Saturday, August 22, 2015

BA First, Concorde Room, BA Club Europe, Hotel Le Grand, Bonne Annee! - December 29-31, 2014


Trip Index

***

When Kaleb and I entered the first class cabin on British Airways flight 66 going from Philadelphia to London Heathrow, the blue lighting along with the funky seats, buttons and gadgets made it feel like we were on board a spaceship.

weird lighting
opened the center divider between our seats
"wings" at head offer privacy
TV screen swings out of the way
knobs and buttons to move seat
entertainment controls
electricity for all kinds of plugs
pajamas and amenity kit

The flight attendant asked if I would like a pair of pajamas...sure!  I forgot to take a picture of what was inside the amenity kits (and I've since used them) but there are plenty of pictures on Google.  There were men's and women's sets.

Time for second dinner!
hot tea and warm nuts
bruschetta amuse-bouche
cream of lima bean
Kaleb had the Mayan prawns
gnocchi with black truffle
oven-roasted salmon
cookies and cream cheesecake
gourmet chocolates to end

The soup, shrimp and gnocchi were really good.  The salmon was a bit dry.  Dessert was yummy.  I could have eaten a whole box of those Lauden chocolates!

Since our flight was only 6 hours long, it was time to sleep, versus watching movies on the personal entertainment system.  When I went to the lavatory to brush my teeth and change into my pajamas, the flight attendant asked if I wanted my bed made...sure!  By the time I got back to my seat, a plush seat covering and duvet was set up.  The pajamas were soft and comfortable...you could take them home!  (we still use them...Kaleb wears the bottoms around the house during winter)

lie-flat seat all made up
time for bed

All too soon, it was time to wake up and have breakfast.  Kaleb wasn't able to sleep at all and just watched movies.

fruit plate
English breakfast

We got off the plane in London, then made our way to the terminal and entered the Concorde Room through an unmarked door located along the far wall near the south security checkpoint exit in Terminal 5.  (after entering the terminal, walk by Harrod's and through the shopping area to reach the security checkpoint area and you'll see a door ahead manned by staff)  As long as you have a boarding pass showing you had flown or will fly a transatlantic flight in BA First, you have complimentary access to the Concorde Room.

As mentioned in the planning portion of the trip, I contacted the You First team to secure a private cabana reservation (four-hour maximum) so we could take a nap and freshen up with a shower before taking the Tube into London to do a bit of sightseeing, but I was so tired and jet-lagged that my nap ended up taking all the cabana time.  The day bed wasn't wide enough for a second person so poor Kaleb ended up hanging out in the lounge.  We should have reserved two cabana rooms.

cabana with day bed
attached bathroom

Once the cabana time was over, I found Kaleb in the "outside" portion of the lounge. (a loft overlooking the terminal)  By this time, we had less than 8 hours left before our flight to Paris so we decided not to chance riding the Tube into town (approximately 1 hour each way, not including time through immigration, getting to the station or coming back through security) and just spent the rest of the layover in the lounge.  So sad, but we did visit London last year so it wasn't a must-do.

large chairs
"outside" was bright and airy

It was noon, so time for lunch.  There was a restaurant inside the Concorde Room which served complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I probably would have had second breakfast in the morning had I not been so tired.

The dining area consisted of private booths that can seat up to 3 comfortably.  There may have been a bigger booth to accommodate a larger group.  There were a lot of patrons so we waited a few minutes to be seated.  The food was pretty good, especially the sticky toffee pudding.

cream of mushroom soup
smoked salmon tartare
rump of Devonshire lamb
club sandwich
sticky toffee pudding

We hung out in the lounge reading and surfing the internet for a few more hours before returning to the restaurant to have dinner.  The menu was the same, so this time Kaleb got the lamb and I got the avocado bacon salad and a different dessert, not as good as the sticky toffee pudding.

the lamb was better plated this time
yummy avocado bacon salad
lemon posset

Finally we got on our plane to Paris!  We sat in Club Europe, which was exactly like coach except that the center seat was blocked off by a table.



Paris at last!  Our first hotel of the trip, the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, was just a few blocks away from the Palais Garnier opera house.  RoissyBus offered a direct route from Charles de Gaulle airport to Opera for 10.50 euro per person.  The bus stop was not hard to find as there were signs posted in the arrivals hall.  We purchased our tickets at the vending machine using a credit card, but I read that you could also pay cash to the bus driver.  I was unable to locate an ATM in the arrivals hall; if I looked harder, I'm sure I'd find one.  There were currency exchange booths but all of them were closed at this late night hour.  If for some reason our credit card didn't work, we had just enough euros in hand from our trip to Ireland last year.

RoissyBus stop outside the terminal
bus details

We caught the next to last bus of the day...had our flight been late, we would have either taken the RER train or a taxi.

on the RoissyBus to Opera

After about an hour's ride, the bus dropped us off west of the opera house, in front of an American Express travel agency.  Our hotel was just one block south, the entrance decorated with many white lights for the holidays.


