Review: LATAM Business Class B787-9, Santiago – Easter Island

Posted on February 3, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Boeing 787 + Business Class + LATAM + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Trip Report

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There is only one way to get to the remote Easter Island by plane and that is on LATAM’s Santiago – Easter Island service which occasionally continues onto Papeete, French Polynesia. Easter Island is among the world’s most remote islands, being situated in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean and located 2,355 miles from Santiago and 2,644 miles from French Polynesia. It’s home to the nine hundred Easter Island Moai’s that were carved between 1,250 – 1,500 AD; making this place a great remote adventure travel destination that is well worth visiting.

This post is one chapter on our trip to Mexico City, Mexico and Easter Island, Chile. This trip was enhanced through Alaska Mileage Plan and through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: LATAM Preferente Business Class B787-9, Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez Airport – Isla de Pasqua “Rapa Nui” Mataveri International Airport, Easter Island

We arrived into Santiago on LATAM Business Class Mexico City – Santiago. We passed by the “no longer for Canadians” reciprocity fee. Australia is the last remaining country that seems to have a fee. There is some sharp black material covering the sign where the Canadian flag used to be. The desks were unattended anyway.

Passing by the Entry Reciprocity Fee Desks

Connecting through Santiago:

We collected our bags and headed land side through immigration and customs. There was no convenient transfer desk or sterile connections passageway. Instead, we took the elevator upstairs to the LATAM Vuelos’ Nacionales desk on the top departure level. Since we already had our bags tagged, we were just going to drop the bags and head for breakfast. The LATAM Vuelos’ Nacionales line dragon directed us to head to LATAM Preferente check in the end of the terminal on the 4th floor for the executive check in. It wasn’t easily marked but if you’ve been around a few of these more “private” business class check in areas, it was pretty easy to find if you knew what you were looking for.

Headed Towards LATAM Preferente Check In

The LATAM Preferente check in was at the left end of the departure hall. We wandered through the labynrth of pathways which eventually led us upstairs to the LATAM Preferente Check in Day.

Navigating Towards the Isolated LATAM Preferente Check In

Down the Corridor Toward LATAM Preferente Check In

Finding Our Way Upstairs to LATAM Check In Preferente

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LATAM’s Premium Check In Area:

Once we had travelled the escalator, we found ourselves in a much larger and upscale dedicated LATAM and One World Priority Check In Area.

At the LATAM Business Class Preferente Check in, they weighed our bags and accepted them into domestic baggage check as is. I asked if there was a lounge on the domestic side and I got some “fake laughter” back from the two check in agents. It was the kind of laughter you get at a cocktail party when the joke wasn’t funny but people were still trying to be polite.

Unfortunately, LATAM does not operate a domestic lounge and saves its efforts for the international flights. Most of LATAM’s domestic flights don’t have a business class cabin so it makes some sense that they don’t offer any lounge. There was a priority pass lounge there but we don’t have a membership at the time and didn’t bother paying the entry fee for our layover.

We had a café con leche at the Gatsby Bar on the public side while we killed off a several hour connection. We watched the sun come up slowly. We skipped breakfast since we both ate on the plane. The service here was abysmal for what it was worth. It was over 25 minutes to get served for a coffee since everyone was getting the breakfast buffet. This is not a complaint, but more of an observation. Eventually, we headed over from one end of the terminal to the other to the domestic side and re-cleared security.

Enjoying a Red Eye Coffee at the Gatsby Bar, Santiago International Airport

After coffees, we headed over to the Domestic Departures portion of the airport. This involved a trek through the length of the airport.

The Santiago International Terminal Departure Hall

The Departure Hall offers Lots of Natural Light

Entering into Santiago Domestic Air Terminal:

We eventually passed by the regular LATAM Domestic Flights Check in. We eventually made it to the Domestic Departures Security Screening. The large suitcase display atrium that used to be over here in the domestic atrium has been filled in, and now contains shops.

LATAM’s Domestic Vuelos Nacionales Check In Desks

It was a bit larger than I was led to believe on the Santiago domestic airport secure side. There was a Starbucks with Chile mugs, a Fachon store selling foie gras and champagne of all things. . . Perfect for your Patagonia adventure experience!!

There was also a book swap – something that I’d never seen in an airport itself but something that certainly speaks to Chile’s high rate of literacy in its population. The selection today was a bit lean.

A Book Swap – Where would you return these? On a Return Flight?

I took some photos from the Starbucks in the sterile area of the runway apron. Little did I know that we would be riding on the last plane of three in this photo (right hand side).

Views of LATAM Aircraft on the Apron at SCL

We found our gates downstairs in the bus zone at Gate 35. Easter Island is known 3 different ways: it’s English name as Easter Island, the Chilean name as Isla de la Pasqua, and the Islander’s name as Rapa Nui. Today’s flight was marked in the Chilean name of Isla de la Pasqua, but strangely our boarding card read the English name of “Easter Island”.

Boarding a Bus Gate at Santiago International Airport

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Boarding LATAM Domestic at a Bus Gate:

We boarded at Bus Gate 35. Although there was a Preferente priority line, it only allowed access to the bus first. We were on the first bus out of what appeared to be three. We were bussed over to the apron and climbed the stairs onto a Boeing 787-900. It was my first time riding on this type, since I’ve always been on the 800 series.

On Board LATAM Business Class:

Once we had climbed the air bridge stairs, we headed over to our seats on the right hand side of the plane. LATAM offers Business Class Seating on a 2 – 2 – 2 configuration. This is great if you are travelling with a partner, but less great if you are travelling on your own. Those that are in against the window may have to “step over” an aisle seat passenger in order to access the aisle.

The plane was new but surprisingly the seat tables were marked up a bit. Everything looked bright and fresh.

Looking Down the Row: LATAM Business Class

A View from the Seat: LATAM Business Class

There was Empower charging and USB charging available at every seat. The charge point was located in the arm rest.

EMPOWER and USB Charging along with a Wired Remote

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Pre Departure Services:

A pre departure beverage was offered of orange or water. There was no champagne it seems on a LATAM domestic segment and having come off an overnight flight, we bother to didn’t ask for any.

An Unusual Boarding Card Destination: “Easter Island”

Amenity Kit “Lite”: Slippers

We had a trolly service of Spanish magazines and amenity kits. These domestic kits were a “business” re-useable bag containing slippers and, well the bag. It wasn’t super exciting compared to the medium / long haul segments.

In Flight Entertainment:

The in flight entertainment was of the same on demand variety and offered enough to keep us occupied. The start screen featured aspirational photographs of various destinations around Chile.

Flight Track for a Long Domestic Chilean Flight

Departing Santiago:

We got underway and had great sunny views of the vineyards on out way out of town. Within about 10 minutes, we were over Valparaiso as we headed westward to Easter Island “IPC”.

Passing the South American Pacific Ocean Coastline

I was super excited to be underway as for aviation geeks like myself, the Easter Island flight had some unusual characteristics. The IPC airport runway is so remote that in 1987, it was upgraded by NASA as a remote space shuttle landing site. There are also rules about flights into the airport as governed by the Chilean Air Authorities. As there are no taxi ways, only one aircraft can approach at any given time. The closest secondary airport is GMR which is some 1,600 miles away. Before long, we were headed out over the ocean with views of nothing around us.

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The Meal: A Full Breakfast

Once we were underway, printed menus were distributed. Instead of the full elaborate wine list presentation, we had a small sheet attached to the main menu. I have to still hand it to LATAM for having a printed menu on a 4 hour domestic flight. It’s something we don’t always get in Canada or the USA.

LATAM Business Class Wine List SCL – IPC

LATAM Business Class Spirits List SCL – IPC

We had a breakfast served on board. The choices were omelette and meats and cheeses. I went with the omelette which was plain. The coffee again was not very exciting.

Plain Omelette with Rösti Potatoes and Cherry Tomatoes

After the meal, I crashed out and slept pretty much the whole way to Easter Island. I didn’t have lots of sleep on the last LATAM Business Class Mexico City – Santiago flight so I took advantage of it and hit snooze.

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Descending into Easter Island:

I ended up waking up as we started our descent, which seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. We dropped through some thunderclouds and were able to get our first glances of the barren island. It was a lot like landing in under developed countries like Cuba or Myanmar, since there was not a lot of infrastructure on the island.

Arriving to the Middle of the Pacific Ocean: Easter Island

Descending into a speck in the Pacific Ocean

Miles of Landscape that are completely bare…

When we parked on the apron, it was starting to thundershower. Since there are no gates here, every plane parks on the apron. We got a bit soaked getting into the building. There were no complimentary umbrellas here like on our Air Tahiti flight. I guess they are running on a bit of a budget. There was double jet bridge disembarkation, which made the process quick and convenient.

Dis Embarkation at Mataveri International Airport: LATAM Santiago – Easter Island

Arriving to Mataveri International Airport

We stopped for the obligatory Easter Island Mataveri International Airport arrival photographs. Coming all this way from home, it can be expected that we would take a memory home with us.

We purchased our park pass at the airport (the only place it is sold on the Island) with “clean bills only” at $80 USD each , valid for 10 days and with only 1 entry to the Volcano and the Quarry. We had brought cash with us and they didn’t accept credit cards.

