Red-hot rooming, writing, reading, relaxing and roaming in rainy Thailand.

[Human]

My Bangkok Airways flight ended up being delayed by about half an hour, and then the luggage took about half an hour again to emerge on the carousel at BKK. None of which was a big deal, given my five-hour layover. The Bangkok Airways flight was a typical short Economy class flight.




Interestingly there was a divider after Row 8 ... but no Business Class -- just more Economy seats in the front.


Once I'd collected my luggage and found my way to International Departures, BKK threw me a few pleasant surprises.

Pleasant Surprise #1: I meandered over to the Jetstar check-in counters, arriving there just over 4 hours before the flight. I was fully expecting that check-in wouldn’t open until 3 hours before the flight – meaning that I’d somehow need to find an hour to kill landside. But no, check-in opened exactly 4 hours before the flight. I had to wait about 10 minutes in the Business Class queue, but I was through check-in, security and passport control considerably earlier than I expectd to be.


Pleasant Surprise #2: At check-in, the Jetstar agent invited me to visit the Air France Lounge. Since when has Jetstar Business class come with lounge access? But as I was heading towards the AF Lounge, I got another idea, which led to …

 

[Human]

Pleasant Surprise #3: There’s two brand new Plaza Premium Lounges open at BKK. My AmEx Platinum gets me free entry to the “normal” Plaza Premium Lounge. But there’s also a new First lounge, which advertises entry at 2400 Baht (just over AUD 100) for two hours. I wasn’t inclined to pay that much, given that I already had access to other lounges. But I wondered … maybe my AmEx Platinum card would give me discounted entry into the First lounge?


I rocked up to the Plaza Premium entry, showed my Platinum card and asked whether I could have discounted entry to the First Lounge. She immediately said that I could access the First Lounge for THB 800 – about A$33! I didn’t hesitate.

I walked into the First Lounge. It was almost empty. In fact for the two-and-a-bit hours I was there, I was the only person using the Lounge for about half of that time.




There was a small selection of buffet food available, but most of the menu was a la carte. Service, as you can imagine, was extremely attentive and proactive.




And the food and drink! Oh My Goodness! I couldn’t help it – I went to town in the First Lounge in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever gone to town in an airport lounge before. But heck, I was about to fly on a Jetstar redeye. Cut me some slack!

I had something called Khao Soi – a deliciously spicy, laksa-like soup.


The coughtail is called a “Holiday Mood”. No idea what’s in it, but it was great. (I should mention at this point that the lounge has a fully-serviced bar).


For dessert(s), I had a “Thai Tea-ramisu” and baklava…


And a Thai iced tea.


To show that I am a Good Boy, I finished with some fruit.


Afterwards I waddled over and had a shower. The attendant here proactively came up to me and said that showers were about to get busy and there might be a queue if I waited any longer, so he suggested I have one now. That’s service!


Is the Plaza Premium First Lounge worth paying THB 2400 for? On reflection, maybe yes, if you don’t have access to another quality lounge. I’ve spent enough time at BKK now to know that there are some very good lounges there. But there are also some absolute shockers.

If you have an AmEx Platinum, the equation becomes much easier: for THB 800, this is a no-brainer. If you already have access to another high quality lounge at BKK (I’m looking at you, Qatar Lounge), then it’s probably not worth it. For everybody else: do yourself a favour.

I’ve been to four First Class lounges around the world (and the Oneworld Emerald Lounge at JFK) – this is absolutely up there with the very best of them and it surpasses some of them. But there are two downsides – first, there’s no sleep/bedroom areas, which the very best First lounges now seem to have. And second, the toilets and showers are shared with the normal Plaza Premium Lounge. And they're nice, but they’re not quite of the size and quality you’d expect in a First Class lounge. So I’ll give this lounge a straight A rather than an A Plus. But it’s arguably the best lounge at BKK.

And, it goes without saying, a lovely little indulgence before a Jetstar redeye!

 

[Quickstatus]

Despite the near-perfect weather, I stayed in my room for most of the day and had another extremely productive day. There’s something about being able to write in view of the sea that’s creatively empowering.

