Announcement

**calvinoeh** · 3 February 2013, 08:51 PM

Austin to Frankfurt

We had spent the night before at the Hilton Austin Airport as I needed a night to qualify for Diamond status. The hotel was nothing too exciting and was running at low occupancy probably due to the holidays. We got our day of to a good start thanks to the free breakfast thanks to my Gold status. We could order any hot options of the hot menu since there was only a continental buffet due to it's low occupancy.

We had already turned in the rental car the night and 1.5 hours before departure, we took the efficient 5 minute shuttle to the airport. I was surprised that the airport was relatively empty considering it was the 24th and was expecting everyone to be rushing of home to their families. Check-in and security was a breeze thanks to my United Premier status. Instead of heading to the boring United Club, I picked up some overpriced Austin souvenirs for my brother and his girlfriend who we would be meeting in Bangkok.

The United flights to Houston and Orlando was as usual nothing interesting except that we got a pretty new CRJ-700 for the hop to Austin and it would be my first time on a ERJ-145 for the flight to Orlando. Yea, 737s are still better than this regional jets.

On-board the CRJ-700

We had a four hour layover in Orlando which was a bit too short to head out. It was our first time flying through Orlando and we were surprised how fun the airport was. It was literally like a mall which plenty of shops to browse. After collecting our bags, we grabbed a bite at the food court before just doing some window shopping.

We had to wait a couple of minutes before the check-in counters were opened around 2.5 hours before departure. Check-in was pleasant and I was happy that the agent was able to check through our luggage from Osaka to Bangkok on a separate United redemption ticket. They did inquire if we wanted an escort through security which we declined since we wanted to further browse the shops at the airport.

Lufthansa uses the Delta Skyclub at Orlando. We are frequent visitors to United Clubs around the US and this would be our first in a Delta Skyclub. Overall, it was slightly better than your average United Club. The drinks and snack selection seems to be better although I just stuck to water and coffee and they serve all their drinks in real glassware instead of the plastic crap in the United Club.

Boarding was almost completed by the time we got to the departure gate and we were invited to cut the line and directly board after a ground agent saw our first class boarding passes. As soon as we boarded, the flight attendant asked for our choice of pre-departure beverage (champagne of course!) before bringing us newspapers, magazines, pajamas and amenity kit.

Pre-departure Nuts and Champagne

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**calvinoeh** · 3 February 2013, 08:58 PM

Frankfurt to Osaka

We had originally planned on skipping the First Class Terminal since we've been there twice before and just picking either the First Class Lounge in the B or A pier. Since our flight from Orlando parked at one of the C-gates which is one of the furthest gates away, we decided we might as well make the walk out through immigration, get some fresh air and to the First Class Terminal. The immigration officer did ask why we were going to Frankfurt and didn't blink at all when we told them that we were just going to First Class Terminal.

It was a good fiften minute walk after we left the plane that we finally got the First Class Terminal. This is definitely #firstworldproblems, but we would have appreciated a buggy for the transfer similar to what Thai offers their first class passengers in Bangkok.

It took only mere seconds to get through security and into the sanctuary of the First Class terminal. Our personal assistant did inquire if we needed a tour which we declined saying we've visited before before leaving us to enjoy the lounge (previous visits here and here). There was a line for a shower room with a bathtub but we manage to get one after waiting for just fifteen minutes. It was definitely great getting of a flight and soaking in a warm bubble bath enjoying a cold glass of Rose champagne. The only slight disappointment was that they ran out of the white special edition FCT Christmas ducks!

After the soak, we only had about an hour or so before our flight. We weren't particularly hungry at this point (Hey - it was 4 am back in Texas and my body sure felt that way) but still decided to grab some light bites from the buffet and ordered of the Christmas menu. The beef carpaccio was so so but the duck was crispy and tasty and paired well with the red cabbage.

