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SQ26/25 SIN-FRA-SIN A380 Biz & Suites: Frankfurt Xmas Markets & 2 Weeks in Portugal

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  • SQ26/25 SIN-FRA-SIN A380 Biz & Suites: Frankfurt Xmas Markets & 2 Weeks in Portugal

    TR INDEX

    Index

    INTRODUCTION

    It is now the end of 2022, and there's finally some normalcy in travel in many parts of the world. Certainly in Singapore, with the relaxation of COVID restrictions, there has been a significant reopening, and a surge in travel, now without the hassle of COVID tests and, for the most part, without the need for masks.

    As late as mid 2021, the entire SQ A380 fleet remained grounded, and many in the industry were questioning whether there was a future for the A380. I wondered if I would ever fly a 4-holer again. What a difference a year or so makes. Now airlines from BA to QR are all pressing their A380's back into service to cope with the surging demand in air travel.

    It was great to once again experience the smooth, silent, majesty of an A380 in flight...



    Mrs yflyer and I recently flew from Singapore to Frankfurt on SQ26 in A380 Biz. We then spent 2 weeks travelling through Portugal: To Porto, Lisbon and Funchal, on the island of Madeira, travelling on TAP, then spending a couple of days in Frankfurt before returning home on SQ25, with myself in business class, and Mrs yflyer experiencing the new SQ A380 Suites for the first time.

    The trip was planned waaaaaayyyyy in advance, at the time when airfares were still reasonable (Airfares to many destinations are just nuts right now), and many of our flights were Krisflyer redemptions, redeemed just before the most recent 10% Krisflyer devaluation kicked in, in August 2022. Still, it was a ton of points redeemed, including an Advantage redemption for Mrs yflyer's Suites ticket for the FRA-SIN sector.

    I was really happy to be on the A380 again, and also elated to be able to try SQ's current A380 Business Class product, the so called "Monocoque" seat, for the very first time.



    We decided on a trip to Portugal because I had gone to Lisbon for work in 2019, and had found it so beautiful and memorable that I decided that I had to bring Mrs yflyer there for a holiday at some point.

    Our first stop in Portugal was Porto, an achingly beautiful city, now changing and developing rapidly to cater to a huge influx of tourists, but at this time, still very authentic...



    ...with a romantic, "frozen in time" feeling in the old town that one simply didn't get in many European cities these days...



    We then headed to Lisbon...



    ...where the highlight of our trip, in culinary terms, was lunch at the chef's table at Belcanto, one of Portugal's most celebrated restaurants.



    Our lunch there was almost a vacation within a vacation. The meal took us on a flight of fancy unlike anything Mrs yflyer and I had ever experienced.



    Our next stop was Funchal, on the island of Madeira.

    "In the interest of full disclosure...", I explained to Mrs yflyer, some weeks after booking the trip, "...Funchal airport is supposed to be one of the most challenging airports for pilots to land at..."



    I thought I saw Mrs yflyer heave a deep sigh, but she was unfazed...after more than 2 decades of marriage, she knew me well and probably expected this sort of thing from me...

    "But there's nothing to worry about!", I continued, "They haven't had a bad accident in 45 years..."

    Funchal, the largest city on the island of Madeira, part of Portugal, was not previously on our radar of holiday destinations, but I had recently watched an episode of the BBC's Amazing Hotels series, which featured Reid's Palace hotel in Madeira, and it looked to be an amazing place to check out.

    Besides, a white knuckle landing at FNC was reason enough for me to head to Madeira...

    In the event, Madeira blew us both away. It was an amazingly beautiful island, with lots to see, do and eat. Reid's Palace lived up to the hype as well. We only stayed there for one night, but it was heavenly. I think every hotel we stay in from this point forward will be compared to this benchmark. One does not need this level of luxury every day (Indeed the next day, we moved to a different hotel which made a far smaller dent in our budget), but to experience it briefly, for one night, was priceless.



    "I want to head back there again", was Mrs yflyer's verdict...

    It was also great to be travelling in Europe while the World Cup was in progress. Everywhere we went, whenever World Cup matches were on, screens in public places, whether parks or restaurants and bars, would be screening the matches live, not least in Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo's home town.

    When Portugal was playing, the city of Funchal essentially came to a standstill, with everyone watching their favourite son, CR7, on the screens, whether in parks, or just standing in the street watching a nearby screen.



    Our last stop was Frankfurt, which had a very festive, Christmassy feel, with Christmas markets all open and very busy.



    And then it was time to fly home, with Mrs yflyer happily ensconced in Suite 1F on SQ26 FRA-SIN, and me a little further back, in 11K, the first row of business class.

    "You need to take lots of photos", I told Mrs yflyer...

    "Can't we both be in Suites?" she asked, when I first booked the tickets.

    "Nope, not enough points. Besides, I already tried Suites from Sydney to Singapore. It's your turn now..."

    Besides, I told her, by the time she stepped into the Suite, she wouldn't miss me one bit...



