Will it be the Dom or the Krug? SQ J, EY F, EY Apartments & SQ Suites

[SponsorSFC]

It was now time to leave Scotland to catch up with a friend in Dublin for the weekend.

Not many touristy photos here but one thing we did was the Guinness brewery tour this was worth an afternoon just for the pint with a 360 degree view over Dublin at the end.

 

[SponsorSFC]

After a great weekend we headed over to Prague.

The Air Lingus flight was relatively uneventful and pretty full so didn't take any photos.

We were met in the arrivals hall by a driver from Prague Airport Taxis which took us to The Hilton Old Town Prague in a very nice Mercedes for about $30.

We had been pre-upgraded from a base room to an Exec room on the club floor.

 

[SponsorSFC]

We really enjoyed our stay here food and beverages were expensive for Prague but not so much that we happy to pay for the convenience of not having to leave the hotel on the first night or for a night cap when we returned in the evenings.

The lounge was small but not crowded with an OK selection of cakes an sandwiches at afternoon tea and canapes at coughtail hour.

 

[SponsorSFC]

We had been given a voucher by the transfer company for a free walking tour so decided to do this on our 2nd day.

Prague is a beautiful city at anytime but under a blanket of snow it is spectacular.

We really did feel the cold though on this day, when we got back to the hotel about 4pm we realised why.

It would actually hit -19c that night.

 

[SponsorSFC]

After receiving a few recommendations for Cafe Imperial we managed to secure an early 4pm reservation with late notice which worked out perfectly as we had tickets to the opera that evening. The chef had been described as the Czech Gordon Ramsey.

This is an amazing Art Deco hotel and dining room and the food was exceptional. So much so we quickly booked at their sister restaurant for the next night. It was also very reasonably priced we had 3 courses a premeal coughtail, bottle of wine to share and a 50 year old glass of cognac which came under $140 total.

The Next Door at the Cosmopolitan, which was more modern but just as good food as Cafe Imperial.

The Opera was at the National Theatre of which the Czechs are rightly very proud of.

 

[SponsorSFC]

Our last night we went to the hockey to watch Sparta Praha victorious in overtime.

This was a great night out with beers and food priced the same as in the city so about $2 a beer and $3 for a meal. Tickets were about $10 and we were seated next to the boisterous away fans.

 

[SponsorSFC]

It was now time to leave Prague and venture towards Zurich for our flight home.

We took a 1st class train which was comfortable with wifi and table service, they even had tap beer in the dining car. Prices were very reasonable and had a 'happy hour' which was basically 30% lower prices while we were still in the Czech Republic.

A brief stop in Pilzen, home of the Pilsner.

There was still plenty of snow as we crossed into Germany.

We had a quick 2 night stop in Munich as it is pretty much my favourite city in Europe.

We stayed at the Hilton Munich City and again were upgraded from a base room to an Exec room on the club floor.

The hotel is looking a bit dated but the rooms were clean and comfortable. I wouldn't use the lounge for more than a quick drink though as there was not much worth eating there.

The restaurant breakfast was a different story, weisswurst and a pretzel with sweet mustard had me very satisfied.

 

[SponsorSFC]

After a few hearty meals in the bierhalls we headed off on the train again to Zurich to spend one night ahead of our Suites flight home.

I booked a base room on points at the Sheraton Zurich which we were upgraded to an Exec room without club access which was unexpected as I am only preferred plus with SPG. This was a lovely room and I would definitely come back if we are in Zurich again.

 

[SponsorSFC]

Now it was time for the moment that this whole trip was planned around. To mark the occasion SQ had rolled out the red carpet for us.

It really is a pity that SQ345 departs so early as the Senator lounge was a really enjoyable place to be.

We started off with a light breakfast in the main part of the lounge.

 

[SponsorSFC]

We then moved onto more rewarding pursuits namely the Whisky Bar.

Apparently they have up to 200 whisky(ie)s to choose from. While we wouldn't have time to try them all we gave it as much of a go as possible.

The bar has a nice view of the tarmac but for the sake of efficiency we decided to sit at the bar instead.

