Review: Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Singapore to Hong Kong

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport 
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

We made our way over to the gate and through security (done at individual gates) around 5 minutes prior to the scheduled boarding time.  Boarding was delayed maybe 10 minutes so we had a 15 minute wait in the gate area.  Not the worst thing in the world but because the airport and lounge are so awesome, you want to delay getting to the cramped (with no services) gate area as much as possible.

Boarding was called and we were the first people on the plane.  We had both been expecting Singapore's "old" 777 first class as we thought they had been flying the "new" 777 first class solely to London.  We were pleasantly surprised to find the new version of the seat upon entering the aircraft!  To make it even more exciting, this flight is tagged SQ2 which to complement the SQ1 tag  we flew to Hong Kong last year.  Pretty awesome to have flown flight 1 and 2!!!

Singapore Airlines 777-300ER "New" first class

We were warmly welcomed by the crew and very impressed by the new cabin.  Quilted leather is so hot right now. 

Review: Singapore Changi Airport

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport 
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

After a great meal in The Private Room, we set out to explore the airport.  I don't normally write reviews of airports but Changi is among the world's best and a logical stopover for many traveling to Asia.  We've visited the airport multiple times but until this trip, hadn't properly explored all that the Changi has to offer.

We left Singapore's lounge facility located in Terminal 3 and headed left at the bottom of the escalator.  Emily did some duty free shopping as we made our way through the terminal to the skytrain.

Airtrain view of Changi's control tower

Review: Singapore Airlines The Private Room

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport 
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

Arriving at the first class check-in facility in Singapore is pretty awesome.  The cab pulls in and instantly there are multiple people surrounding you.  Opening doors, grabbing bags, confirming that you obtained everything from the cab, and then escorting you into the beautifully appointed facility.

Singapore Airlines First Class Check-In

Orchids

Check-In desk on the right

Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Changi Airport 
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

The cab from Singapore's Changi Airport took around 20 minutes with just light traffic.  We arrived at the Grand Hyatt just before 8AM.  We've previously been to Singapore a couple of times staying at the Conrad near Marina Bay both times.  We were eager to check out a different part of the city and the Grand Hyatt fit the bill.  Located on Orchard Road, there's amazing shopping right out the front door.  And the Singapore Botanical Gardens are about a 20 minute walk from the hotel so the location is ideal.

Grand Hyatt Singapore

I had booked the room using Hyatt Gold Passport points and booked us into a club room for some added comfort.  At 8AM, I figured we'd be dropping our bags and head out to get some fresh air and food until our room was ready.  We were both pleasantly surprised to learn that we had been upgraded to a club level suite and our room was ready!  We've had good luck checking in extremely early to Grand Hyatt's in Asia.

Grand Hyatt Singapore in the spirit

We made our way up to the 30th floor and entered the room.  While the hotel is in need of a renovation, the room was extremely spacious and nicely appointed.

Entrance to Grand Hyatt Singapore

Upon entering the main room, there was a weird wet bar type setup on the right, a working desk, couch, and television.

Grand Hyatt Singapore Suite

The bedroom was pretty standard.

Bedroom

The bathroom was decked out in green stone which we both thought was pretty unique.  There was both a bathtub and a standup shower.

After unpacking and cleaning up from the redeye, we headed up to the club (on the 31st floor) for some breakfast.  

While there were some decent food on offer in the mornings and evenings, bar service was only available between 6 and 8pm and the lounge essentially closed after that.  In addition, the club tended to get a bit crowded at peak times so go early if you want a quieter experience.  So the extra 7,000 points per night likely wasn't worth it although we did get upgraded to a suite...which likely wouldn't have happened had we not upgraded.

We didn't spend a ton of time in the hotel in places other than our room or the club lounge.  I hear there's a nice outdoor pool and that the hotel's restaurant (Straits Kitchen) is actually very good.  We spent our days walking around the city, shopping, and of course eating.  We had an excellent Thanksgiving dinner at FOC (Spanish tapas) which I would highly recommend.

Almost December - ready for Christmas!

The two days flew by and soon enough, it was time to head home.  We checked out of the hotel early Sunday morning with no charges on our bill.  One of the perks of the miles and points game. We grabbed a cab to Changi and arrived at the First Class check-in facility well before our flight.  I'm going to add a bonus trip report segment on Changi since there is so much fun stuff to see/do. I'll cover that after the Private Room segment.

Final Thoughts:

Singapore is a somewhat tricky hotel market.  Many of the upper upscale brands (i.e. Grand Hyatt, Conrad) are tired and in need of renovation.  We both enjoyed the location of the Grand Hyatt and would definitely return if the price (either cash or points) was right.  

St. Regis Singapore

We walked by the St. Regis which I would like to check out as it's in a bit quieter location still close to Orchard Road.  The Grand Hyatt's location is spot on though - right on Orchard Road and a 3 minute walk from the MRT.

First Class Birthday: Introduction

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Sheraton Gateway Hotel Toronto
Air Canada 767-300 Business Class Toronto To London (LHR)
Andaz Liverpool
Etihad Airways Lounge London
Etihad A380 Business Class London (LHR) to Abu Dhabi
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi
Etihad A380 First Class Apartments Abu Dhabi to New York (JFK)
The New York EDITION

I realize I still have a few trip report segments to finish for our last trip to Singapore but I'm so excited about this trip, I wanted to get the Introduction post out.

I've already posted about booking Etihad's First Class Apartment and will probably be posting about the experience several times before/after the trip.

Since the timing worked out, we decided to make this a trip to celebrate my birthday.  Emily's excited as this is a step up from last year's flying east to get west adventure.