Christmas Menu

Some food from the buffet

Crispy Duck

Beef Carpaccio

The lounge was also filled with Christmas cookies and pastries. We were also surprised to see plenty peanuts and mandarin oranges in the lounge since we thought this was a Chinese thing to be served during Chinese New Year. We later learned from our personal assistant that mandarin oranges were also used to symbolized the New Year by Germans. You learn something new when you travel!

Christmas Goodies

We were still finishing up our "snack" when our personal attendant came by and told us that our flight was going to be slightly delayed but she did not know for how long. With no immediate connection in Osaka and spending time in one of the best lounge, we were not too concerned. The delay allowed me to enjoy a couple of after snack whiskeys from the bar.

Our personal assistant did eventually fetch us after a slight delay of ten minutes and escorted us to the ground floor where our passports were returned and we were off in a Mercedes for our relatively short car ride today to the plane. Boarding was almost completed by the time we got to the gate and our driver cut us through the crowd before handing us over to the flight crew. Again - the wonders of first class travel!

747 taking us to Osaka

There were only 4 of us in first class today with two Japanese passengers taking the first 2 seats and Lydia and I taking with 3rd row. This made the flight extremely private and almost private jetish with us having the entire back half of the upper deck to ourselves.

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**calvinoeh** · 3 February 2013, 09:01 PM

Osaka to Bangkok

We were still undecided when we landed if we were just going to stay at the airport or try to see if we can head down to town provided immigration would let us through during our 9 hour layover. Malaysians are required a visa to enter Japan through a Japanese embassy abroad (which we didn't have time to do) but I've been successful in getting a landpass to go through immigration on transit in Tokyo once before.

Once we passed through transit security, we tried to find Thai's transit counter to obtain our onwards boarding passes. We were told by the information desks that Thai does not have any transit counter and we should just proceed to the boarding gate. Guess not many people transit through Osaka to Bangkok on this flight especially not from Frankfurt!

Thai 777

We now noticed that Thai had an earlier flight to Bangkok leaving in the next 3 hours. I'm not sure why I didn't see this option when I originally booked our flights but it would be great to get on this earlier flight instead of just hanging around Osaka. I hopped on to the airport's free Wifi and logged on to the United mobile app and surprisingly found 2 business seats on this earlier flight. After failing to call a United number through googletalk on the Wifi, I made a long distance call to the United call center through international roaming. The call took a quick five minutes and the agent did manage to put us on the earlier flight. After I ended the call I only then realized that I should have double check the changes and realized then that the agent had rebooked us in coach instead of business. After a longer fifteen minute phone call to a different United agent that resulted in several long waits in getting the redemption ticket re-fared and a refund of 60 cents in taxes, he did manage to change our seats to business. We weren't charged any change fees as a Premier Gold. and the phone calls ended up costing us $40 which was totally worth it considering we got to Bangkok way earlier than planned.

By now, we still did not have our boarding passes. We got into the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge by showing the flight confirmation on my iphone where I also inquired about getting our boarding passes and luggage changed to this earlier flight. The outsourced agent didn't seem too bothered on helping us and just told us that agents would be at the departure gate an hour or so before departure to help us. I was worried about whether our luggage would get on this flight at this point!

Every fifteen minutes or so, I would stepped out of the lounge to the nearby departure gate to check if there was an agent who could help us. After a couple of times, I noticed that there was now a different agent manning the lounge entrance and decided to ask again. She was way more helpful than the first agent and took down all details she needed before telling us she would get back to us. Sure enough, another ground agent looked for us in the lounge a nervous fifteen minutes later with our boarding passes before asking for our luggage tags and making sure they would get on the flight. She would come back a second time with new boarding passes since a seat open us allowing us to seat together instead of the initial seats. Now, that's awesome service!

The lounge itself wasn't all too exciting. It was small and narrow but at least it had a wide. There were your usual drinks and snacks on offered. I would not come to the airport early just for this lounge and was happy we had managed to change to an earlier flight.