At baggage claim, the bags were eventually put out on the only belt at the airport- quaint wooden structure.

We would end up transferring over to the Hotel Taura’a in Hanga Roa for our stay in Easter Island.

My Thoughts on LATAM’s Easter Island Business Class Service:

In summary, it was a neat flight over to Easter Island. It was a long way at about 4 ½ hours; it was similar to a trans continental flight in the Americas. LATAM provided a comfortable seat along with a single meal offering. The amenity kit and food itself was forgettable but I can’t complain about the awesome seat. The fact that we landed at Easter Island was pretty cool too!!

If you’ve flown LATAM to Easter Island, were you exciting about this remote flight ?

Tags: IPC, LA 841, One World, SCL

Review: LATAM Business Class B787-8, Mexico City – Santiago

Posted on February 2, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Boeing 787 + Business Class + LATAM + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Trip Report

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The southern city of Santiago, Chile in South America is a long ways from home in North America. With LATAM having a dominant share in air market in the Southern American airspace, they were pretty much the “go to carrier” when flying to and from Santiago, Chile. Our long haul flight with LATAM would have us departing Mexico City to Santiago, eventually connecting onward to Easter Island.

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Review: LATAM Preferente Business Class B787-8, Mexico City International Airport – Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez Airport

The flights’ availability for boarding was announced from the Iberia Business Premier GIS Lounge Mexico City. We packed up our stuff and headed over through a bleak and dated Mexico City International Airport over to Gate 23.

It was pretty busy at the gate. There were signs were up with designated boarding zones and it was about as organized as it could be given the space that was available. The airport didn’t seem to offer a lot of real estate for the boarding area and we were all squished into the hallway. There were about 15 people in the Priority Line when we arrived.

Navigating a Compact Mexico City Airport

A Busy Priority Boarding Queue at Mexico City Airport

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Latam Airlines
Business Class (Z)
MEX – SCL (Mexico Juarez International Terminal One – Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez Airport)
LA 621
Oct 11, 2017
Booked: Boeing 787-800
Flown: Boeing 787-800
Departure: 7:55 PM
Arrival: 6:15 AM + 1

On Board LATAM Business Class:

We boarded via door 2L with single jet bridge boarding. Once on board, we found our seats. The LATAM business class cabin is in a 2-2-2 configuration and the seat are similar to those on Turkish Airways The welcome and greeting was wholly in Spanish, which was a first for me. It was neat to watch everyone else come on getting greeted in Spanish.

Unlike the seat map, the LATAM cabin is split into two cabins. Rows 1-3 are the first cabin, and the second cabin are rows 4-6. There is a small storage compartment between the two cabins and a crew seat on the outsides but otherwise there is no curtain separating the two cabins; making it a very spacious business class cabin. I usually don’t like the bulkheads but our seat there was perfectly fine.

A View of the Center Crew Station between the two Business Class Cabins

At the seat itself, it offered similar seat controls that you could expect. There were recline features along with a lumbar support and a massage feature. The 2 – 2 -2 LATAM Business Class seat is similar as to what you would expect on Turkish Airlines A330 product, as they’ve installed a similar business class seating product.

Seat Controls with a Lumbar and Massage Feature

A Wired Remote to Control the Entertainment

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Pre Departure Services:

A pre-departure beverage order was taken consistingof water, orange juice, sparkling wine or pisco sours. Missing South America, we easily went with the pisco sours. It was served with nuts, and an additional glass of water, which was a nice touch. It is probably worth noting that these are “instant” pisco sours and since they were Chilean, they don’t come with that wonderful Peruvian froth on top of it.

While we were enjoying the pre departure beverage, the purser came around and thanked us for flying with them. She asked us to enjoy the flights and made some small talk about where we were headed. She was excited to hear that we were headed to Easter Island; having been there herself with work.

As we sat on the ground in Mexico City, the menus were distributed.

LATAM “Gastronomy as the Gateway to Our Culture”

LATAM Business Class Dinner Menu MEX-SCL

Rather conveniently, the menu recommended wine pairings with each course. This is really appreciated, although it’s not something that I see frequently offered in international business class.

There was also a wine list provided. I have to say that the wines were quite good and were among the highlight of our time with LATAM. As expected, the wines featured a South American focus with Carménère and Malbecs featured on the list. The list was also very extensive for business class and offered varietals for everyone; similar to our Qatar Airways Business Class experiences. There was no actual champagne offered, which was unusual for international business class. Instead, they offered two varieties of sparkling Chilean’ wine.

LATAM Business Class Carménère and Malbec Wines

LATAM Business Class Carménère and White Chadronnay

LATAM Business Class White Wine Sauvingon Blanc and Port

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The Amenity Kits: Salvatore Ferragamo

The on ground presentations were followed by a newspaper / magazine trolley and presentation of the amenity kits. The kits are Salvatore Ferragamo branded and contained quite a bit of stuff.

There were 3 Salvatore Ferragamo creams, socks, combs, mirrors, pens, disposable tote bags, ear plugs, eye masks. It was one of the fuller kits that I remembered ever getting and the case itself was quite nice.

Contents of the Salvatore Ferragamo Amenity Kits

The In Flight Entertainment System:

Departing Mexico City International Airport, we got underway. With an evening departure time of 7:55 PM, the lights were dimmed almost immediately. I browsed through the in flight entertainment which was “on demand”. It featured a moving map and a selection of quality movies.

A Mild Selection of American and Spanish Films

I noticed that most of the travellers in business went to sleep right away, despite the early evening departure at a few minutes before 8 PM.

The Meal: A Three Course Dinner

The dinner service started at about 9:30 PM and was quite a leisurely affair. Typically this wouldn’t matter, but the flight was quite short at 7 hours so it didn’t leave a lot of time for sleeping.

I had the soup to start with the wine chardonnay pairing.

AquaChile Marinated Shrimp with Cucumber and Marinated Pesto and Wild Mushroom Soup

For the main course, I had the Braised Beef Ribs in Mezcal Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Artichoke Hearts. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the red glass of wine to go with it until after the the meal was well done and over as the crew had disappeared.

For the first round of desserts, I took the cheese and cracker plates.

I then finished with Haagen Daaz Dulce de Leche ice cream as well for desert. Sumptuous!

It was about 10:30 PM by the time that the dinner service was completed. This left only about 3.5 hours left in the flight with the time zone changes.

The crew handed out very thick white duvets which were quite comfortable to have on a plane. The pillow was the usual skinny fabric and it made for a bit of an odd combination having such a great blanket and a flimsy pillow. I attempted to sleep but it didn’t go so well. I was too excited or something and I just lay wake the whole time. Seven hours is not a great length for flights since by the time you have finished the meal, there isn’t much relaxing time and get to sleep.

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The Second Service: A Full Breakfast

I opted for the complete breakfast. This was completed by filling out a card after the main meal service. We were among the only few that did have a complete breakfast. Most seemed to be from Chile on the business circuit, and stayed asleep the whole time. The breakfast was served slightly outside of Santiago.

The breakfast was nothing special. The coffee, “Juan Valdez instant” was particularly dreadful. This was surprising considering the amount of great coffee produced in South America.

Desayuno “Completo”: A Full Breakfast with Scrambled Eggs

We had a dark landing into Santiago International airport at 6 AM. The crews were especially interested and keen to hear that we were traveling to Easter Island. It seems that many of the crews have previously traveled there being on LATAM’s route network so many had Pisco Sour bar recommendations.

My Thoughts on LATAM Business Class:

Overall, we had a great crew flying down from Mexico City which was complimented by a terrific and substantial wine list. The amenity kits were terrific as was the B787 plane. Unfortunately, the overnight flight itself is too short to allow for any relaxation or enjoyment if you plan on getting the meal service. I would really like the opportunity to be able to try LATAM out on a daytime long haul flight that doesn’t involve a sleep.

If you’ve flown LATAM Business Class, did you find it a comfortable way to travel long distances?

Tags: LA 621, MEX, One World, SCL

Review: Iberia Business Premium Traveller GIS Lounge, One World Lounge, Mexico City, Mexico

Posted on February 1, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Iberia Lounge + Lounges + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Trip Report

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Mexico City is an international destination that is located a fair distance from many parts of the world; the America’s, South America and Europe. Being the capital city for the Republic of Mexico, it’s got to have a decent international lounge available for it’s many visitors. On our travels, we visited the home of One World international departures in the Iberia Business Premier GIS Lounge.

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Review: Iberia Business, Premium Traveller GIS – One World Lounge, Mexico City International Airport – Terminal One, Mexico

Getting to Mexico City International Airport:

We took an UberSUV from The W Mexico City in Polanco, CDMX to the airport. There were heaps of Uber Black and Uber SUV’s available at all times during our stay in the Polanco neighbourhood. It was only a 17 kilometre distance, but the ride took about 70 minutes during the afternoon rush hour. We had allowed ourselves plenty of time. With traffic like this, it’s easy to understand why.

Some Light Traffic on the Way to the Airport

Arriving to Mexico City International Airport:

The old Mexico City International Airport – Terminal One is a bit of a dump. It has a lack of natural light and had a very institutional feel to it. Despite this, it was much cleaner and in a better state of repair than some areas of our usual home airport of Seattle Tacoma in the United States of America.

