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**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:08 PM

Getting to EWR

Prices out of Austin to Newark were ridiculously over priced ($300-$400 one way) since we waited until the last minutes to book flights. They were cheaper options to La Guardia and JFK but the hassle of transferring airports before a 18 hour flight to Singapore didn't sound too appealing. We lucked out when there were ~$150 tickets an hour drive away in San Antonio to Philadelphia Train Station via Newark. We would obviously dump the train segment and just get off in Newark and even with a one way car rental to San Antonio, we would come out ahead.

It was an easy hour drive to San Antonio airport and with no lines in the premium security line, we were in the tiny United Club in no time. The lounge looked "refreshed" and new and I still don't know if it was recently renovated. The only amenity lacking were restrooms in the lounge.

Our flight to Newark was operated by a Airbus 319 and with only 8 first class seats, we were pleasantly surprised that both of us cleared the upgrade list with my Premier Gold Status. Lunch was a choice of an okay shrimp salad or chicken wrap and an oily broccoli soup.

I managed to get a nice after lunch nap before waking up to a beautiful views of Manhattan during the descent.

We had six hour layover in Newark and instead of tracking down to the city, we simply spent the time finishing up some work, email and the blog in United Club.

**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:09 PM

EWR to SIN

Since we were on separate tickets for the Newark to Bangkok via Singapore flights, we had to re-checkin the luggage and obtain our boarding passes at the SQ counters in Newark. It wasn't a big deal since there were no lines at the check-in counter. It did take a while longer than I would have wished to get through the security lines with only one line present with no premium lines to cut through.

Instead of proceeding to the SAS lounge that Singapore Airlines uses in Newark, we headed first to the Lufthansa Senator lounge that was just next door thanks to my StarGold status. The lounge was tiny and we only spent like a couple of minutes in there since it was stuffy due to what looked my air- conditioning problems. The Lufthansa lounge did have better food and drinks selection if compared to the SAS lounge.

Food selection in the Lufthansa Lounge

The air-condition situation wasn't much better in the SAS lounge but thankfully the lounge was a tiny bit larger which helped the air circulation. The lounge was pretty packed with passengers from the SAS and Swiss flights sharing the lounge and we had a hard time finding a place to sit. In the future, I would not arrive early just for the lounge.

SAS Lounge

There were snacks like sandwiches, cheeses and chips on offer but overall nothing too exciting. I did some wine tasting on the wines on offer and also had several shots of espresso that helped me stay awake. About an hour before the departure for the Singapore flight, there was a buffet of several hot items like chicken and noodles that were compliment of Singapore Airlines. I assume this was meant for passengers on SQ21 but there wasn't like there was anyone checking boarding passes.

With only roughly a hundred passengers on the flight, it was a quick boarding process. After checking our boarding passes, the gate agents were offering sweets and chocolates which I thought was a nice touch.

Once we both got settled in our seats, the crew came around offering the usual selection of water, OJ or champagne pre-depature drinks - champagne of course for me. The captain soon came on and informed us that our flight time would be around 18 hours - plenty of time for sleep and movies for me.

After another round of drinks and nuts once we were airborne, it would be around one in the morning before the supper service started. Since it was a supper service I was disappointed that there was no satay on offer but the starter of lobster was pretty good and somewhat made up for the disappointment. We both looked through the menu and decided to stick to our Book-the-Cook selection of Chicken Wellington and rice with Chinese style chicken.

I wasn't feeling all too sleepy yet after the meal even though it was already 2-3 in the morning in Austin probably thanks to the multiple espresso shots in the lounge earlier. I flipped the seat into "bed-mode" and tried to get comfortable while watching back-to-back "Ah boy to men" movies - a hilarious Singaporean movie about a boy growing up and going through National Service.

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**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:11 PM

Singapore to Koh Samui

After the ultra long haul 18 hour flight, the shower at the terminal 3 Silverkris lounge sure felt good. Even though we just had "breakfast" on the plane a couple of hours ago, I couldn't resist helping myself to the local cuisine from the extensive buffet in the lounge.

