- Preparations for Paris honeymoon, heading to PHL, BA Galleries First lounge
- BA First, Concorde Room, BA Club Europe, Hotel Le Grand, Bonne Annee!
- Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, cruising on the Seine, Louvre
- Hotel Indigo, Musee de l'Armee, Arc de Triomphe, Versailles
- In the midst of Charlie Hebdo: Louvre, Louis Vuitton flagship store, Musee d'Orsay
- Crazy journey home - United flight cancellation, compensation, Global Entry, surprise upgrades
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Ah, Paris...the city of love. Kaleb and I chose this as our honeymoon destination as we had talked of strolling the streets of Paris together in the early days of our relationship. Visiting in springtime would have been ideal but we didn't want to wait that long after getting married. I've been in Paris during summer and winter and I personally would rather have cooler weather.
I burned through a lot of points and miles (135k AA miles, 60k United miles, 500k IHG points) to secure flights and hotels:
AIRFARE
I had a plethora of American Airlines miles thanks to receiving 50k mile bonuses from personal and business versions of the AA Platinum MasterCard as well as a total of 200k bonus miles from two AA Executive cards. As I was redeeming for award tickets just five months before departure, the itinerary was not ideal but at least we were able to find something.
- Flight from Philadelphia to Paris on British Airways, with a 13.5 hour layover in London (LHR) - 62.5k miles one way in first class plus exorbitant fuel surcharges and fees amounting to ~$500 per person. If it was any other airline, the fees would have been much lower, but considering that it would have cost ~$7500 for the flight, $500 was acceptable for this rare experience. A nice perk for flying BA First to LHR is that you get access to the exclusive Concorde Room, a lounge on steroids. A few weeks before departure, I made a You First reservation for a Concorde Room private cabana (containing a day bed and en-suite shower room) to relax in. You First also takes reservations for 15-minute complimentary Elemis spa treatments. Our connecting flight to Paris was not in first class, but in Club Europe class, a roomier-than-coach option.
- Flight from Paris to San Francisco non-stop on United Airlines - 30k miles in economy class plus ~$90 fees per person. Contrary to popular belief, I don't always fly in the front of the airplane. (though the universe seems to make upgrades materialize out of nowhere...more on that later in the series)
LODGING
I had purchased a boatload of IHG Rewards Club points from the annual Daily Getaways promotion last spring which came out to about $0.00567 per point. Using these discounted points got me a great price on hotels in the high-end Opera area.
- Intercontinental Paris Le Grand - 4 nights in a Classic room for 50k points a night, which came out to be around $284 a night total. Not too bad considering that it would normally cost close to $600/night (euro exchange rate at the time). Since I am also a IHG Platinum Elite member due to having the IHG Rewards Club credit card, we got a free upgrade to a Superior room at check-in.
- Hotel Indigo Paris Opera - 6 nights in a 1 bedroom Superior room for 50k points a night, normally costing around $550/night. We also got a free upgrade to a large 1 bedroom Executive room with sofabed at check-in due to IHG Platinum Elite status.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS...
Kaleb was already in Pennsylvania, so it was my turn to make my way there. I was spending the holidays with my family in the Bay Area so it was very convenient to fly from SFO. (I rented a car to get to the Bay Area, using my corporate Hertz leisure discount code with no one-way drop off fees) My flight was a red-eye in coach class so it was going to be a rough night, not to mention that I was getting on a plane a mere hour after eating a multi-course Chinese banquet dinner...I hoped my stomach would cooperate. I only had an hour to get from the restaurant (near SFO) to the gate, whizzing through a fast check-in line and also security thanks to TSA Pre-check from having Global Entry, which I applied for free of charge as an AMEX Platinum Card benefit. I wouldn't recommend others to cut it this close but the banquet ran long and I knew I had the means of zooming through to the gate, plus it was late in the night. Note that airlines usually have a cut-off time of 30-45 minutes before departure to accept checked baggage on domestic flights.
