Here I review Etihad’s new business class lounge (with temporary first class section) in Abu Dhabi International Airport’s terminal 3. Previous installments: Introduction, overview, and costs Star Alliance first class and business class lounges, LAX Etihad First Class, Los Angles – Abu Dhabi.. the 3rd Longest Flight in the World! Premier Inn, Abu Dhabi International Airport In the morning, after leaving the Premier Inn across the street from the airport, we found our way to the terminal via the outside rather than underground walkway. It’s a bit quicker, you cross the street instead of winding around the underground passageways. I was pleased to be leaving from the newer terminal 3 today (there’s a departures board outside the hotel lobby). Not only that I’d be having an aircraft with lie flat business class for the four…
Trip Reports
Category Archives for Trip Reports.
Review: the Dorm Room Where You Want to Sleep Between First Class and Paradise
This post details my airport overnight at the Premier Inn at the Abu Dhabi airport. This is my second time staying there, it just makes sense to me arriving around 8pm and departing on a flight about 12 hours later. Previous installments: Introduction, overview, and costs Star Alliance first class and business class lounges, LAX Etihad First Class, Los Angles – Abu Dhabi.. the 3rd Longest Flight in the World! Upon landing at an apron position, and taking a bus to the terminal, I had my strangest immigration experience yet. And as a result it took about an hour to get from plane to bed. That made me all the more grateful not to be heading into Abu Dhabi, and needing to head back in the morning. I wasn’t going to ‘go out’. I had…
Review: Flying First Class on the Third Longest Flight in the World
This post details my first class award redemption using American AAdvantage miles to fly Etihad, Los Angeles – Abu Dhabi … the third longest flight in the world. Previous installments: Introduction, overview, and costs Star Alliance first class and business class lounges, LAX After visiting the Star Alliance first class lounge, popping over to their business class lounge and outdoor deck, and returning to the first class lounge, the woman from Etihad who met us at the first class check-in counter came to collect us when it was time for boarding and escort us downstairs to the departures level of the terminal out out to our gate. Once onboard I remembered that concomitant with the introduction of a new first class product onboard Etihad’s Airbus A380 (‘Residence’ and ‘First Apartment’) as well as on the…
Review: LAX Star Alliance First Class Lounge & Business Class Lounge
I kicked off my relaxing trip to the Maldives with a first class award redemption on Etihad. The first flight was Los Angeles – Abu Dhabi, and I had Etihad’s chauffeur service pick me up at the Sheraton LAX. I realize that the Sheraton LAX has an airport shuttle, but the chauffeur service is complimentary and — though my recent visits the shuttle has been reliable, I have a history of waiting for shuttles to come by there that have been full. Utterly gratuitous I suppose, but coming clean — yes I did that. For DC departures I’ve had the car service (Empire CLS) ring me 2-3 days before. For this trip it was just one day prior. They’ll usually show up early to be absolutely sure they’re there on time for you. And indeed…
Review: Westin Arlington (Best Value in the DC Area on Weekends)
The hotel opened in spring 2006. The hotel is in the DC suburbs — but located just two blocks to the Ballston metro, Orange line straight shot into the city. It pulls high rates during the week, it’s a business hotel that brings people visiting the FDIC, the EPA’s Fish and WIldlife Service, and DARPA and various other government agencies and consulting firms doing business with government agencies. On the weekends though? Dead. And the rates show it. Which makes it a great place to base DC tourism. The hotel just dropped from category 5 to category 4, so award nights are 10,000 points — a good deal when the property is pulling ~ $300 during the week, not a good deal when it’s in the $100 vicinity of course. I certainly like this hotel…
Review: American’s New 767 Lie Flat Business Class, Paris – New York JFK
Previous installments: Introduction: Paris for the Holidays, Saying Goodbye to American’s Old Business Class, and a Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendome American First Class Lounge Chicago O’Hare and Business Class, Chicago – Paris Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Executive Suite Avoiding Tourist Traps: Good Places to Eat Near the Eiffel Tower and Picasso Museum in Paris Where to Find the Best Macarons in the World The Neighborhood Meats, Cheeses, Breads, and Sweets of Paris Entering the Charles de Gaulle airport was bedlam, there was just a sea of people landside and they all seemed as though they were completely aware of each other, all walking in different directions while a good portion of them stopped and looked around. Travel can be very confusing but it seemed that a larger percentage of passengers than usual were…
Avoiding Tourist Traps: Good Places to Eat Near the Eiffel Tower and Picasso Museum in Paris
Previous installments: Introduction: Paris for the Holidays, Saying Goodbye to American’s Old Business Class, and a Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendome American First Class Lounge Chicago O’Hare and Business Class, Chicago – Paris Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Executive Suite Paris is a fantastic city to experience food. But it’s also a city with a lot of truly mediocre (or worse) food, catering to tourists in large volumes. Those places are often near where tourists congregate – the top spots to visit. You have a large number of people, the rents are high, restaurants cater to both volume and lowest common denominator tastes. So if you want to eat well, and conveniently, near tourist spots it takes a little bit of work. Since I found a couple on this trip, I thought it was worth…
Review: Battle House Renaissance in Mobile, Alabama (and My Strangest Taxi Experience)
I spent Thursday night at the Battle House Hotel, a Marriott Renaissance property. It was booked at my host’s $99 rate there, so a fantastic value for arguably the nicest hotel in town and certainly the nicest one near my morning meeting. The lobby of the hotel is fairly grand. When I checked in my Marriott Silver status — yes, I’m a silver from nights last year (while I’m a Hyatt Diamond and Starwood Platinum from nights, and a Hilton Diamond from a promotion targeted at American Airlines Executive Platinums) — was acknowledged in a funny way. The agent said, “Do you have dinner plans for tonight? Because of your silver status we have an offer where you will get 500 bonus points if you join us for dinner in the dining room here.” Umm..…
Hacking My Way into an Airport Lounge for Free
Leaving Mobile, Alabama I decided to visit the Mobile Airport Authority Executive Lounge. That’s one readers of my lounge reviews might not have been expecting. Of course, I didn’t even realize that the Mobile, Alabama airport had a lounge. Let alone that it’s free, if you know how to access it. This is an airport-run lounge with a membership program. Annual membership is $50, and immediate family get in free with the member. Active duty military are free, too. And they sell guest passes for $10, although I have no idea how they sell these since the lounge itself is unmanned. They also offer Complimentary one-day pass for first visit. I don’t know about you, but I’m likely to find myself in Mobile, Alabama only once. After clearing security the lounge is on the left,…
Review: Park Hyatt Paris Vendome Executive Suite
Previous installments: Introduction: Paris for the Holidays, Saying Goodbye to American’s Old Business Class, and a Suite at the Park Hyatt Vendome American First Class Lounge Chicago O’Hare and Business Class, Chicago – Paris I’ve reviewed this hotel once before, two years ago when I had a standard guest room. So if you’re interested in the property you’ll want to read that report as well. On this stay I booked a suite, at the ‘old rate’ of 33,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night, compared to a regular room at 22,000. This was done just prior to Hyatt implementing their new category 7 award level. A suite now runs 48,000 points per night. Thanks to the rolling delay of my Chicago – Paris flight, and arriving at a bus gate, my 8:25am scheduled landing turned…