We had to make our way to terminal two for our flight to Bangkok with the flight already boarding by the time we got to our gate. Our flight to Bangkok was operated by an Airbus A330 equipped with the one of the best regional business class seats IMHO. The steward came around with a selection of juices and water prior to departure and he was happy to open a bottle of champagne when requested.

A330 business class cabin

After departure breakfast was served and I had Book-the-Cook the Nasi Lemak which I found out last Christmas was one of the best Nasi Lemak I've ever had. It was equally as good this time round and the champagne definitely paired well with the spicy sambal. Lydia instead Book-the-Cook the chicken porridge meal and it did take a while to get her food served. The flight attendant did apologize citing that they were having issues finding a bowl to serve the porridge in.

Since it was only a 2 hour flight, it was frustrating not being able to finish Zero Dark Thirty with the IFE shutoff in preparation for landing right as the special forces were about the storm Osama's compound. Blah! Really wish SQ would follow other airlines like Emirates and allow IFE from gate-to-gate.

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**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:12 PM

KC Beach Club Koh Samui

Thanks to recommendations from the Conrad Koh Samui flyertalk thread, we had made transfer arrangements with "Mr Samui" for our entire stay in Koh Samui. This included the ride from the airport to KC Beach Club, KC Beach Club to the Conrad and Conrad to the airport. Taxi prices are overpriced Koh Samui thanks to the taxi mafia so would recommend everyone else to do the same.

Mr Samui had no problems finding the KC Beach Club even though the hotel just recently opened and was somewhat tucked in a corner making it hard to find from the main street. It would not surprise me if we would have gotten lost in a mafia taxi.

Porters were on hand to help us with our luggage and we were welcomed with some welcome drinks before the check-in formalities. Unfortunately our room was only going to be available in a couple of hours so we headed out for a Thai lunch/snack at a nearby restaurant. We were hot, sweaty and tired by the time we got back and thankfully the room was now ready.

The room itself was clean and modern which was not surprising since the hotel was relatively new. The only complain I have is that there seems to be more style than substance and quality. For example, they squeezed a jacuzzi into the bathroom making the bathroom somewhat tight. The furnishings also seem on the cheap side and I wonder how long it will last through wear and tear.

The main reason on why we decided to stay at the KC Beach Club was its location in the main tourist area of Chaweng beach and its poolside parties. The parties by the pool wasn't all too wild (no college spring break here) and it was fun for us to sit by the pool, enjoying the sun, sipping a drink/cocktail while people watching and listening to some house music. There is also a second pool closer to the rooms if you prefer something quieter but I would not recommend KC Beach and Chaweng if you want a "get away from everyone" vacation.

The beach at Chaweng wasn't spectacular although I did enjoy going for a dip and run early in the morning when the crowd was not out. We weren't also that impressed with Koh Samui in general. Prices of food, drinks and massages seemed higher if compared to Bangkok or Phuket and I could understand if Koh Samui was much more spectacular.

Overall, we were generally happy with our stay at KC Beach Club. It was nothing truly memorable but it was value for money and was somewhat enjoyable.

**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:12 PM

Conrad Koh Samui

We arrived at the Conrad about ten in the morning after an hour or so drive from Chaweng beach by Mr Samui. We were welcomed at the Conrad with cold drinks and towels but it did take longer than usual to complete check-in since the room wasn't ready which was not unexpected since we were trying to check-in early.

Once the room was ready, we were driven to our assigned villa of 312 by two of the front desk agents in a buggy. The two of them then explained the many features of the room and our Diamond Hilton Honors amenities which includes free breakfast, discount and bonus points to the spa and a couple of free drinks vouchers.

We were definitely WOWed by the room. The room was larger than our apartment in Austin with the bathroom larger than our bedroom back home! The highlight of the room was definitely the view from the balcony and the private pool that was large enough to even do some laps. The only slight disappointment was the crappy coffee machine that came with the room - no Nespresso machine here.

The beach at the Conrad was rather tiny and pretty disappointing to be honest - ain't no Maldives here. There were a couple of loungers by the beach but we decided to spend the time by the main pool itself. The pool was really quiet with only a couple of people joining us at the pool. I guess most people end up spending most of the time in the privacy of their villa.