The ~6 hour flight to Bangkok was thankfully less exciting than our short stay at Osaka airport. Brunch was served and I enjoyed the Thai green curry that made me look forward to more yummy Thai food that was to come in Bangkok. The business class seats were obviously not as private and comfortable as the Lufthansa bed-seat combo but I did get comfortable napping and watching a Thai movie (through subtitles of course!) on the way to Bangkok.

View from our seats

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**calvinoeh** · 3 February 2013, 09:06 PM

Bangkok to Male via Singapore

We arrived at the airport about 3 hours before our noon flight to Singapore and proceeded directly to the Royal Silk/Business Class check in area. I've flow through and from Bangkok numerous times before but this would be our first time flying out of Bangkok on Thai's business class. Thai has a pretty neat setup for their business class check in counters with beach umbrellas and stools giving the check-in area a "beach look".

Our agent quickly checked us in and tagged our bags all the way to Male. I tried to get the first class seats on the Airbus 346 operating flight today but was told that section was closed. (I did notice some VIP looking folks in that section when we deplaned in Singapore). Before heading airside, we got ourselves an hour long foot reflexology. There are the same shop airside but 30% more expensive!

Thai Royal Silk Check-In counters

By the time we got done with the foot reflexology and cleared immigration and security, it was only thirty minutes before departure. Since we were on a gate on the opposite side of the Thai Spa lounge, we decided to just skip the complimentary 30 minute massages provided to Thai business class passengers and head to a nearby Royal Orchid lounge for some drinks instead.

The Airbus 346 taking us to Singapore

We were seated in the second business class section and for a moment we thought we would be the only ones in that section.

We once again went with the Asian options for lunch on this flight. I opted for a Thai red curry while Lydia decided on a fried rice and fish dish.

We had a five hour layover in Singapore. We could have gone into town but decided to stay at the airport since we didn't want to deal with the heat and humidity. Instead we headed to one of my favorite secrets at Changi Airport - the worker's food court/canteen for some Singaporean food at much lower prices than the other shops at the airport. Each of the three terminals has this food court and is actually meant for the workers at Changi airport but will serve the public. We chose the one at Terminal 2 this time since they were the only ones with fried hokkien mee. In addition, I ordered a yummy creamy Singaporean Laksa.

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**calvinoeh** · 22 February 2013, 10:29 AM

Seaplane Transfer to Conrad Maldives

I didn't sleep too well probably due to the excitement of finally being back in the Maldives and heading to Conrad. I got out of bed around six and woke up a grumpy wife before heading for a nice morning walk around Male. We strolled along the water heading to the fish market hoping to see some tuna but was disappointed by the lack of bustle at the market. Maybe we were too early?

Fishing boats

A Conrad rep picked us up from our hotel at the pre-arranged time and helped us with the luggage and transfer to the seaplane terminal. Again, we really didn't need this service and there was no charge from Conrad for this but the help with the luggage was much appreciated and we left the rep a nice tip.

Trans Maldivian Seaplane Check-In counter

After check-in, we had to wait a couple of minutes before being driven to the seaplane terminal and escorted to the Conrad lounge to await our flight. The lounge was perfectly air-conditioned and we got some breakfast. Conrad also offers a 15 minute complimentary back massage (I presume to entice folks to sign up for a Spa package) which we enjoyed so much that we did pay for an hour long massage once we got to the Conrad. The massage therapist also provided us with a 20% discount for use on our first few days once we got to the island.

I spotted the "Conrad seaplane" from the lounge and was hoping we were going to getting on that plane since it was supposed to be more exclusive.

To save time when reaching the island, most of the check-in formalities like credit card authorization was completed in the lounge itself.

Outdoor Smoking Patio

Buffet

45 minutes or so after, a lounge attendant came around when it was time for boarding and we were herded to another waiting room where we had to wait for the rest of the passengers who were getting on the same seaplane. The seaplane today was making 2 stops with the first stop at the Conrad.