You know some very famous authors wrote in hotels-

Here is my list:
JK Rowling
F Scott Fitzgerald
Ernest Hemingway
Victor Hugo

No doubt there are others

 

[Human]

Look, Jetstar Business Class wasn’t all bad. It was way more comfortable than Economy, I could book it with Qantas points even though it’s the end of the school holidays, and it got me home in one piece. Obviously, though, when you’re flying overnight the preference is to lie flat.

The 787 flying JQ30 was one of the old, non-refurbished ones. The recliner seats are perfectly OK. The recline is quite good, although the footrest comes out about 10cm and almost isn’t worth it.


There was back-seat entertainment, but as readers of my TRs would know my entertainment of choice is the flight map accompanied by good music. And there was no music option; my headphones remained unused for the flight and I just listened to music from my phone.


The menu (but you know that already!). I chose the Roast Chicken Salad but barely touched it – (a) because it was bland and uninspiring, and (b) because I was still full from going to town in the lounge.




Breakfast was marginally better. The omelette was quite good, although the chicken sausages were pretty awful.


I also took Arun Ashok’s advice and ordered a Cookieman Loaded Cookie. It was indeed the highlight of the food & beverage offering on the flight!

I was seated in the middle section of seats, on the aisle (seat 2F) for most of the flight. Two of the Business Class seats in the back row were curtained off for crew rest. About 90 minutes out of Melbourne, the curtains were removed and the very affable Cabin Manager, John, suggested that I sit in the window seat for the rest of the flight. An in-flight upgrade!


As for sleep? Well, I probably got a couple of hours. The seats did recline enough for me to be not-totally-uncomfortable.

There was some pretty bad weather in Melbourne this morning, causing some delays. Our flight was put in a holding pattern before we landed. But we’d made good time during the flight, so we ended up landing more-or-less on time, with none of the shenanigans that affected my last Jetstar flight into MEL.


Thus ends my trip, but not this Trip Report! When I’m less sleep deprived I’ll put together some reflections, as I always do.

 

[Dmac59]

Thoroughly enjoyed following along @Human
Another entertaining TR

 

[drron]

Khao Soi is my go to dish in Thailand and Australia if the restaurant has it. If they don't it is Massaman curry which was my go to dish. Both arose from the Muslim traders who went through Burma Laos and Northern Thailand. I'm like @Ade and ask for extra chilli.

We have flown twice on JQ Business class BNE-BKK That is a day time flight and much pleasanter. The Thai FAs do a good job as well.

 

[Human]

Khao Soi is my go to dish in Thailand and Australia if the restaurant has it. If they don't it is Massaman curry which was my go to dish. Both arose from the Muslim traders who went through Burma Laos and Northern Thailand. I'm like @Ade and ask for extra chilli.

We have flown twice on JQ Business class BNE-BKK That is a day time flight and much pleasanter. The Thai FAs do a good job as well.

During my week in Thailand, the Khao Soi is probably the most delicious thing I ate -- and that's saying a lot!

 

[Human]

FINAL REFLECTIONS​

• This was, obviously, a great trip. It was productive, relaxing, refreshing, enjoyable and almost nothing went wrong apart from my seven hour delay in BKK (and I got off very lightly compared with what others went through at the same time).
• The Pullman at Khao Lak is almost the perfect place to sit down, unwind, and get stuff done in a beautiful environment. As I wrote earlier, I’ve never stayed in an Accor property that’s more luxurious, and I’ve never paid less to stay at an Accor property! Obviously everyone has different desires for a holiday, but my recommendation is that if you do book here, book a room with a sea view.
• I’d almost say that it didn’t rain enough – there are things to do at Khao Lak, and more than once I looked out of my hotel room at the bright sunshine and the sparkling azure waters of the Andaman Sea, and I wished I was out there.
• If you come to the Pullman, eat at least some of the time at the Ona down the road – your taste buds will thank you, as will your wallet. And you’ll be supporting a local business. One more thing: resist the temptation to eat “Western” food while you’re there. Thai food is just too good.
• Having said that, I was probably being unfair in my first post when I asserted that the Pullman would “overcharge”. Their prices – for food and other services – are definitely more than what offsite providers charge. But they’re not astronomical, especially if you come armed with an Explorer discount.
• The Pullman was about one third occupied. I would definitely not want to come here when it’s fully occupied – it would be way too crowded.
• Thai people and staff are wonderful.
• This would be a great base for a more active holiday as well. There are a lot of tours I could have taken, and places I could have visited. Maybe next time!
• Once more: Go during the Wet season. I paid 20% of the peak season price, and at most it rained for a couple of hours per day and on some days less than that. And the resort was less crowded and more tranquil. Unless you love the vibe and the atmosphere caused by crowds (and some people do), this time of the year is the time to visit.