It was close to midnight so there was no wait at check-in.  Our upgraded room (thanks to having the IHG credit card that offered complimentary Platinum status) had been assigned earlier in the day based on the melted ice bucket in which a bottle of champagne was waiting.  Included also was a note from the general manager wishing us an unforgettable honeymoon...a very nice touch! (I did add a note that we were on our honeymoon when I made the reservation online)

honeymoon champagne
only my name was on the reservation...
comfy plush bed
toiletries from San Francisco
weird glass partition like in Rome
separate toilet
complimentary mignardises
super sweet though
complimentary still water
other amenities
hot tea kettle
pricey mini-bar

The next day was New Year's Eve.  We were so exhausted from our journey that we slept in until early afternoon.  Eventually we emerged from our hotel to look for supper.  We stopped at a nearby brasserie that had a lot of people in it, the Triadou Haussmann.  The food was okay; we both did a set menu that included a starter, entree, and dessert for around 25 euros.  The wet towelettes they gave us after we finished our meal were pretty interesting to open.

French onion soup
fois gras pate...yum!
I think this was beef
fish
chocolate mousse
chocolate cake

Wet towelette that eventually popped out (0:37 clip; click here if you cannot see the video link below):


After dinner, we walked around the area for a bit, then took the Metro to the Champs-Elysees to gather for the New Year's Eve celebration. (in hindsight, we should have just walked...)  I used a credit card at a vending machine in the station to purchase a carnet of 10 single-ride tickets for the two of us to share.  We eventually made our way onto an M1 train and there were so many people on board.  I was planning to exit at the Charles de Gaulle Etoile station, which was a bad idea.  I didn't know at the time, but the police closed the exits and stood guard, so when everyone got off, no one could exit and there was a human traffic jam.  We were stuck in the underground tunnels for about 20 minutes, unsure of what was going on, before slowly making our way to an exit and learned they were blocked off. :(  We thought that people were slowly exiting, but in reality, folks were turning back into the station.  Kaleb and I managed to fight through the crowds to get back on a train and got off at the next stop, then walked back to the Champs-Elysees.  FYI: during that whole fiasco, there were pairs of young people pushing their way forward while the rest of the crowd was patiently moving slowly, and when one of them pushed past me, I felt a hand slide into my coat pocket!  At first I thought it was Kaleb trying to keep his hand warm but he didn't do it.  I fortunately didn't have anything in there, but in a crowded situation, be alert for pickpockets!

stairwell at Le Grand Hotel
Christmas tree display
famous department store
another major department store

The Printemps display windows were decorated with moving musical puppets: (0:16 clip; click here if you cannot see the video link below)


Paris Metro map

The Champs-Elysees was closed to traffic...so many people lined the streets!  It reminded me of when Kaleb and I spent New Year's Eve in Las Vegas. (but less rowdy)


29 second clip of all the people hanging out on the Champs-Elysees: (click here if you cannot see the video link below)


About 15 minutes before midnight, a gentle soundtrack started playing with synchronized moving images projected onto the Arc de Triomphe.


Then we counted down to midnight, thinking that was it, since earlier that week, there were news reports saying that Paris wouldn't have a fireworks display.  But voila!  We ended up being surprised with one exploding off the Arc.  That was probably why the Charles de Gaulle Etoile Metro station exits were closed, due to the festivities and safety.

1:52 clip of Paris ushering in 2015 in a sea of sparkles and sound: (click here if you cannot see the video link below)


Happy New Year!!!  Bonne Annee!!!

What a way to start the new year!  The next few days will be filled with Paris sightseeing...stay tuned!

***

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Previous post:  Preparations for Paris honeymoon, heading to PHL, BA Galleries First lounge

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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Preparations for Paris honeymoon, heading to PHL, BA Galleries First lounge - December 26-29, 2014


Trip Index

***

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)
Note that the journey starts from Philadelphia; Kaleb would already be in Pennsylvania to visit his family for the holidays.  I would fly there a couple of days before our trip to Paris on a non-stop red-eye economy ticket on US Airways from San Francisco to Philadelphia, $199 total.  Then to get to Lancaster, I would take the SEPTA Airport Line from PHL ($8 cash only on board) to the 30th Street Amtrak station and ride the Keystone train to Lancaster.  (Amtrak ticket purchased online for $16)

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.

exit row seat with "infinite" legroom
Bay Area at night

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.

SEPTA stop
on the SEPTA (guy in front with ticket on clip)

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.

inside the Amtrak station
the "quiet car" was pretty empty
plugs to charge your electronic devices
sunrise in Lancaster County

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.

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.

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...

full place setting
ubiquitous knife-and-fork shot
Galleries First dinner menu
Korean BBQ spiced shrimp (decent)
baby kale currant salad with parmesan (very good)
braised short rib (meat was somewhat tough, sides good)
fennel salmon (slightly overcooked, sides good)
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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Previous post:  Weekend in Las Vegas and a visit to the AMEX Centurion Lounge






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