A pre-wedding Honeymoon? (21 days around Asia)

[HirafuHeartAttack]

'The next TR could either be in 3 months or 12 months depending on whether I can wrangle a nearly entirely points paid trip for July.' Me, April 2025.

I signed off my last TR not knowing when we could get away again, primarily due to getting married at the end of the year...
Well it obviously turns out it was less than 3 months before we set off again!

The essence of this trip was to get away to some of our favourite places one last time before we get married. It's highly unlikely we'll get a chance to do another extended trip after the wedding for a couple of reasons so we figured this would double up as a pre-wedding honeymoon as well.

The itinerary was nearly all based off points availability of the first flight, with pieces falling into place beyond that again based on availability of points flights.
Unfortunately I couldn't find anything worthwhile on QF points to get home, and had burned all of my VA points on the first one. So the only flight we paid cash for was our return. (And the reason we went to Seoul as it was $1600pp cheaper to return from there than Tokyo directly... go figure!)

Hotels were primarily places booked as a combo of cash and points (or points entirely for one), using free nights, or just cheap places with good locations.

Hopefully you can bare with me for this one. It might take a while to get done as we are moving house next week and after 3 weeks out of the office life is a bit hectic right now. Fingers crossed the combo of fun flights and some beautiful hotels will help keep interest!

Thanks in advance for reading!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 1):

Arguably one of the best parts of the trip was over after day 1. Which is sad but the bucket list has definitely had an item ticked off!

Initially I had been looking at late June/early July for this trip but when I saw 2 Advantage awards pop up exactly one month from departure for May 28 in the exact cabin many of us here dream of I just had to start the trip there!

I transferred the 480500 VA points to SQ required to book and kept my fingers crossed no one else would snap up the seats. Fortunately it was a near instant transfer and we had 2 confirmed Suites.

The week before the trip was incredibly stressful. We had found out we had to move and scrambled to ensure we'd have a new place to call home on our return. Luckily we were able to confirm a new apartment before departure so we had a sense of relief before the trip, however even on the day of departure we were still signing leases and paying bonds!

Finally on Wednesday May 28th we headed out to Sydney Terminal 1 at around 11:30am. We arrived around 12:20pm and headed straight to the regular Singapore Airlines check in counters and straight up to the Suites desk. Now I'm not sure if this should go in the 'Travel Mistakes' thread or if we just need one the host of airline news reporting sites to update their info, but we were told that we were welcome to use the new Sydney First Class check in area as this is now open to all SQ passengers eligible to use first class check in, not just 'PPS Solitaire members in any cabin class on the evening SQ242 flight' as I had been led to believe by ET and a couple other sites.

Once checked in we had a peek inside the new facility which is gorgeous but not really anything that special, and then headed through immigration and security which was painless in the middle of the day. After that it was a quick peruse of some duty free items before heading to the Singapore Airlines lounge.

Once at the lounge we were ushered through the discreet right hand door and into the sanctuary of the SQ first class section in Sydney where we took up a pair of chairs with a nice view of the apron (and a lovely white roof...). We were also asked if we would like to board first or last. Given that we already knew this flight would feel short we jumped at the opportunity to board first.



We started with glasses of 2013 Charles Heidsieck, which was a surprise to me as previous reports indicated Mumm was the champagne on offer. I think we can all agree the vintage Heidsieck is a significant upgrade.

Having purposely skipped breakfast to save room for both this and the flight we thoroughly perused the menus below:



Before ordering a host of things that were all equally as well executed and delicious as the last...



Of course we had to start with the signature satay and laksa.



Followed by duck pancakes and scallops.



And finished off with a plate of macarons, as well as more Heidsieck to wash it down...

This lounge is gorgeous and was so peaceful. I'm a big fan of the design and will attach some photos in the next post of the rest of the interior of the lounge.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 2):

Basically just more photos of the SQ Sydney First lounge!



View from the window back towards the lounge.



Wine selection.



Spirits.



The buffet.




Entrance seating.



Buffet pt 2.



Mens bathrooms with LaLique products.




Accessible shower suite.

 

[I love to travel]

Day 1 (Part 2):

Basically just more photos of the SQ Sydney First lounge!

View attachment 451546

View from the window back towards the lounge.

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Wine selection.

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Spirits.

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The buffet.


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Entrance seating.

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Buffet pt 2.

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Mens bathrooms with LaLique products.

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View attachment 451554

Accessible shower suite.

Agree the CH vintage is a step up

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 3):

As nice as the lounge was we were excited to see the staff member who checked us into the lounge return and inform us boarding was beginning. We left the lounge and headed down to gate 61 which was very nearby to a slightly chaotic scene. Business boarding had begun and the other cabins had bursting lines of people eager to get underway.

None of that mattered to us as at the far right hand side a lovely staff member was guarding the Suites line intently. Upon seeing our gold boarding passes she ushered us over and straight to the scanner. After that we headed up the jetbridge as the real excitement began...



Honestly I have goosebumps from reliving this moment, as despite seeing the entrance and cabin countless times in videos and photos, nothing could compare to the real deal of entering the upper deck and turning left into the single aisle of suites!

I was like a kid on Christmas morning once I got seated. I mean it's an incomparable experience to anything I've ever had flying, and thats from the seat to the crew. Truly top notch!



After doing laps of the suite in awe, I finally placed my belongings in the closet, only to have one of the attendants ask if I wanted to change into the LaLique pyjamas before departure? Umm, F yes!