    All that (and a few runs...) coming up shortly...
    Last edited by yflyer; 15 January 2023, 10:47 AM.

  • #2
    TR INDEX

    1. Introduction

    2. Changi Airport T3
    3. T3 SilverKris Lounge

    Frankfurt

    4. Flight - SQ26 SIN-FRA in A380 Business
    5. JW Marriott Frankfurt
    6. Run - Frankfurt
    7. LH Senator Lounge FRA (A Gates)

    Porto

    8. Flight - LH 1176 FRA-OPO in A320neo Economy
    9. Hilton Porto Gaia
    10. Porto Attractions & Dining
    11. Run - Porto
    12. Douro Valley - Quinta do Vale Meao
    13. Dining - Taberna Julinha

    Fatima & Lisbon

    14. Drive - Porto to Lisbon via Fatima
    15. Moxy Lisbon
    16. Lisbon Attractions
    17. Run - Lisbon
    18. Dining - Belcanto
    19. Lisbon Airport

    Madeira Island

    20. Flight - TP1689 LIS-FNC in A319 Business
    21. Belmond Reid's Palace
    22. Run - Funchal
    23. Castanheiro Boutique Hotel
    24. Funchal Attractions
    25. Dining - Casal da Penha
    26. Madeira Island via 4-wheel drive
    27. Dining - Quinta do Furão, Santana
    28. Planespotting at FNC
    29. Dining - Avista

    Lisbon

    30. Flight - TP1698 FNC-LIS in A320 Business
    31. Hotel - The Ivens
    32. Lisbon Attractions
    33. Sintra & Cascais
    34. Bar - Toca da Raposa
    35. Dining - BAHR
    36. Run - Lisbon
    37. Dining - Taberna da Rue das Flores

    Frankfurt

    38. Flight - TP572 LIS-FRA in TAP A320neo Business
    39. Roomers Hotel Frankfurt
    40. Frankfurt Christmas Markets
    41. Dining - Cafe Laumer, Zhuge Grill
    42. Bars - Kinly, Hunky Dory
    43. Airport - FRA
    44. AC Maple Leaf Lounge
    45. LH Senator Lounge (B Gates)

    46. Flight - SQ25 FRA-SIN in A380 Business

    47. Flight - SQ25 FRA-SIN in A380 Suites


    48. Final Reflections

    __

    Our trip began on the evening of 16 November...



    SQ26 SIN-FRA was an 11.55pm departure, but we arrived at Changi T3 fairly early, at 9.20pm, in order to spend some time in the new SilverKris Lounge...



    Hardly any queues at the business class check-in at that hour...



    Rather than a Christmas display, the T3 landside area had a large Avatar diorama...



    There were queues at the automated passport gates, but these were fairly short, and moved quite quickly. Just a quick scan of the passport and a facial recognition camera, and you were through...



    T3 was positively buzzing...

    Last edited by yflyer; 16 January 2023, 06:31 PM.

    Comment


    • #3
      We headed straight up to the SilverKris Lounge...



      The lounge had been reconfigured since our last visit in May 2022. Back then, it was one huge lounge, with a separate section for F within the J lounge. Now Krisflyer Gold members were shunted to a separate lounge, and the Business and First sections of the SilverKris Lounge were now completely separate.



      We headed into the Business Class section...



      If you turned right, you would be in the area of the J Lounge that extended into the atrium area of T3...



      High counters and bar-style seating...



      Sofas equipped with power sockets and USB charging ports...



      Alcove with with work cubicles and more sofas...



      The F&B section of the lounge was on the left side of the entrance, past the customer service counters...



      More seating...



      The lounge then opened into a large F&B area...



      ...with more table seating at the far end of the lounge.



      The lounge was fairly busy, but not totally packed.



      There were some seats available, although there were more free bar seats than sofas or tables available...



      I never thought I would say this, but I actually preferred the overall ambience of the previous T3 SilverKris J Lounge. To me, the previous lounge exuded more style and luxury than the current one. The decor in this lounge, while ok, seemed more functional, and a bit of a mish-mash of different furnishings. Compared to other airlines's J Lounges, to name QF, CX or even UA's newest lounges, SQ's latest lounge looks more mundane and less stylish.
      Last edited by yflyer; 12 December 2022, 10:22 AM.

      Comment


      • #4
        There was a full service bar...



        ...with a decent list of made-to-order cocktails...



        I ordered a Sidecar...



        ...which was pretty satisfying.

        Bar service was available from 5.30pm to 1am, with Barista service from 6am to 10am...



        There was also self-service wine and liquor available...



        There was a decent selection of liquor available...



        ...including Piper Heidseck Champagne. I poured two glasses, for Mrs yflyer and myself,...to celebrate the start of our vacation...



        Soft drinks and mixers were in a nearby fridge...



        Apart from a large buffet selection, there were also food stations with made-to-order selections...



        Samples of the food on offer were on display...



        The laksa was a perennial favourite with guests...



        ...and the won ton in spicy Sichuan chilli oil were popular too...

