Tag Archives: lounge

Singapore Airlines First Class: The Private Room

Fiji Trip Report Index
Introduction: Belgium to Fiji in 13 flights (26561 miles, 42746km)
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Grand Suite at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Singapore Airlines First Class: The Private Room @ Changi Airport
Singapore Airlines First Class: SQ211 Singapore to Sydney B777-300A
Opera King room at Park Hyatt Sydney
Beachfront View room at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
Singapore Airlines Business Class: SQ232 Sydney to Singapore
Thai Airways First Class: Royal Orchid Spa, TG920 Bangkok to Frankfurt A380

Pic: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge at Changi Airport (Jan 2013)
When flying Singapore Airlines First Class from Changi Airport, you’re in for an extraordinary lounge treatment: The Private Room.  No guests, no Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Elite Members flying business or coach, no Star Alliance First Class passengers.  This lounge is reserved exclusively for passengers holding Singapore Airlines First Class boarding passes.  In exchange you get personalized and highly attentive service away from the crowds.

Pic: Invitation ‘The Private Room’ by Singapore Airlines First Class (Jan 2013)
My flight SQ211 from Singapore to Sydney was leaving at 9:40am, so I had to wake-up early to experience the Private Room.  Fortunately, I was staying at the Crowne Plaza Changi Aiport which is connected to Terminal 3 and walking distance from the Singapore Airlines First Class Check-in Reception.  The First Class Reception has a separate driveway for limos to pull-up.  As I wanted the full experience, I exited Terminal 3 and walked up the First Class Check-in ReceptionA porter took care of my luggage and a polite ”Passenger Relations Officer” escorted me to a marble desk where I was seated while my check-in formalities were taking care of.  Next was a dedicated immigration line where I was the only passenger present.  After immigration, a Singapore Airlines lounge agent escorted me to The Private Room which is connected to the SQ T3 First Class lounge.
Pic: Seating Area at The Private Room, Changi Airport Singapore (Jan 2013)
The Private Room has its own restaurant where you can order “A la Carte” or serve yourself at a buffet.  Here’s a picture of the Breakfast Menu.  I went for Egg Benedict and a fresh orange juice, tasty!
Pic: Bart Lapers at The Private Room Singapore Airlines First Class (Jan 2013)
 
Pic: Dining Area at The Private Room, T3 Changi Airport Singapore (Jan 2013)
After breakfast, I relaxed a bit in one of the comfortable leather sofa’s before heading to the gate for my first Singapore Airlines First Class flight.

Pic: Leather Seats The Private Room, Singapore Airlines First Class (Jan 2013)

Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport

French Polynesia Trip Report Index
Tahiti and Bora Bora – Flights & Airfares
Hilton Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Terminal 1, Departure Area B)
InterContinental Resort Tahiti
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort (site inspection)
InterContinental Resort and Spa Moorea
Pic: Entrance Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport opposite Gate B42
My early FRA-LHR flight (6:55am) combined with Lufthansa’s strike on Sep 7, offered a great opportunity to shoot some pictures of Lufthansa’s largest airport lounge without it being crowded.  Lufthansa Senator Lounge B (located at Terminal 1, departure area B, opposite to Gate B42) opened in July 2011.  Apart from all you’d expect from a premium lounge, it also features a wellness area (Senator Spa) with luxury facilities that include ten showers and two spa rooms.

Pic: City Lights Bar at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Sep 2012)
Another addition to the Senator Lounge is the City Lights Bar where a bartender is in attendance to fulfil guests’ requests for drinks and mix cocktails.  You would like to enjoy this lounge too?  Access rules can be found here.
Pic: City Lights Bar at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Sep 2012)

Pic: Seating Area at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Sep 2012)

Pic: Seating Area at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport T1, Area B

Pic: Food & Beverage Area at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport

Pic: Breakfast at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Sep 2012)

Pic: Breakfast at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport T 1, Area B

Pic: Fresh Breakfast Yogurts at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport

Pic: More seating space at Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport

Stopover at Hilton London Tower Bridge


Pic: Welcome ad Heathrow Airport – Beefeater Tower of London (May 2012)

Pic: Hilton HHonors ad at London Heathrow Airport (May 2012)
On my return from Thailand to Belgium, I made a stopover in London.  I arrived on Sunday night (open-jaw Etihad ticket GVA-BKK-LHR) and had a Eurostar ticket to Brussels for Monday afternoon.  It was another opportunity to use The Great Getaway Hilton promo. (valid till July 23 for stays until September 30, 2012)  I paid £100 (€128 on Amex) for a Double Hilton Guest Room at Hilton London Tower Bridge which was upgraded to a Double Hilton Executive Room thanks to my free Hilton HHonors Gold status.  This upgrade included access to the Executive lounge (free breakfast, evening cocktails & snacks, etc…) and HHonors Gold member, I also got free internet access.

