djfuzz
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So for a variety of reasons following the birth of Baby Djf, we had been planning a brief trip away with him – far down on that list was Mrs Djf’s WP requal which had been put off for some time after missing out on booking during the double SC promo (and which still hasn’t come through, thanks to inconsistent Jetstar points posting). We travelled in Jetstar Starclass and stayed at the Hansar Bangkok, Alila Cha-am and The Peninsula Bangkok, and I thought it would be worth sharing our impressions of these with our fellow AFFers.
I know many of you are regular travellers to the LOS, but I thought I’d add some thoughts on the places we stayed at, which I haven’t seen much of around here. Other threads have debated whether or not children should be allowed in F or J, and still others have made the case that pax with preallocated seats should not be forced to give up their allocation for those with special needs. Not going to go into the merits of those arguments here, merely to provide some thoughts on how we found it to work in practice.
Jetstar Starclass - Jetstar Airways - StarClass, Business Class Travel
We initially booked a regular Starclass fare, but due to a subsequent sale over the same dates, we applied for a refund to book the cheaper fare (no other way to do so). The refund was quite speedy – their customer guarantee says that refunds should come within 15 working days, but ours arrived within 10, although they withheld the credit card fee (which was never specified in their terms or in my discussions with them). It’s worth noting that Jetstar’s refund fee has gone up to $50 per ticket from $30. Date changes on the Jetstar site were relatively straightforward (though you can’t change to a cheaper fare), and free for Starclass. Thankfully we didn’t have to try to get a refund on the sale Starclass fare, as these are apparently non-refundable – not that the issued tickets specify a fare bucket or distinguish between promotional and regular Starclass fares. Infant fares were an additional $40 per sector.
At the time of booking, you are prompted to select your seat. Despite the cabin being almost empty, rather predictably the bassinet positions were unavailable. So we were forced to select elsewhere. Calls to Jetstar’s customer centre merely met with a reissuing of the itinerary with the promise that while nothing could be done at that time, a note would be added to the booking and that a bassinet position would definitely be allocated at checkin. Needless to say, at both instances of check-in, we made sure we were close to the first Starclass pax checking in, but nevertheless had to point out the bassinet requirement after BPs had been issued and get them to move us into the bassinet seats (after a bit of argy bargy). So while they did eventually come through for us, we had to push for it to be so and were told at least once that the row 2 seats we already had were in fact bassinet seats (incorrect) or that the actual bassinet seats couldn’t be reallocated. I’m not entirely certain why the Starclass bassinet positions are allocatable in the first place – I assume that in the other cabin, such positions are only available on payment of a fee (or the presence of an infant on the booking – which also requires the payment of a fee in and of itself), and they certainly aren’t available for preallocation on QF. I feel the existing system on Jetstar to be unfair to both the pax who preallocate and to those who require the use of those seats to leave this issue to be resolved (or not) at the airport – at the end of the day, someone’s expectations and journey is disturbed, and that should not be the case right from the outset. Of course, my view of how things should be differs from that of others, but I’ll leave that for now.
The Starclass baggage allowance certainly came in handy as we had an extra suitcase full of Baby Djf’s stuff, as well as his Bugaboo stroller in its rather large travel bag – which didn’t count towards our allowance, but we would have been fine if it did. More importantly, it came out fine at both ends, which I thought was a minor miracle (particularly at MEL!).
Ex-MEL we checked in not long after T-3 and went ‘straight’ to the F Lounge. I use quotes because it was our first time through the new duty free area at MEL that, like in SYD, forces you to walk in an unnecessary arc through the shops rather than straight to the gates and lounges. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where an airport’s primary function is to force you to walk through shops, rather than get you onto a plane – it seems to be a uniquely Australian trait, as if the quality of our shops and prices is insufficient to attract people with the time and inclination to ‘stop at the dooty free shops’ themselves. Horrible from an accessibility point of view. In any case, we were probably down to T-2.5 by the time we finally got through to the F Lounge. Quiet as QF93 pax had just left and QF131 pax had yet to start coming in, so we managed to book staggered sessions at the spa. Thanks to Princess Fiona’s recommendation, we were able to book one of the private suites in order to look after the baby (and keep the baby from bothering others in the F Lounge – some parents are a little considerate, you know!). Luckily the baby was fine, and behaved exceptionally. Ordered the squid, burger and fish of the day – as well as this fantastic dessert that now eludes me (some sort of chocolate / ice cream concoction that was possibly one of the nicer desserts I’ve had). F Lounge staff were extremely accommodative and very helpful at all stages; possibly too much so as they let us stay until the final call, and by the time we reached the gate (right down the end of the new section of MEL), we were being paged by name and were the last to board.
