Travel Planning: Fall in Asia
Review: LAX Star Alliance Lounge
Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class LAX - NRT
Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo
Recap: Time in Tokyo
Review: HND JAL First Class Lounge
Review: JAL Business Class HND - GMP
Review: IP Boutique Hotel Seoul
Recap: Time in Seoul
Review: ICN Cathay Pacific Lounge
Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class ICN - HKG
Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui
Recap: Time in Hong Kong
Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge
Review: Cathay Pacific First Class HKG - SFO


Background

We knew we wanted to visit Asia this fall since I had never been, and we had a few ideas of where we would like to visit, but in the end, we booked our trip solely around the premium award availability we were able to find on Singapore Airlines and on Cathay Pacific. We worked with Alex over at Points Pros and he did an amazing job - he booked us on our top two preferred awards - Singapore Airlines Suites class and Cathay Pacific First Class. Both are consistently chosen as the best international first class products in the world, so we were extremely excited, to say the least. 

Our Suites tickets were booked out of LAX instead of our home airport of SFO because Suites are only available on Singapore's A380 jets, which unfortunately don't currently fly out of SFO. It wasn't too difficult for us to make the hour flight down to LAX, so we were happy to leave from there. 

Many of you have probably seen the Suites class article on Medium that went viral, where the author mentioned that a one-way Suites class ticket can go for as much as $20,000 and up. This is where travel hacking really shines - we were able to book our tickets for 74,375 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles and $172.80 each in taxes and fees. A steal. Since we don't often fly Singapore Airlines (by often, I mean never), we transferred the points directly from Chase Ultimate Rewards, which recently added KrisFlyer as a transfer partner. Booking this amazing flight is really even easier than you would imagine! The hardest part is really just finding availability. 

The Flight

Disclaimer: Admittedly, this post may make me sound like a bit of a snob. I would like to preface my review by saying that many articles have simply presented all of the positive aspects of flying Singapore Suites, while leaving out anything that might not have been up to par. While this was absolutely one of the best flights I have ever taken in my life, I still want to present a review that is unbiased and honest.

Singapore Airlines #11
Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Saturday, September 27th, 2014
3:45 PM – 7:15 PM (+1) : 11 hours, 30 minutes
Airbus A380-800: Suite 3D (Suites Class)

After months of anticipation, we arrived at LAX around 12:30 PM for our 3:45 PM departure. Admittedly, we were a bit early, but we wanted to be sure we had enough time to settle in at the Star Alliance First Class lounge prior to boarding. We arrived at the Singapore Airlines check-in desk, but unfortunately there was no one covering the Suites line. One of the Business class attendants offered to check us in and even switched out the ticket machine to feed in the special Suites class boarding passes. We were checked in quickly, received our invitation to the Star Alliance First Class Lounge along with our boarding passes, and were directed to the priority line for security. I was honestly a bit disappointed at this point, because almost anyone who has reviewed this flight mentioned that they received an escort to the front of the security line when flying Suites class. Since we were so early, it really didn't matter, but even in the priority security line, we still waited about 20 minutes. Once we made it through security, we proceeded to the first class lounge until it was time for boarding. 

We arrived at the gate a bit early to get a picture of the plane and to make sure we could be the first to board in order to get some photos of the cabin without awkward looks from the rest of the passengers. This was my second flight ever on an A380 and I really love flying on these planes. It's amazing how incredibly big the airplane is and you really don't even feel anything during takeoff or landing as a result. Singapore situates the Suites class on the first floor in the nose of the aircraft, so we were below the cockpit. Then, economy class was behind us and business class takes up the entire top floor. Suites had its own jet bridge, so once boarding began, it was incredibly efficient. 

Once we boarded, I did my best to get a few photos of the cabin. Our flight had an older version of the seats, which I think look a bit more plush than the new version (although the new version looks a bit nicer aesthetically). I really have to say, the Suites were amazing. Seriously, I spent a good 10 minutes just trying to believe where I was sitting at that moment - that, and take a million photos. 

The Suites have a full sliding door and window shades that pull down, although all of those must remain open during takeoff and landing. I really enjoyed the privacy that the Suites offered, but only had the doors and window shades closed when I went to sleep. The rest of the time, I didn't mind having them open since the cabin wasn't completely full and no one was in the Suite next to mine. It seems to me that Suites class is quite empty on most flights, but we had a fairly full cabin on our flight - out of the 14 Suites in the cabin, 8 of them filled up. It's also important to note that the window shades aren't fully "closed" and that there is an open area both at the top and bottom, so really anyone walking by could see directly into the Suite. This does limit you in exactly how much privacy you might have while you're in the Suite. 

Once we sat down and I felt like I had enough photos, the cabin crew came around and introduced themselves. We were offered quite a few newspaper choices and pre-flight drinks. Like an idiot, I panicked and ordered a water, but Chris was on the ball and requested a glass of Dom. 

They also brought around our amenity kits, which were Salvatore Ferragamo branded and each actually had a full sized perfume/cologne inside as well as some lotion and a few other products. Honestly, I wouldn't really call them amenity kits - they were more like product placement for Ferragamo or one of those "free with perfume purchase" things you get from Nordstrom. There was also a pair of socks and an eye mask. We would get our pajamas later. 