The staff here were fantastic we were joined by a really nice guy from flyer talk Flying Carpet who we convinced to join us in our early morning libations.

A word of warning the printed menus only show a sampling of their stock but strangely also included a few that they had run out of so I would suggest going off list and ask for the style you like and see what they have hidden under the bar or just pick from the ample ample amount on display.

 

[SponsorSFC]

I don't think I will ever tire of turning left.

While it might lack the wow factor of boarding the EY Apartment this is still an amazing cabin.

We had seats 3C & D booked

The cards were also a nice touch.

To answer the question I went with the Krug to start but would later sample the Dom as well for research purposes.

There were only 3 other guests in Suites so we settled into some spare K seats for takeoff.

 

[SponsorSFC]

SQ345 Menus

 

[SponsorSFC]

 

[SponsorSFC]

We were served by the amazingly attentive cabin supervisor Garry. When Garry found out this was our first time in suites he took it upon himself to serve us personally and ensure we "would be able to make the most of our experience so he would see us again soon".

We were asked if we would like to use the vacant A seat to dine together, which of course we accepted.

My wife perhaps distracted by the whisky or the Dom missed caviar service as an option and asked to have some of mine. Garry seeing her take my plate promptly intervened and said there is no need to share and ordered another serving brought out.

When this was devoured another serving was offered and accepted.

For mains I had booked the cook and selected the Olma sausage while my wife went with the lamb off the normal menu.

Unfortunately my wife didn't enjoy the lamb saying it was over cooked but having had 3 servings of caviar did not need anything more and did not have space for dessert.

 

[SponsorSFC]

As we were trying to get our body clocks back on PER time we asked for our bed to be made up which was done promptly.

Now this was something special.

After a few hours rest we woke up and asked for our dessert in bed. I then went for a walk around the plane.

When I reached the Economy section the flight attendant there saw me in my F pyjamas and decided that I needed an escort to the end of Y and up the stairs through J and back to F before asking if they could get me anything.

After another short rest it was time for breakfast.

We moved once again to our dining suite where my wife had some pastries and fruit while I enjoyed my prebooked eggs Benedict.

I have heard SQ staff been accused of being robotic but honestly that couldn't have been further from the truth on this flight. The service was exceptional.

 

[SponsorSFC]

After a relaxed breakfast we changed back into our street clothes ready for landing.

We arrived early and had a long layover until our flight to Perth.

We found the Silverkris lounge and upon showing our TPR invitation were whisked through the F lounge and settled in with a glass of OJ. The Champagne would have to wait.

After showering we were feeling a bit more human but still rather tired. Unfortunately the airport hotel was fully booked so we went to the J lounge to nap on the couches.

The lovely lounge agents supplied us with pillows and blankets. This really is somewhere that SQ could improve, some napping rooms or even more couches in a quiet are of the F lounge or TPR would be a great addition.

After a couple of hours sleep we headed back to TPR for something to eat.

We had chicken rice and dim sum.

I forced myself to have a glass of the PH Rare for comparison.

 

[SponsorSFC]

We had a bit of shopping to do with our Changi dollars so headed out to the teminal and managed to do a bit of sightseeing.

 

[SponsorSFC]

It was now time to head to the gate for our final flight of the trip, a very familiar SQ A330.

I only just avoided disaster however as we nearly forgot to collect our duty free whisky from the trolley before boarding. Lucky I remembered just before making our way down the aerobridge.

 

[SponsorSFC]

SQ215 menu

I had booked the lobster thermidor again as I had enjoyed it on or SIN-MLE flight.

 

[SponsorSFC]

So to sum up...

Best room: Deluxe Beach Villa Conrad Rangali
Best flight: SQ345 Suites
Best hard product: EY Apartment
Best soft product: SQ Suites

But now for the one you have all been waiting for.

Was it the Dom or the Krug?...drum roll...Honestly it was a tie, I preferred the Krug my wife the Dom though I think more research is needed.

Thanks for reading my report I enjoyed writing it as it has helped me relive part of what was a truly amazing trip.