Short delay on board as someone else had failed to board entirely and had to have baggage offloaded, so we used the time to get the baby settled. Jetstar FA’s were superb, helped us get set up with the infant seat belt and offered to help with various things throughout the flight. We took them up on some extra blankets and hot water for bottle warming, but that was about it. As it turned out, Baby Djf also flew like a pro – didn’t use Phenergan or anything, just fed him on take off / landing and fed and changed once in the middle and we were in brilliant shape. While he clearly wasn’t all that fond of the bassinet, he slept pretty solidly throughout the flight and we were able to pretty easily monitor him by ear (though not by eye – might help for the pax-side of those bassinets to have some sort of netting so that you can watch them as well). So I think our fellow pax had little if anything to complain about from us – probably more so from the snorers and the pax insisting on keeping their window shades open (then again it was a day flight after all).
As for the Starclass service – well, given that the fare was very close to a regular Y fare, I suppose expectations should be geared accordingly. The seat was not bad, though the coverage on the bottom was not great – massive gaps between the cushion and frame, which could easily have been apholstered or covered for comfort. As you’d expect, on part with the QF Dom J seat. Food service was reasonable, with two decent warm options at either end of the flight (a lamb korma and noodles, from memory), an edible tiramisu and reasonable drinks service.
The FA’s were very nice and helpful in general, and they certainly tried their best to make ours a pleasant flight. The VOD units were terribly bulky and ungainly, but had some decent content on them. After seeing what can be done with iOS devices when the right attitude is taken to them (see Alila, below), I can certainly see the case for replacing them with iPads – a canny person at JQ procurement better be picking up outgoing first generation iPads now at the discounted price. The headphones were adequate, though I was never quite clear as to whether the headphones were gimmes for Starclass pax or not. Despite the VOD units for everyone in Starclass, rather annoyingly the screens on the bulkheads continued to show various programs which meant that the bassinet seats were never dark – more of a problem for the return red-eye flight.
Ex-BKK, despite their claims to the contrary, Jetstar check-in opened well before T-3. We got there at about T-3.5 and were in the Seq 30s. Unfortunately, the timing of our arrival and the flight was squarely in the middle of the F Lounge closing hours. John K has mentioned elsewhere that there’s no appreciable difference between the J and F Louges in BKK (other than the champagne), and having spent a bit of time at the J Lounge now I have to agree. It did get a bit crowded closer to the flight, so we briefly popped into the F Lounge – would have been nice to have spent that time in the quieter lounge, but no big deal at the end of the day. Food was pretty disappointing, just some mini rolls and some chicken consommé. They could use some more private areas, but neither is really up to the level of the HKG and SIN lounges, let alone the home ones.
For both BKK arrival and departure, the Jetstar flight was quite far from the customs and immigration area. Jetstar also doesn’t seem to have any express cards for Starclass pax at the BKK end, which was a bit disappointing given everyone else does and they do have Australian express cards. Nevertheless, it may only have saved us about 10 minutes max either side. The real problem for us was the horrendous situation at MEL arrivals, which is nothing new. Held up to its reputation of being the worst airport I’ve been through; no need to elaborate in great details as everyone here is well aware of its failings.
On the outbound legs, the FF points and SCs were posted within 24 hours, however while mine were similarly prompt on the inbound, Mrs Djf’s points have yet to post – a little awkward, as her WP assessment date is 31 March, and we already declined to fill in the future travel form as she was due to requalify on her own in any case. Fingers crossed that we don’t get done in on the final leg, which would be disappointing since the promptness of the other points posting made me think that QF/JQ had finally sorted out this mess.
So overall, our Starclass experience was not bad for the price we paid – got Mrs Djf requalified for WP (despite the second batch of points not posting as promptly as the first), had sufficient space and assistance to look after Baby Djf and carry his stuff, and got to use the respective F Lounges. Would have loved priority baggage, but it doesn’t seem like that will ever be on the cards for JQ. Don’t think we would have had as pleasant a trip in Y (other than perhaps QF, and certainly not JQ). Starclass can’t compare in any way with the J product of other airlines (even QF domestic), but again for the price it was an adequate Y+ type service.
Hansar Bangkok - Hansar Bangkok Hotel
On arrival in BKK, we stayed for five days at the Hansar, which has just recently opened. I first became aware of it through a thread on FT. Had initially been thinking about staying at an Accor property in the hope of an Asia Sale, as has been the case over the past few years, but when that became unlikely we started looking elsewhere. There were some great photos of the Hansar on the FT thread, and some wonderful reviews (somehow it rocketed to the top of the Trip Advisor rankings) – and their opening room rates were quite reasonable.
So we went ahead and booked their most basic room, a Studio Suite, for five nights through the SLH Club – which in theory should have included an upgrade and late checkout, neither of which were offered by the hotel on arrival. We had tried to contact the hotel by email to arrange a car, but they never responded so we did so by phone instead. In any case, our airport transfer was a little dicey as it was – found it very difficult to find the hotel contact at BKK and despite us pre-booking a car, they ended up sending us in one of the Peninsula’s cars (ironic!). Amazingly all of our bags fit into the car and we were sped off to the hotel, which is located just off Rajdamri Rd, a block south of the Ratchaprasong area and behind the Four Seasons, the soon-to-open St Regis and Ratchadamri BTS station.