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**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:13 PM

Koh Samui to Penang

Ko Samui Airport has got to be one of the most unique airports. Most of the airport is open air, i.e. no air conditioning but the great design that keeps reminding you that you're on vacation makes up for the heat. There's also a strip mall landside for some last minute souvenir shopping, massages and Thai food. We weren't particularly hungry but since we still had an hour or so till departure and we were "out massaged", we killed time enjoying a last Pad Thai and fresh coconut water.

After passing through security, we found out that our flight was delayed for 45 minutes. The wait wasn't fun without air-conditioning but thankfully we found lounge that accepted Priority Pass. There were a couple of snacks and even some ala carte options like Pad Thai and noodles. I enjoyed a couple of beers but more importantly we were in the comfort of an air-conditioned room. We would have headed straight here if we had known about the lounge.

The other unique thing about Koh Samui airport is that there are no aerobridges so everyone is bussed to the plane on some rather unique "trolleys". We had to stop for a couple of minutes on the way to the plane to give way to a Bangkok Airways Airbus that just landed.

Our Firefly flight to Penang was operated by a ATR-700 which was one of my favorite plane for a a short hop due to it's 2-2 seating. The two hour flight was uneventful with a round of drinks, nuts and pastries being offered.

**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:14 PM

Penang to Macau via Hong Kong

A friend was kind enough to drop us at the airport even with the super early morning Penang to Kuala Lumpur flight. With Malaysia Airlines just recently joining Oneworld and thanks to my British Airways Silver Status (complimentary of the demise of BMI), check in was a breeze. The Malaysia Airlines lounge in Penang (which we’ve visited before) was closed for renovations and we were instead provided invitations to the Plaza Premium Lounge that was only recently opened after the Penang airport upgrade.

I was having a really bad wisdom tooth infection at this point of the trip so I sadly skipped the nasi lemak and instead had some decent porridge for breakfast. The lounge itself was nothing spectacular but met all the requirements of a decent lounge. It had adequate seating, decent food, free Wifi and even a shower.

The 45 minute hop down to Kuala Lumpur was nothing too interesting with the flight attendants doing a round of drinks. In transit in Kuala Lumpur, we were caught up in a line trying to go through immigration formalities. Similar to my last experience ages ago flying through Kuala Lumpur on trips back to college at USC. It was frustrating that there were no automated passport check gates for Malaysian passport holders to speed things up.

Colorful 737 seats

We did have time to quickly swing by the Malaysia Airlines Business Class Lounge in the Satellite terminal. Overall, we were overly impressed with the lounge considering the lounge was supposed to be Malaysia Airline’s flagship lounge. The lounge was huge with plenty of seating but it was still hard to find a place to sit. There was a bar but it wasn’t staffed in the morning we were there so I’m not sure what alcohol was available. There was a reasonable selection of food for breakfast but I personally preferred the food down south in Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Lounge.

I was pretty excited to try out Malaysia Airline’s Airbus A380 albeit in economy class. I had prebooked us on the bulkhead seats on the upper deck. The leg room was great but I did felt kinda squished with the door protruding outwards. This was not a big deal on the three plus hour flight to Hong Kong but would have sucked if I was stuck in this seat on a long haul flight to say London.

Brunch was served shortly after take-off and the food was rather good for coach. There was even ice-cream for dessert!

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**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:14 PM

Conrad Macau

Prior to arrival, the Conrad Macau had reached out and confirmed an update and my perks at the hotel as a Diamond member. The same Guest Relations Manager was present during our arrival and assisted with the check-in process. She also personally escorted us to the room and showed us the many features of the room before leaving us with her name card and reminding us to just call if we needed anything during our stay. She did keep her part of the offer when she made sure we got both types of the Conrad Macau rubber ducky in spite of several hiccups that Lydia was determined to collect. Major kudos!

The suite we were upgraded to was definitely one of the nicest rooms we’ve stayed in before. It was HUGE and very nicely furnished. I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

When we got back to the room that night, there was a turndown service with bottle water provided bedside and a gift of a teddy bear.