We checked in at the LATAM desks at two hours and forty minutes before our LATAM Business Class Mexico City – Santiago flight. For some reason, the desks were totally deserted and we were helped at the LATAM Preferente line right away. There were no questions or raised eyebrows at our deeply discounted tickets (only $1,110 USD round trip!). Our check in was processed promptly. I had checked in online earlier without any issues; hoping to stave off any last minute questions or awkward “denied boarding” conversations over what may have been a mistake fare. We were given instructions to collect our bags in Santiago, despite the bags being tagged through to Easter Island. We were given instructions to go to the Iberia Business Lounge.

There didn’t seem to be many interesting things on the public side of the Mexico City International Airport, so we immediately went through to the secure side. There was no immigration exit stamp for Mexico and we were through security really quickly.

Locating the Iberia Business Lounge:

We located the elevator to the lounges on the secure side of the airport. The lounge is somewhat confusingly branded. It was known as the Iberia Business Lounge but also appears to be known as the Premier GIS Lounge.

Riding the Elevator (or taking the nearby stairs) to the Iberia Lounge

There was an AAdmirals Club available as well, along with a United Club on the second floor. I think the Admirals Club probably had half the space that we had downstairs in the spacious Iberia Lounge.

We rode the elevator up one level in order to access the Iberia Business Lounge.

Accessing the Iberia Business / Premier GIS Lounge:

The lounge is typically accessed by flying Business Class on a One World airline. The lounge caters to One World carriers Iberia, British Airways, and LATAM.

After getting off the elevator, we were welcomed at reception. There was no line at check in and there were not a lot of travellers at this hour. We were given access and wifi codes on the way in.

Inside the Iberia Business Lounge:

The initial impressions of the Iberia Business Lounge were quite favourable. It appeared that the lounge had been recently refurbished as everything looked fresh and new. Getting into the lounge, the lounge’s colours were light wood hues.

In the primary seating area of the lounge, there was a medium sized seating area. There wasn’t a broad selection of loungers, but they were configured in a variety of areas allowing for different seating options.

The lounge, along with the theme of the airport, didn’t have much natural light. There were some windows that overlooked a glass atrium in towards the airport but it didn’t look all too inviting to sit back there.

We went to find a place to sit. There were a few loungers but most of them were taken. We ended up in the back corner against the wall with some nearby power outlets.

Food and Beverage:

There were some tables throughout the back of the lounge that were set up for eating or dining. The food section wasn’t too popular so this zone was empty during our visit.

The bar was a fully manned bar with drinks on request. Despite the services, it was also not a super popular place to be. It was also lacking any real bar stools similar to other lounge bar’s that I had visited.

In terms of food, there was some very basic food offerings. These included pannini’s, soup, pasta and some other unidentifiable hot item(s). The food was more snack oriented rather than meal oriented.

The bar was the most impressive part of the lounge. Shortly after I took a photo of it, I was approached by the manager and the interrogation started. Were these pictures for personal use? Was I a representative from another airline? “Because you know, these people come in here. . .” After the shame test, she left but wasn’t at all apologetic. I didn’t want to spell out that there were probably dozens of travel bloggers coming through thanks to the deeply discounted LATAM fare.

In order to deal with this stress, I had some snacks here along with 3 gin and tonics. We eventually headed off for our LATAM Business Class Mexico City – Santiago flight.

The Bottom Line: The Iberia Business / Premier GIS Lounge

The strangely branded Iberia Business / Premier GIS lounge was a spaciously and newly refurbished place to relax before our international flight to Santiago. The lounge didn’t offer much in the way of delicious food and beverage, but it did offer a full service bar. As a result, I’d mark this one up as I’m happy to have visited, but there isn’t a large rush for me to get back here.

If you visited the Iberia Business Premier GIS Lounge in Mexico City, what were your impressions ?

Tags: Contract Lounge, One World

On the Buses: Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing in Mexico City, Mexico

Posted on January 31, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + City Visit + Mexico + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + North America + Trip Report

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Mexico City has a lot of sights to see within its central area. During our short visit, the best way for us to taking the most sights in a short period of time was through the convenient Hop On Hop Off bus that toured its way around the center of Mexico City. We spent the day taking in Mexico City’s sights; learning about old world monuments amid a new world environment.

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Activity: On the Buses, Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing, Mexico City, Mexico.

Wtih our first visit to Mexico City, our time was spent taking in some sights.

Keeping things easy and safe for us, departing The W Mexico City, we took the “Hop on Hop Off” bus which stopped almost immediately behind the hotel at the Auditorio Nacionale. It was a 5 minute walk from the hotel across a major street. It’s a major concert stadium. Interestingly enough, it had stars of all the concerts performed on the ground out front in gold plaques along with the year that they performed.

Once on the bus, we had a lengthy tour through the streets of Mexico City. I forgot to question the logic of a bus driving tour in one of the cities known for the worst traffic in the world. It took us about 1 hour and 1 minutes to get over to the Centro Historico on the other side of town which was only about 7 km away.

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Spotting Earthquake Damage:

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before we came across some earthquake damage that was caused by the major earthquake on Sept 19, 2017. The surrounding area was marked by search team and sniffer dogs; even some 3 weeks later.

We passed through the hipster district on our way over to the Centro Historico.

We eventually passed through the major shopping and commercial throughfare.

We passed by the Palacio Bello Artes. It looked as good from the bus as it did on the ground.

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Getting off at Centro Historico:

We got off at the Centro Historico, which is one of the main tourist centers of old Mexico. It was quite a “touristed” area with lots of gringos like myself taking in the area. There were shoe shine areas, street entertainers and various tour stands throughout the square.

Walking the Zolaco Ruins:

We took in some of the sights and went over to the Zolaco ruins. This was where the center of the Aztec Universe was supposed to be. There was a walkway that went over top the ruins and not being an archaeologist, we didn’t spend the peso’s for the admission fee. Most of the aerial view could be seen from the outside anyway.

We took a closer look at the church, which was the center focal point of the square. We were able to get a peek inside. It had more worshippers than tourists so we didn’t stick around too long. Like many other Latin American churches, the décor inside was quite plain and simple.

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Admiring the Palacio Nacionale:

We then took a walk around the Palacio Nacionale. There was a large tent benefit in the middle of the square so we were not able to go into the middle.

We then walked through downtown over to the Palacio Des Belles Artes. The walkways towards the Palacio Des Belles Artes was a nice but forgettable pedestrian area with a few streets here and there. There were the usual international brands for shopping, along with a few restaurants throughout.

There was some finds however… You just had to look closely for them.

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Viewing the Wonderful Palacio Des Belles Artes:

We arrived to the Palacio Des Belles Artes. It was a totally beautiful and impressive building. We were able to see some of the closer detail amongst the roof and the surrounding sides as the sun came out for a rare light. The building itself has designs on all sides of the structure, making it truly beautiful no matter which angle you happen to be standing.

Heading Back Towards Polanco:

After a few photos, we wandered back for a little snack at a wine restaurant and a slice of pizza, eventually making it back to the Hop On Hop Off bus stop and took the drive back towards Polcano.

It took about an hour to get back as it was rush hour. We passed by several monuments in the central part of town.

We arrived back to the Auditorio, where there must have been an event on. The place was packed and looked totally different than the morning.

My Thoughts on our Hop On Hop Off Experience in Mexico City:

In summary, it was a pretty nice day. Thanks to the traffic, we didn’t “hop on / hop off” all that much but it was an otherwise enjoyable day spent not worrying about appointments or places to be. For those attempting a day visit, make sure you set out early enough to get in all the stops.

If you’ve visited Mexico City, how did you arrange your sightseeing around the region ?

Tags: Hop On Hop Off

Review: Quintonil Restaurant, Mexico City, Mexico

Posted on January 30, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Mexico + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + North America + Restaurant Review + Trip Report

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Mexico City in Mexico has a wonderful selection of world class restaurants. The restaurant Quintonil has made it onto the San Pelligrino Top 50 Restaurants as one of the world’ best eating establishments. Unlike its competitor Pujol that offers a ten course onemakase taco tasting concept, Quintnil offers a more a la carte experience. Read on to see how our visit experience fared.

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Review: Quintonil Restaurant, Mexico City, Mexico.

The dinner plans tonight were at Quintonil. Quintonil also manages a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list at Number 22 for 2017. It has managed to stay on the list over time and is currently number 27 in 2021 after all these years.

It is advertised as “clarity of flavour, alongside contemporary Mexican technique”.

Planning a Visit to Quintonil Restaurant:

I managed to get a 7 PM seating via Open Table at about 60 days out. Even then, there was not a lot of open availability.

Getting to Quintonil Restaurant:

We took a $5 USD Uber from the W Mexico City to Quintonil Restaurant. The restaurant is easy to locate and like Pujol Restaurant, it is well situated in the Polanco neighbourhood of Mexico City.

On arrival, we were given a choice of dining in the restaurant or in the outdoors (covered) area. We opted for the outdoors. This was supposedly the outdoor area, although it was completely sealed and warm.

Since we had just had the massive tasting menu at Pujol Restaurant the night before, we opted for a lighter la carte menu tonight. There was a good selection available and the food that was coming out looked very interesting and appealing.

They also offered a set tasting menu, but we went with the a la carte options.