Due to the cover of night, we couldn’t really form any decent first impressions on arrival, except that everything seemed very cool – very nice lighting, lots of dark stone and wood. We were taken to reception on the first floor, then whisked away to our room for check-in. This is an all-suite hotel adjoining a residential building, and our room was in the residential part of the building (which itself is shaped like an H, like the Hansar logo). On exiting the elevator, we were surprised to learn that the corridors are open air! While we hadn’t been upgraded (and the hotel certainly wasn’t full), they had gone to the trouble of setting up a crib and providing some amenities for the baby. In any case, it was quite a decently sized room, with a sofa, an enormous television, a work desk, a kitchenette and washing machine, a very decent bathroom, and a view over the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, so all told we were happy.
This certainly is a boutique hotel – only 60 odd rooms, all suites, with very modern styling. The pool and fitness area on the 8th floor was nice, if nothing particularly special. There was a skydeck on the 19th floor, though this was closed most of the time. Finally, the spa on level 10 had promotional rates of 40 per cent off all treatments, which certainly made it quite attractive. While not particularly lavish, it was peaceful enough and the prices were certainly right for a hotel spa. The service was very enthusiastic – this is no Oriental, but the staff were all very friendly, well trained, spoke adequate English and went out of their way to look after us (particularly with baby in tow).
Due to its early days, dining options were limited to a French restaurant called Eve (which doubled as the breakfast room), and Café Boca, both on the ground floor. We stuck to Boca most days, as the prices were very reasonable for very well prepared food; tried out Eve one night, and while it was interesting food, it was a little on the pricey side. The breakfast spread was decent, if not comprehensive, with eggs prepared to order rather than the traditional egg station. Eating out on the deck of the quiet soi was very nice (if you ignored the nearby construction), and made it hard to think that just a little ways up the road was the madness of Ratchaprasong. It was ideally located for exploring that area by foot or making a quick trip anywhere else on BTS, given how close and quiet Ratchadamri station was most of the time.
At the end of our stay, I must say I was quite sorry to leave, and were it up to me, we would have stayed here on our way out as well.
Alila Cha-am - Alila Cha-Am hotel, luxury boutique resort near Hua Hin, Thailand
We had been thinking about returning to the Langham Place in Koh Samui, but found out that it had recently changed hands (plus weren’t so keen on PG’s monopoly on the route). Heard great things about Le Meridien Chiang Rai on FT and elsewhere, and had never been there before, but in the end figured it would be easier if we didn’t have to fly again with the baby. We thought about going to Hua Hin, before stumbling across Alila Cha-am on Mr and Mrs Smith. The price looked right and the place looked pretty nice in the pictures, and had received rave reviews both there and on TripAdvisor. So we thought we’d give it a go – a 2 hour car ride sounded far more palatable than a flight and transfers at both ends.
Tried emailing them to arrange transfers but again got no response. Much better to deal with when we gave them a call; again, they spoke adequate English to handle our queries. The van they sent for us was a Toyota Commuter, reasonably comfortable inside. They had arranged a car seat for the baby, but it was a regular seat rather than a capsule (and it was located in the front!). In any case, we used a harness and said a little prayer – thankfully, the driver was very cautious, and despite that we made excellent time and got there just shy of two hours.
The property has a very high design aesthetic – in fact, there’s a coffee table book about the design process by Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag in every room. It starts with a garden and a marble staircase leading up to an open-air reception under a ‘plank’ of timber. Beyond that is a long rectangular reflecting pool surrounded by a number of wood/concrete buildings containing the suites. In the middle of the reflecting pool is a carve-out for an open air ‘Chill’ (adults only) pool, adjoined by the Alila spa, Red bar, and Library underneath the reflecting pool. At the end of the reflecting pool sits the Clouds Loft restaurant, underneath which is Motion, the bistro (and breakfast buffet). Moving further along is an open air dining area and garden containing the ‘Active’ (family) pool, itself surrounded by the pool villas. At the very end are some decking and the beach, with a number of cabanas and deck chairs, and a decently sized white sand beach. While there is nothing but scrub on either side of the property, a little ways off there are some high-rise towers; but in general the beach is mostly frequented by Alila guests only. The whole property is wired for sound by Bose, from the rooms (and bathrooms), the outdoor areas and beach, right to under water in the pools.