Travel Planning: Fall in Asia
Review: LAX Star Alliance Lounge
Review: Singapore Airlines Suites Class LAX - NRT
Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo
Recap: Time in Tokyo
Review: HND JAL First Class Lounge
Review: JAL Business Class HND - GMP
Review: IP Boutique Hotel Seoul
Recap: Time in Seoul
Review: ICN Cathay Pacific Lounge
Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class ICN - HKG
Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui
Recap: Time in Hong Kong
Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class Lounge
Review: Cathay Pacific First Class HKG - SFO


After so much planning and anticipation, we are back from our trip to Asia and it's finally time to write about the experience! Due to flight availability, we flew to Tokyo out of LAX instead of our home airport (SFO), so we were able to check out the Star Alliance Lounge there. Our LAX > NRT flight was via Singapore Suites (more on that to come), so we were afforded entrance to both the Star Alliance First Class and Business Class lounges.

We grabbed seats in the first class lounge, which is connected to the business class lounge by a locked door, and both are located on the fourth floor of the Tom Bradley International terminal. Because there aren't many first class passengers, the first class lounge is very small, with a one-room seating and dining area, and has far fewer buffet choices than the business class section. Despite it's size, it was quiet and comfortable, so we were happy to sit in the first class area and walk over to the business class side when we wanted more snack variety. 

As I mentioned, the food selection was quite small due to the lack of people in the lounge, but there were tiny portions of fruits, cheeses, crackers, and chocolates, as well as a nice selection of wines, beers, champagne, liquor, and non-alcoholic juices, sodas, teas and coffees. The first class lounge also offers an a la carte menu to order from in case you wanted a more substantial meal prior to your flight, but I knew that a feast was awaiting me on my Singapore Airlines flight, so I passed. 

The business class side of the lounge was much larger and had a large buffet selection, which was serving salads, sandwiches and wraps, soup, fruits, desserts, and had a build your own noodle bar. There was also a full-service bar, various seating areas, a media room, shower suites, and both an indoor and outdoor terrace. The outdoor terrace was quite impressive and was not something you usually see at an airport. There was extensive seating, a water feature, several fire pits, and a bar out there as well.

During a recent visit to Miami, I spent most of my time in South Beach, which is where my hotel was located. However, when looking for things to do over my weekend stay, the Wynwood Walls caught my eye. Originally conceived as a way to transform the warehouse district of Wynwood, the Walls are each decorated by different artists and are absolutely stunning. Not only is the area specifically within the "Wynwood Walls" decorated, but many of the buildings throughout the Wynwood district act as canvases as well. 

Next time you're in Miami, I would absolutely recommend making the trip to Wynwood and be sure to spend time wandering the surrounding neighborhoods as well (although maybe don't go too far as it's a bit gritty). You'll be amazed at what you will see!

A few weeks ago, we visited Miami and decided to stay at the SLS Hotel in South Beach. The SLS is a boutique hotel and it has a great location right on the beach. It was a bit of a departure from our usual hotel stays because if I'm being honest, we are kind of boring and unexciting. The SLS is probably best known for Hyde Beach, which is essentially a giant all-day pool party. (Hotel guests have the option of a separate pool area, but they get free entry to Hyde Beach while non-guests have to pay to get in.) Needless to say, we didn't get to Hyde Beach, but we did really enjoy our stay at the hotel. It was unique and interestingly decorated and the location worked well for us. 

In our usual fashion, we arrived early Saturday morning after a Friday night red eye. Unfortunately, we were so early that our room wasn't ready, so we left our bags at the front desk and went searching for some coffee in the scorching heat. After about an hour and a half, we got a call that our room was ready and we were really looking forward to a shower. 

The check-in area is quite small and the front desk is next to The Bazaar, a tapas restaurant at the hotel. There's really no lobby to speak of, so if you didn't have a room or a reservation at one of the restaurants, there is literally no place for you to go. Our check-in was processed quickly and they had already sent our bags up to our room, which was a very nice touch. 

We headed up to our room and on the way, I noticed a live video feed of the beach right behind the hotel. In case you didn't want to walk all the way out there to see what it was like, you could get an idea right after stepping off the elevator. It was basically like the Huntington Beach live feed in Hollister, but cooler. 

After the excitement of the video feed, I was a bit overwhelmed by the oddness of the hallway. The halls are nearly completely black from floor to ceiling and when you come out of the elevator, there is no sign or sense to which direction the rooms can be found in. The numbers don't seem to go in a sensical order and there are several rooms that must be accessed by heading into the emergency exit stairwell. 

In a pretty stark contrast to the hallway, our room was completely white with light pink accents. It was actually quite gorgeous and was a little flamboyant, but still tastefully done. According to the hotel's website: Philippe Starck channeled the ghost of Madame de Pompadour. Fit for Louis XV's legendary mistress, the trendy boutique design reflects the sophistication of old French aristocracy while naughty nods such as mirrors on the ceiling and a box marked "sinners" keep things historically accurate.

The room was simple, with a king bed and a long sitting area that ran nearly the length of the room. The "closet" was interesting and housed the minibar as well as a small gift shop of sorts. In case you were dying to get your hands on a SLS Hotel baseball cap, there was no need to leave the room. The mirror on the ceiling was also quite hard to miss.