        Last edited by yflyer; 18 January 2023, 11:52 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          I couldn't resist a freshly fried plate Hokkien Mee...



          Not bad at all! Although between the Laksa and the Hokkien Mee, I think the Laksa was definitely the crowd pleaser...



          Lots of human traffic at the buffet line...the dishes had to be constantly replenished...



          A fresh steamer of Har Gaw and Siew Mai...



          Char Siew Pau...



          Vegetarian noodles...



          A chicken dish, Ayam Merah Masak, which translated to red cooked chicken...



          Sweet and sour pork...



          Steamed rice...



          The duck porridge looked pretty good, although I had to resist trying some in order to save space for supper onboard later...



          A hot Chinese dessert, barley with gingko nuts...

          Last edited by yflyer; 11 December 2022, 12:44 PM.

          Comment


          • #6

            Western selections included minestrone soup...



            Chicken nuggets and fries...



            Penne Vongole...



            ...and a vegetable selection -- I think it was pumpkin but I could be wrong...




            Comment


            • #7
              The South Asian selections looked quite mouthwatering...

              Wadai with chutney...



              Chapati...



              Tomata Upma and Sambar...



              Comment


              • #8
                Salads and dessert...



                Fruits...



                Breakfast cereal (It's breakfast time somewhere in the world...), along with Oatly...



                Pre-packed sandwiches...



                Comment


                • #9
                  I checked out the wine selection: Just one red wine and two white wines were offered...



                  Pike's Riesling...



                  Chardonnay from Mornington Peninsula...



                  The red wine was Teusner's The Riebke, a Shiraz from the Barossa Valley...



                  I am a fan of Teusner, so could not resist a small pour...



                  Coffee and tea were also available...

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    There was a separate slumber area...



                    This was a quiet zone with partitioned slumberettes...



                    I took a peek into one of them...



                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Booth for phone calls...nothing worse than someone taking a conference call / video call on speaker in a public lounge (I encounter this more often than I would like!)



                      Small children's play room...




                      Comment


                      • #12
                        There were showers rooms in the Lounge. These were well equipped...



                        Unlike the previous T3 SilverKris J Lounge, the shower rooms now had ensuite WCs. Thumbs up!

                        Last edited by yflyer; 17 January 2023, 08:26 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Overall impressions of the Business Class section of the new T3 SilverKris Lounge?

                          I think this is a pretty good lounge, which checks all the right boxes when it comes to facilities. It is probably still undersized, given the amount of passenger traffic in T3, and felt very busy during the evening peak hour, but at least it wasn't bursting at the seams the way it was when the lounge first re-opened.

                          It was great to have a dedicated slumber area, and showers with ensuite WC.

                          On the catering front, there was a wide selection of F&B options, with the Asian selections looking more appealing than the Western selections, including some wonderful made-to-order dishes like laksa.

                          It was great to have Champagne in a J lounge. This is a rarity these days, with many other J lounges server lesser sparking wines like Prosecco etc. It was nice to have a manned bar and barista service.

                          I would have liked a broader selection of red and white wines. As for liquor, the selection was decent, but a far cry from the best that some other lounges had to offer. Wait till you see the LH Senator Lounge liquor selection later in this TR.

                          Design-wise, I thought the lounge was average, without much of a "wow factor". While quite comfortable and functional, the overall design concept did not feel particularly inspired, and had a less coherent style and design theme than the competition's best lounges.

                          So I think this would rate as a good, rather than great, lounge, one which I would happily visit before a flight for a drink and a snack, but it is far from being a "destination" lounge that I would go out of my way to visit prior to my flights on SQ.
                          Last edited by yflyer; 11 December 2022, 12:51 PM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            We left the lounge and headed to our gate, which was A5, just a stone's throw from the lounge.



                            The huge shared holding area was very busy, with many flights departing around that hour, including SQ322 to London, as well as LH779, also heading to Frankfurt at exactly the same departure time.

                            It was soon time to board...



                            Down the aerobridge...



                            Germany had just dropped the mask requirement for flights to and from the country, so pax were unmasked, although the SQ cabin crew still wore masks.



                            This was the new A380 configuration, with Suites and Business Class on the Upper Deck. After Suites in front, the remainder of the Upper Deck was Business Class, laid out 1-2-1.



                            These were the new "Monocoque" business class seats, found only on SQ's A380s.



                            All window seats had aisle access.



                            These seats reclined (without the need to get up to flip the seat) to fully flat position, with a cubby hole for the legs and feet...



                            Note that the first row window seats, 11A/11K, also have the cubby hole...



                            It's only the so called "double bed" middle seats, such as 11D/11F, that have the leg space across the whole seat width.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Those pics, just wow.

                              1. What's your motivation to write so descriptive and detailed in each of your TR and for every trip, Like every single piece is so well done, , I can barely write a line about each of my pic.
                              2. Your pics are of so good quality, what device do you use to click?
                              3. When you fly premium, how do you not get overwhelmed in the experience and still get time to click such beautiful pics?

                              Looking forward to the rest.

                              Comment

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