We booked the cheapest room, a Horizon Suite (located on the second and third floors of the suite buildings). On the ground floors were Garden Terraces, but these were essentially the same with a patio that looked out onto a hedge and the footpath adjacent to the stone wall of the reflecting pool structure (in our view, less preferable to an open view across the pool). The rooms are predominantly concrete, with high ceilings and simple wood furnishings. A very nice king bed, with windows and balconies surrounding sits at the end, with a small lounge area (on which daily drinks and treats were left after evening turndown) and a credenza beneath another decently-sized LCD TV. Most impressively, the TV was connected to a hacked Apple TV running a customized Alila skin of XBMC with a selection of preloaded movies – certainly made me happy, and curious enough to have a go at a similar hack myself! The bathroom was also quite big, the centerpiece of which would undoubtedly be the massive rain shower located right in the middle – one of the nicest showers I’ve had the pleasure of using (the shower plate alone is probably bigger than our shower cubicle at home!).
Again, both the service and the food at Alila were excellent. The GM circulated from time to time for a chat and to give us a heads up on what we could do in and around the resort (they also have a daily shuttle to Cha-am and Hua Hin). Similarly, every night we received a run down on the next days activities with the turndown service. The spa was lovely and its prices were quite competitive with the Hansar sale, and they had their own promotion for 3 hours worth of treatments in a day for 4000 THB +++.
We ate one night at Clouds Loft, which was nice, but we much preferred the more reasonably priced fare at Motion – cooked from the same kitchen, so of similar quality if not composition. Complimentary afternoon tea was served every day at Motion, giving a sample of their menu, as well as happy hour coughtail at Clouds Loft at sunset. Skewers of fruit would be brought out along the beach and coconuts and juice were available from an adjoining stand.
To say we enjoyed our time at Alila would be a massive understatement – the only downside was that the unseasonal rain for half the time we were there, but there was enough to do in and around the resort to make it only a minor disappointment.
Peninsula Bangkok - Bangkok's Top Luxury Hotel by the Riverside |The Peninsula Bangkok
On our way back from Cha-am we decided to spend a couple of days at the Peninsula, after having stayed at the Hong Kong property and loved it and dropped in at the Bangkok one for afternoon tea. Compared to the other hotels we’d stayed at, which were modern and highly design-oriented, the Peninsula was a step back into a simpler, but luxuriously ornate, world.
Again, we were lucky enough to book a promotional rate for a Grand Deluxe room for two nights, which included a spa voucher. While not as nice as the Peninsula Hong Kong rooms, these rooms were nicely appointed in classic Peninsula style, with a V-shaped window looking across the river. The bed was a little on the hard side, but still very nice, with a sofa and work desk, powder/luggage room and bathroom (which, while nice in itself, was not quite as elaborate as either of those in the other properties on our trip). What was lacking in the room was a decent TV - still using old boxy CRTs in the wooden entertainment units and in the bathroom - which paled in comparison to the far more sophisticated offerings we'd sampled, but TV was hardly a priority for us on this trip.
Dining along the river for the amazing breakfast buffet and a sublime Thai dinner at Thiptara was fantastic. We did catch the hotel’s river shuttle across to the BTS to head into town, and to the Oriental for lunch. The boats land across the river at the Peninsula Pier, which apparently has a lounge but doesn’t really leave you anywhere convenient, or the ‘Oriental’ Pier, which is not the Oriental hotel’s pier, but adjacent to it – and in quite a considerable state of disrepair, which we had not been able to assess before landing at it.
Also great was the Peninsula ESPA Spa – while not as spectacular as the spa in Hong Kong (particularly with its ‘heat experience’), the spa was located in a Thai ‘colonial’ style separate building with relaxation rooms overlooking the river and well appointed and suitably relaxing treatment rooms. Prices were naturally higher than those at our previous stops, but nevertheless relatively reasonable. The service at the hotel, while less enthusiastic than at the others (only because the others had been so much so) was still effortlessly on the ball. The only service I was a little miffed about was the return airport transfer – costly to begin with, but the only place during our trip where we were hassled for tips (we’d usually provide a little extra beyond the included service charge in any case); especially so because the outbound airport service consisted of a Pen rep meeting our car and wheeling our trolley about 50m to the check-in desks, rather than taking us through airside or the far more thorough service in Hong Kong. He didn't even do that particularly well, and led us away from the JQi desks because he thought they wouldn't have opened yet - while the boards clearly showed that they were already open (and time was of the essence for us!).
Other than that, staying at the Pen was a lovely way to end our brief Thailand trip – while I do hope to be able to venture up north next time, this was a nice first trip to be travelling with a baby, and we feel like we did extremely well in terms of value and experience for each stage of the journey. Hope our experience provides some use to fellow AFFers.
[Edit] One thing I failed to note above was that each of these properties provided free WiFi throughout the rooms and public areas (right down to the pools at Alila) and complimentary breakfast. Given the fact that many of the other places we looked at charged for each of these (and had higher rates)makes you wonder what you're really paying for sometimes. Naturally, by not feeling nickel and dimed for these modern essential amenities, we felt freer to spend on many other things at the hotel (that we might have otherwise avoided or sought elsewhere). We felt like we got great value at each place (even Jetstar), despite the different types of experience at each.
