Israel, Vietnam, Qatar and UAE – QR, TK, SQ, MI and VN (F, J and Y)

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GCS

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Nov 10, 2006
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I needed to go to Perth for a wedding so, I thought I'd turn it into an overseas trip.

I wanted to see Vietnam as I had to cancel a trip there a couple of years ago. I also wanted to see Dubai, and visit family in Israel. The trip was a combination of F, J and Y purchased and reward. The report focuses only on elements that might be of interest.

My sectors ended up as:
SYD-PER-SIN-SGN-BKK-DOH-DXB-IST-TLV-IST-DXB-DOH-BKK-HAN-DAD-SIN-SYD.

SYD-PER
DJ, Y on A330, purchased. Fairly unremarkable flight.

Parmelia Hilton
Upgraded to a King Deluxe (HH Gold) - converted to a twin as I was staying with a friend. Good breakfast with both buffet and a la carte available.

PER-SIN-SGN
J SQ saver award.

New regional on first leg, old regional on next. SQ up to their usual high standards.

Saigon Mini Hotel 5
A small 2-3 star hotel like many of the others in district 1. Unremarkable but comfortable.

SGN-BKK-DOH
Qatar, J on 77W, purchased.

I took advantage of good J fares for Vietnam-DXB return fights, and this was my first time on QR. The cabin was spacious, the fully flat seat was one of the best J products I have experienced, food was good, amenities and PJs top notch. Service had a few wrinkles, such as forgetting my drink order, but overall I was impressed. As expected, loads on the intra-Asia sector were pretty low, but the cabin was fairly full for the BKK-DOH leg. Interestingly, passengers stayed on the plane at BKK, something I haven't done on a layover for years.

The first class lounge at the premium terminal in Doha was great – excellent food, showers and massage chair. The staff were very helpful in changing flights.

I spent the day in Doha visiting the Islamic art museum, waking along the corniche, and visiting some markets. It was 40 degrees and I went back to the airport when I had enough.

DOH-DXB
F, A320

QR calls their premium product F on their GCC routes. That being said this was my first F trip (in a regional J product though). Row 1 didn't have a lot of room. Seat was comfortable for the hour-long flight.

Sofitel Jumeirah Beach

I booked this through Hotwire (suspecting what I was going to get). Was upgraded (Accor Plat) to a junior suite with a view of the beach, and access to the club lounge, breakfast and coughtails/ evening snacks. An excellent hotel.

DXB-IST-TLV

TK, Y, purchased. A330 and A320.

Options for travel between DXB and TLV weren't plentiful. I went with TK over RJ due to scheduling. My first time on TK. Food was surprisingly good, crew were unsurprisingly surly. Good selection of entertainment.

Jerusalem apartment rental
through a managing agent
Small studio apartment for one week in Rechaviah. Renovated with air conditioning and WIFI.

TLV-IST-DXB

A mirror of the outward journey. TLV security was slightly curious about my routing, but no problems in the end. TK passengers really need to learn to wait until the seatbelt sign is off (or the aircraft at least stopped) before getting out of their seats and removing their bags.

Crowne Plaza Festival City

Upgraded to Creek view room (PC Club). Good hotel close to the airport with the ubiquitous shopping centre attached.

DXB-DOH-BKK-HAN

QR, F and J. Essentially the reverse of the outward journey.

Indochina Queen Hotel 2.

Another hotel similar to Saigion Mini. Upgraded to a deluxe room (no status in non-existent scheme).

Hanoi Hilton Opera
Booked the final night of my stay fairly last minute using HH points. Upgraded to executive floor with manager's letter and chocolate on arrival. A good Hilton - well located and the room had a nice view of the opera house. A good spread for coughtails and breakfast.

HAN-DAD

VN, J A321

Standard domestic- style J product. Only a snack was provided for the one- hour flight, but interestingly a family, including kids, were eating their full meal in the forward gallery sitting on the crew seats. Not sure what was going on there.

Cam Chau Homestay, Hoi An

This probably won't be of much interest here, but I decided to try a homestay experience in Hoi An. Booked through booking.com for about $20 a night, I essentially got a room in a family's house about 20 minutes walk from town with air con and private bathroom. Breakfast, WiFi and use of a bike for the stay was included. The host even took me out for a drink one night and I was invited to dinner with the family for another. It certainly was a positive experience. I was worried about a lack of privacy, but this wasn't an issue. I was left to my own devices when I wanted to be. Not the Sofitel, but it was good for what it was.

DAD-SIN-SYD

MI and SQ, A320 and A380 in Y on SQ award.

Managed to snare 48D (the one without the seat in front of it) on the A380 for the SIN-SYD leg. It certainly made the seat more comfortable, but I still couldn’t sleep.

The Kris Gold lounge in SIN really is a waste of time. Crowded, noisy, not a lot of food and the well documented lack of toilets.

Summary

Overall I had an enjoyable month away. Status in hotel programs was useful, as was staying in no name hotels when appropriate. QR and SQ met and TK exceeded my expectations. Happy to answer questions privately or in the forum. Sorry no photos.

GCS
 
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