We trusted their better judgement and I had the sommelier recommend a wine. The sommelier recommended a Mexican Chardonnay Chenin Blanc blend called Afrodita. We have previously had some pretty bad locals wines over our trips. The Great Wall of China Wine in China; which was absolutely awful comes to mind. The Tahitian Coral Wine; was also “take it or leave it”. However, we were blown away by the quality of the Mexican wines we had the opportunity to try. This one actually had a flavour profile that had some complexity. Most of the wines we tried came from Gualupe in Baja California.

Afrodita Chardonnay Chenin Blanc Mexican White Wine

First Course:

Charred Avocado Tartare

MrsWT73 had the charred avocado tartare with Mexican herbed chips. It was sensational. It looked like a bomb had just gone off on the plate.

Crab Tostada Taco with Lime Radish & Chile Habanero Mayonnaise

I had the crab tostada taco with lime radish and chile habanero mayonnaise. It was quite acidic but really flavourful when it was all mixed together.

Main Course:

Turkey in Recado Negro Sauce

For the main course, MrsWT73 had the turkey in recado negro sauce, scented in caco husk with vegetables and burnt onions.

Braised Pork Jowel with Blue Corn Sequeza

I had the braised pork jowl with blue corn segueza with lettuces and picked “rajas”, which was good mixed together.

MrsWT73 liked the servers and the atmosphere was casual. The food was super yummy and more complex than the usual Mexican tasting notes that I was used to.

After settling the bill, we headed back to the W Mexico City by Uber.

My Thoughts on our Experience at Quintonil Restaurant:

The food at Quintonil was highly enjoyable. The experience was a loss less formal than our time at Pujol Restaurant but much more approachable. Arguably, some of the dishes at Quintonil were much more impressive on the presentation since they were not in a taco style omensake tasting format. Admittedly, you can’t go wrong with either of them since they both offer an excellent product.

A visit to Quintonil is highly recommended and a great experience worthy of it’s spot on the San Pelligrino Top 50 Restaurants list.

If you’ve visited Quintonil Restaurant in Mexico City, did you find that it was worth a place on the San Pellingrino Top 50 Restaurants list ?

Tags: Open Table, Restaurant Review, San Pelligrino Top 50 Restaurants

Review: Pujol Restaurant, Mexico City, Mexico

Posted on January 29, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Mexico + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + North America + Restaurant Review + Trip Report

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Mexico City in Mexico has a wonderful selection of world class restaurants. The restaurant Pujol has made it onto the San Pelligrino Top 50 Restaurants as one of the world’ best eating establishments. Pujol offers a ten course onemakase taco tasting concept. Our visit to Pujol was indeed world class as the restaurant lived up to it’s excellent reputation.

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Review: Pujol Restaurant, Mexico City, Mexico.

As many foodies are discovering, Mexico City has an up and coming food scene. The city has embraced the opportunity and many restaurants are springing up all over the place. I got onto Pujol as it was named by The Wall Street Journal as Mexico City’s best restaurant. It also was listed on the San Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants in the World for 2016 as the 25th best restaurant and going up to number 22 for the year 2017. As of the time of writing, it is reigning at 9th on the San Pellegrino Top 50 list for 2021.

Pujol offers both a seated concept and a onemakase taco tasting concept. At the time of writing, it was very clear on Open Table, but not so clear on the restaurant website.

Planning a Visit to Pujol Restaurant:

I booked in a Pujol via Open Table at about the 60 day mark. I didn’t have a lot of luck finding availability with our choice of times, and we ended with a 9:30 PM reservation for the day of our arrival. You need to select the type of reservation that you want at the time of the reservation (seated or onemakase concept).

Select Reservations are Available through Open Table. com

We almost didn’t make it thanks to the flight delays on Alaska Airlines First Class San Francisco – Mexico City. Fortunately, everything worked out and we made our reservation.

Getting to Pujol Restaurant:

We took a $5 USD Uber from the W Mexico City to Pujol Restaurant. Pujol is well situated in the heart of the Polanco neighbourhood and is convenient to many hotels in this area.

It was especially easy to get there from The W Mexico City.

On arrival, once we were confirmed at the front desk, we were led into the bar tasting concept. Instead of being a usual Japanese tasting bar where items were prepared on view, it was low counter seating surrounding the mixology bar area where alcoholic drinks were made.

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The Meal: A Ten Course Onemakase Concept:

Our lead host described the eating concept as a “trust exercise” and obtained our dietary information. She asked us if there was anything that we wouldn’t eat. MrsWT73 opted out of the uni sea food. Lamb – ok. Pork – ok. Scallop – ok .

After an introduction of the other serving staff members (a friendly approach) we were underway.

The first drink was a starter tamarind margerita on the rocks. It was a tasty and unique start to what would be a great meal.

First Course: Bonitas

The meal started with bonitas- a charred carrot with avocado and grasshoppers. MrsWT73 actually really enjoyed this until after she realized what she was eating at the end of the meal.

Bonitas- a charred carrot with perfectly aged avocado with grasshoppers

The avocado was probably the freshest and cleanest cut avocado I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste.

Second Course: Scallop Tostada

The next portion was served with a beer; a Cerveza Juan Cordero Insurgente from Tijuana Baja California. It was very light and crisp. It was served with a scallop avocado and cilantro and red onion served on a tostada.

Scallop avocado and cilantro and red onion

It was great to taste a little local beer and something that was uniquely paired to accompany the dish.

Third Course: Uni Empanada

For the third course, we had an empanada filled with uni. This was probably my least favourite dish. Although tasty, it didn’t have any memorable part to it.

An empanada is also quite filling. I would have rather saved the appetite for other menu items that were presented that I personally found more interesting and engaging.

Fourth Course: Taco with Eggplant

The next course was a taco with confit of eggplant, watercress and green leaf, paired with the first French white wine. It was balanced enough not to burn out the heat from the spice.

Fifth Course: Taco of Pork Head with Onions and Peppers

We had pork head with onions, peppers, and a super hot sauce with heat all the way through the front and back of the palette.

Sixth Course: Taco with Shredded Lamb and Pea Shoots with Avocado Oil

It was followed by a shredded Lamb taco with pea shoots and avocado oil sauce, with a brown medium spicy sauce. The second glass of wine was a Tour de Gendres Bergerac; Merlot / Malbec blend.

Lamb taco with pea shoots and avocado oil

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Seventh Course: Taco with beef, avocado and red onion and spice.

Then another beef, avocado with red onion and spice with mescal. Mescal seems to be all the rage in CDMX these days and it was a great opportunity to try it.

Eighth Course: A Five Year Mole

As our last main course, this was followed by the flagship five year aged mole with a newer sweeter mole. The mole was allegedly cooked (and added to) over a five year period. The contrasts between the two moles were quite pronounced. I savoured every bit of it.

Ninth Course: Palette Cleanser

We had a sorbet with a blood orange ice as palette cleanser.

Tenth Course: Jack Fruit and Corn Sorbet over Corn Flan

The dessert item was a jack fruit and corn sorbet over a corn flan. It was paired with Mescal.

It was followed by a freshly cooked churro in a coil. It was absolutely the best and lightest churro I will likely ever have in my entire life. It was super light and flaky. I was still thinking about it days later it was that good.

The Final Touch: A Souvenir Menu

The menu wasn’t presented until after the meal was over. Even then, we were only able to get a Spanish copy.

The meal came to a reasonable 3,915 Mexican Pesos ($200 USD) including gratituty, ten (not including a churro!) courses and 5 wine / beer / alcohol pairings. I thought it was a reasonable price for the amount of food and the quality of the offerings for a unique or special occasion. It was certainly cheaper than the wine dinners we go to back home (laughing).

After settling the bill, we headed back to the W Mexico City by Uber.

My Thoughts on our Experience at Pujol Restaurant:

I was totally stuffed at the end of this one. The portions could have even been about 30% smaller and it would have been just as good. I was nearing a food coma by the time I left the restaurant. On our way out the door, I collected a souvenir menu which was mostly accurate. It was a pretty awesome and intense meal; one that I will remember for quite a while.

A visit to Pujol is highly recommended and a great experience worthy of it’s spot on the San Pelligrino Top 50 Restaurants list.

If you’ve visited Pujol Restaurant in Mexico City, did you enjoy the concept and the experience ?

Tags: Open Table, Restaurant Review, San Pelligrino Top 50 Restaurants

Review: The W Mexico City, Mexico

Posted on January 28, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Trip Report + W Hotels

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For our three day stay in Mexico City, we were fortunate to be experiencing a city with a lot of interesting hotel options. We would end up a the W Mexico City which had an excellent location that was walkable to most attractions in the upscale Polanco neighborhood, and conveniently located near the Hop On – Hop Off bus allowing for some easy sightseeing.

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Review: The W Mexico City, Polanco, CDMX, Mexico

Booking the W Mexico City:

I ended up picking the W Hotel for our stay in Mexico City as my business school colleague who was consulting with SAP recommended that I stay at the JW Marriott Mexico Polanco hotel in Polanco, Mexico City neighbourhood. The W Mexico City was right next to the JW Marriott so I figured that the hotel area had to be reasonably safe if SAP was going to send it’s staff to the city.