I know many of you are regular travellers to the LOS, but I thought I’d add some thoughts on the places we stayed at, which I haven’t seen much of around here. Other threads have debated whether or not children should be allowed in F or J, and still others have made the case that pax with preallocated seats should not be forced to give up their allocation for those with special needs. Not going to go into the merits of those arguments here, merely to provide some thoughts on how we found it to work in practice.
Jetstar Starclass - Jetstar Airways - StarClass, Business Class Travel
We initially booked a regular Starclass fare, but due to a subsequent sale over the same dates, we applied for a refund to book the cheaper fare (no other way to do so). The refund was quite speedy – their customer guarantee says that refunds should come within 15 working days, but ours arrived within 10, although they withheld the credit card fee (which was never specified in their terms or in my discussions with them). It’s worth noting that Jetstar’s refund fee has gone up to $50 per ticket from $30. Date changes on the Jetstar site were relatively straightforward (though you can’t change to a cheaper fare), and free for Starclass. Thankfully we didn’t have to try to get a refund on the sale Starclass fare, as these are apparently non-refundable – not that the issued tickets specify a fare bucket or distinguish between promotional and regular Starclass fares. Infant fares were an additional $40 per sector.
At the time of booking, you are prompted to select your seat. Despite the cabin being almost empty, rather predictably the bassinet positions were unavailable. So we were forced to select elsewhere. Calls to Jetstar’s customer centre merely met with a reissuing of the itinerary with the promise that while nothing could be done at that time, a note would be added to the booking and that a bassinet position would definitely be allocated at checkin. Needless to say, at both instances of check-in, we made sure we were close to the first Starclass pax checking in, but nevertheless had to point out the bassinet requirement after BPs had been issued and get them to move us into the bassinet seats (after a bit of argy bargy). So while they did eventually come through for us, we had to push for it to be so and were told at least once that the row 2 seats we already had were in fact bassinet seats (incorrect) or that the actual bassinet seats couldn’t be reallocated. I’m not entirely certain why the Starclass bassinet positions are allocatable in the first place – I assume that in the other cabin, such positions are only available on payment of a fee (or the presence of an infant on the booking – which also requires the payment of a fee in and of itself), and they certainly aren’t available for preallocation on QF. I feel the existing system on Jetstar to be unfair to both the pax who preallocate and to those who require the use of those seats to leave this issue to be resolved (or not) at the airport – at the end of the day, someone’s expectations and journey is disturbed, and that should not be the case right from the outset. Of course, my view of how things should be differs from that of others, but I’ll leave that for now.
The Starclass baggage allowance certainly came in handy as we had an extra suitcase full of Baby Djf’s stuff, as well as his Bugaboo stroller in its rather large travel bag – which didn’t count towards our allowance, but we would have been fine if it did. More importantly, it came out fine at both ends, which I thought was a minor miracle (particularly at MEL!).
Ex-MEL we checked in not long after T-3 and went ‘straight’ to the F Lounge. I use quotes because it was our first time through the new duty free area at MEL that, like in SYD, forces you to walk in an unnecessary arc through the shops rather than straight to the gates and lounges. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where an airport’s primary function is to force you to walk through shops, rather than get you onto a plane – it seems to be a uniquely Australian trait, as if the quality of our shops and prices is insufficient to attract people with the time and inclination to ‘stop at the dooty free shops’ themselves. Horrible from an accessibility point of view. In any case, we were probably down to T-2.5 by the time we finally got through to the F Lounge. Quiet as QF93 pax had just left and QF131 pax had yet to start coming in, so we managed to book staggered sessions at the spa. Thanks to Princess Fiona’s recommendation, we were able to book one of the private suites in order to look after the baby (and keep the baby from bothering others in the F Lounge – some parents are a little considerate, you know!). Luckily the baby was fine, and behaved exceptionally. Ordered the squid, burger and fish of the day – as well as this fantastic dessert that now eludes me (some sort of chocolate / ice cream concoction that was possibly one of the nicer desserts I’ve had). F Lounge staff were extremely accommodative and very helpful at all stages; possibly too much so as they let us stay until the final call, and by the time we reached the gate (right down the end of the new section of MEL), we were being paged by name and were the last to board.
