways 747-400 First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong
Air India 787-8 Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul
Asiana A380 First Class Seoul to Los Angeles

I seemed to have lost my camera pics from the Asiana First Class Lounge and the flight home.  Good news is I have some pics of the flight home from my phone so will continue with the review.  I was in the Asiana FCL lounge last year so you can check out that review if you're interested.

After our Air India arrival and less than stellar transfer experience, we were welcomed into the lounge.  I showered and grabbed a quick bite to eat and then caught up on email.  Soon it was T-40 and we decided to go roam the terminal a bit.  We were maybe 100 feet out of the lounge when an Asiana lounge employee came running up to us.  "Mr. Berlin?"  "Yes, we both responded."  


A preview of things to come

He was our escort to the gate to ensure we were able to board first.  I knew that Asiana provided First Class passengers escort services but I'm a semi functional adult and figured I could manage the 500 foot walk to the gate by myself.  He really wouldn't take no for an answer so we "let" him escort us down to the gate and to the front of the line.  He politely informed the giant queue of passengers that we would be jumping ahead of them and there was no push back.  Now first in line to board, we had 10 minutes or so to talk about the airline, his girlfriend in LA, and how proud Asiana is to fly the A380.

Boarding was called and we said our goodbyes to our new friend.  Asiana's first class cabin contains 12 enclosed suites on the lower level of the aircraft.  We were both seated in window seats - 2A and 3A.  I've flown first class on Asiana's 777 which was a great experience.  


Time to fly - seat 3A

June 20, 2015

Brothers in Asia: Planning & Booking

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton Gateway LAX
Cathay Pacific 777-300 ER First Class Los Angeles to Hong Kong
The Wing Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Le Meridien Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa
Thai Airways 747-400 First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
Air India 787-8 Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul
Asiana A380 First Class Seoul to Los Angeles

Booking this trip was actually more difficult than expected.  Finding availability from the west coast to Asia over the weekend proved to be difficult.  I was able to find availability on Monday so we decided to spend the weekend in San Diego and Los Angeles visiting family before taking off for Hong Kong Monday morning.

Hotels:

We needed an overnight at LAX and I originally booked the Hilton LAX for around $150 AI.  I checked last week and found the Sheraton Gateway LAX (stayed here in 2013) was selling for $130 AI.  We'll spend Sunday night there before heading to LAX early Monday morning.

Bangkok is a challenging hotel city given the extremely low cost (comparatively speaking) of luxury hotels.  It typically doesn't make sense to redeem points given the price and this trip was no exception.  I booked an Executive Deluxe room at the Le Meridien (also stayed here in 2012) for $150 USD per night.  The rate includes breakfast and evening cocktails/appetizers which made the rate even better.  


Le Meridien Bangkok Lobby

In Hong Kong, I booked the Conrad for 80,000 points per night.  As a HHonors Gold member, we should receive access to the executive lounge (with complimentary breakfast) which is supposed to be one of the best in the system.  Given that cash rates were selling for $500USD+ I got a great value for the last of my Hilton Honors points (at one point last year, I had over 700,000).

Total Hotel Costs:  240,000 HHonors Points and $430

Flights:

I've become a huge Cathay Pacific fan so I was excited to grab two first class seats on Cathay's morning service from LAX to Hong Kong.  We'll then continue on Cathay's regional business class service to Bangkok after a few hours relaxing in one of Cathay's first class lounges.  At 67,500 American Advantage miles and $68 in taxes and fees for each ticket, this is one of the best mileage redemptions out there.  I was able to find space using the British Airways website.  Once I found space, I called AA to book the ticket.


Cathay All Day

While not the best redemption in the world, I'm sitting on a ton of United miles so decided to redeem 35,000 United miles (and $21) each to fly Thai's 747 first class service to Hong Kong.  Cash tickets go for about $650 (on Thai, Cathay, and Emirates) which is a great deal but still would have cost us a lot of money for a really short flight.  Booking online was really simple and I had plenty of miles in my account for both of us.

I'm really excited about our flights home.  For 130,000 United miles each (and $42 in taxes) we confirmed Air India's 787 Dreamliner service from Hong Kong to Seoul Incheon.  I don't know anyone that's flown Air India so I'm looking forward to what should be a unique experience.  In Seoul, we'll connect to Asiana's flagship A380 first class service to LAX.  The product is similar to the 777 which we flew last year.  I was able to book both of us online using a combination of miles from my account and Emily's.

I booked my positioning flights (to San Diego and home from LAX) on United for $350 in cash.

Total Fight Costs:  465,000 American/United miles and $612 in taxes and fees

Summary:

For about $1,000 and 700,000 points and miles, I was able to put together a week long trip to Bangkok and Hong Kong.  That's 6 total hotel nights, 30 hours of first class flying, and another 8 hours of business class flying for two people.  We're off on Monday - follow along as we head to Asia!