Even though I was in coach, at the last minute, I managed to snag one of the exit row seats on the plane with infinite leg room. It wasn't available when I booked the ticket (normally reserved for elite members), but when I checked in online, the seat was available for free. Always look at the seat map when you check in (or even the days prior to departure) to see if you can improve your location. The center seat next to me ended up empty at takeoff...bonus! I hoped to be able to fall asleep in this ideal situation.
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I nodded off for a couple of hours...the cabin temperature got very warm, making it difficult to sleep more. The lady in the row in front had both seats to herself, curling up, so I was able to exit that way to use the lavatory without disturbing my aisle seatmate.
The flight landed early. I retrieved my bag from the carousel, then found my way to the SEPTA stop to board a train to 30th Street Station. I hadn't fully researched this mode of transportation but I saw on a sign that it cost $8 to ride. I'm sure you could get a cheaper ticket online or at a ticket office.
It wasn't obvious to me that there was a specific place to stand on the platform and it was so early in the morning (6am) that there wasn't a crowd to follow. Eventually a guy showed up on one side of the platform so I went there. Once the train arrived, I got in and put my luggage on the seat next to me since it wasn't crowded, but normally it probably should have gone up on the overhead rack.
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When the train left the platform, the conductor went through the aisles collecting cash and pre-paid tickets. Some people flashed their monthly passes. When it was my turn, he asked where I was going, punched a paper ticket, slipped it under a clip in front of my seat, and gave me change for a $20 bill, drawing out a massively thick wad of cash from his pants pocket. He was pretty surly so I doubt anyone would try to steal from him.
The SEPTA train arrived at 30th Street Station; I disembarked and walked through corridors to get to the Amtrak station, following signage. I got there quicker than I had planned; knowing there was an earlier train, I asked the information desk if I could change my ticket. The gentleman manning the desk looked big and burly but he was very friendly and helpful and pointed me to the ticket office as well as tell me which platform to be at. Only 15 minutes were left before the train's departure, with one person in front of me in line. Everyone was taking so long with their ticket transactions. Finally, it was my turn; despite having only a few minutes before departure, I was able to switch my train without any fees. With new ticket in hand, the announcement to queue up at the platform was given and I got in line just in time. All the passengers descended down a stairway to the tracks; a conductor pointed out which car was the "quiet" one. (no cell phones or talking) Yay...I wanted to try to get some rest during the hour-long ride. There were plenty of comfortable seats to choose from.
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I texted Kaleb to let him know I was arriving earlier than expected. When I reached Lancaster station, a cute guy asked if I needed help with my luggage down the stairs...and no, it wasn't Kaleb! I told him no thanks, though Kaleb was already there by my side to assist. I wonder if the guy was employed by the station (didn't have uniform on), just being nice, or had ulterior motives.
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| this particular cute guy can help me :) |
The next couple of days with Kaleb's family and friends were festive and I got to meet some new faces. Then it was time to head to Philadelphia to start our honeymoon! Kaleb had a rental car during his stay and we took that to the airport, about an hour and a half drive.
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| Amish buggy with tail lights and turn signals?! |
Since we were flying in first class, we had access to the British Airways Galleries First Lounge. Passengers can have dinner in the restaurant there if they would rather sleep the entire flight. Or you could be a glutton like me and have first dinner now and second dinner on the plane...
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| Galleries First dinner menu |
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| Korean BBQ spiced shrimp (decent) |
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| baby kale currant salad with parmesan (very good) |
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| braised short rib (meat was somewhat tough, sides good) |
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| fennel salmon (slightly overcooked, sides good) |
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| chocolate genoise (cream was yummy) |
The food was acceptable; it looked better than it tasted. I think I'd go for the vegetarian choices next time. If you visit the adjacent Galleries Club Lounge (for business class and elites), they also served dinner, buffet style.
After dinner, we relaxed in the lounge until it was time to head to the gate.
Next up...our experience in the first class cabin and enduring an almost 14-hour layover in London before reaching Paris...stay tuned!
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