Power of K.

Austrian LAX-VIE-LAX Business

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 03:58:00 +0000

Austrian Airlines OS 81/82

Aircraft: B777
Route: Los Angeles, USA (LAX) - Vienna, Austria (VIE)
Cabin: Business

LAX Star Alliance Lounge - pretty crowded as there are multiple departures to Europe in the afternoon.

Lounge seating - luckily I found a spot overlooking the terminal.

Terminal view from the lounge

Decent food offerings at this lounge

Terrace view - obscured view but nice to have an outdoor space.

Terrace area

Bus boarding - flight delayed for 1:30. The inbound was on-time but it came with a mechanical issue.

Seat - throne seat!

Cabin

Seat and AVOD

Seat

Seat - controls

Cabin

Seat

Pushing back at LAX

AVOD

Menu and duty free

Nuts

Appetizers

Soup

Main course: beef

Dessert + cheese plate

Hot chocolate

View up in the air

Breakfast

Return

Pushing back

At VIE gate

AVOD

Seat

Cheap safety video

No "LAX' programed into the flight map yet.

Nuts

Soup

Appetizers

Main course: stuffed chicken

Cheese plate + dessert

Coffee menu

Hot chocolate

Pre-arrival snack: ham roll

View

Approaching LAX

TAP Portugal MAD-LIS-MAD Economy + Business

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 18:44:00 +0000

TAP Portugal TP 1011/1018

Aircraft: A320/A319
Route: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) - Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)
Cabin: Economy + Business

Madrid (MAD) - Lisbon (LIS)

TAP at LIS

Lounge Puerta de Alcalá

Spacious lounge

Food offerings

View from the lounge

Fast Track

Terminal and lines for this flight to Lisbon

TAP A320 (CS-TNN)

Retrofitted cabin with RECARO seats

Leg room

Flying to YYZ soon?

Power and USB outlet

Up in the air

Portuguese egg tart as the inflight snack

Up in the air

Lisbon (LIS) - Madrid (MAD)

Lisbon waiting area

Lounge ANA - the worst lounge in Europe I've ever seen

Gate area

Boarding lines

Upgraded at gate

First row with blocked middle seat (A319 CS-TTV)

Pushing back

Lisbon at dusk

Lisbon

Inflight cold meal

United EWR-MAD-EWR Polaris Business

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 18:01:00 +0000

United UA 50/51

Aircraft: B767-300
Route: Newark (MAD) - Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
Cabin: Polaris Business (Business Class)

New United Polaris business service without the fancy new seats.

Madrid MAD - Newark EWR

Lounge Cibeles at Madrid (MAD)

View from the lounge

Saks Fifth Avenue bedding

Was just in Lisbon a day ago.

Welcome drink

Warm nuts and mimosa

Appetizer

Lamb shoulder (unfortunately it was raw the first time)

Ice cream sundae

Enroute to Newark (EWR)

Newark EWR - Madrid MAD

View from United Club (C120) at Newark

Shower

Empty lounge in the evening

Flight map

Welcome drink with chocolate

First drink and warm nuts

Appetizer

Duck as my main course

Breakfast before landing at MAD

Renovated United Club at LAX

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 23:44:00 +0000

United opened its renovated Club near Gate 71A in November 2016. It consolidated two different clubs into a single one. The club features updated decor and an outdoor terrace. It also has Coca-Cola Freestyle machines in addition to illy coffee and upgraded food offerings.

Continental retro livery

Entrance

Outdoor terrace

View from the lounge

Seating and food offering

Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Thu, 05 May 2016 03:53:00 +0000

Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel

Brand: Renaissance - Marriott
Loyalty Program: Marriott Rewards
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Hotel Exterior

Cafe

View

Room

Bathroom

Room

Concierge Lounge

2015 A Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 00:57:00 +0000

United LAX-NRT BusinessFirst (B787-9 Dreamliner)

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 09:44:00 +0000

United UA 32

Aircraft: B787-9 Dreamliner
Route: Los Angeles (LAX) - Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Cabin: BusinessFirst (Business Class)

New 787-9

Japanese meal with a Western starter?