Of all the Trip Reports I’ve now written, this was the trip in which the least happened (deliberately so). So if you’ve read this far, thanks for reading and hopefully I wrote at least a few things that were of interest!

 

[craven morehead]

Many thanks for an excellent TR with great photos

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for the TR. Apart from the airport problems everything seemed to go very well for you. Good luck for completing your book.

 

[dmgale]

Thank you for the wonderful and thorough TR. I've stayed in several Pullman's and they never fail to please. That said, I have never seen prices like this, so I am going to have to lift my booking game. Thanks again

 

[drron]

A wonderful TR. I have already made a list of some chapters of my life I hope I will write about. But this won't be a book more for family and maybe some friends.
Some parts might find their way on to AFF though.

 

[Human]

A wonderful TR. I have already made a list of some chapters of my life I hope I will write about. But this won't be a book more for family and maybe some friends.
Some parts might find their way on to AFF though.

You never know @drron !

Think of A. B. Facey. He wrote A Fortunate Life because he wanted his immediate family and grandchildren to know his life story. He took it to a publisher and requested a print run of twenty copies.

It's ended up selling over a million copies to date and was made into a TV mini series!

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks @Human for a trip report both informative and entertaining. What’s next?

No doubt there are others

Agatha Christie

 

[TheRealTMA]

Excellent TR. Thoroughly enjoyed reading about places I will now never get to.
Thanks.

 

[Human]

Thanks @Human for a trip report both informative and entertaining. What’s next?

Thanks @RooFlyer . Next is getting through Term 4 at school with exams and reporting. Though I do also have the AFF Gathering in Adelaide to look forward to!

Over the summer my planned next trip is a cycling safari through rural India. I will of course do a TR for that so stay tuned!

 

[kookaburra75]

Thank you again @Human for another entertaining and informative trip report. MrsK and I don't mind travelling during wet season, as we just get red and sweaty like everyone else. We'll be checking out the Pullman.

 

[Human]

MrsK and I don't mind travelling during wet season, as we just get red and sweaty like everyone else.

If you're on a budget, or an introvert, or both, wet season travel is great. A couple of years ago I went to Darwin in December. The waterfalls at Litchfield National Park were at their best and most beautiful, I paid something like $80/night to stay at the Novotel and was upgraded to a Junior Suite, and best of all there was hardly anyone there!

 

[drron]

You never know @drron !

Think of A. B. Facey. He wrote A Fortunate Life because he wanted his immediate family and grandchildren to know his life story. He took it to a publisher and requested a print run of twenty copies.

It's ended up selling over a million copies to date and was made into a TV mini series!

I might just post some of the more complicated content on AFF as the musings of wheelchair ron. The AFF critics can have a field day.
A couple of the topics will be - The day I met King Charles.
The PM who thought I was a good guy
A weekend hosting Russia’s 4 top diplomats in Australia
Mrsdrron becomes the go to driver for a NSW premier in the Hunter.

 

[Brissy1]

You know some very famous authors wrote in hotels-

Here is my list:
JK Rowling
F Scott Fitzgerald
Ernest Hemingway
Victor Hugo

No doubt there are others

Oscar Wilde, but didn't like the room's wallpaper.