June 14, 2015

Brothers in Asia: Introduction

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton Gateway LAX
Cathay Pacific 777-300 ER First Class Los Angeles to Hong Kong
The Wing Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Le Meridien Bangkok
Thai Airways First Class Lounge & Spa
Thai Airways 747-400 First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
Conrad Hong Kong
Air India 787-8 Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul
Asiana A380 First Class Seoul to Los Angeles

I have one more post to write about our trip to Europe which I will try to complete this week.  Next weekend, I'm mixing it up travel companion wise and taking my brother Jonathan (who lives in San Diego) to Asia for the week.  He turned 30 late last year and has never flow international first class or been to Asia and we both figured this would be a good time to check both of his list.  Emily and I have now flown 11 international first class segments together - it is going to be fun to show someone else the ropes.

There are so many places to see in Asia it is sometimes hard to decide where to go.  I wanted to head to cities that I had been to previously but also places that I considered my favorites.  So naturally Bangkok and Hong Kong fir the bill.  Once we had destinations picked out, I set about finding award flights for both of us.  With enough miles to go roundtrip on either Star Alliance or OneWorld carriers, we had plenty of flexibility.  But it was actually tricky to find an outbound flight leaving on Sunday from LAX to Asia so we settled on a Monday morning outbound.  That will give us a couple of days in Bangkok and 3 days in Hong Kong.


Our routing courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper

This actually worked out great as I will get a couple of days in San Diego and LA visiting family before overnighting in LA and leaving the next morning.  I was able to secure a couple of first class seats on Cathay Pacific's direct service from LAX to Hong Kong.  A great first experience for my brother as Cathay's first class is one of my favorite products.  We'll also make sure to check out the Qantas OneWorld First Class lounge at LAX which is supposed to be spectacular.

After our flight from LAX, we have a few hours to clean up and chill at The Wing.  Cathay's new first class lounge (The Pier) is slated to open prior to our departure so I hope to check that out as well.  After a quick hop to Bangkok, we'll start our adventure at the Le Meridien Bangkok.  Emily and I stayed here during our honeymoon and loved the hotel.  I'm excited to see what's changed over the past few years.

The bar at The Wing Hong Kong

Getting back to Hong Kong was hard.  Well it was easy but there are lots of fun ways to fly.  We could have paid cash (~$650 each) to fly Emirates first class and shower at 35,000 feet.  But I decided to forego the cash, use miles, and fly Thai's 747 first class service which will get us an hour long massage in the Royal Orchid Spa prior to departure.

In Hong Kong, I've previously stayed at the W and Grand Hyatt and wanted to check out something different.  So we have three nights booked at the Conrad Hong Kong.

After exploring all that Hong Kong has to offer, we'll head home on Air India (can't wait for this one) to Seoul followed by Asiana's A380 suites service to LAX.  I'm really excited to fly Asiana again - our last trip was awesome.  It will be Jonathan's first time on the A380 (also first time on the 747) which should be fun for both of us.

I am really looking forward to this trip - will post the Planning & Booking segment prior to our departure.  Thanks for following along!!

July 19, 2014

Review: Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok

Introduction
Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

After spending a couple hours in the Asiana First Class Lounge, we walked down to gate 46 for our departure to Bangkok.  We arrived approximately 45 minutes prior to departure and the signs in front of the gate were already blinking "boarding."  But that's really just a trick in Asia to ensure you're in the gate area on time.

We strolled around the concourse and 15 minutes prior to our scheduled departure, the flight still wasn't boarding.  So we were definitely going to be delayed.  Another 30 minutes went by and we finally started to board.

The 767 that would take us to Bangkok had a 2-1-2 configuration in business class with angled lie-flat seats meaning the seats didn't recline all the way or go completely flat.  In the US, having these seats on a transcon or a flight from the west coast to Hawaii would be fine.  But after flying Asiana's first class suite product, we were a bit spoiled.

Review: Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon

Introduction
Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York
Asiana First Class Lounge Seoul Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

After a great flight from New York, we were off the plane and through transit security within about 10 minutes.  Incheon is really a great airport.  Not as good as Singapore Changi or Hong Kong but it's up there.  Clean, modern, well marked.  It's very easy to get around.

Asiana First Class Lounge Entrance

We made our way to the lounge which is up a set of escalators along with all the other lounges.  After a quick scan of our arrival boarding passes, we were shown into the lounge.

July 17, 2014

Review: Asiana First Class 777-200 New York to Seoul

Introduction
Sheraton JFK Hilton JFK Conrad New York
Asiana 777 First Class Suite New York to Seoul
Asiana First Class Lounge Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

We woke up early so make sure we could get a good walk in and have enough time to pack and get to JFK for our flight.  We walked over to the World Trade Center complex and spent some time making our way around both memorial pools.