Basic Seaplane Waiting Room

I was slightly disappointed to find out that we would not be taking the "Conrad seaplane". There's no assigned seating and being the last to board, I was surprised that what I found to be the best seats on the plane, i.e. right behind the pilots, to still be available.

8Q-TMI taking us to the Conrad

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**calvinoeh** · 22 February 2013, 10:34 AM

Beach Villa and Water Villa at Conrad Maldives

With six nights at the Conrad, we split our half our stay at a beach villa for the first three nights with the last three nights at a water villa for $150USD on top of the Hilton points we were paying. We beach villa was located on the main island, facing the house reef which allowed us to quickly hop in the water to meet our underwater friends everyday. The room itself was HUGE with plenty of room. We were welcomed to the room with some Christmas cookies and a bottle of red wine thanks to my Hilton Hhonor status. The unique feature of the beach villa was the outdoor shower and the humongous bath tub that we only used once since it did take almost 45 minutes to fill it up and being environmentally friendly, I wasn't too happy on wasting all that water.

Welcome Gift

Outdoor Shower

Humongous Bathtub

Wardrobe

The water villa we were staying in was located on the second island where most of the water villas are located. The water villa was equally as spacious as the beach villa. The main difference was deck equipped with our own private small plunge pool and direct access to the sea.

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**calvinoeh** · 22 February 2013, 10:36 AM

Routine in Paradise

Our days in paradise starts of with a morning walk/run before breakfast at one of the three available locations. There's the large buffet at Atoll market which we stop going after the first day since it seemed rather chaotic. We also gave up on breakfast at the Mandhoo after the first try even though it was less chaotic but the food selection was limited and was "too healthy" for us. Our favorite option was breakfast at Vilu on the water villa island. It was serene enjoying a late breakfast of good food accompanied with sparkling wine and good coffee overlooking the crystal clear blue water. We particularly enjoyed the daily changing curry of the day for breakfast.

Atoll Market

View from Mandhoo

Breakfast Selection at Mandhoo

The rest of the day was spent the way we like it with multiple trips to the house reef with breaks by lazing around the beach or one of the two pools at the Conrad. Having been to two other Maldives resorts with their own house reef, the house reef at the Conrad was our favorite due to size of house reef itself and the amazing sea life. We saw plenty of fishes including sharks and a couple of manta ray.

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**calvinoeh** · 11 March 2013, 04:28 AM

Male to Colombo

It was time to leave paradise. We were driven from our water bungalow to the seaplane jetty on a buggy by our island host where our seaplane was already waiting for us. The seaplane crew was however no way to be seen (probably having a late lunch). It would be another ten minutes before the crew showed up and it was not a big deal since there was an air-conditioned room to wait in that had water and coffee.

Our flight back to Male was operated by the "Conrad" seaplane. The seats seem newer than the "normal" seaplane and there was air-condition on but overall, there was not much difference. We would be the only two hotel guest on the ride back to Male with another hotel employee who looked to be leaving Conrad for good also joining us. Things get slightly hairy before we took off as we overheard the captain complaining that some of the navigation didn't seem to work and he had to make several calls trying to resolve them. We did get on our way but I honestly wasn't sure if the original issues were resolved.

We safely arrived in Male thirty minutes later where a Conrad rep was again waiting for us. He escorted us to the bus that would take us to the main terminal where he handed us over to another rep who helped us with our bags to the Emirates check-in counter. There were no lines at the Emirates counter and the agent manning the first class counter was able to quickly to check us in with bags checked all the way to Paris in spite having two separate tickets - one for the Male to Colombo flight and the second for the Colombo to Dubai to Paris ticket.

We spent the rest of the time at the Plaza Premium Lounge that Emirates uses. The lounge is nicely furnished with views of the tarmac and has a pretty good selection of food. As with all other lounges in Male, there's no alcohol available and with the ice machine broken when we were, we had semi-cold coke instead.

We decided that it was not worth the extra cash for business or first class on the short hour or so Male to Colombo flight. We were seated in the bulk head seats that had plenty of leg room. I spent the time through the flight finishing up a book while enjoying music on Emirates' extensive IFE.

