RTW 2.5x - a DONE4 with stops in NYC, London and Italy (HCO only)

[Aeolus]

The QR lounge is very nice. When I got here I think there was only one other person here so there were more staff than guests.

Menu can be found here: https://www.qatarairways.com/content/dam/hia/pdf/qr-singapore-lounge-en.pdf

I had the congee and the lamb. The lamb was amazing so beautifully cooked. I asked if I could have more but was told only one main per person - I’m pretty sure qantas lets you have as much of whatever you want. They also ran out of dessert so I had to get some from the buffet and wow the chocolate tart is delicious. I think it’s a made offsite but I could have a lot of them.
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I did take a look around the toilets and they do have nice looking shower facilities but only 2 available so I imagine it might be a challenge getting one at times. Either way, well worth visiting if not for the food (no laksa) but it’s also a very nice space to chill with some neat private booths and wireless charging.

I rate QR J higher than QF F lounge for ambience and quality of food.

 

[PrezRegan]

My hotel, the intercontinental Yokohama pier 8 is a stunning place to stay - it was awarded a Michelin key (their equivalent of stars but for hotels) just last year and I can see why. I paid for this stay using approx 50k IHG points and as an IC Ambassador was upgraded. Wasn’t able to get an earlier check in than 1300 or a later checkout than 1400 but not bad.

The upgrade from a standard king room was to a suite of some description and wow. It’s big by Western standards and possibly *massive* by Japanese ones. It appears I forgot to take a picture of the shower area but it’s in the middle with a separate tub. There’s no balcony but the windows can be opened letting in a fresh sea breeze and there is a great view over the harbour.


This place only has 2 possible downsides. First, the gym is shocking with no free weights whatsoever and only cardio machines. This was a first for me. Second, it’s not close to the train - it’s about a 10 min walk but wil involve stairs. There is a 7/11 and small mall of sorts next door so perfect for a staycation and the cup noodle museum is close but it’s not super easy to get to and will require transfers on train to get elsewhere.

It’s sister hotel, the Yokohama intercontinental grand is very big and much larger but a bit older. It’s directly next to the station so arguably better but you trade the premium and exclusivity and newness for this. It still would have great views over the harbour.

After checkin and a quick gym session on the bike I caught up with a a workmate’s partner who is cabin crew for QF. She just happened to have flown in last night and was staying in Yokohama proper so we grabbed a quick, cheap and delicious ramen. Unfortunately the rain closed in so we couldn’t walk about and she had to prep for her flight back so I went back to the hotel. Didn’t do much in the evening except grab some sake and ice from the 7/11 and chilled for the night

 

[PrezRegan]

Despite being exhausted after the overnight flight and getting the nods all night, my body clock woke me up at 0430. Damn jet lag.

At around 0700 I went to the nearby 7/11 and got breakfast. Some pre-made salmon porridge, some onsen eggs, coffee and juice. This small feast came to $12. From what I could see (without looking too hard) the hotel doesn’t see to offer breakfast? The restaurants all seem to have lunchtime opening hours but I could be mistaken, as it seems like a significant oversight. They do have 24/7 room service but the breakfast options started at $40 so I wasn’t super keen on that.

I fell asleep at about 10 and good think I set another alarm as I think I slept like a log till it went off. Packed my bags and checked out and went to the nearby cup museum to check I it out. It’s pretty neat, they have a couple of interactive activities for 500Y you can participate in. One was the “make your own custom cup noodle” (which I did) and another where you make noodles from scratch. I was tempted to do the second but it took 45 mins and I’d just missed the 1400 one and the next at 1445 might make my timings to make the bus transfer to airport tight. So I just settled for making my own cup noodle which essentially just means draw a design, pick some toppings and watch them seal it for you. Neat enough. I won’t horrify you with my “artwork” but you can see the result before it was sealed.

Besides these experiences there is a net display of cup noodles over time and a long wall walk that outlines the relatively recent history of cup noodles. There’s also a film that goes for about 15 mins that pretty much summarises the wall walk. The dialogue is in Japanese but there are English subs. For the wall displays they are all in Japanese but there is an audio guide you can get for free (I didn’t bother after seeing the film). A quick visit to the gift shop (I didn’t buy anything) and back to grab my bags from the hotel. All up it was a neat way to kill 1.5h and for $10 was actually quite good. Would definitely recommend the museum and also the area if you want something different. Yokohama is apparently the second largest city after Tokyo and does have a lot there but less tourists from what I saw yesterday.

I walked over to intercontinental grand where the bus departed from and the staff there were lovely, letting me sit in the lobby, taking my bags and assuring me they would let me know when the bus arrived. Truly amazing service. I’m on the bus now to the airport and will likely get there just as check in opens which is excellent. This will be my second last flight (last international) and I’m pretty keen to be home.

I’m reasonably certain the JL Flounge is there… I’m kinda counting on it for dinner and a pre-flight shower

 

[elanshin]

Despite being exhausted after the overnight flight and getting the nods all night, my body clock woke me up at 0430. Damn jet lag.

At around 0700 I went to the nearby 7/11 and got breakfast. Some pre-made salmon porridge, some onsen eggs, coffee and juice. This small feast came to $12. From what I could see (without looking too hard) the hotel doesn’t see to offer breakfast? The restaurants all seem to have lunchtime opening hours but I could be mistaken, as it seems like a significant oversight. They do have 24/7 room service but the breakfast options started at $40 so I wasn’t super keen on that.

I fell asleep at about 10 and good think I set another alarm as I think I slept like a log till it went off. Packed my bags and checked out and went to the nearby cup museum to check I it out. It’s pretty neat, they have a couple of interactive activities for 500Y you can participate in. One was the “make your own custom cup noodle” (which I did) and another where you make noodles from scratch. I was tempted to do the second but it took 45 mins and I’d just missed the 1400 one and the next at 1445 might make my timings to make the bus transfer to airport tight. So I just settled for making my own cup noodle which essentially just means draw a design, pick some toppings and watch them seal it for you. Neat enough. I won’t horrify you with my “artwork” but you can see the result before it was sealed.
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Besides these experiences there is a net display of cup noodles over time and a long wall walk that outlines the relatively recent history of cup noodles. There’s also a film that goes for about 15 mins that pretty much summarises the wall walk. The dialogue is in Japanese but there are English subs. For the wall displays they are all in Japanese but there is an audio guide you can get for free (I didn’t bother after seeing the film). A quick visit to the gift shop (I didn’t buy anything) and back to grab my bags from the hotel. All up it was a neat way to kill 1.5h and for $10 was actually quite good. Would definitely recommend the museum and also the area if you want something different. Yokohama is apparently the second largest city after Tokyo and does have a lot there but less tourists from what I saw yesterday.
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I walked over to intercontinental grand where the bus departed from and the staff there were lovely, letting me sit in the lobby, taking my bags and assuring me they would let me know when the bus arrived. Truly amazing service. I’m on the bus now to the airport and will likely get there just as check in opens which is excellent. This will be my second last flight (last international) and I’m pretty keen to be home.

I’m reasonably certain the JL Flounge is there… I’m kinda counting on it for dinner and a pre-flight shower

I quite liked the IC lobby at Pacifico although as a hotel I liked Hilton Yokohama better.

Just don't forget the 10-15min walk from JL F to the QF 14X gates. I've definitely been called out before and last to board because of that before.