Here’s a map of our route:

Taxi and takeoff from runway 19R at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport

BOOKING

We booked our flight as part of a multi-city itinerary that included the following flights:

• ANA Flight NH1011 – Chicago-ORD to Tokyo-NRT – B777-300ER
• ANA Flight NH 913 – Tokyo-NRT to Yangon-RGN – B767-300

It was a bit bizarre that we were flying Vietnam Airlines to begin with as we booked our ticket via United Airlines, a Star Alliance member, and Vietnam Airlines is a member of SkyTeam. I’m actually not sure why this was even a choice on the United website.

CHECK-IN

We made it to the airport about 2 hours before our scheduled departure and quickly found the check-in lanes assigned to our flight.

Off to Check-In row L!

Never a dull moment at BKK!

They even had a representative waiting to greet us, although she lacked personality and kept staring at us

We made our way to the Economy Class check-in lanes with all the other peasants:

After checking in and clearing security, we wandered to the nearest Priority Pass eligible lounge.

We settled on the Louis’ Tavern CIP Lounge in Concourse G.

The Bangkok-BKK airport is pretty awesome, some of the levels, like Level 2 and 3 looked somewhat dated but it’s clear that they just dumped a ton of money into the 4th level and have it looking world class.

Huge statue near the departure gates entrance

Plenty of Thai themed art in the airport

BOARDING

After relaxing in the lounge, we proceeded to our gate: F3.

Tickets were checked and we found a seat.

After a few minutes, boarding was announced and we scurried to the plane.

SEAT

We passed by the Business Class section and made our way to our seats near the back.

Business Class

Business Class

The first thing we were struck by is how dated the plane seemed, there certainly wasn’t going to be any fancy new in-flight entertainment equipment here today.

Seating was 3×3 and we had 36E and 36G

As boarding continued, the plane ended up being nearly full.

MEAL SERVICE

After taking off, meal service began and “dinner” was served. It really ended up being a small snack and was all around decent given that they had less than 1.5 hours to serve ~175 people.

The meal consisted of salami and other cold cuts with pasta salad, olives and a small salad with dressing. There was also fresh cut fruit pineapple and watermelon and a warm-ish dinner roll with unsalted butter.

For a drink, I tried the Bia Hà Nôi which was all around pretty tasteless and probably the worst I’d sampled in the past few weeks visiting Myanmar and Thailand.

The flight was uneventful and we reached our destination in no time.

Landing on runway 07R at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Once we landed in Ho Chi Minh, we queued up in the Visa line, hoping that the visa we applied for online was actually legit!

The post Vietnam Airways Flight # 602 Bangkok-BKK to Ho Chi Minh-SGN first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

We were booked on Vietnam Airlines flight VN 602 from Bangkok-BKK to Ho Chi Minh-SGN out of Gate F3 and decided we had a bit of time to try out one of Bangkok’s Priority Pass Lounges: Louis’ Tavern CIP Business Class Lounge – Bangkok-BKK Concourse G.

First off, Louis’ Tavern has a total of 6 lounges at Bangkok-BKK airport, all of which are accessible with a Priority Pass membership. Here’s a map of all of their offerings:

Artwork at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport

As we approached the lounge, it was confirmed that they are open 24 hours a day! However, it’s worth noting that Priority Pass members are technically limited to just 2 hours total in the lounge, so don’t plan on going crazy if they choose to enforce the limit.

This was technically a “Business Class” lounge, but the Priority Pass also entitles you to access “First Class” lounges, this one just happened to be closest as there was some construction taking place on the nearby First Class lounge.

There was plenty of seating although the lounge is a bit small.

Most of the comfortable chairs were spoken for

The lounge was not lacking in quality of snacks either and they had a good selection, such as a hot dish of chicken curry and rice, corn chowder soup and a few hot pastries like chicken basil, spinach puff, tuna, etc… They also had a few sandwiches, like cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, etc… There was plenty of fresh fruit to go around, as well: papaya, pineapple and watermelon.

The beer selection included the usual suspects: Leo, Chang and Singha. There was also just about every type of liquor you could want as well as juices, sodas etc… It was pretty well-stocked.

BOTTOM LINE: While there are far nicer lounges at BKK airport (see: Thai Airways Royal First Lounge and Royal Orchid Spa – Bangkok-BKK), if you’re limited to Priority Pass-friendly lounges, I’d certainly recommend this one as a place to get some food and drinks before a flight.

The post Louis’ Tavern CIP Business Class Lounge – Bangkok-BKK Concourse G first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Bangkok was our first foray into Asian culture back in 2011 and we’ve found ourselves daydreaming about the city ever since we left. The food, the people, the glistening gold temples — everything about this place we loved and we were thrilled to return.