I grabbed my goodie bag and entered a bathroom bigger than our current ensuite to change.




Again, photos and videos did not do justice to the size of these bathrooms and they even made (spoiler alert) the JAL F class bathrooms on the 777 look tiny.

After changing I hung(!!) my clothes in the closet and settled into the armchair.
'A glass of Champagne sir?'
uhh, yes please!
'And would you like Krug or 2013 Comtes?'
Hmm, lets start with Krug...



I swivelled my seat to face my partner until we departed while we both went through our amenity kits the same way a child would a wrapped birthday present!

Mine was the standard black LaLique Neroli kit, amazing nonetheless, but my partner had been given what I thought was a Changi departure only womens kit containing a host of LaLique Soleil products including perfume!




It was announced the doors were closed so I swivelled back to face forward and settled in for take off, but not before post takeoff drink orders were taken. I chose to further indulge in the taste of the little red dot ordering a Singapore Sling.

After take off the seatbelt sign was off in 5 minutes, and as much as the flight was abit of a champagne fuelled blur, I don't recall it going on again more than once. Even during this time the crew were instructed to continue their service with caution.

We promptly swivelled to the TV and dining position and were offered ottomans by one of the cabin attendants. I don't know how common this is but it was greatly appreciated and certainly alleviated one of the key complaints I hear about the armchair and its lack of footrest!





I sipped my Sling with the biggest smile on my face. Never have my fiance and I had adjoining seats with this much space between. It was all just absurd and indulgent in the best possible way!

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 4):

About 30 minutes after take off the crew started to prepare the huge tray tables for a late lunch service. At this stage I switched to the 2013 Comtes which may now be one of my favourite champagnes, albeit one I will rarely afford to indulge in at its price tag...

Meal service started with the obligatory caviar and accompaniments



A fantastic start and obviously one for the first class bucket list...



The caviar was followed by a seared salmon starter. (I'll attach menus in a separate post). I was a bit hesitant with this one as I hate wasabi, weird for someone who loves Japan but it tastes awful to me. Fortunately it was only a hint of the flavours and I devoured this.



Next was a Pancetta, Porcini and Farro soup. Again I wasn't sure I'd like this as I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms, mostly due to the texture. Fortunately again it was outstanding, the umami of the mushroom and saltiness of the parmesan and pancetta were great together.



The main event then arrived. We had both BTCed the lobster thermidor. It was tasty, but compared to both the lounge food and the rest of the onboard meals it was unfortunately just not quite on the same level. I'm a huge fan of some of SQs BTC meals that showcase the Singaporean cuisine but there are very few of these available from Sydney, so we went with the AvGeek fav in the thermidor. Likely a one and done. Again, good, not great.



I finished the meal service with a rich triple chocolate tart. A great way to finish and somewhat make up for the thermidor.

After the meal the crew asked if we would like the beds made. Absolutely!



We watched tv shows and movies in bed for the next couple of hours until there was a knock at one of the suites doors.



I had emailed SQ only a day before the flight to highlight how special this trip was for us as a (pre-wedding) honeymoon and they absolutely delivered. The card and teddies were accompanied by (another) incredibly rich chocolate cake which we could only manage half of...

Finally around 90 minutes before landing my fiance decided she was up for another meal and enjoyed a pesto gnocchi. I however had to decline as I was still too full from 2 lunches and soooooo much chocolate cake!



After that meal we changed back into our clothes, watched the beds fold back into the wall and prepared for landing.

We arrived at Changi at 9:20pm and were informed we would be parking at Terminal 2. This somewhat made a decision for us that I was umming and ahhing on. I had wanted to visit the private room but given how late it was, how full we still were and the prospect of having to transfer to T3 only to then have to return to T2 to collect our bags we decided against it. At least there's something left to check off if we ever get the chance to fly suites again!



We parked up, disembarked and were at the baggage claim not 10 minutes after deplaning with our luggage out within 15 minutes of arriving.

After security we headed out to the Grab pick up and within 30 minutes we were on our way to the city!



This flight was easily the best of our lives and something I am so grateful we had the chance to do together. The suite itself was everything I'd dreamed of and the crew were even more fantastic than I could have imagined.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

SQ222 SYD-SIN May 28th Suites Menus





And some photos that didn't make the above:

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Day 1 (Part 5):

The final part of day 1!

After hopping in our Grab it was a painless journey into the city to check into one of our favourite hotels - The Fairmont Singapore.

We arrived at about 10pm and were quickly checked in and on our way to to our room. From arriving at the gate to being in our room was exactly 1 hour which is certainly a record for us in Singapore.

I booked a Fairmont Gold Marina Bay Room using ALL points + cash. My goal for the entire trip was to keep the actual $ cost per night below $250 and utilise points and free nights to enhance the experiences. This ended up costing about $890 AUD for 3 nights after using points so we were off to a solid start in one of the worlds most expensive luxury hotel markets!

Our room was beautiful and the view both day and night was spectacular!







We quickly fell asleep in the huge Fairmont king bed after a big day of eating and drinking with some flying... and thus finally ends day 1!

Like most of my other reports I'll try and follow this more linear timeline format with reviews of the accom and flights as they happened. I'll also do a bit of a breakdown of how I booked (as I did with the suites flight and the Fairmont) to give an idea of how I made it all work!

 

[stm1sydney]

Fabulous.