The hotel also happened to be close to the Hop On Hop Off bus station at the Auditorio Nacionale about 2 blocks away so it was pretty convenient to our needs. I had also considered staying at the Luxury Collection Los Alcobas but opted for the W in favour of a greater chance of suite upgrades. Most of the Los Alcobas hotel rooms base to mid level rooms also seemed to look towards the back of the hotel.

The W hotel was in a great neighbourhood which felt really safe. We had no problems walking around; even after dark. I would subjectively rate the area as safer than the compound living at night style of Johannesburg / Cape Town, South Africa. I did leave the fancy watches and wallets at home like any safe traveller, but we never had any troubles.

I had originally booked us into a Wonderful Room. I applied a Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award to clear into an Fantastic Suite at the 5 day mark. After we were approved into the Fanastic Suite, I applied a Your 24 request for a 5PM checkin and a 5 PM check out, which was accepted.

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunties:

The hotel is in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program as a Category 6 hotel. I found this to be a reasonable rating for the hotel and much more competitive than our earlier stay at the Westin San Francisco Airport, which was also a Category 6.

At the W Mexico City, rooms are available for between a low of 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night to a high of 60,000 points per night with a standard rate of 50,000 points per night.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.005 a point like I do, you’d be better off redeeming points if your paid rate was more expensive than $250 USD.

Getting to the W Mexico City:

I arranged for a hotel car through the hotel. Although the car was supposed to be a Lincoln Towncar or equivalent, ended up being an older Nissan Altima. It wasn’t the greatest way to arrive in style, but at least it was on time and functional.

Arriving to the W, the first impressions are of a sleek and contemporary lobby. It usually had vibe music running through the place.

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The Room: A Fantastic One Bedroom Suite, City View, Corner Room

We were assigned Suite #1909 which was a somewhat compact executive suite on a high floor. It is advertised as being 538 sq feet and certainly feels it; it’s a little larger than a small hotel room but hardly spacious by any generous means.

The hotel floors go up to the 25th floor and the top floors are the lofts. The Executive Suite was an interestingly decorated room with windows on both sides and the bathroom in the middle.

The Bedroom:

Inside the Bedroom, there was a comfortable sleeping area in the middle of the room space. The bedroom was anchored by a flat screen television.

The Living Room Space:

The room had a small seating area with a couch overlooking a view of the city. There was a small mini bar available with almost everything you could ask for available in room.

A Compact Living Space in this Executive Suite

A Mini Bar with Everything you could ever want

Internet was of the “buy in and remove the charge from the front desk” variety. The platinum breakfast had the same thing where a bill was presented but it was zero balanced at the front desk. There was a convenient desk which we used during our stay.

The Bathroom:

The bathroom also had a great view over the city. It featured the usual Bliss Toiletries.

In a stranger set up, I could not find Green Choice cards but had “opted in” on line during the reservation process. I never found them after all and never asked about it. I suspect that it was discontinued a short time ago.

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A Room with A View:

One of the best features of the room was the beautiful view. I really enjoyed waking up and seeing a view like this at the start and end of every day. Being a corner room, we were able to get opposing views on opposite sides of the room.

Overlooking the Auditorio Nacionale and Nearby Parks

Around the Property:

J BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS

We had again opted for the SPG Platinum Breakfast which was served in the hotel restaurant. The restaurant was small format, with a small breakfast buffet on offer. A la carte options were available and we did not have an up charge for it.

The Bottom Line: The W Mexico City

Overall, I really enjoyed our experience at the W Mexico City. The hotel was great. The service was reasonably good. The only let down was the tired W hotel car when we arrived to Mexico City airport that was likely contracted out to a third party. The Polanco neighbourhood was also a major bonus, in that most destinations were easily walkable from the hotel and as safe as one could hope for in Mexico City. I would easily return.

If you visited Polanco in Mexico City, do you prefer the JW Marriott or the W Mexico City for your stays ?

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum, Suite Night Award

Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, San Francisco – Mexico City

Posted on January 27, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Boeing 737 + Business Class + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines was an unusual choice to fly from the United States to Mexico City. We ended up using them thanks to the use of a companion fare, a complimentary upgrade into First Class courtesy of Alaska Mileage Plan MVP status and earning into their terrific Alaska Mileage Plan frequent flier program. Our travels to Mexico City had a few bumps along the way. Read on to see how we fared on this unique segment.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, San Francisco International Airport – Mexico City International Airport

We purchased this ticket in regular economy class and were upgraded to First Class at the 48 hr upgrade window courtesy of Alaska MVP status.

We had spent the night earlier at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel. After we had set the alarm for 6:15 AM and had gotten up and showered, I got a flight tracker notification that the flight had been delayed from 9:55 AM to 11:20 AM. Darn. Having finally gotten to bed at 1:30 AM, there’s nothing worse than a quick turn around and then a delay on a morning flight. We could have spent the additional time sleeping. =/

We took the shuttle bus back to the SFO International Terminal. We had thought about staying a little longer at the hotel to use the room but decided we would respect the initial check in baggage cut off time and get to the airport for 8:55 AM one hour before flight check in cut off. It’s a good thing we did as the check in at the airport was mostly dead after the cut off.

Arriving to San Francisco International Airport

Checking in at Alaska Airlines First Class

There was a large Mexican family checking in at the First Class line up which seemed to take a bit of time.

The San Francisco International Terminal is one of my favourite air terminals in the USA. It’s bright and beautiful and a nice place to be. After check in, we wandered down to the secure side of the aircraft terminal in order to wait for our departure.

Unfortunately, Alaska’s “on time performance” on this particular trip continued to let us down. There was a flight delay after flight delay posted; first at 12:20, then at 12:48 PM for a total delay time of 2 hrs and 53 minutes. Worried about cancellations, when I checked at the kiosk to find out what was happening, I was told it was “ATC” delays here in SFO. So far, a total of 19 minutes (YVR flight) + 21 minutes (SEA flight) + 2hrs 53 minutes on our outbound legs alone.

While we waited out the flight delays, there wasn’t much to do in this part of the International Terminal “A” Gates. There were lots of lounges, but none of them we had access to. We were not Priority Pass members at the time of this trip and Alaska doesn’t typically include lounge access with a First Class fare.

San Francisco International “A” Gates Departure Lounges

After we had been delayed about 3 hours, Alaska Airlines handed out food vouchers for everyone. We received $24 USD person. As a result, we went for a lunch at one of the grill restaurants at the end of the terminal. There wasn’t much to do other than plane spot while we waited. . .

We finally got on board at 12:30 PM. It was a quick loading and everyone was on board really quickly.

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Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
SFO-MEX (San Franciso Airport – Mexico City)
AS 240
Oct 9, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 9:55 AM
Arrival: 4:20 PM

On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

The Alaska Airlines First Class seats were the usual Alaska First Class blue leather seats. It’s not the most comfortable seat out there but far better than being in the back. The Mexico route appears to have very few Alaska elites.

Pre Departure Services:

There was a small bottle of Dasani Water on the seat. As with other times, Alaska does not do a pre-departure beverage like the other mainland carriers such as Delta Airlines or American Airlines.

We taxied out toward takeoff. There was an Air France A380 that was re-positioning to the A gates. Huge!!

A Large Air France A380 arriving to the “A” Gates

We had a climb with a quick view of the California coast before we got underway on our SE heading.

California Coastal Views through Alaska Boeing Winglets

Once airborne, a round of drinks was served. I opted for a chardonnay white wine.

Chardonnay & Sparkling as a Pre-Meal Drink

Biscoff Cookies and a Lonely Planet Mexico

The Meal: A Full Breakfast

For this flight, breakfast was also served as the meal. Since it was a morning flight that was supposed to depart at 10 AM, it was morning breakfast catering despite it being about 1 PM now. The choices were egg frittata (with pork sausages) or cereal. This was served with a side of fruit. The flight attendant admitted that the ground operations forgot to send the plates with the catering and it was going to be another 30 minute wait for the plates so they just left for Mexico without them. A bit of an embarrassing picnic presentation but after a 4 hour wait, who’s splitting hairs?

Breakfast in First: Uniquely on Picnic Catering Trays

I slept for a little while and tried to spot the border with Mexico. I was not super successful, instead glancing at large arid topography.

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Arriving to Mexico City:

Eventually, we had a twisty and bumpy descent into Mexico City. There was lots of urban sprawl to look at out the window on our descent.

Once on the ground, we taxied to a very rough and out of date airport that felt like Latin America. I spotted the defunct Mexicana hangars and Interjet, the new Mexican upstart carrier that’s now flying non stop Mexico City to Vancouver.

As with other travellers, it was long and bureaucratic process to get the Mexican tourist cards signed. We waited about 20 minutes to get through the immigration check point. We had a quick walk through Duty Free on Arrival but didn’t get anything.

We met our driver for the W Mexico Cirty, which was arranged via the hotel. He transferred us over to the hotel in a Nissan Altima and an old one at that; at least 10 years old!! I think this was a downgrade from the promised Lincoln Towncar but what can you do about it now?? It sort of punctuated the day in that funny way when nothing went exactly right . .

We later got an automated apologetic email from Alaska with a $100 discount code per person for the major four hour flight delay. It was a nice gesture on their part. It was not too generous but a lot more generous than the useless 5% discount codes that Air Canada has been providing over the years. In summary, we were happy that our Alaska leg had come to an end. And that’s not something that I usually find myself saying. . .