View from our room on the 26th floor

We hurriedly booked our nights at the same hotel we’d stayed in before (back when it was brand new) because, while we love exploring new parts of cities we’ve visited before, there’s something so special about the nostalgia of staying in the same hotel as before. And, we knew we really loved the area of the hotel so it was fun to explore the new sights and sounds (and the old, familiar ones) of the street. It had really changed and grown a lot in the 4 years in between our visits.

BOOKING/CHECK-IN

We booked two nights at the Aloft Bangkok a few weeks out at 4,000 points per night. Once we’d landed and taken the train into the city, we checked in around 7pm and casually asked about an upgrade. He confirmed that the property doesn’t participate in SPG Platinum Upgrades (which we knew), but said that he’d check – and he quickly upgraded us anyway. We had booked the “Chic” room and were “upgraded” to the “Breezy” room, despite there being a few suites available (you can’t win ’em all).

Aloft Bangkok’s lobby

The work-stations and hang-out areas on the lobby floor

More lobby fun

ROOM

The best part about the room was the good view of the city from the 26th floor (there are 32 floors total). The room was a typical Aloft-style room with two beds, and the bathroom running the length of the bedroom by the entrance. No matter where you are in the world, every Aloft room looks the same to me, which can be comforting (or pretty boring, depending on my mood).

The “Breezy” room

Great work area right in the room – a nice upgrade from Myanmar hotels!

RESTAURANT

When we checked in, we were both completely worn out from traveling all day and, despite wanting to immediately pop out and enjoy the city we both love, we opted for room service for some quick red curry. We can’t get enough of Bangkok’s street food, but the wide-open city was a bit overwhelming for us when we’re utterly exhausted and the room service was simple, easy and delicious.

Room service red curry… yum!

The Platinum check-in amenity was points (250, I assume?) or breakfast. Once we confirmed that the breakfast wasn’t just the grab-and-go option from the lobby but instead was the sit-down international buffet on the 8th floor, we opted for the breakfast amenity.

Breakfast buffet on the 8th floor

Breakfast lasts from 6am – 10:30am each morning and is a fantastic value when it’s free (with the Platinum amenity). Buffet choices include dim sum, an omelette station, fruit, lots of pastries (croissants, muffins, etc.), a huge selection of cheeses (blue, brie, emmental…). All of the food was delicious – and, after spending a few weeks in Myanmar, we were more than happy with the refreshing Western options. Then, we could happily dive back into the Asian fare with the never-ending amounts of glorious street foods right outside the hotel doors.

Way too much food for breakfast!

As far as the WXYZ Bar and Splash pool bar, full-on big city Western hotel pricing is in effect. $10-12 cocktails, $5-6 beers. No discounts around this place! But, it’s understandable because about 99% of the hotel’s guests are Westerners.

If you’re in a hurry, the grab-and-go station in the lobby is a good alternative to the buffet breakfast.

POOL/AMENITIES

The pool right in the middle of Bangkok is a small oasis – located on the rooftop of the 10th floor, the views are great and it’s a welcome respite from walking around in the heat. We did spend a few minutes lounging by the pool, but much preferred to be walking around to sitting by the pool most times. It is a tad small for the size of the hotel, so people were jousting for lounge chairs.

Aloft Bangkok’s rooftop pool

View from the pool

It’s not a real hotel pool without at least one man in a speedo

The gym is right next to the pool and we used it for a few minutes. It, too, is smaller but I suspect most travelers in Bangkok aren’t wasting time in the gym when they could be on Soi Cowboy or chugging red curry sauce. It had everything you need in a gym – weights, treadmills, ellipticals and a few other machines for a standard work out.

The small but mighty gym

INTERNET

The WiFi works exceedingly well, and the ethernet in the room is 2 – 3 times faster than just WiFi. These high speeds were such a welcome relief from our time in Myanmar, where we struggled to check and send just 1 or 2 important emails per day.

The post Aloft Bangkok Hotel Review first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Having just landed from our connecting flight from Heho-HEH into Mandalay-MDL, we made our way to baggage claim which had a ton of carousels but was deserted for us.

After grabbing our bags (from a domestic flight), we had to send everything through another security check… Mandalay airport is a bit bizarre in that you’ll have to send your bags through no less than 4 security checks when connecting domestically: one in Heho to pass through security, one when we landed in Mandalay (this is the most unnecessary seeming), one to get through to the check-in aisles at MDL and one to gain access to the boarding gates prior to departing. These 4 security checks would typically be handled by 1 at any US airport, regardless of the connections. Either an extreme dedication to security or a way to keep lots of people employed…

We made it to Mandalay, with bags collected and into the main terminal by about 10 am with plenty of time to spare for our 2:15 pm flight to Bangkok. We had so much time to spare, in fact, that the check-in gate wasn’t scheduled to open for another 2 hours, at 12 pm. But, be warned that check-in only lasts until 1:30 pm, so don’t be late or you won’t be flying!