Japanese meal

Japanese Meal

Dessert

Breakfast

Midnight snack

Entertainment system

Handle

Seat

Watching my favorite band

Hotel ICON, Autograph Collection®

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 09:15:00 +0000

Hotel ICON, Autograph Collection®

Brand: Autograph Collection - Marriott
Loyalty Program: Marriott Rewards
Location: Houston, TX

Exterior

Elevator

Lobby decor

Breakfast

Breakfast with healthy white grass juice

Room decor

Coroner room

Room

Bathroom

View from the room

Caribe Hilton San Juan Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 09:05:00 +0000

Caribe Hilton San Juan Hotel

Brand: Hilton Hotels & Resorts - Hilton
Loyalty Program: Hilton HHonors
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

It is a pretty nice resort in San Juan. Great elite benefit offered in terms of breakfast. It is a massive hotel - so it can get busy and crowded sometimes. Rooms are in mediocre condition. (I was offered a renovated room "upgrade".) The oceanfront view is okay, but not great. Beach is a little bit on the small side, but at least it is private. Staff are nice. Overall a good stay.

Hotel ground

View from the room

Hotel ground

Hotel ground/beach

Pool and beach

Garden

Hotel exterior

Room

Bathroom, no tub

InterContinental Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 02:41:00 +0000

InterContinental Boston

Brand: InterContinental - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Loyalty Program: IHG Rewards Club / Ambassador Program
Location: Boston, MA

Exterior

Exterior - riverside

King Deluxe Room on a high floor

Only elite benefit you receive is one free coffee per stay

without enrolling in the Ambassador program

Room

Divider between bathroom and bedroom

Working desk

View from your desk

Bathroom

Shower

Amenity

Divider

IP Phone

Public art at Rose Kennedy Greenway

Looking out of the window

Boston after dark

Hilton Hawaiian Village® Waikiki Beach Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 02:16:00 +0000

Hilton Hawaiian Village® Waikiki Beach Resort

Brand: Hilton Hotels & Resorts - Hilton
Loyalty Program: Hilton HHonors
Location: Honolulu, HI
Related Post: Kauai, Hawaii

Room facing Diamond Head in Rainbow Tower

Rainbow Tower

Resort entrance

Twin Bedroom

PlayStation (games + movies) is included in your resort fee

Balcony furniture

Resort fee gets you these. Also you get generous elite benefits too.

$10 daily credit for food and beverage for Gold and Diamond elites plus room upgrade.

Fancy elevator call panel + everything is bilingual here =]

The Trio: Rainbow Tower, palm tree, and the beach

Hilton pier

Pools

Beach

Pool and the lagoon

Pools and slide

Rainbow Tower at night

Enjoying Japanese milk tea on the balcony

Fireworks every weekend

Resort after dark

Shave ice!

Authentic and yummy rice balls from Lawson

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Autograph Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Fri, 08 May 2015 01:17:00 +0000

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Autograph Collection®

Brand: Autograph Collection - Marriott
Loyalty Program: Marriott Rewards
Location: Las Vegas, NV

View from the balcony

Double Bed Studio

59th Floor

Room key with your name printed

Room

Double Sink

Balcony furniture

Exterior

View from the room

View after dark

Good morning!

Love C.O. Bigelow!

Fancy elevator

Arts everywhere!

Arts piece

Room service!

Bellagio fountain

Wicked Spoon buffet

Kauai, Hawaii

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 00:56:00 +0000

Destination: Kauai, Hawaii

Trip Length: 1 Day

Related Post:

A day trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Lihue Airport on Kauai Island is about 100 miles away from Honolulu.

Early flight on Island Air

Lihue Airport on Kauai

Waimea Canyon

Fern Grotto

Waimea River

Spouting Horn

Hanapepe Valley lookout

Waimea Bay

Beautiful Kauai

Wild roosters everywhere

2014 A Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 22:22:00 +0000

Winter Haven, Autograph Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Winter Haven, Autograph Collection® by Marriott

Brand: Autograph Collection - Marriott Rewards
Loyalty Program: Marriott Rewards
Location: Miami Beach, FL

Hotel Exterior

View from the window

Room - Oceanfront

Ceiling fan

Nice amenity from L'Occitane

A real walk-in closet

Room

Art Deco windows!

