When it came to finding a way home from my Seattle trip, I had my eye on United Polaris. To many, it would sound crazy to choose United over other options trans-Pacific, particularly the Asian carriers. Considering I have zero loyalty inclination to United, it seemed an even more incomprehensible choice. However, when United launched…
Review: United Polaris Lounge LAX
When United first introduced its long haul Polaris business class in 2016, and together with it the Polaris lounge, it was a product I wanted to check out. Nice as it looked, it was still United after all, so Polaris wasn’t that high on my agenda. The opportunity finally presented itself on this trip to…
Review: Conrad Los Angeles (Premium View King)
When I realised I would have to route through LAX, and potentially spend a couple of nights in LA, to get home on United Polaris from Seattle, I knew I should make it a priority to stay at the Conrad Los Angeles. After all, what better than to check out and review an almost brand…
Review: Sheraton Grand Los Angeles (King Guest Room)
Continuing with my long-delayed reviews from my September 2022 USA trip, my next stop after almost a week in Seattle/Bellevue was Los Angeles. I didn’t really have any specific reason to visit LA, but it was the only United Polaris routing I could get a redemption on. Since I was had never spent time in…
Singapore Airlines Enhances Inflight Wi-Fi Offerings
Singapore Airlines has announced an enhancement of its inflight Wi-Fi offerings. As of 1 February, Business Class passengers, PPS Club members and their supplementary card holders can permanently enjoy unlimited inflight Wi-Fi, while KrisFlyer members in Premium Economy and Economy classes get time-based surf plans, of 3h and 2h respectively. These enhancements had been rolled…
Cathay Pacific reopens ‘The Deck’, remainder of global lounges to follow
Cathay Pacific has today announced the reopening of its ‘The Deck’ lounge in Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). ‘The Deck’ joins the already-reopened ‘The Wing’ First and ‘The Pier’ Business. Excitingly, the airline has also announced that the remainder of its lounge globally will reopen before the last quarter of 2023, including the lovely lounge…
Good, not great, with some oddities: Review of The Apurva Kempinski Bali
When I first came across The Apurva Kempinski Bali around the time of Bali’s reopening, I wanted to stay there. The photos I’d seen of the property looked absolutely stunning. I’m also a sucker for rooms with private pools, so I was particularly intrigued by the Cliff Private Pool Junior Suites. This property shot to…
An Unexpected Delight: Review of Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach
For my girlfriend’s birthday, we decided to take a trip to Bali. Choosing Bali as the destination was easy: it’s nearby, we love the food, and a relaxing beach holiday was perfect for a birthday trip. Choosing the accommodation was the difficult part. Bali is chock full of international and local chain luxury resorts, not…
My Loyalty Programme and Status Plans for 2023
A new year means of reset of loyalty status clocks for many programmes. With travel returning to normal, most airlines and hotel chains have rolled back on the various pandemic-era measures to help members maintain their status. The “status bubble” is about to burst for many. On one hand, it’s a good thing as a…
Review: Conrad Bali (King Ocean Front Suite)
In May 2022, my girlfriend and I took our first trip to Bali since Indonesia reopened its bordered. We spent a total of four nights in Bali, with the first three nights at the marvelous W Bali Seminyak. For my last night, we decided to stay at the Conrad Bali. This stay wasn’t really necessary,…