My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines First Class Mexico Service:

Our trip to Mexico City with Alaska Airlines was a pretty bumpy one. It took a few delays and an overnight to get us there. Having said that, the Alaska crews were reasonably pleasant about it. The plane was catered and we ended up getting there in the end in First Class.

If you’ve ever experienced a massive flight delay with Alaska Airlines, did they handle it in a reasonable manner ?

Tags: AS 240, MEX, SFO

Review: The Westin San Francisco Airport, United States of America

Posted on January 26, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Trip Report + Westin

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Our layover at the San Francisco International Airport had us requiring a night of accommodation in order to get from Canada to Mexico. Being regular consumers of the Marriott brand, we ended up with a choice between the Westin San Francisco International Airport and the aLoft San Francisco Airport. Thanks to a nearly equal rate, we ended up at the Westin San Francisco. Despite it being an older hotel, we were pretty satisfied with our experience and would return again if we found ourselves back in San Francisco near the airport.

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Review: The Westin San Francisco Airport, California, United States of America

Booking the Westin San Francisco Airport:

We were originally booked in at the Aloft San Francisco Airport right next door. Shortly before our stay, we changed over to the Westin to get the full buffet breakfast typically offered for Marriott Bonvoy (at the time – Starwood Preferred Guest) Platinums. We booked at the time on SPG Hot Escapes on a fully pre-paid rate at $135 USD at about the 5 week mark.

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunties:

The hotel is currently in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program as a Category 6 hotel. I personally find this a bit steep of a category for a standard airport hotel but it is commiserate with the Aloft San Francisco next door which, as a more basic hotel, is a Category 5.

At the Westin San Francisco, rooms are available for between a low of 40,000 to a high of 60,000 points per night with a standard rate of 50,000 points per night. I find this to be a little steep for what you get at this particular property, even though it is a full service hotel.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.005 a point like I do, you’d be better off redeeming points if your paid rate was more expensive than $250 USD.

I had a bunch of expiring Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards so I applied one and it cleared at the 5 day mark into an Executive Suite non smoking. It was not the best use of a Suite Night Award but it was better than letting it expire unused outright.

Getting to the Westin San Francisco:

We took the bus over to the hotel. The hotel is located in the first bank of hotel along a light industrial area adjacent to the San Francisco International Airport. The hotel doesn’t offer the convenience of being immediately attached to the airport, but it was otherwise pretty close to it.

It was a quick 15 minute ride on an “on demand” bus that we called for a pick up. It was also shared with the aLoft San Francisco next door.

The Arrival of the Westin San Francisco Airport

It was a pleasant hotel lobby in terms of an airport hotel. Typically, airport hotels are filled with people coming and going at all hours in cramped lobbies and compact spaces. On our visit, it was not too busy and still had a sense of ambiance as a result of it’s quieter nature and larger roomy lobby areas.

A Waterfall Feature at the Westin San Francisco

There were communal work spaces available, which are always appreciated when working on the road.

Shared Work Spaces at the Westin San Francisco

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The Room: An Executive Suite, 1 King, Sofa Bed

There was no line at hotel check in and we were assigned to room #641. As a result of using a Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status, we ended up with an Executive Suite. The Executive Suite is the highest available room configuration at this particular property.

The Bedroom:

The Executive Suite was tastefully furnished with two separate living and sleeping areas. Starting off with the sleeping area, it was spacious and in the usual Westin greys and neutral browns.

MrsWT73 (in the mirror) still has a sense of humor after two flights and it being past midnight with an early wake up the next day.

A Working Space along with Proper Glassware

We had a bit of a bad draw with the room assignment; probably thanks to our midnight arrival. It seems the Executive Suites are in the middle of the hotel. We are the green dot in the middle with half the room facing another room without windows. As we discovered, the living space area contained no windows and was a dark enclosed room attired in greys.

The Living Room:

In terms of the living area of the Executive Suite, there was a sectional couch which offered ample space to relax or rest. The only oddity was with the two occasional styled coffee tables. While they were fashionable, they weren’t all too functional.

The room had a small dining area for two. The dining area was tucked away in a bit of a dark corner and without an overhead light, it was a bit of a dark experience.

A Dark Looking Living Space without Windows

A Room with a view? Not so much. We didn’t complain thanks to the short stay. We’d save the effort for stays that really matter. At least there were bright light into this bedroom space.

Our Hotel View was less than Aspirational

The Bathroom:

The shower was the typical Westin Rain Shower variety. The bathroom was nicely equipped and can be expected for a Westin bathroom.

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Food and Beverage:

Grill and Vine Restaurant

The full service hotel offers the Grill and Vine Restaurant immediately on site. This is a good thing as there isn’t much directly around the hotel in terms of independent eating choices.

On the next morning, we opted for the included Marriott Bonvoy Platinum breakfast benefit. During the time of our visit under the Starwood Preferred Guest program, it was a full buffet breakfast at the Grill and Vine restaurant. It was reasonable and included the usual shooter style Westin fruit smoothies. There was a reasonable selection of full buffet items on grill valued at $29 USD. There was no egg station but scrambled eggs were available, which were more than satisfactory.

The Indoor Pool:

There was a hotel pool in a reasonably nice atrium which we did not get the chance to use.

It also seemed like there was a running trial outside of the property (across the roadway) that fronted the water. This would be a great choice for those that were hoping for a little outdoor exercise.

A Running Trail Immediately Across the Street from the Hotel

We hopped the free shuttle back to the airport after breakfast.

Arriving to the San Francisco International Airport

I am happy to report that everything with our stay worked as promised and it was a hassle free experience.

The Bottom Line: The Westin San Francisco Airport

All in all, the Westin San Francisco Airport was a reasonable night’s stay for a short layover. It was reasonably priced and at the rate we paid, we couldn’t really go wrong. Given the high category rate, I would probably look for a cash rate here as opposed to redeeming points. I don’t think I would stay here as an alternative to staying in San Francisco proper for a longer leisure or business stay, but it was handy and convenient to the airport which was all we needed for the night. The free shuttle helped as well.

If you visited the Westin San Francisco Airport, is it your first choice for an SFO airport hotel stay ?

Tags: Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum, Suite Night Award

Review: Alaska Airlines Premium Class B737-8, Seattle – San Francisco

Posted on January 25, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Boeing 737 + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + Premium Class + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines operates a large hub of activity from it’s home in the lower states from Seattle Tacoma International Airport. As Canadian travellers who fly Alaska Airlines, we frequently find ourselves connecting through busy Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Today’s connection experience had us departing from the old North Satellite Terminal, which at the time was a pretty utilitarian experience.

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Review: Alaska Airlines B737-8, Seattle Tacoma International Airport – San Francisco International Airport

Since our major ticket for travel to Chile departed from Mexico City, we needed to position to take advantage of the LATAM discounted fare. We decided on using an Alaska Airlines Companion Fare to position to Mexico City. Unfortunately, as with many other Alaska runs from Vancouver, we had several connections and a forced stop over in either Seattle or San Francisco. For the sake of variety, we opted for San Francisco on this ticket.

We left the house at 4:00 PM. We self drove to MrsWT73’s company’s parking lot at the airport. MrsWT73’s has changed jobs since the last trip report and now has a parking lot available within walking distance from the airport. We self hauled the luggage up to the terminal. More importantly, it was a beautiful afternoon leaving YVR.

While this post is about our travels on Alaska Airlines Seattle – San Francisco, we had to get down to Seattle. I have written about Alaska Airlnes First Class Vancouver – Seattle several times before, I won’t go into too much detail on this leg of the trip with a brief summary of the start of our day.

We headed down to gate E96 via the Duty Free after a leisurely and empty security check and Global Entry examination. It was much quieter at US TransBorder Pre-Clearance in the late evening compared to the usual morning crush to get through he

There was the usual 2-2 configuration with an odd brown Horizon Air interior tonight. Purely functional with nothing much else.

Boarding an Alaska Horizon Air Q400 shuttling us Vancouver to Seattle

Then we had a long 15 minute taxi over to runway 26L at Vancouver which is right on the other side of the airport. Four medium full stops on the taxi ride over. I didn’t think we were ever going to get out of here tonight.

No beverage service or any service at all on the short 26 minute flight to SEA-TAC; as per usual. It’s always a pretty quick process getting down to Seattle.

A straight in descent arriving at Gate 16C. We were out on the apron quickly into the nice fall evening.

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Alaska Airlines
Premium Class (Q)
SEA – SFO (SeaTac Airport – San Franciso Airport)
AS 300
Oct 8, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 9:45 PM
Arrival: 11:49 PM

Moving onto the main part of this trip review, our Alaska Airlines Premium Class between Seattle and San Francisco.

We had a shorter than expected connection today with a connecting gate down at Gate D3. We took the train over where we had the ominous announcement that boarding was going to be “delayed” as there were mechanics on board the aircraft. I took a look out the window and the cowlings weren’t up on the engine so it became a wait and see situation.

The verdict didn’t take too long as they announced a gate change to N12C in the North Satellite Terminal. If this happened in Canada, the flight would have been cancelled since there are never any spare Alaska aircraft sitting around. Thankfully, Seattle seems to have a lot of extra B737-800’s sitting nearby and we were able to get to the next gate via the train fairly quickly.