Short delay on board as someone else had failed to board entirely and had to have baggage offloaded, so we used the time to get the baby settled. Jetstar FA’s were superb, helped us get set up with the infant seat belt and offered to help with various things throughout the flight. We took them up on some extra blankets and hot water for bottle warming, but that was about it. As it turned out, Baby Djf also flew like a pro – didn’t use Phenergan or anything, just fed him on take off / landing and fed and changed once in the middle and we were in brilliant shape. While he clearly wasn’t all that fond of the bassinet, he slept pretty solidly throughout the flight and we were able to pretty easily monitor him by ear (though not by eye – might help for the pax-side of those bassinets to have some sort of netting so that you can watch them as well). So I think our fellow pax had little if anything to complain about from us – probably more so from the snorers and the pax insisting on keeping their window shades open (then again it was a day flight after all).
As for the Starclass service – well, given that the fare was very close to a regular Y fare, I suppose expectations should be geared accordingly. The seat was not bad, though the coverage on the bottom was not great – massive gaps between the cushion and frame, which could easily have been apholstered or covered for comfort. As you’d expect, on part with the QF Dom J seat. Food service was reasonable, with two decent warm options at either end of the flight (a lamb korma and noodles, from memory), an edible tiramisu and reasonable drinks service.
The FA’s were very nice and helpful in general, and they certainly tried their best to make ours a pleasant flight. The VOD units were terribly bulky and ungainly, but had some decent content on them. After seeing what can be done with iOS devices when the right attitude is taken to them (see Alila, below), I can certainly see the case for replacing them with iPads – a canny person at JQ procurement better be picking up outgoing first generation iPads now at the discounted price. The headphones were adequate, though I was never quite clear as to whether the headphones were gimmes for Starclass pax or not. Despite the VOD units for everyone in Starclass, rather annoyingly the screens on the bulkheads continued to show various programs which meant that the bassinet seats were never dark – more of a problem for the return red-eye flight.
Ex-BKK, despite their claims to the contrary, Jetstar check-in opened well before T-3. We got there at about T-3.5 and were in the Seq 30s. Unfortunately, the timing of our arrival and the flight was squarely in the middle of the F Lounge closing hours. John K has mentioned elsewhere that there’s no appreciable difference between the J and F Louges in BKK (other than the champagne), and having spent a bit of time at the J Lounge now I have to agree. It did get a bit crowded closer to the flight, so we briefly popped into the F Lounge – would have been nice to have spent that time in the quieter lounge, but no big deal at the end of the day. Food was pretty disappointing, just some mini rolls and some chicken consommé. They could use some more private areas, but neither is really up to the level of the HKG and SIN lounges, let alone the home ones.
For both BKK arrival and departure, the Jetstar flight was quite far from the customs and immigration area. Jetstar also doesn’t seem to have any express cards for Starclass pax at the BKK end, which was a bit disappointing given everyone else does and they do have Australian express cards. Nevertheless, it may only have saved us about 10 minutes max either side. The real problem for us was the horrendous situation at MEL arrivals, which is nothing new. Held up to its reputation of being the worst airport I’ve been through; no need to elaborate in great details as everyone here is well aware of its failings.
On the outbound legs, the FF points and SCs were posted within 24 hours, however while mine were similarly prompt on the inbound, Mrs Djf’s points have yet to post – a little awkward, as her WP assessment date is 31 March, and we already declined to fill in the future travel form as she was due to requalify on her own in any case. Fingers crossed that we don’t get done in on the final leg, which would be disappointing since the promptness of the other points posting made me think that QF/JQ had finally sorted out this mess.
So overall, our Starclass experience was not bad for the price we paid – got Mrs Djf requalified for WP (despite the second batch of points not posting as promptly as the first), had sufficient space and assistance to look after Baby Djf and carry his stuff, and got to use the respective F Lounges. Would have loved priority baggage, but it doesn’t seem like that will ever be on the cards for JQ. Don’t think we would have had as pleasant a trip in Y (other than perhaps QF, and certainly not JQ). Starclass can’t compare in any way with the J product of other airlines (even QF domestic), but again for the price it was an adequate Y+ type service.
Hansar Bangkok - Hansar Bangkok Hotel
On arrival in BKK, we stayed for five days at the Hansar, which has just recently opened. I first became aware of it through a thread on FT. Had initially been thinking about staying at an Accor property in the hope of an Asia Sale, as has been the case over the past few years, but when that became unlikely we started looking elsewhere. There were some great photos of the Hansar on the FT thread, and some wonderful reviews (somehow it rocketed to the top of the Trip Advisor rankings) – and their opening room rates were quite reasonable.
So we went ahead and booked their most basic room, a Studio Suite, for five nights through the SLH Club – which in theory should have included an upgrade and late checkout, neither of which were offered by the hotel on arrival. We had tried to contact the hotel by email to arrange a car, but they never responded so we did so by phone instead. In any case, our airport transfer was a little dicey as it was – found it very difficult to find the hotel contact at BKK and despite us pre-booking a car, they ended up sending us in one of the Peninsula’s cars (ironic!). Amazingly all of our bags fit into the car and we were sped off to the hotel, which is located just off Rajdamri Rd, a block south of the Ratchaprasong area and behind the Four Seasons, the soon-to-open St Regis and Ratchadamri BTS station.
