When Japan reopened its borders on 11 October, it was arguably the most hotly-anticipated border reopening. Thanks to a flexible schedule and some fortunate circumstances, I managed to make a short trip there a few days after the reopening. I had shared my thoughts after that trip on what it’s like to visit Japan post-reopening.…
Singapore Airlines Adjusts NS2023 Schedule, Adds A380s to Sydney and Melbourne
Singapore Airlines has announced a series of changes to its schedule for 2023. Most of these changes are increasing frequencies to existing destinations with the current aircraft types, but there’s a few noteworthy adjustments. These more interesting changes are the increase in A380 operations to Australia, and a return to Busan (PUS). The changes aren’t…
Review: Hilton Seattle
Continuing on with the reviews of my USA trip in September, I stayed in Seattle for around a week. I spent two nights in Seattle downtown itself, then moved to Bellevue for five nights. You can read the earlier instalments of this trip, on EVA Air who took me from Jakarta to Seattle: Review: EVA…
JAL what were you thinking? A review of JAL 787-9 “Sky Suite III” Business Class (HND-SIN)
After a lovely few days in a reopened Japan, it was time to head home to Singapore. For my return flight to Singapore, I had redeemed a JAL business class through Alaska Mileage Plan, at a cost of 25,000 Mileage Plan miles. This included a domestic leg from Osaka Itami to Tokyo Haneda. My flight…
Review: Conrad Tokyo (King Suite Bay View)
After my domestic hop from Osaka Itami Airport to Tokyo Haneda, I had a one-night stopover in Tokyo before heading home to Singapore. For this one night, I opted to stay at the Conrad Tokyo. While I had already planned two separate stays at the Conrad Tokyo for November, this last-minute trip gave me the…
Review: JAL 787-8 ‘Class J’ (ITM-HND)
For my return flight to Singapore from Japan, I managed to secure a redemption on JAL through Alaska Mileage Plan, from Osaka Itami (ITM) to Singapore (SIN) with an overnight stopover in Tokyo. While a slightly roundabout way to get home, I did not mind the overnight in Tokyo as well, as it would give…
Review: Hilton Osaka (King Executive Room)
For my stay in Osaka, I opted to stay at the Hilton Osaka. With Hilton Honors being my primary hotel loyalty programme, it was a choice between the Hilton Osaka or Conrad Osaka. While I am a big fan of the Conrad brand, on this occasion the price of the Conrad was a little too…
Review: Scoot 787-8 ScootPlus (SIN-KIX)
For my recent post-reopening trip to Japan, I opted to hop on a Scoot flight to Osaka Kansai. The main reason I chose this flight was because a good friend was part of the operating tech crew and had a two day layover in Kansai, so it was good opportunity to catch up and hang…
Hilton To Add Second Conrad in Singapore, Rebranding Regent Singapore
Hilton have officially announced an agreement to open a new Conrad Singapore Orchard. This will be a rebrand of the current Regent Singapore, located at the Tanglin end of Orchard Road. This will the second Conrad in Singapore, after the existing Conrad Centennial Singapore. Interestingly, both properties share the same co-owners, Pontiac Land and Kajima…
What It’s Like to Travel to a Reopened Japan
I just returned from a few days in a reopened Japan. It was a short trip, but honestly, it was just great to get an opportunity to enjoy the great food and hospitality. A lot of things still aren’t back to what it was pre-Covid. Getting into Japan isn’t the most straightforward either, but there…