IFE

Cold Snack Plate

On arrival in Colombo, we browsed the airside shops looking for massages but there were more expensive than what we would pay. We then proceeded to the Emirates lounge where we took a shower, caught up on email and had a light snack.

We were back on the same plane that took us from Male to Colombo hours earlier but this time we would be at the front of the plane. We were delighted to find out that the plane was equipped with suites in first class. More often than not, Emirates operates the Colombo/Male flight with the "old" first class.

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**calvinoeh** · 11 March 2013, 04:33 AM

Dubai to Paris

The fifteen minute complimentary shoulder massage for first class passengers was the perfect way to wake up after our a couple hours of sleep on the lounge chair. We would continue to skip booking a hotel for such a relatively short layover but nothing beats sleeping on a real bed.

After freshening open with a shower, the Dubai sun was now already out and we headed to the dining room for some breakfast. I was getting bored with eggs for breakfast and decided to do some sushi instead and the kitchen was nice enough to make me some fried quail and foie gras from the lunch/dinner menu.

"Breakfast" dessert

It was time for boarding right as we got done with breakfast. Our boarding gate was right outside the lounge and first class passengers board directly from a dedicated gate on the same level as the lounge allowing us to bypass any lines and get on the plane within minutes of leaving the lounge.

As usual on Emirates flights, we were warmly welcomed and shown to our seats before being served pre-departure Dom and Arabic coffee and dates. The captain came on the PA and announced we would be delayed for several minutes as they sorted out some baggage issues. The delay didn't bother us too much especially with the comfort of traveling in first class. While on the ground, the crew kept the Dom flowing and together with the couple seating in front of us, we probably finished of a bottle and a half while still on the ground.

A380 taking us to Paris

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**calvinoeh** · 24 March 2013, 08:39 AM

Radisson Blu Champs Elysee

Hilton Arc De Triomphe had been one our list of hotels to stay at if we ever visited Paris. However, the hotel left the Hilton brand a couple of months ago. We decided to use some of our Club Carlson points earned during their generous 50,000 points promo and instead stayed at the Radisson Champs Elysees. The redemption for 50,000 points was another steal considering that the hotel was retailing at ~300 Euros a night.

Check-in was pleasant and efficient. We were upgraded to a nice corner room with a balcony room either because of my lowly Carlson Silver status or the agent was being nice after finding out that we had problems with our luggage. The staff of this hotel is definitely an asset since they were extremely friendly and helpful. The concierge proactively offered to follow up with Emirates on our missing luggage.

The room we were upgraded to was on the small side but functional which I assume was the norm in Paris.

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**calvinoeh** · 24 March 2013, 08:42 AM

Exploring Paris

With a couple of hours wasted at the airport trying with the luggage situation, we were only left with a couple of hours of daylight to explore Paris. Wanting to make the most of our now shorten layover in Paris, we immediately headed out after a quick freshen up at the hotel.

First up were the obligatory pictures of the Arc.

Guided by directions from the hotel concierge, we next made our way to the Eiffel Tower on the metro. The concierge’s recommendation to get off at Trocad�ro stop was spot on as it provided great views of the tower while walking towards it from across the river Seine.

By the time we got to the towel itself, the sun was beginning to set allowing for some different scenery. I guess I can thank Emirates for that.

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**calvinoeh** · 24 March 2013, 08:48 AM

Paris to Houston via London

We arrived at the airport much earlier than we’d like to since our missing bags were still not found at this point. The baggage handling agent on Emirates claimed that our missing bags had already been checked in on the flight to London and onto Houston. Sure enough, this turned out not to be true as the British Airways check-in agent could not find any record of our bags. I appreciated that she made a couple of phone calls trying to help us out but made no progress.

