Around the world in First Class (2014)
I only wrote up the Singapore Airlines half of this trip, listed above. I never wrote up the rest: Thai Airways Business Class from Bangkok to Lahore and back, the Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore, the CIP lounge in Lahore, the Novotel Bangkok Airport, the Thai Airways First Class Lounge and Spa in Bangkok, Thai Airways A380 First Class from Bangkok to Frankfurt, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, Lufthansa 747-400 First Class from Frankfurt to Vancouver and the Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport. If you have questions about any of them, ask in the comments.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how I was on a bit of a dream trip, flying West around the world to get on some airline products that are considered “aspirational” to many people. I completed a few bucket list items on this trip including finally flying Singapore Airlines Suites, which turned out to be the best flight I’ve ever taken, and Thai Airways First Class on their A380, which I was disappointed with.
I also got to experience some of the more interesting ground services/lounges available as I got access to the Thai Airways First Class Lounge and Spa in Bangkok prior to my Thai Airways flight. Later on I also got to access the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, one of the more exclusive lounges that there is.
A Stop in Lahore
In the middle of my trip, however, was a stop in Lahore, Pakistan. I was there attending a wedding, and I’ll be sure to review the Pearl Continental Hotel since I’m pretty sure no other points blogger ever will. There were also some other interesting lounges along the way including the Singapore Airlines Private Room, and due to long layovers I was staying at some airport hotels.
It was a bit of an exhausting trip, but I’m extremely happy with my decision. I like to be able to provide first hand advice to people when they ask about which flights/carriers are better than others, and trying some of these routes and lounges first hand will definitely help in that regard. Hopefully it’ll also provide for some good entertainment!
And yes, I realize I’m working on three separate trip reports at the same time. It would be pretty boring if you knew exactly what post to expect next, so this is my attempt to mix it up a little bit!
[…] be written? I asked myself. There are so many first class terminal trip reports in existence that you could click every word in this sentence and only cover a fraction of the total reports. What value […]
It sounds like it was a trip of a lifetime. I look foward to reading all about it; and you’ve got some big ones to even set foot in Pakistan these days.
Going to Pakistan wasn’t nearly as bad as I’m sure it sounds. With that being said, I was with locals the whole time which definitely helped. Rapid Travel Chai also was there recently and enjoyed his trip.
can you also discuss how you got your tourist visa to pakistan?
as for the pearl continental hotel, i it part of a chain and how many points per night?
Getting the visa from the consulate in LA was kind of a joke. Their website had different rules than the consulate itself with regards to making payments, and the person I was speaking with barely spoke any English.
When she reviewed my application she said that “they” would only be able to grant me a visa for one month maximum, and I’d have to come back later in the day to see if that’s what I got. I told her that I was going to a wedding 2 months from now, so I said I need it to be valid for then. She just said she’ll make a note of it. When I got my passport back, I had a one year visa on it!
For the hotel, there’s really nothing you can use with points in Lahore. I stayed at the Pearl Continental because it’s known as one of the safest there is (and boy was it) so I paid the cash rate. I did, however, see a Hyatt Regency was being built near the airport, so that should be interesting!
if you have time next month, can you do a group meet up, would love to hear your trips in person, especially pakistan. I have not seen any bloggers set foot there and write about it.
I know Stefan at Rapid Travel Chai was in Lahore earlier this year, but I don’t believe he wrote about it. I have a busy travel schedule the rest of this year so we’ll see if I can set something up!