Sorting out a quick airport load at Gate N12C

After the boarding and gate change mess was sorted out, we had an out door boarding via jet airstairs.

On Board Alaska Airlines Premium Class:

We were upgraded to Premium Class at the 48 hr upgrade window, courtesy of Alaska MVP status. We boarded with the second wave on to a plane full of millennials. I felt like I was bringing up the average age of those on the plane by just being there. It seemed like everyone was taking the last flight home for the weekend on Sunday.

The Alaska Premium Class features 6 inches more leg room, priority boarding, power outlet at every seat and free drinks. It was a much more comfortable way to go over regular economy. Despite this, it is still an economy seat with mostly economy service which includes a few free extras.

Alaska Airlines Premium Class Seating B737-8

Each bank of seats has access to an Empower Seat Power Port, which is handy for charging electronic devices. This is especially important as the aircraft offers no in flight monitors for video entertainment.

We had a full plane on the way out with all the bin space taken within about 50% of the plane being boarded. They were pro-active in gate checking the late arrivals with the rollies as the overheads were completely stuffed full.

Premium Class Food and Beverage:

Once on board, a drink service was offered. A small Premium Class snack of almonds, a fig bar and gummy bears was offered for free in a small white box. The box was so sleek, it looked like a small Apple Computer accessory. There weren’t any premium cabin bottle holders, where I was sitting so I had to lay it on the table.

I had a Sun Liquor Gin and Sprite to go with it. I asked for the Sprite can but they weren’t being too generous with it and wouldn’t allow me to have it. LOL. MrsWT73 asked for a white wine and a Sprite and was able to get both but they must not have liked my sparkling personality.

The Tag Heuer watch is not included in the snack box

We short checked our bags at the SFO airport since we had an overnight at the Westin San Francisco Airport. When I claimed my bag, I discovered that my TSA lock had been cut off the bag. I took a quick check inside and nothing appeared to be missing. The usual TSA card was also missing; CATSA in Vancouver don’t put cards in your bags so I can’t say for sure where it happened. I’ve had terrible luck with the bags lately. Every overseas trip has had a theft, loss or delay. Ugh!

My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines Premium Class:

The Alaska Airlines Premium Class is a small upgrade over the regular economy service. The main benefits include a little extra room and an upgraded snack offering. We didn’t find the staff to come around any more often than in a regular economy service. If you’re looking for that extra service levels, you’d better off upgrade to First Class otherwise you might be disappointed.

If you regularly travel in Alaska Airlines Premium Class, do you find it worth the extra expense ?

Tags: AS 300, SEA, SFO

Trip Introduction: Mexico City, Mexico and Easter Island, Chile via LATAM Business Class and Alaska Airlines First Class.

Posted on January 24, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Chile + Mexico + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + North America + South America + Trip Report + Trip Report Introduction

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The islands of the South Pacific are among the hardest in the world to get to using frequent flier reward miles. In particular, Easter Island in Chile had escaped me for a substantial amount of time. With a remote physical location in the world, a lack of airlines serving Rapa Nui (the Polynesian name for Easter Island), and limited airline alliances that allow for connectivity to and from this area, it’s a challenging region to visit on miles and points. This story is how we set out to visit the remote Easter Island and how with a little extra time in the schedule, we used international business class to get us there and back.

Trip Introduction: Easter Island, Chile via LATAM Business Class and Alaska Airlines First Class.

Trip Background:

I had always wanted to visit Easter Island, Chile. It was a remote corner of the world that had always escaped me, even over several past trips to Chile. I had previously checked award programs but always found limited business class availability with LATAM / One World; the only carrier that services this part of the world.

When I discovered a deeply discounted business class fare on LATAM, it was a no brainer. I called across the living room to MrsWT73 who surprisingly agreed to go without question. This was despite our earlier trip a few months ago to Fiji, French Polynesia and a family trip to Hawaii. She must really enjoy the idea of sitting on a beach on an island in the middle of an ocean! With that, it was booked right away with no issues on the LATAM site in Canadian Dollars (from Vancouver). So off we went on the trip to and island (that was like Hawaii in the 1940’s) to see hundreds of beautiful stone heads. Never in my life would I have thought that we’d travel to all 3 corners of the Polynesian Triangle in the space of one year, but here we go on the last chapter of this corner of the world.

Trip Planning and Organizing:

Airfares:

We had happened upon this trip through the Flyertalk Premium Fares deal forum. It advertised a full business class fare on LATAM from Mexico City to Easter Island via Santiago, Chile. The fare was posted at a rock bottom $1,020 USD return for Premium Business in Z fare class, which was an exceptional deal. The fare came to $1,274 CAD and with $207.09 in taxes and fees, we paid $1481.09 CAD per return ticket Mexico City – Easter Island.

As our onward ticket was departing from Mexico City, we needed to position there in order to catch our onward flight. With several Alaska Airlines Companion Vouchers sitting in our accounts, we used an Alaska Companion Fare that came with the Alaska Mileage Plan Mastercard. The Alaska Airlines Companion Fare allowed for the purchase of a second ticket on the same routing for $99. We purchased a Vancouver to Mexico City Ticket (via Seattle & San Francisco) for $493 USD plus $172.94 in taxes and fees, totalling $665.94 USD. We were able to add the companion fare to this ticket for $111 USD + another $172.94 in taxes and fees; for a total cost of $949.88 USD for two to travel from Vancouver to Mexico City round trip. We were both Alaska Mileage Plan MVP’s at the the time, so we were eligible for complimentary First Class upgrades. We were further upgraded to First Class between San Francisco and Mexico City on each leg.

All in, our combined airfare from Vancouver to Easter Island was under $1,500 USD with about 85% of it in First and Business Class. This was a great deal considering it’s usually about $6,190 USD to fly in Business Class on a comparable but more direct Seattle – Easter Island Chile routing.

Hotels:

There was lots of choice in Mexico City for hotels. Since we only had a short stop, I put us into the upscale Polanco neighbourhood. It was a toss up between the JW Marriott and the W Mexico City. Being a leisure trip, we ended up with the more exciting (or annoying dependent on your perspective) W Mexico City. This ended up being a reasonable choice and an interesting location to spend a few days in Mexico City. It was also conveniently located near the hop on hop off bus tour. The neighbourhood of Polanco would be my choice on a second visit to Mexico City. It allowed us to visit both the world class restaurants of Quintonil and Pujol.

In terms of Easter Island, there isn’t a lot of choice to be had. There was the over the top Explora Hotel which was retailing at being $780 USD per night. Since we were staying 5 days, we ended up at the more economical Taura’a Hotel. The Taura’a Hotel was reasonably located and with a friendly Australian host.

The trip ended up looking like this in the end. While it was a little difficult to get down to Mexico City, we made the most of the value offered on this trip, which was pretty inexpensive overall.

Our Routing from the Pacific Northwest to Remote Easter Island, Chile

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If you’ve gotten to Easter Island, Chile, how did you maximize value in getting there ?

Tags: Alaska Airlines Companion Fare, Alaska Mileage Plan, Trip Report Introduction

Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Maui – Seattle

Posted on January 23, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Boeing 737 + Business Class + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines offers the most mainline carrier service from the West Coast of North America to the Hawaiian Island thanks to a heavy frequency of flights. While most of the flights are served with narrow body aircraft, this often means a less comfortable ride home on the overnight flights where there is no lie flat seat in First Class. We travelled from Kahului Maui – Seattle on an overnight trip, allowing us to get a full last day on the island.

This post is one chapter on our trip to Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan on a 2 for 1 Companion Fare and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Kahuilui Maui International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport

We departed the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa after a great week long stay. We went onward to the airport and returned the car to Thrifty without any additional charges. Unfortunately, we were a bit early so we enjoyed the sunset view over the Lao Valley state park that was mostly covered in clouds.

The Alaska counters were only open starting at 7:30 PM, which was 2.5 hours before the flight. MrsWT73 not all too happy about this since at the time of our visit, there wasn’t anything but a tired Starbucks on the public side of the airport. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants available for dinner or anything! We ended up checking into our flight online via the kiosks and getting our bags tagged. Alaska Airlines unfortunately didn’t have anyone available to drop them off to.

An Empty Departures Hall at Kahuilui, Maui, USA

WT73Jr didn’t appear to mind the wait. He was into his electronics to pass the time in yoga positions only a 13 year old can manage.

When the time came, We passed our bags through the agriculture inspection and were among the second in the Alaska MVP line. We were quickly through the TSA pre-check area at Kahului, which featured a strange photo history documentary of all the security incidents in the United States immediately after the security check.

A Full Departure Board to West Coast Cities

Since it was well past dinner time, we ended up at the small food court in the Kahuilui Maui International Airport. It was Burger King and California Pizza Kitchen for our last meal in the United States’ Hawaiian Islands. My son ended up spotting and asking for a Burger King crown. This turned into a selfie of himself – one of the few that he took the entire trip. “This is definitely goin’ on instagram” ?!? Too cool to smile. It was several hundred dollars putting a family holiday together and this is what makes the social media feed (laughing).