Trip route - courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper

We'll leave after work Friday evening taking United's direct service to Toronto.  The flight arrives late and we have another flight the next morning to London so we'll spend the night at the Sheraton Gateway which is connected to the airport.

The next morning, we'll take Air Canada's day flight (often called the CEO flight) from Toronto to London.  The flight leaves around 8AM and arrives around 8PM.  Pretty perfectly timed to be able to minimize jet lag and get to sleep upon arrival.  I'm still hoping we'll be able to upgrade to a Lufthansa First Class flight (connecting through Frankfurt or Munich) but that would be a last minute change if at all.  If not, we'll be perfectly fine in AC business class and I'm excited to review an option that is widely available on points in advance.

We are both really excited to check out the Andaz Liverpool in London which is located in London's East Side.  We both loved the Andaz in Amsterdam and it will be great to check out another Andaz property in Europe.

After a few nights in London, we're off to Abu Dhabi via Etihad's A380 business class.  Again, I'm hopeful that a couple of First Class Apartment seats open up (only 10,000 more miles each) but it will be cool to review both the business and first class apartment cabins on the A380.  

In Abu Dhabi, we'll spend a couple of nights at the Park Hyatt before heading to the airport for 14 hours in our first class apartments!  We're mixing it up a bit - staying a couple nights in New York before returning home to Denver.

Nearly 17,000 miles of flying

All in, this will be nearly 17,000 miles of flying and a couple of new airlines to review!  I'll post the Planning & Booking segment prior to our departure as well as a couple other posts about Etihad.  Stay tuned for another great trip report!

Review: Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

I've reviewed Singapore Airlines a number of times over the past couple of years.  Before flying Emirates, they were my favorite airline and this was my 9th segment flying with them in a premium cabin.  Given the late departure (nearly 11:30 PM) and the fact that we were depressed tired after leaving the Park Hyatt, I didn't take a ton of pictures.  I had looked long and hard for a review of this flight to no avail.  So hopefully this review is helpful to some.

We arrived at the gate a few minutes before the scheduled boarding time.  We went through security again (like our 5th checkpoint of the day) just as boarding was called.  We made our way down the stairs to the waiting bus to take us to plane.

The bus ride was short and we were able to get up close and personal with the one of the giant Rolls-Royce Trent 892's.

Rolls-Royce Trent 892 behind the stairs

Singapore Airlines 777-200ER

Review: Transfer from Park Hyatt Maldives to Male

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

We were dragged kicking and screaming moved out of our water villa around noon and were drive over to our spa villa immediately adjacent to the spa pool where we had spent so much time during our stay.

The spa villa (Dhigga) was actually really nice and looked like a nice place to get a massage and relax for awhile.  There was an air conditioned room with two massage tables, and outdoor bathtub and covered sitting area, an outdoor shower, and an enclosed bathroom/shower.

Spa Villa Entrance

Spa Villa outdoor area

Spa Villa outdoor tub and shower

Review: Park Hyatt Maldives Water Villa

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

We made our way through the interior of the island to the jetty that contains the overwater villas.  The further the villa, the better the view.  So I just smiled and crossed my fingers that we'd keep on driving.  We eventually pulled over at villa 43 which is about half way down the curving jetty (6th of 14 to be exact).

Villa 43

Villa 43 ladder to reef

Ladder shot

Review: Park Hyatt Maldives

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

Let me start off by saying the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is absolutely paradise.  Getting there isn't easy (but can be a lot of fun) but it is/was absolutely worth it.  We will 100% be back.

Welcome to Hadahaa!

I'm going to break the trip report up into a couple of parts.  We stayed in the base park villa for the first three nights and then moved to a water villa for our last night.  In this post, I'll cover the resort the park villa.  Next up will be a bit more about the resort and my water villa review.  Here we go...

The Dhoni during the day

Review: Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Introduction
Planning & Booking
American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
Emirates A380 First Class Dallas to Dubai
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Dubai
Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai
Emirates 777-300ER First Class Dubai to Male
Transfer to Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Resort & Park Villa
Park Hyatt Maldives - Water Villa
Transfer to Male
Singapore Airlines 777-200ER Business Class Male to Singapore
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Singapore to Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines 777-300ER First Class Hong Kong to San Francisco

We cleared immigration and waited around 20 minutes for our bags.  Maldives is a dry country and you can be fined/arrested for bringing in liquor (hotels are exempted).  There was a Dutch couple on our flight that had a few bottles of wine with the.  Not sure if they were unaware or if they were seasoned Maldives vets.  Either way, it was entertaining to watch them first try and hide the wine then approach the customs desk and ask them what they should do.  We didn't wait around long enough to see the outcome but moral of the story is - don't try this at home.  It's not worth getting arrested.

After a fairly long wait, our bags came out and we were on our way out of the international terminal.  We met the Park Hyatt's representative in the arrivals hall (no sign but he somehow spotted us) where he grabbed our trolley and helped us make the walk to the domestic terminal.  We were thankful we did this during the day as we would make the transfer (without assistance) at night on the way back with limited time to make our connecting flight to Singapore.

Maldivian Check-In

T
he Park Hyatt's representative took our passports as we approached the Maldivian check-in desk.  He handled everything (the Park Hyatt books these tickets for each guest) while we stood around looking like tourists.  After maybe 5 minutes, boarding passes spit out of the machine and our bags were tagged to Kooddoo which is pretty fun to say.  We were escorted up the stairs to the domestic lounge where we had about 90 minutes to kill before our flight.

The lounge was insanely crowded and I didn't take any pictures.  The internet worked, there was water and serviceable restrooms.  20 minutes before our scheduled departure, we were picked up from the lounge and escorted through security to our gate.

Maldivian Q-300

Time to fly