Due to the cover of night, we couldn’t really form any decent first impressions on arrival, except that everything seemed very cool – very nice lighting, lots of dark stone and wood. We were taken to reception on the first floor, then whisked away to our room for check-in. This is an all-suite hotel adjoining a residential building, and our room was in the residential part of the building (which itself is shaped like an H, like the Hansar logo). On exiting the elevator, we were surprised to learn that the corridors are open air! While we hadn’t been upgraded (and the hotel certainly wasn’t full), they had gone to the trouble of setting up a crib and providing some amenities for the baby. In any case, it was quite a decently sized room, with a sofa, an enormous television, a work desk, a kitchenette and washing machine, a very decent bathroom, and a view over the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, so all told we were happy.
This certainly is a boutique hotel – only 60 odd rooms, all suites, with very modern styling. The pool and fitness area on the 8th floor was nice, if nothing particularly special. There was a skydeck on the 19th floor, though this was closed most of the time. Finally, the spa on level 10 had promotional rates of 40 per cent off all treatments, which certainly made it quite attractive. While not particularly lavish, it was peaceful enough and the prices were certainly right for a hotel spa. The service was very enthusiastic – this is no Oriental, but the staff were all very friendly, well trained, spoke adequate English and went out of their way to look after us (particularly with baby in tow).
Due to its early days, dining options were limited to a French restaurant called Eve (which doubled as the breakfast room), and Café Boca, both on the ground floor. We stuck to Boca most days, as the prices were very reasonable for very well prepared food; tried out Eve one night, and while it was interesting food, it was a little on the pricey side. The breakfast spread was decent, if not comprehensive, with eggs prepared to order rather than the traditional egg station. Eating out on the deck of the quiet soi was very nice (if you ignored the nearby construction), and made it hard to think that just a little ways up the road was the madness of Ratchaprasong. It was ideally located for exploring that area by foot or making a quick trip anywhere else on BTS, given how close and quiet Ratchadamri station was most of the time.
At the end of our stay, I must say I was quite sorry to leave, and were it up to me, we would have stayed here on our way out as well.
Alila Cha-am - Alila Cha-Am hotel, luxury boutique resort near Hua Hin, Thailand
We had been thinking about returning to the Langham Place in Koh Samui, but found out that it had recently changed hands (plus weren’t so keen on PG’s monopoly on the route). Heard great things about Le Meridien Chiang Rai on FT and elsewhere, and had never been there before, but in the end figured it would be easier if we didn’t have to fly again with the baby. We thought about going to Hua Hin, before stumbling across Alila Cha-am on Mr and Mrs Smith. The price looked right and the place looked pretty nice in the pictures, and had received rave reviews both there and on TripAdvisor. So we thought we’d give it a go – a 2 hour car ride sounded far more palatable than a flight and transfers at both ends.
Tried emailing them to arrange transfers but again got no response. Much better to deal with when we gave them a call; again, they spoke adequate English to handle our queries. The van they sent for us was a Toyota Commuter, reasonably comfortable inside. They had arranged a car seat for the baby, but it was a regular seat rather than a capsule (and it was located in the front!). In any case, we used a harness and said a little prayer – thankfully, the driver was very cautious, and despite that we made excellent time and got there just shy of two hours.
The property has a very high design aesthetic – in fact, there’s a coffee table book about the design process by Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag in every room. It starts with a garden and a marble staircase leading up to an open-air reception under a ‘plank’ of timber. Beyond that is a long rectangular reflecting pool surrounded by a number of wood/concrete buildings containing the suites. In the middle of the reflecting pool is a carve-out for an open air ‘Chill’ (adults only) pool, adjoined by the Alila spa, Red bar, and Library underneath the reflecting pool. At the end of the reflecting pool sits the Clouds Loft restaurant, underneath which is Motion, the bistro (and breakfast buffet). Moving further along is an open air dining area and garden containing the ‘Active’ (family) pool, itself surrounded by the pool villas. At the very end are some decking and the beach, with a number of cabanas and deck chairs, and a decently sized white sand beach. While there is nothing but scrub on either side of the property, a little ways off there are some high-rise towers; but in general the beach is mostly frequented by Alila guests only. The whole property is wired for sound by Bose, from the rooms (and bathrooms), the outdoor areas and beach, right to under water in the pools.