One of my initial disappointments was finding out that there was not an executive lounge in the hotel. This in fact turned out to be a blessing in disguise since I actually preferred the perks that replaced the lounge was in fact better. This included free breakfast either in the main restaurant or room service. Despite the large selection of food available in the main restaurant, nothing beats breakfast brought up to your room after you’ve just worked out in the gym.

Dim Sum

Main Restaurant

Room Service

We were also provided tea during the afternoons which included a large selection of pastries. Despite the large selections, the pastries itself were just bleh that we didn’t go for it during the second day we were day.

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**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:15 PM

Macau to Taipei

You can get to most of the attractions in Macau using the free bus rides and heading to the airport from the Conrad wasn’t an exception. We had a wait a little in the lobby for the shuttle to show up but A short ride later we were at the airport with no lines at all at the Eva counters. It did take a while for the check-in agent to properly issue our boarding passes and tagged our bags all the way to Austin. I’m guessing she’s never tagged luggage on a four segment trip?

Eva uses the only contract lounge in Macau which was overall pretty crappy and left like it came from the 80s. The carpet was old and the furnishing was dated. There was a selection of questionable hot food which I just skipped.

I was initially disappointed that we couldn’t get award seats on the Airbus A330 flight that was supposed to leave an hour or so earlier since we would have more time to explore the lounges in Taipei and I’d pick a widebody aircraft over a narrow body MD90 any day.. This turned out to be another blessing in surprise when that flight was delayed and our flight left even earlier.

There were only 3 passengers in business class on this flight with Lydia and I taking the right side of the aircraft and the other passenger the left side.

We had prebooked our dinner selection through EVA's website and the food on this flight turned out to be really bad. It was a "one tray" meal and similar to coach standards on some airlines. The fried rice was dry and tasteless and the shrimp didn't taste or look like shrimp at all. I gave up after a couple of bites.

As with most Asian airlines, the service on this flight was again top notch in spite of the lack of English from the stewardess serving us. She did keep coming around making sure out water was topped up and brought a couple of rounds of pretty good green tea.

There were some short clips shown on the overhead monitors on the hour or so flight to Taipei which we didn't pay attention to. Soon after, we landed in Taipei and proceeded to a remote gate and had to wait for everyone on the plane to get on a bus before proceeding to the terminal.

**calvinoeh** · 18 November 2013, 03:15 PM

Taipei to Austin

It did take us a while to locate Eva's lounges since it was our first time flying through Taipei. Eva operates a number a number of business class lounges in Taipei and we opted for the Infinity Lounge despite Ben's somewhat negative comments' on this recent visit. I guess it is a matter of personal preference but we actually liked the retro/cool look of the lounge.

First up on priorities was a how shower before a transpacific flight. The shower was stocked with pretty good amenities and more importantly a toilet (which some showers like the Krisflyer lounge does not have). I managed to squeeze in a couple of espressos paired with delicious Movenpick ice-cream after the shower to make sure I stayed a wake for the next couple of hours into the flight. It was already midnight by now mind you. There was also an extensive selection of local snacks.

Boarding was already underway when we got to the departure gate and thankfully there was no line in the priority lane to board the plane. Once we got settled in, the flight attendants come around with pre-departure drinks. I obviously went with the champagne knowing it was Dom. I guess it's business class when the attendants don't come around with the bottle and pour the champagne in front of you.

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**9V-JKL** · 19 November 2013, 01:48 AM

Thanks for sharing. How do you rate BR?

**yflyer** · 19 November 2013, 02:45 AM

Nice TR! Conrad Koh Samui looks very nice...

**calvinoeh** · 19 November 2013, 02:59 AM

Originally posted by 9V-JKL View Post

Thanks for sharing. How do you rate BR?

On par with SQ. I like the seat/bed better than SQ. Food's a tie.

**calvinoeh** · 19 November 2013, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by yflyer View Post

Nice TR! Conrad Koh Samui looks very nice...

Yup, the suites are amazing but the beach is just meh. I think I'll be bored after a couple of days longer. Maldives wins hands down anyday..

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Overdue Trip Report - 4th July Getaway to Conrad Koh Samui and Macau (SQ, MH, EVA,PG)

Overdue Trip Report - 4th July Getaway to Conrad Koh Samui and Macau (SQ, MH, EVA,PG)

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