Street from the window

Hotel at dark

Elevator

Stayed there for two nights during a hot and humid July 4th holiday. In short, a very mediocre stay. May or may not stay there again.

Positives:

Looks like the hotel went through a big renovation lately - so all furnitures seem pretty new and modern - does fit the Autograph Collection profile. Upgraded to a oceanfront room due to my status with Marriott - so parking lot or alley view. Service from the the staff varies (but still above average) - most front desk staff are very nice and accommodating, some housekeepers are, but some are not so. Very easy access to the beach and offers towel service. The hotel also has a small terrance and a relaxing mezzanine level. The hotel also offers amenity from L'Occitane - but the housekeeper didn't replenish them on my second day. There are pleasant small touches - umbrella in room, 24-hr coffee, etc.

Negatives:

Kinda surprised at first to see this hotel is branded as a Autograph Collection hotel. There is a restaurant in the front and occupies part of the lobby. The waitresses can be really pushy sometimes. Elite breakfast are offered there - but continental only (- they have a weird math in calculating how much a "free" continental breakfast voucher worth and could be applied towards ordering other menu items). As an Autograph Collection, it is sad to see they did not take an extra step to offer something better than just a plain continental breakfast. As an Art Deco hotel, room size is on the small side. They try so hard to cram as many rooms as possible into this tiny hotel - rooms even have entrances in the stairwell and next the elevator door. Choose another hotel if you want a quiet room: constant noise from the street + you can also hear your neighbors. There is only one elevator - so expect some lines.

United PVG-LAX BusinessFirst (B787 Dreamliner)

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 20:41:00 +0000

United UA 199

Aircraft: B787-8 Dreamliner

Route: Shanghai Pudong (PVG) - Los Angeles (LAX)

Cabin: BusinessFirst (Business Class)

Boarding - Flying Dreamliner again!

Cabin with mood lighting fixture

Safety Instruction

Big big big window!

Cabin with all windows dimmed.

BusinessFirst fully flat bed seat

New remote control for AVOD

Not-so-good noodles

Thai Airways ICN-TPE Business

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 00:44:00 +0000

Thai Airways TG635

Aircraft: A330-330

Route: Seoul Incheon (ICN) - Taipei Taoyuan (TPE)

Cabin: Royal Silk Class (Business Class)

Flight duration: 2 hr 30 m

Asiana Business Lounge

Asiana Business Lounge - seating

Asiana Business Lounge - Korean pancakes

Asiana Business Lounge - shower

Thai Airways A330 - parked outside

AVOD

Cabin - pretty empty flight

Meal Service - drinks

Meal Service- Appetizer

Meal Service - Korean Bulgogi (pre-ordered)

Cabin

Getting dark outside

United Airlines MileagePlus Premier Status

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 04:56:00 +0000

For most updated information, please visit United.com.

Asiana ORD-ICN Business

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Asiana OZ 235

Aircraft: B777-200ER

Route: Chicago O'Hare (ORD) - Seoul Incheon (ICN)

Cabin: Business Class (non-flat-bed config.)

Flight duration: 13 hours 20 mins

Asiana uses Terminal 5, the international terminal, at Chicago O'Hare

SAS lounge at ORD T5

A very Scandinavian and cozy lounge

Asiana B777-200ER

Business class cabin

2-3-2 configuration

Lie-flat (non-bed) business class seat.

Appetizer

Entree

Mid-night snack

It was a pretty smooth ride from Chicago to Inchelon. Service was actually better than the last time I was flying with them. Food quality is pretty high, but portion is a little bit light. The main disadvantage is that the seat in Business Class is not a flat bed. Asiana does fly retrofitted B777s from Seattle and San Francisco. Overall, nothing too special of the flight.

Home2 Suites by Hilton New York Long Island City/ Manhattan View

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 01:22:00 +0000

Home2 Suites by Hilton New York Long Island City/ Manhattan View

Brand: Home2 Suites by Hilton - Hilton Worldwide

Loyalty Program: Hilton HHonors

Location: New York City (Long Island City, NY)

The hotel is only 2-min away from the N, Q subway, and not too far from the N, R station. It is located in Long Island City, so it means it is only a short ride to Manhattan. I booked the room for my parents and slept there occasionally using the pull-out sofa bed during their 14-night stay there.