We were resolved to simply filing a claim once we got back to the Austin but Lydia smartly realized that Emirates was in the same terminal as British Airways and thankfully Emirates also had a morning flight so their check-in counters were opened. We made some fuss to what appeared to be a supervisor and after realizing that we were first class passengers she promptly looked into it. She confirmed that they still could not find the bags and was shocked that we had no case number filed and quickly got a case opened for us.

Once we got through security, we saw a Laduree shop and bought the biggest box of macaroons they had. We initially had wanted to try these world famous macaroons in Paris itself but ran out of time.

With only 10 minutes to go till boarding, we decided to still head to the Cathay Pacific lounge that British Airways uses in Paris. It would be my first time in a One World lounge and I liked it. It was spacious and well furnished. Since we were short on time, we didn’t get anything to eat but I did sneak a can of Asian soya bean milk (yum!) out of the lounge to be enjoyed later.

Boarding was underway when we got to the gate. There were no hot towels or pre-departure drinks served which made my decision to sneak the can of soya bean milk to enjoy pre-departure on the flight a good one!

The English breakfast served on this short flight was pretty decent. The scrambled eggs were creamy just the way I like it! Overall, just another uneventful flight one would expect on this short hop.

**calvinoeh** · 24 March 2013, 08:56 AM

Paris to Houston via London (cont)

Our flight landed in Terminal 5. It would my first time connecting through Heathrow and I can see why people loathe it. Even bypassing most of the lines as first class passengers, we were stuck in a security line for a good fifteen minutes.

I was excited to try the British Airways first class experience but was left pretty underwhelmed. We had made reservations for a head and neck massage through the YouFirst service. It was one of the worst massages I ever had. We were seated in a massage chair with wasn�t too bad but the masseur simply wasn�t good at all. There was no pressure at all from the massage and was just a waste of time.

The Concorde Room, reserved for British Airways first class passengers, was average for a first class lounge. There wasn�t a �wowness� to it similar to Lufthansa�s first class terminal or Thai�s first class lounge in Bangkok. We were still full from breakfast so we didn�t eat anything but enjoyed a couple of glasses of champagne and coffee.

The one thing we both did like were the private Cabana rooms. It comes attached with a shower, working desk, television and a reasonable lounger to sleep in. I wouldn�t mind spending a couple of hour layover in here but I guess in general, I would just avoid Heathrow.

We just had enough time to take a sneak into the first class lounge that other OneWorld first class passengers can use. It was nicely furnished with pretty good food offerings but again, I thought it to be pretty average and I would not come early to the airport just for it.

**calvinoeh** · 24 March 2013, 08:59 AM

Paris to Houston via London (cont)

Our flight was departing from a Terminal 5 gate that required us to trek all the way to take a train over. Come on BA, a drive on the Bentley right up to the plane would be a nice. Boarding was already underway when we got to the gate.

Once we got to our seats, we were warmly welcomed by the flight attendant and pursue. As usual, we went with champagne on the ground. Pajamas and amenity kits or what British Airways calls a wash bag was distributed soon after.

I must have gotten irritated by some dust or something on the plane and started to cough and sneeze. The flight attendant brought me proactively brought me some water hoping it would help and I was sure impressed so far with the service.

It was our first time flying on British Airways (and in first class nonetheless) and I overall liked the hard product. Even though the seats were slightly cramped for a first class seat, it was comfortable and provided enough privacy without being claustrophobic. I also liked the blueish color scheme used in first class that gave the cabin a modern edge to it.

Soon after take-off, the flight attendant came around with another round of drinks (champagne of course) with the BEST nuts I�ve eaten on a plane before. The candied walnuts are probably not the best for you but it was simply delicious

This would also be our first time on a first class cabin where we would actually sit together for a meal like in a restaurant. It was more romantic than eating together side-by-side with earphones on and watching a movie like we normally do.

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Announcement

Spending Christmas and New Year in Paradise: LH,EK,BA(F);TG,SQ(C); Conrad Maldives

Spending Christmas and New Year in Paradise: LH,EK,BA(F);TG,SQ(C); Conrad Maldives

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