This is a travel blog so I won't go into too much detail other than to say the memorial is surreal and beautiful but difficult to see.  If you are in New York, you should go and slowly make your way around each pool while looking up at the Freedom Tower.  It will make you feel small and insignificant and American and take your breath away all at the same time.

We returned from our walk, packed and grabbed a cab around 10AM.  It was a holiday weekend so traffic was actually pretty light and we made it to JFK in 40 minutes.

No line
There was no line for first class check-in and things went relatively smoothly except for the fact that the agent couldn't get Emily's boarding pass to print with all of her names (she has 4) for our flight to Bangkok.  She promised to meet us at the gate with the correct boarding pass which she did.

May 25, 2014

Suite Trip to Bali: Planning & Booking

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK
Asiana 777 First Class Suite New York to Seoul
Asiana First Class Lounge Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

As I mentioned in the introduction, we originally booked this trip for February of 2014.  So the planning process actually started late last summer when we had amassed enough Amex Membership Rewards points to book two first class return tickets from Singapore.  We knew we wanted to go to Bali and we knew we wanted to fly Singapore Suites.  So once we got that piece of the trip booked, most everything else fell into place.  Since we booked one-way tickets, I've broken up the booking thought process for each leg of the trip below.  If you have questions about the trip, let me know in the comments or email me.

This is the last pre-trip post.  Get ready for the actual trip reports coming in July.

Denver - Bali:

Getting to Bali is hard.  It's not that close to anything and from Denver, you're in for three flights at a minimum.  Last summer, I booked one-way business class tickets flying from Denver to Toronto United.  Then Toronto to Taipei on EVA with the final leg on EVA continuing on to Bali.  In December, first class space opened up (see:  importance of gardening reservations) on the Asiana New York to Seoul route.  This is the only Asiana (until they launch their A380) flight operated from the US with the closed door suites so it was an easy decision to change the routing.  The change required a nerve racking call to United (they weren't sure they could book the ticket and I was on hold for almost 30 minutes) but it ticketed and we have seats and an Asiana booking reference number.  There was no cost to change the routing - just an incremental 10,000 miles a piece for the first class segment.

Asiana First Class Suite

Because of the routing change, we'll have four flight segments and two overnights (first in New York then in Bangkok).  It's a lot of flying but we'll get to experience the Asiana suite, first class lounge in Seoul, and the Royal Orchard Spa in Bangkok.  Our final itinerary looks like this:

DEN - LGA in United First
JFK - ICN in Asiana First
ICN - BKK in Asiana Business (Two Cabin Flight)
BKK - DPS in Thai Business (Two Cabin Flight)

Total Cost:  140,000 United Miles & $28.80 in taxes and fees

Bali - Denver:

First, we had to figure out how to get from Bali to Singapore which was pretty easy.  I booked us in Singapore Airlines for the 2.5 hour ride to Singapore using United miles.  There are no fuel surcharges on this route which is great.

Singapore Airlines used to only make Suites class tickets available for around 1,000,000 miles per ticket.  They changed this policy at some point and now enable their own frequent flyer members (KrisFlyer) to book at the standard first class price.  Finding one seat at the lowest level (saver) is pretty easy but it's virtually impossible to find two seats on a flight to the US.  So if you want two seats on the same flight, your best bet is tell book one at the saver level and one at the standard level.  Luckily, we had been stocking up on American Express Membership Rewards points from multiple credit card sign-up bonuses.  Once I found the flights, I transferred the points in my KrisFlyer account and waited.  The transfer took a couple of days and it was time to book the flights online.

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites

Singapore Airlines provides a 15% discount if you book online.  The saver award ticket cost us 91,375 miles and the standard ticket cost us 178,500 miles.  Certainly a lot of miles but worth it considering this is the only way to fly this product together.  We also had to pay the fuel surcharges which total $796 USD.  During the 19 hour flight, I am pretty sure we will polish off a few bottles of Krug.  So we're getting a good amount of value for the fuel surcharges:)

Since the Singapore - LA flights using Singapore KrisFlyer miles, I had to pay our own way back to Denver.  I booked one way economy tickets on United for $290.  Our final itinerary looks like this:

DPS - SIN in Singapore Business (Two Cabin Flight)
SIN - NRT in Singapore Suites
NRT - LAX in Singapore Suites
LAX - DEN in United Economy

Total Cost:  35,000 United Miles, 269,875 Membership Rewards Points, and $1,086

Hotels:

Emily and I have traveled a fair amount together but we've only had a couple of airport overnights.  So we are doubling that with this trip!  We land at LGA around 10PM and will take a cab over to JFK and stay at the Sheraton JFK.  Rates were reasonable ($180) given the holiday weekend and I've heard the hotel is serviceable for a quick overnight (our flight leaves at 1PM the next day).

