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,…
Review: W Bali Seminyak (Marvelous One Bedroom Pool Villa)
Since I’m heading to Bali again soon, I thought it’s time to finally get round to doing the reviews of my Bali trip in mid-2022. It’s been awhile since those stays, but I’ll do my best to recall all the details. For my 2022 Bali trip, I stayed in a couple of hotels. The first…
February 2023 KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes Released
The KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes list for travel in February 2023 has been released. As usual, Spontaneous Escapes offers are 30% off Saver award tickets on selected Singapore Airlines flights. The usual key terms & conditions apply: Highlights from February’s list There’s a few regulars as usual in this month’s list, such as the Premium Economy…
Review: InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay (King Bed Classic Riverview)
After my stay at the PARKROYAL on Beach Road, my next stop was the InterContinental Robertson Quay. I last stayed here in late March 2020, not long before everything locked down and hotels closed. The main takeaway from that stay had been the small rooms, though overall it had been a positive experience. I thought…