Pic: Sunset City Hall view from London Tower Bridge (May 2012)
The hotel is conveniently located near London Bridge station.  I didn’t check the closest station in advance and ended up at Tower Hill station.  Exhausted from the longhaul BKK-AUH-LHR flight, I dragged my luggage across Tower Bridge.  In the process of doing so, I managed to make the sunset shot above.
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Etihad Business Class BKK-AUH B777-300ER


Pic: Etihad Airways Business Class Check-in (May 2012)
Early May, Etihad Airways was running a 96h World Sale which included some great fares.  Some of those fares became even better if you booked them as open-jaw tickets.  And that’s exactly what I did for my recent Thailand trip: Geneva – Abu Dhabi – Bangkok – Abu Dhabi – London Heathrow for 358 Swiss Franc or €307!  Of course I still had to get from Brussels to Geneva and from London to Brussels.  Flew Easyjet from BRU to GVA for €62 (incl. luggage fee) and took the Eurostar from London to Brussels for free using a compensation ticket€362 for a return trip Brussels – Bangkok is a great deal, right?  Yes, it was, but keep in mind the additional expenses and time lost making ‘detours’.  Even though my outbound GVA-AUH flight was only on Wednesday night, I had booked the Easyjet morning flight from Brussels to Geneva.  I wanted to avoid missing the Etihad flight, which meant I had a 9h layover at GVA airport.  No problem I thought, I will store my luggage at the airport and visit Geneva or work on my laptop during the day.  This turned out to be an expensive scenario, as the weather wasn’t too good in Geneva, I decided to stay at the airport.  I spent almost €80 on food, drinks and wifi during that layover.  Geneva is awfully expensive (fifth most expensive city in the World): 24h wifi €21, Pizza with one beer €22, Starbucks Frappuccino €8.  Getting comfortably from LHR airport to St Pancras International station wasn’t cheap either: Heathrow Express train €24, London Underground ticket €5,50.  All this additional info to remind you to think twice and to make your calculations before booking open-jaw tickets.  Still, I felt I got excellent value out of this trip, primarily because I managed to upgrade on leg of the trip to the fantastic Etihad Pearl Business Class.
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King Executive room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok


Pic: King Executive room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)

Pic: King Executive room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)
For my first night in Bangkok (Thailand trip May 17 – May 27) I used The Great Getaway Hilton promo (valid till July 23 for stays until September 30, 2012).  Unlike some of the other ‘promotions’, this one really offers steep discounts on Hilton room rates.  I paid THB3469 (EUR89) for a King Hilton Deluxe room which was upgraded to a King Executive room upon arrival.  I enjoyed a free upgrade + free executive lounge access (breakfast, cocktails, dinner snacks, …) + free internet because of my HHonors Gold status.  How I got this status?  Normally you only get this status after staying 16 times or 36 nights at Hilton hotels during one calendar year… but myself (and many of my twitter followers) got it for free.  In the past months several links were posted on my twitter account which allowed you to obtain HHonors Gold status for free.  You just had to sign-up using the link and got instant HHonors Gold status!  Make sure to follow me on twitter so you don’t miss future deals.  I post several “Great Deal Alerts” a week.

Pic: Executive Lounge Breakfast at Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)

Pic: Lounge chairs at The Beach – Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)

Brussels Airport Hidden Gem: Free Exxit Lounge

Update Sep 9, 2012: Unfortunately, the Exxit lounge no longer exists.  Bruxx.be – “This hidden gem proved to be somewhat too hidden ;-) But we are continuously working on new projects, so keep an eye on BRUXX.be
Pic: BRUXX.be – Fly low cost from Brussels Airport (BRU)
Bruxx.be is an initiative from The Brussels Airport Company to attract more budget travelers to Brussels Airport (BRU)  One of the main advantages of Brussels Airport is it’s central location, easy accessible by highway and trains from anywhere in Belgium and only  7 miles/11km from downtown Brussels.  An alternative like Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), used by low cost carrier RyanAir, is 34 miles/55 km away from Brussels and often ‘surprises’ low cost flyers with an additional long bus or taxi journey to their final destination.  Brussels Airport also offers the infrastructure and services which international business travelers expect, a plus for budget travelers who can enjoy the same relaxing environment.
The Bruxx.be  website acts as aggregator for low fares on 9 airlines serving Brussels Airport: Aer Lingus, Air Arabia, airBaltic, Blue Air, Brussels Airlines, easyJet, JetairFly, Thomas Cook Airlines and Vueling.  On top of providing an easy way to find the lowest fares to/from BRU, Bruxx also offers additional services at it’s free EXXIT lounge at Brussels Airport.Pic: EXXIT lounge entrance near gate A39 at Brussels Airport (Jan 2012)
Bruxx targets 18-34 year old leisure travelers, which explains the limited opening hours of the free Exxit lounge: Fridays and Saturdays 6.15 am to 7.45 pm.  The lounge entrance is quite hidden, located near gate 39 at Pier A (Schengen destinations,  African destinations and the SN JFK flights as of June 1, 2012)Pic: Free EXXIT lounge by BRUXX at Brussels Airport (Jan 2012)
Once inside you’ll find a spacious environment with free wifi, free PS3 gaming consoles, comfy bean bags, soft-drink & snack vending machines and extra restrooms.  They even organize parties for people who got something to celebrate!  Just drop them an email at EXXIT@BRUXX.be Enjoy!Pic: Free spacious EXXIT lounge by BRUXX at Brussels Airport (Jan 2012)