As a HHonors Gold member, I was placed in a studio on the 9th floor with a gorgeous NYC view across the East River. Room is in decent size and equipped with a full kitchen. Front desk staff are all very nice and helpful. No major problems during our stay - although we did experience a brief downtime with one of the two elevators on site. It's totally understandable as the hotel just opened its door a few weeks ago. For the free breakfast offered, the hotel has a fair selection of breakfast items. Just as a comparison, the offering is a little bit better than Hampton Inn, another Hilton brand.

Will recommend to friends and definitely stay there again myself. I believe Hilton did a good job in designing and operating this extended stay brand.

Manhattan View

Studio

Pull-out Sofa Bed

Bathroom

Breakfast Area

(courtesy Hilton.com)

Hotel Interior

(courtesy NYCGo.com)

The Lexington Hotel - Autograph Collection by Marriott

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 03:01:00 +0000

The Lexington Hotel

Brand: Autograph Collection - Marriott International

Loyalty Program: Marriott Rewards

Location: New York City (Manhattan, New York)

The Landis Tapei

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 02:42:00 +0000

The Landis Taipei 亞都麗緻大飯店

Brand: Preferred Hotels & Resorts - Preferred Hotel Group

Loyalty Program: iPrefer

Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Related Post: Hello Kitty Jet Flight Report | Taipei + Around Trip Report

This is one of the best hotels I've ever stayed. The hotel is part of the Preferred Hotel Group. The hotel is located on a busy street with easy access to bus or subway. Taxi is also easy to get. Since the hotel is located near a few residential neighborhoods, local restaurants, shops, convenience stores, banks are all within walking distance.

Staff are very friendly - I do speak Mandarin, so less of a language barrier for me. Check-in is actually done in-room, which is rather interesting (and a little bit weird). Room are in decent condition, although a little bit small.

The buffet selection for breakfast is superior, but not as great as many similar hotels in Mainland China. The restaurant was overflowed and I was sent to the send floor for one morning - however same selection of food.

Taipei, Taiwan

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 03:41:00 +0000

Destination: Taipei, Taiwan 台灣台北

Trip Length: 1 Week

First Trip to Taiwan

Xingtian Temple

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

Building out of Context

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Taipei: Pandas on Tour Exhibition

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Lungshan Temple

Zhongxiao Rd.

Shilin Night Market

Taipei Railway Station

Ximending

Bus lane in Taipei

Mopeds

Taipei 101

Bike Share in Taipei

The Civil War of China

I'm Rich!!

National Palace Museum

Ding Tai Fung Dumpling House

Tamsui District

EVA Air TPE-NRT Business (Hello Kitty Jet)

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 04:27:00 +0000

EVA Air BR 2198

Aircraft: A330 (Hello Kitty Jet - Speed Puff)

Route: Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) - Tokyo Narita (NRT)

Cabin: Premium Laurel Class (Business Class)

Related Post: Taipei + Around Trip Report | Landis Taipei

Hello Kitty Jet (Speed Puff, EVA A330)

Route map

Special Check-in Desks

Hello Kitty Boarding Pass

Hello Kitty Public Lounge

Another Jet Parked at TPE

Safety Instruction, the Hello Kitty way

Premium Laurel Cabin (Business)

Hello Kitty Pillow

Drink with Hello Kitty Napkin

Hello Kitty Menu

Latte in the Air

Appetizers of Chinese Meal (No Hello Kitty)

Juicy Soup Dumplings

Hello Kitty Amenities in Lavatory

Hello Kitty Fleet with EVA Air

Hello Kitty Jets Amenities

My Ride Arrived at Tokyo

Orlando, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Xavier) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 18:33:00 +0000

Destination: Orlando, Florida
Trip Length: 1 Week

First time to Disney World. FIVE Disney parks and TWO Universal parks in FOUR days!

Orlando International Airport

Animal Kingdom

Epot

Hollywood Studios

Magic Kingdom

Islands of Adventure

Universal Studios

Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista