World Traveller 73 
I was excited to experience a resort in communist Cuba. Would the experience meet up to our expectations? Would a stay in a land governed by communism and twenty five years of sanctions from the United States make for an interesting stay? We would end up discovering a different stay experience filled with interesting (and rationed) food, supply issues and some odd touches. It ended up being a unique travel experience unlike many others.
This post is one chapter on our trip to the isolated country of Cuba. This trip was planned through Westjet Vacations. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Havana and Varadero, Cuba via Westjet Airlines
- Westjet Airlines: Abbotsford – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Varadero
- Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, Varadero, Cuba
- Commercial Shopping in Communist Cuba
- Overland Travel: Varadero to Havana, Cuba
- Landing into New Havana, Cuba
- Climbing on Havana’s Most Famous Fort and Stepping into Old Havana, Cuba
- Tackling the Four Squares of Old Havana, Cuba
- Westjet Airlines: Varadero – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Abbotsford
Review: Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, Varadero, Cuba.
After arriving to Varadero, Cuba off Westjet Airlines Calgary – Varadero, we changed some Canadian Dollars into Cuban Convertibles to have some local currency.
We found our Westjet holidays representative who identified the bus number for us. Varadero was really set up for the tourist experience and there were rows and rows of buses available at the airport taking travellers to various resorts.
It was about 45 minutes drive by bus along some rickety roads towards one of the 60 hotel resorts in Varadero. The highway was quite dressed up by comparison to other areas with full street lighting, no pedestrians and no homes. The homes that I did see were all quite similar in style and few people had cars, despite all having car park areas.
The Ocean Varadero El Patriarca was the first of four stops on our bus transfer. The property advertised itself as a 5 star property according to the Cuban rating system and a four and a half star property with Westjet Airlines vacations. The property was at the level to be expected when dealing with Latin American properties – slightly less than what was advertised. The entrance way was not grand like the resorts in South East Asia and had a rather minimalist theme to it.
After our transfer in, we were unloaded and checked in. Our bags were placed on a golf cart and we were driven to our room.
The Room: A Deluxe Room
All Inclusive
The rooms at the Ocean Varadero El Patricia are 6 to a floor, with 2 floors to a building. Overall, MrsWT73 didn’t care much for the room. I found that they were pretty much to be as expected for a non major chain hotel in Cuba.
On arrival, there were a few insects wandering around the bathroom (large cockroaches and other insects from the shower drain) and the bathroom area appeared quite dusty from the white tile floor. She attempted to change the room but we were told that none were available.
The Deluxe Room itself was a large and comfortable size – not quite a suite. It was showing a bit of wear and tear for a property that was only 3 years old. There was a slightly strange colour scheme happening here; contemporary with a retro theme.
The bathroom had the continued green theme throughout. It was a little compact for my tastes but it was perfectly functional.
There were a few Cuban touches – the television was a strange Chinese brand that I’d never heard of before – it actually had an on and off flip switch on the side, despite also having a remote control. The host that showed us the room on arrival explicitly pointed out that it had Cuban radio available on channel 7.
I ended up finding several national radio channels, consistent with old style communication before the wired internet days. It’s also worth noting that Cuba just got wi-fi in the year of our visit in 2016. The internet was limited to dial up speeds in the lobby of the property, so there is no wired connectivity in the rooms.
Most of the voltage outlets were on the North American plug configurations, but had 220V power scrawled onto the outlets.
An In Room Mini Bar:
The in room minibar featured Cuban colas and soft drinks. There seems to be no importation of Cokes or Pepsi sodas due to the economic sanctions against Cuba, and it’s probably cost prohibitive to get them from other areas.
Overall, the room was fairly comfortable, although not much to write home about. It was comfortable and quiet, although we weren’t encouraged to spend much time in the room.
Around the Hotel:
The Resort Pool:
The resort had a reasonable pool, although it didn’t face or have any ocean facing exposure. I am wondering if that was a deliberate design as a result of the tornadoes that pass through this region?