We posted up at Cafe DeMandalar and ordered some lunch and coffee and spent the entire 2 hours trying to get online. While free WiFi was advertised everywhere in the cafe, the internet connection was so poor that we weren’t able to send one single email. I like to continue to remind anyone considering visiting Myanmar to keep this in mind and just count on being disconnected for the whole trip.

CHECK-IN

After draining our phones and computers for no reason, the check-in area opened:

Line from the main lobby to the check-in counters

International departures only:

Quite the specific list of restricted items:

Once we made it past that line and security check, it turned into a game of hurry up and wait:

Given that they have only a 90-minute window to check-in hundreds of people, it’s not without chaos

When we checked in, they stapled a coupon for Cafe DeMandalar for what I presumed to be entry to a departures lounge and then realized that it was a cafe (with the same name as the one before we went through security) and the coupon was for a free lunch–I guess this is what they mean when they say that lunch is provided on the plane?

LOUNGE

With our free food coupons in hand, it was time to scope out the cafe.

It was really a nice, modern terminal

Our greeter outside the restaurant, she was smiling just for us:

Once settled in, our server presented the menus:

Set Menu

And then the “VIP Set Menu,” presumably for business class passengers:

VIP Set Menu

The options were limited: either a tuna sandwich or a chicken burger. Both options were quite disgusting-seeming, but we each ate a few bites out of sheer hunger and, spoiler alert, I saw mine again on the plane.

Yummm…the chicken burger. Served cold and drowning in mayonnaise.

We had better success with the coffees:

BOARDING

We left Cafe de Mandalar wishing that we hadn’t wasted our time (on the food at least, the coffee was fine) to make our way to the gates.

Posted up at Gate # 8

It wasn’t long at the gate before a handwritten sign appeared announcing a delay from 2:15 pm to 2:50 pm.

This was fine because it would give us some time to watch a few planes take-off and land.

By far, the most interesting plane was the Russian freighter, a Volga-Dnepr Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD-90VD:

A Volga-Dnepr Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD-90VD

Once boarding was announced, we made our way to the plane:

Quite a bright and colorful livery!

FLIGHT

We quickly found our seats, 16E and 16F, and settled in for the ~2-hour flight.

The flight was underway before long.

Take off:

Take off down Mandalay’s Runway 17

Here’s a quick shot of Bangkok Airway’s 31 aircraft fleet, serving 30 destinations in Thailand, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Maldives, Burma, India and Singapore.

And their route map:

You’ll notice that most of their routes are either domestic or very short distance regional flights. Their extensive looking route map is deceptive because most are operated by their partners.

After a quick and uneventful flight, it was time for landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Quick note from McCown: The flight was anything but “uneventful”… Jeffrey used his throw-up bag not once but twice on our short flight and barely had the energy to deplane. I thought he might not even make it past the Ebola fever-scanners at Bangkok’s airport. It seems like the sickening amount of mayo they put on the chicken sandwich at Cafe de Mandalar really got the best of Jeffrey and made for quite the descent into Bangkok. This was, in fact, the most eventful airplane ride I’ve ever been a part of…

Landing on runway 019R and then taxi to Concourse B

We made it to Bangkok less than an hour late and it was off to the city!

BOTTOM LINE: We were pleased with the service and comfort of Bangkok Airways. For just $125 each, we were able to fly from Myanmar to Bangkok, which included a hot meal on the ground in Mandalay, a meal in-flight and free checked baggage!

The post Bangkok Airways Flight # PG 710 Mandalay-MDL to Bangkok-BKK first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

OVERVIEW

We booked this flight about 6 months before our departure date as part of our multi-country award ticket with United Airlines MileagePlus miles (more on our booking can be found here: Award-Booking Honeymoon trip with United miles…All in First Class).

By using United award miles, we were able to take advantage of its routing rules to have 1 free stopover, 1 free open-jaw and 2 long connections that allowed us enough time to explore the city (aka 2 more free stopovers).  It looked like this:

1. Depart New York-JFK on Lufthansa to Frankfurt-FRA. We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany and had an appx 23 hours layover; this allowed us to stay the night without it counting as a stopover.
2. Next flight was Frankfurt-FRA to Bangkok-BKK –> Denpasar-DPS (Bali). This was the beginning of our open-jaw.
3. After about a week in Bali, we purchased a cheap ticket on Air Asia from Denpasar-DPS to Jakarta-CGK and explored the Indonesian capital for 2 nights.
4. From Jakarta-CGK, we flew to Male-MLE in the Maldives via Singapore-SIN. The flight out of Jakarta concluded our open-jaw segment and we purposely picked an 8+ hour layover in Singapore which allowed enough time to explore the city for a few hours.
5. With the Maldives counting as our stopover, we stayed for a little less than a week and then began the trek home flying from Male-MLE –> Singapore-SIN –> Tokyo-NRT –> Newark-EWR. This concluded our United award ticket.