Taking the Crown: Selfies from a Teenager

In further parental amusements, the boy located a machine that converted a penny into a Hawaii oval stamped coin. Another 50 cents down the drain. LOL.

Unfortunately, there was no lounge available for Alaska Airlines First Class Passengers or Priority Pass members at the time of our visit. As a result, it was waiting in the departures concourse lounge as the only form of entertainment.

Eventually, we headed down to Gate 5 for the Alaska departure. Like with Alaska Airlines trend of boarding flights early, the flight was already mid boarding by the time listed on the boarding card of his ticket.

The Last USDA Agriculture Hand Baggage Check

Time to Board: A Mild Stampede at Gate 5

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
OGG – SEA (Kahuilui International Airport – SeaTac Airport)
AS 878
August 24, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 9:55 PM
Arrival: 6:30 AM + 1

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On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

MrsWT73 was upgraded in advance this time to first class, courtesy of an Alaska MVP upgrade. She settled into the usual plush first class seating that Alaska Airlines offers for First Class.

Plushy Seats in the Alaska Airlines First Class Cabin

An upright seat: Perfect for Daytime Flights but less so for over night ones

Myself and the boy were in seats 11F and 11E. During the climb. we finished off the Amazing Race “Home Edition”. I have been creating clues sealed in dollar store envelopes for him on every trip we’ve been on and the last one is always the hardest clue for the grand prize. Today’s final question(s) was what were the 5 islands of Hawaii named, and what are the largest industries on the islands (past and present)?

After about twenty minutes of puzzle challenges, a successful conclusion to the Amazing Race Hawaii Edition, and consistent with an overnight flight, I aimed for sleep right away. The lure of The Lego Batman and Robin Movie was too much for WT73Jr to resist and he stayed up and fiddled with the gogo entertainment app for some time.

Food and Beverage:

MrsWT73 was offered a light cheese plate in First Class. It didn’t look too appealing but she nibbled away at it.

Per the Alaska App, there was only a cheese plate offered for food on this overnight leg. I slept through the beverage service.

Although it’s a 9:55 PM departing flight, it’s a pretty light offering in terms of food. As a result, I’d recommend eating before you get to the airport or dining before you get on board.

I ended up waking up as we crossed the coastline of the USA by the Columbia River in Oregon. There were some nice view from the wing morning photographs of the North American coast line.

Views of Mount Rainier in the Pacific Northwest

We arrived straight into SEA-TAC and pulled up next to more Alaska planes in the C Gates. The plane was turned around to head to Newark within the hour.

Arriving to C Gates at Seattle Tacoma International Airport

While I would normally do a separate post about the flight from Seattle to Vancouver, I’ve covered this post so many times on the blog that it’s actually probably the most frequent flight we’ve reviewed. Instead, i’ll just cover the last segment of the trip here.

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Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver

We got off the Hawaii flight at Seattle. We had only 90 minutes connection time which was burned up quite quickly. We opted for some Seattle specialties at Beecher’s Cheese and had breakfast sandwiches (egg, ham and cheese for myself and grilled cheese for MrsWT73 and the boy) from Beecher’s Cheese. It certainly hit the spot; truly terrific. Unfortunately, I missed my morning coffee since the espresso line was completely different and the Starbucks line was about 30 persons deep.

We ended up finding duty free instead with the irritating “delivered to the gate” method that is everywhere in the USA and not many other places else. Our last flight up was a Horizon Air flight, which meant a propeller plane. This translated to an outdoor boarding process this morning.

It was a very speedy 35 minutes up to Vancouver where we landed in the E gates. As with all Seattle – Vancouver services on Alaska, there was no in flight service due to a short flight length.

It was another very quick hop up to Vancouver on the Q400. There isn’t much to report on these since its’ a single cabin class of service aircraft with no in flight service. It’s better to get the jet service on this route if you can find it but it isn’t always available on Alaska. Interestingly enough, at the time of this report, Delta has announced that they will be up-gauging this route from an Embruaer 175 to a B737 jet due to high demand. Unfortunately, this has not translated to increased demand on the Alaska side as of yet.

The Bottom Line:

Alaska Airlines offered a terrific service from Hawaii with the usual entertaining Alaska service. The only real cost cutting component was that there was no one available to receive our checked baggage until two and a half hours before our flight. I was happy that I slept through the flight on the way back and despite the late bag acceptance at Kahuilui Maui International Airport, it was a pretty flawless experience.

Do you know what the five Hawaiian Islands are named and what the largest industry is on the Hawaiian Islands (past and present) ?

Tags: AS 878, OGG, SEA

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Review: LATAM Preferente Business Class B787-9, Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez Airport – Isla de Pasqua “Rapa Nui” Mataveri International Airport, Easter Island

Connecting through Santiago:

LATAM’s Premium Check In Area:

Entering into Santiago Domestic Air Terminal:

Boarding LATAM Domestic at a Bus Gate:

On Board LATAM Business Class:

Pre Departure Services:

Amenity Kit “Lite”: Slippers

In Flight Entertainment:

Departing Santiago:

The Meal: A Full Breakfast

Descending into Easter Island:

My Thoughts on LATAM’s Easter Island Business Class Service:

If you’ve flown LATAM to Easter Island, were you exciting about this remote flight ?

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Review: LATAM Preferente Business Class B787-8, Mexico City International Airport – Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez Airport

Latam AirlinesBusiness Class (Z)MEX – SCL (Mexico Juarez International Terminal One – Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez Airport)LA 621Oct 11, 2017Booked: Boeing 787-800Flown: Boeing 787-800Departure: 7:55 PMArrival: 6:15 AM + 1

On Board LATAM Business Class:

Pre Departure Services:

The Amenity Kits: Salvatore Ferragamo

The In Flight Entertainment System:

The Meal: A Three Course Dinner

The Second Service: A Full Breakfast

My Thoughts on LATAM Business Class:

If you’ve flown LATAM Business Class, did you find it a comfortable way to travel long distances?

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Review: Iberia Business, Premium Traveller GIS – One World Lounge, Mexico City International Airport – Terminal One, Mexico

Getting to Mexico City International Airport:

Arriving to Mexico City International Airport:

Locating the Iberia Business Lounge:

Accessing the Iberia Business / Premier GIS Lounge:

Inside the Iberia Business Lounge:

Food and Beverage:

The Bottom Line: The Iberia Business / Premier GIS Lounge

If you visited the Iberia Business Premier GIS Lounge in Mexico City, what were your impressions ?

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Activity: On the Buses, Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing, Mexico City, Mexico.

Spotting Earthquake Damage:

Getting off at Centro Historico:

Walking the Zolaco Ruins:

Admiring the Palacio Nacionale:

Viewing the Wonderful Palacio Des Belles Artes:

Heading Back Towards Polanco:

My Thoughts on our Hop On Hop Off Experience in Mexico City:

If you’ve visited Mexico City, how did you arrange your sightseeing around the region ?

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Review: Quintonil Restaurant, Mexico City, Mexico.

Planning a Visit to Quintonil Restaurant:

Getting to Quintonil Restaurant:

First Course:

Charred Avocado Tartare

Crab Tostada Taco with Lime Radish & Chile Habanero Mayonnaise

Main Course:

Turkey in Recado Negro Sauce

Braised Pork Jowel with Blue Corn Sequeza

My Thoughts on our Experience at Quintonil Restaurant:

If you’ve visited Quintonil Restaurant in Mexico City, did you find that it was worth a place on the San Pellingrino Top 50 Restaurants list ?

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Review: Pujol Restaurant, Mexico City, Mexico.

Planning a Visit to Pujol Restaurant:

Getting to Pujol Restaurant:

The Meal: A Ten Course Onemakase Concept:

First Course: Bonitas

Second Course: Scallop Tostada

Third Course: Uni Empanada

Fourth Course: Taco with Eggplant

Fifth Course: Taco of Pork Head with Onions and Peppers

Sixth Course: Taco with Shredded Lamb and Pea Shoots with Avocado Oil

Seventh Course: Taco with beef, avocado and red onion and spice.

Eighth Course: A Five Year Mole

Ninth Course: Palette Cleanser

Tenth Course: Jack Fruit and Corn Sorbet over Corn Flan

The Final Touch: A Souvenir Menu

My Thoughts on our Experience at Pujol Restaurant:

If you’ve visited Pujol Restaurant in Mexico City, did you enjoy the concept and the experience ?

Share this:

Review: The W Mexico City, Polanco, CDMX, Mexico

Booking the W Mexico City:

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunties:

Getting to the W Mexico City:

Latam Airlines
Business Class (Z)
MEX – SCL (Mexico Juarez International Terminal One – Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez Airport)
LA 621
Oct 11, 2017
Booked: Boeing 787-800
Flown: Boeing 787-800
Departure: 7:55 PM
Arrival: 6:15 AM + 1

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
SFO-MEX (San Franciso Airport – Mexico City)
AS 240
Oct 9, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 9:55 AM
Arrival: 4:20 PM

Alaska Airlines
Premium Class (Q)
SEA – SFO (SeaTac Airport – San Franciso Airport)
AS 300
Oct 8, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 9:45 PM
Arrival: 11:49 PM

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
OGG – SEA (Kahuilui International Airport – SeaTac Airport)
AS 878
August 24, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 9:55 PM
Arrival: 6:30 AM + 1