Cuba has been catering to the Canadian tourism markets. The host on our bus ride in indicated almost 70% of their tourist traffic is from Canada. Over the course of our trip, I wasn’t all to impressed with my fellow travellers – I happened to see a lot of bad behaviour; cussing, swearing across the pool, large amounts of smoking everywhere, yelling or shouting at other family members across a large pool. General debauchery and over indulgence that can be typical of the once a year holiday crowd. I’ll admit at times to cringing at some American behaviour when traveling through the USA, but now I was cringing at my own brethren.
The Beach:
The highlight of this resort in Varadero was the beach. The beach overall was in very good to excellent condition. The beach faced north so it meant spinning your lounger around to get the sun to face inwards towards land, if you wanted more than your shoulders tanned. It was nicer than our beach in Costa Rica, although nowhere near as nice as some of the alcoves and strips in Hawaii (Makena Beach on Maui comes to mind).
The sand was of really good quality on the beach. The beach was also quite well taken care of. There wasn’t any garbage or other debris on the beach. Although it was not raked or otherwise maintained, it was pretty pristine it’s natural state.
The Cactus Gigante:
The Ocean Patriarca Varadero was adjacent to one of the national parks of Cuba. There was a Cactus Gigante that was next to the beach. The admission was 2 CUC ($2 USD). The admission to the Cactus was not included in the Resort Fee. Just kidding, the Cuban’s haven’t caught onto the ancillary charges just quite yet. The cactus was supposed to be over 200 years old.
Snorkelling off the Resort:
Just before we left, we took in a morning of snorkelling from the resort beach. There wasn’t any snorkelling from shore, since the shallow beach went out quite a ways. We booked a morning snorkel on a hobie cat, which is a small non motorized mini caravan (imagine a caravan scaled down).
We took the boat about 25 minutes out into the bay. It wasn’t that far since the boat was wind powered, but much further than I could swim. There were lots of fish but only because the operators were using bread to attract them. Seas were a bit tough and the corals were so so.
There wasn’t so much variety like other great snorkeling spots like Maui or the Maldives so after we got used to being out there, it was an exercise in just enjoying the fish.
Our guides happened to find themselves some lobster for dinner. They were able to neutralize it right on the boat itself. An unexpected surprise for these waters!
I happened to see some schooling but MrsWT73 had the underwater camera so I couldn’t get any shots. All in all, it was an interesting experience but also a “once and done” experience. The fish were pretty average compared to some of the other spots we had seen in the world. Needless to say, Cuba will not substitute for the Maldives any day!
Aside from the absolutely beautiful beach, I have to echo the general theme of Cuba; the food is absolutely terrible. With almost now sixty one countries visited – Cuba is by far among the worst food of the lot. I’d have to rank it on par with my dining experiences of Russia and China. However, unlike Russia and China, there isn’t a fancy restaurant around when you decide that you want something else, so there is no opportunity to escape it. On the menu at the resort were odd items like sautéed cabbage and pumpkin making an appearance as an ingredient in many buffet items- for breakfast! They must have to rely on the ingredients that are available. Making matters worse here are the staff appeared to be very tip motivated – the service can be quite slow. On the date of our arrival, placing an order for “French fries” at the snack bar at 11 PM – we were told everything was 30 minutes. The food eventually turned up at 45 minutes later and had obviously been sitting out for quite some time as the fries were cool.
There were also some strange supply issues with the food. The resort would put out a deluxe menu item at the buffet (like fresh fish) and it would be gone within the first 45 minutes of a 4 hour dinner service. Often, there would be no sauces or condiments available (ie: mustard, mayonnaise, steak sauce). At times, Ketchup would make an appearance, but often the bottles were out for show, and at other times, they were only 1/8 full, on display like models, and never refilled. The main condiment was salt and pepper, which we enjoyed in copious amounts. The supply chain of these items must not be very reliable as they frequently ran out.
My Thoughts on the Ocean Varadero El Patricia:
Overall, the resort was what was expected. A five star property that was probably somewhere between a 3 1/2 star or a 4 star depending on your tastes. The beach was absolutely spectacular and a restful way to spend a few days. The experience as the days led on was particularly “Cuban”, with a lot of surprises along the way. The challenges weren’t any thing that couldn’t be overcome, but rather subtle omissions or changes that made for an entertaining, unique and different travel experience.
If you’ve travelled to a Cuban “All Inclusive” Resort, how did your resort compare ?
It’s not very easy to get from North America to Cuba. Many flights exist from Canada and there are occasionally flights available from the United States. Today’s flight had us departing from Western Canada’s Calgary International Airport on a non stop to the resort town of Varadero, Cuba. It would be a flight ending in undeveloped views on arrival, of a country yet to fully blossom.
This post is one chapter on our trip to the isolated country of Cuba. This trip was planned through Westjet Vacations. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Havana and Varadero, Cuba via Westjet Airlines
- Westjet Airlines: Abbotsford – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Varadero
- Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, Varadero, Cuba
- Commercial Shopping in Communist Cuba
- Overland Travel: Varadero to Havana, Cuba
- Landing into New Havana, Cuba
- Climbing on Havana’s Most Famous Fort and Stepping into Old Havana, Cuba
- Tackling the Four Squares of Old Havana, Cuba
- Westjet Airlines: Varadero – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Abbotsford
Review: Westjet Airlines B737-8, Calgary International Airport – Varadero Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport.
The Calgary International Terminal has been under construction for several years and was eventually opened in October 2016. The timing is a bit off as being an oil and gas town, the economy has recently taken a downturn with many lay offs. This has resulted in less disposable income and less demand for international travel.
Connecting to the Calgary International Concourse:
We disembarked our Westjet Airlines Abbotsford – Calgary connecting flight and after a few lefts and rights, we were at the international passageway that led us to the new Calgary International Terminal concourse.
The space is bright and airy and featured the usual shops, a Starbucks, a Subway and an A&W restaurant. More interesting was that there was also a Lammle’s Western Wear shop. Lammle’s Western Wear is a franchised Albertan staple that features authentic Western cowboy wear. Their cowboy hats can go over $300 CAD ($240 USD) depending on the styles. This is a hefty sum by Canadian standards but perhaps not so much for an energy town.
All the flights leaving this morning were headed to sunny warm destinations. The flight departure board was full of Mexican and Caribbean locations.
The airport authority offered “Pet Me” dogs. Several volunteers were wandering around the terminal with leashed animals for the entertainment of kids and other stressed travelers. The support dog isn’t too out of control yet here in Canada.
We didn’t have any lounge access today, although we considered visiting the new Calgary International Airport Aspire Lounge (run by Swissport). The Airport Aspire Lounge access was $40.60 CAD ($30.75 USD) and can also be accessed through Priority Pass lounge. We didn’t visit but we confirmed that Air Canada is also using this location as a lounge for their international services as there is no Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the International Terminal (or the US transborder terminal for that matter). The sole Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Calgary is located in the domestic terminal.
Instead, we ended up a Chili’s restaurant for a full breakfast. It was reasonable priced and got us the energy that we needed. After breakfast, MrsWT73 felt like some wine so we went next door to the smallish Vin Room. The Vin Room offered an Enomatic wine system that kept the wines fresh.
There were over 50 wines available by the glass so we settled into a lounge chair and enjoyed the last of our 3 hour connection. I had a glass of Schild Unwooded Chardonnay from Australia, while MrsWT73 had a glass of bubbles rose. There was definitely something for everyone to choose from in the world of wine.
After a glass of wine, we wandered over to the gate area from the wine bar. The airport hasn’t installed much seating around the gate areas and as a result, there is a lot of crowding around the gates. I think it’s supposed to be a “call to gate” concept where you wait in the main area until the gate is posted; although it’s not officially set up that way and North Americans probably aren’t familiar with it unless they’ve happened to visit London Heathrow.