Airline: Thai Airways
Flight # TG 431 (THA431)
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200 (B777-200, B772)
Depart: Bangkok-BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport
Arrive: Denpasar-DPS, Indonesia Ngurah Rai International Airport
Cabin: Royal Silk Business Class
Seats: 12K, 12J
Distance: 1,832 miles (2,948 km)
Scheduled time: 4 hours 25 minutes

BOARDING

After enjoying hot oil massages in the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Spa, we were running rather tight on time for our 8:50am departure. I wrapped up a few minutes before McCown and had gathered our things and stood outside pacing back and forth for her to hurry up and meet me outside. We made it over to our gate, D1A, at about 8:30am, just moments before the final call and the closing of the boarding door:

We scurried out to the bus that would take us to the plane after a decent little hike (maybe as much as 10 minutes? But who knows, we were both entirely dazed by this point):

Despite being a far-from-full flight, the ground crew had 2 mobile boarding ramps deployed and ready for us.

We made it onto the plane and into our seats on the Boeing 777-200 Royal Silk cabin, 12K and 12J.

Thai Airways Boeing 777-200 seat configuration

Traveling pretty light: our rather empty cabin

THE SEAT

The 30 passenger cabin was probably only around 30-40% full when the boarding door closed (just about as soon as the late bus, including us, boarded).

We had angled lie flat seats which turned out to be a little worn but still in good shape.

You might call me crazy or extremely spoiled by this point, but having just come off of Lufthansa First on a B747 and Thai Airways Royal First on an A380, the seats in this business class Thai Airways B777 cabin seemed rather narrow and much less comfortable:

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

The audio-video units were probably around 10-12″ and controlled by a remote at the seat. The interface and media selection was virtually identical to that of the A380 flight. This included the awesome selection of programs! The entertainment selection –movies but especially the TV shows– were great. They had entire seasons of many popular shows: Mad Men, Breaking Bad, etc…

The controls were great; the handset remote was very easy to use and the screens were easy to navigate.

MEAL SERVICE

A few minutes after getting airborne, a flight attendant came over to confirm my “Personal Meal,” the beef curry which I had ordered using the website in advance of the flight. I figured that it had been about 2 years since our last venture to Thailand and I didn’t know when I’d be back so I wanted to get the most authentic Thai curry I possibly could (even if it was just airplane curry) during our short 3 hours in Bangkok.

After a few minutes, the cart came around with cashews and aperitifs:

“Can you do a Bloody Mary?”

For the first course, we had Thai shrimp and scallops with a tomato and mozzarella salad.

I ended up with a green beef curry with white rice and egg noodles, just to make sure I wasn’t lacking in starches.

McCown ordered the Panang Chicken served with white rice. We’d have to say this was the winner of the 2; again, McCown out ordered me by just choosing from the regular catering menu and not ordering ahead. This red curry dish was much spicier than the green beef curry.

It would have been a shame not to pair this meal with a Thai beer:

Rounding up the meal service on our 4.5 hour flight was a dessert of Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate mousse:

SERVICE

Again, we were absolutely spoiled over the past 2 days leading up to this flight but the service, as is usually the case with Thai Airways premium cabins, was perfect. Since our destination was the vacation destination of Bali, there was a pretty equal mix of vacationers, business travelers and families traveling on our flight. I think this relaxed tone of the passengers was noticeable among the airline staff as well. The flight attendants were attentive and professional but also relaxed and friendly. Either way, with a rather empty cabin, they were able to complete the meal service without too much effort and retreated to the galley as we tried to get a few hours of rest.

We experienced some great views as we departed Bangkok and approached Bali:

A few minutes of flying time south of Bangkok

On approach to Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International Airport

We had an on-time landing and taxied to the terminal:

We decided to arrange a visa expeditor service through our hotel, the W Retreat & Spa, for an additional $30 US per person. We had a good experience with the service, although the terminal didn’t seem that busy and many of the people that were on our flight who did the normal visa process were waiting beside us at baggage claim so it didn’t really save us that much time.

The terminal looked brand new and was in great shape:

The VIP Immigration Clearance agent pushed our bags on a cart straight out to the hotel car that was waiting for us in the pickup area. All in all, this was a very painless process.

BOTTOM LINE: Whether international long haul in Thai Royal First or flying Royal Silk Business Class on a much shorter flight, Thai Airways maintains a great standard in service, meal quality and entertainment on all of their flights.

The post Thai Airways B772 Royal Silk Class – TG 431 Bangkok-BKK to Denpasar, Bali-DPS first appeared on Weekend Blitz.