We booked the cheapest room, a Horizon Suite (located on the second and third floors of the suite buildings). On the ground floors were Garden Terraces, but these were essentially the same with a patio that looked out onto a hedge and the footpath adjacent to the stone wall of the reflecting pool structure (in our view, less preferable to an open view across the pool). The rooms are predominantly concrete, with high ceilings and simple wood furnishings. A very nice king bed, with windows and balconies surrounding sits at the end, with a small lounge area (on which daily drinks and treats were left after evening turndown) and a credenza beneath another decently-sized LCD TV. Most impressively, the TV was connected to a hacked Apple TV running a customized Alila skin of XBMC with a selection of preloaded movies – certainly made me happy, and curious enough to have a go at a similar hack myself! The bathroom was also quite big, the centerpiece of which would undoubtedly be the massive rain shower located right in the middle – one of the nicest showers I’ve had the pleasure of using (the shower plate alone is probably bigger than our shower cubicle at home!).
Again, both the service and the food at Alila were excellent. The GM circulated from time to time for a chat and to give us a heads up on what we could do in and around the resort (they also have a daily shuttle to Cha-am and Hua Hin). Similarly, every night we received a run down on the next days activities with the turndown service. The spa was lovely and its prices were quite competitive with the Hansar sale, and they had their own promotion for 3 hours worth of treatments in a day for 4000 THB +++.
We ate one night at Clouds Loft, which was nice, but we much preferred the more reasonably priced fare at Motion – cooked from the same kitchen, so of similar quality if not composition. Complimentary afternoon tea was served every day at Motion, giving a sample of their menu, as well as happy hour coughtail at Clouds Loft at sunset. Skewers of fruit would be brought out along the beach and coconuts and juice were available from an adjoining stand.
To say we enjoyed our time at Alila would be a massive understatement – the only downside was that the unseasonal rain for half the time we were there, but there was enough to do in and around the resort to make it only a minor disappointment.
Peninsula Bangkok - Bangkok's Top Luxury Hotel by the Riverside |The Peninsula Bangkok
On our way back from Cha-am we decided to spend a couple of days at the Peninsula, after having stayed at the Hong Kong property and loved it and dropped in at the Bangkok one for afternoon tea. Compared to the other hotels we’d stayed at, which were modern and highly design-oriented, the Peninsula was a step back into a simpler, but luxuriously ornate, world.
Again, we were lucky enough to book a promotional rate for a Grand Deluxe room for two nights, which included a spa voucher. While not as nice as the Peninsula Hong Kong rooms, these rooms were nicely appointed in classic Peninsula style, with a V-shaped window looking across the river. The bed was a little on the hard side, but still very nice, with a sofa and work desk, powder/luggage room and bathroom (which, while nice in itself, was not quite as elaborate as either of those in the other properties on our trip). What was lacking in the room was a decent TV - still using old boxy CRTs in the wooden entertainment units and in the bathroom - which paled in comparison to the far more sophisticated offerings we'd sampled, but TV was hardly a priority for us on this trip.
Dining along the river for the amazing breakfast buffet and a sublime Thai dinner at Thiptara was fantastic. We did catch the hotel’s river shuttle across to the BTS to head into town, and to the Oriental for lunch. The boats land across the river at the Peninsula Pier, which apparently has a lounge but doesn’t really leave you anywhere convenient, or the ‘Oriental’ Pier, which is not the Oriental hotel’s pier, but adjacent to it – and in quite a considerable state of disrepair, which we had not been able to assess before landing at it.
Also great was the Peninsula ESPA Spa – while not as spectacular as the spa in Hong Kong (particularly with its ‘heat experience’), the spa was located in a Thai ‘colonial’ style separate building with relaxation rooms overlooking the river and well appointed and suitably relaxing treatment rooms. Prices were naturally higher than those at our previous stops, but nevertheless relatively reasonable. The service at the hotel, while less enthusiastic than at the others (only because the others had been so much so) was still effortlessly on the ball. The only service I was a little miffed about was the return airport transfer – costly to begin with, but the only place during our trip where we were hassled for tips (we’d usually provide a little extra beyond the included service charge in any case); especially so because the outbound airport service consisted of a Pen rep meeting our car and wheeling our trolley about 50m to the check-in desks, rather than taking us through airside or the far more thorough service in Hong Kong. He didn't even do that particularly well, and led us away from the JQi desks because he thought they wouldn't have opened yet - while the boards clearly showed that they were already open (and time was of the essence for us!).
Other than that, staying at the Pen was a lovely way to end our brief Thailand trip – while I do hope to be able to venture up north next time, this was a nice first trip to be travelling with a baby, and we feel like we did extremely well in terms of value and experience for each stage of the journey. Hope our experience provides some use to fellow AFFers.
[Edit] One thing I failed to note above was that each of these properties provided free WiFi throughout the rooms and public areas (right down to the pools at Alila) and complimentary breakfast. Given the fact that many of the other places we looked at charged for each of these (and had higher rates)makes you wonder what you're really paying for sometimes. Naturally, by not feeling nickel and dimed for these modern essential amenities, we felt freer to spend on many other things at the hotel (that we might have otherwise avoided or sought elsewhere). We felt like we got great value at each place (even Jetstar), despite the different types of experience at each.
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