In Bangkok, we land around 10:30 PM and have a 9AM flight the next day to Bali.  We both want to be at the airport early the next morning to enjoy the Royal Orchid Spa for a bit so we decided to stay at the Novotel at the airport.  We found a prepaid rate on hotels.com for $130 and we can walk to the hotel.  I'm pretty happy with the decision especially given the current situation in Bangkok.

In Bali, I booked three nights in a pool suite at the St. Regis for 113,250 SPG points.  I have heard amazing things about the hotel...the rooms, property, service, and food are all supposed to be among the best in the SPG portfolio.  It was certainly a lot of SPG points to spend on a few nights but  a pretty good redemption given that rates for this room category (2,000 square feet, pool, butler service, breakfast included, airport transfer included, etc...) typically go for around $1,000/night.

St. Regis Bali
The St. Regis is on the beach and we wanted to spend a few days in Ubud to get a feel for that part of Bali.  We agonized over where to stay since there are SO many places none of which can be reserved with points.  We finally settled on the Four Seasons at Sayan which we are both really excited about.  I booked through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts.  The hotel is pricey but it's the Four Seasons and daily breakfast and a couple of massages are included.  Since most everything else was paid for with miles and points, we figured we could splurge on this hotel and pay cash.

In Singapore, we booked the Conrad using points.  We stayed here last year and loved it.  It is in a great location with a phenomenal lounge.  We hope to explore a bit more of the (albeit small) country and this is a great jumping off point to do just that.

Total Cost:  113,500 SPG Points, 120,000 Hilton Honors Points, $310 plus cash for the Four Seasons

Summary:

This is our second anniversary trip so we wanted to go pretty big.  We managed to redeem 678,375 points and miles for this trip.  Our total out of pocket (with a significant portion going toward our hotel in Ubud) cash expense for the entire trip should be under $3,500.  Considering coach paid tickets to Bali would have set us back about $2,000 each, I feel pretty good about the cost.  We leave in early July so look for the next installment in the next 6 weeks or so.  Thanks for reading!

May 4, 2014

Suite Trip to Bali: Introduction

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK
Asiana 777 First Class Suite New York to Seoul
Asiana First Class Lounge Incheon
Asiana 767 Business Class Seoul to Bangkok
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thai Airways Business Class Lounge Bangkok & Royal Orchard Spa
Thai Airways 777 Business Class Bangkok to Bali
Four Seasons Bali at Sayan
St. Regis Bali Resort
Exploring Bali
Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class Bali to Singapore
Conrad Singapore
Exploring Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room
Singapore Airlines First Class Suite Singapore to Los Angeles

We are rapidly approaching our next big trip to Bali and Singapore and getting pretty pumped.  We originally booked this trip for February of this year but had to move it due to a family commitment.  More on this during the Planning & Booking post.  I'm posting this a bit early to motivate me to write a complete trip report this time for your enjoyment.

The change actually worked out for the best.  We are now taking the trip at the same time as our second wedding anniversary so while it wasn't the original plan, we now have a pretty "suite" anniversary trip booked.  Plus the weather is better in Bali in July vs. February.

Four Seasons Bali at Sayan Pool








Over the past few years, I've put together half a dozen "big" trips for Emily and me and also helped a few others do the same.  But I have to say this is the best I've ever done in terms of destination, itinerary, use of points, etc...

The route to Bali and back - 23,309 miles in the air

We knew we wanted to go to Bali and it was just a question of when to go, how to get there, and where to stay.  I knew that I wanted to fly Singapore Suites First Class (with the famed "double bed") on one leg of the trip but I knew that scoring two tickets would be challenging.  What I didn't know when setting out to book this trip was that we would end up in suites first class (defined as a seat with a closing door) on both legs of the trip - all made possible with miles and points!  We also decided to break up the trip with a couple of nights in Singapore before flying home.

Next, I will cover the specifics of the booking process, miles/points used, and itinerary so you can think about how to take your own trip to Bali!

December 28, 2013

2014 Travel Booked

2014 is filling up already!  Most of our travel will be domestic...to see family, a few weddings, and a few weekends trip.  We do have one "big" trip booked in July for our second anniversary.  Here's a quick overview of the itinerary as it stands now:

  • DEN - LGA on United
  • Overnight at the Sheraton JFK
  • Asiana First Class JFK - Seoul
  • Asiana Business Class Seoul - Bangkok
  • Overnight somewhere in Bangkok
  • Thai Airways Bangkok - Bali
  • St. Regis Bali
  • Singapore Airlines Bali - Singapore
  • Conrad Singapore
  • Singapore Airlines Private Room (First Class Lounge)
  • Singapore Suites A380 Singapore - LAX
  • United LAX - DEN

I will have more on the planning process and itinerary later but get excited!

Asiana First Class Suite