Westjet
Economy Class
YYC-VRA (Calgary International Airport – Varadero Cuba)
WJ 2390
November 5, 2016
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
Departure: 11:20 AM
Arrival: 6:45 PM
On Board Westjet Airlines:
We boarded our flight today. There were lots of people with carry on’s so we made sure we were near to the front of Zone 4 when it came time to board our zone.
On board, we were on the newer Westjet Boeing 737-800 today. The plane featured the usual 3-3 configuration in economy class with slim line seats. As we boarded, we found our way to row 8. I had paid $20 per person for seat assignments in advance for this international segment to avoid getting separated and stuck in the middle seats on the longer flight on way down. The general seat map opened at the 24 hour mark with free seats made available.
The seat backs offer no monitors or television screens. While this is likely a great move for the carrier resulting in lighter fuel costs, it can make for a bit of a boring flight for passengers who are with the carrier for longer flight legs.
Either the plane was in really rough condition, or they just hadn’t cleaned it that much. There were coffee stains on the table, discarded gum in the seat back pocket, and lots of hair and fingerprint stains on the window.
Cabin Entertainment:
As we settled in, there was an announcement that there was no in flight entertainment unless you had the Westjet App downloaded. We quickly broke out the App Store and downloaded the 42MB app so we could have access to tv and movies.
The flight featured Westjet connect wi-fi. The wifi rates were $4.99 CAD for 30 minutes, a 3 hour pass for $8.99 and a flight pass for $13.99 CAD. The movies streamed well through the Westjet application and MrsWT73 was able to connect to work without any issues.
Getting Airborne from Calgary:
We had an easy departure out of Calgary today with a minimum of delays, despite the long taxi to the departing runway.
Food an Beverage: Buy on Board
A buy on board service was offered. We each had a gin and tonic. While we had snacks, we were fortunate enough to enjoy a breakfast earlier in the day.
After the buy on board service, the Cuba Immigration Tourist Cards were passed out. The Cuba Immigration Tourist Cards seem to be a bit challenging as the process is different everywhere you look. The guidebooks say to get them from the embassies in advance, but Canadian airlines seem to hand them out along with tour packages to Cuba. Tourist Cards are needed to enter the country but there wasn’t any specific reference to it on our booking. You can’t pick them up on arrival in Cuba so it’s important to get them organized in advance. We ended up confirming that we could would be getting the cards on the flight through a call to Westjet reservations by phone.
The Second Service: Buy on Board
I watched a little movie Independence Day (circa 1995) on the Westjet App but gave up because there was no where to rest the iphone and who wants to watch anything on a small screen anyway. I took a little nap and woke up around the second service. The second service was another pass of the buy on board cart. They had run out of sandwiches, leaving only cheese plates and salads. Thankfully, we were pretty full from breakfast so we didn’t get stuck with whatever was left over.
On the Approach to Cuba:
When it came time to start out descent, I had my eyes peeled to the window to get my first glimpse of Cuba. When we came over land, it was very green and undeveloped. It reminded me of coming into Yangon, Myanmar in the era when the military junta was running the country. There was a complete lack of roads and other industrialized features surrounded by greenery end to end.
We landed without much fanfare or delay and saw our first view of the Varadero airport in a lovely communist color of red.
After getting stamped in at Cuban Immigration, we picked up our bags at baggage claim and made our way outside to chance some money into Cuban Convertibles. The US dollar is of limited use here in Cuba. It is recommended to bring Canadian dollars or Euros cash currency to exchange to the local currency. The Cuban Convertible is tied to the US dollar in terms of valuation so there were no surprises there.
After we changed money, we hopped on the bus marked by the representative and headed off to the Ocean Varadero El Patriarca. It was a pretty straight forward experience and they were easily set up to handle the transfer system.
My Thoughts on the Westjet Airlines International Service to Cuba:
The international service to Cuba was much like many others. Given that we were unusually flying in economy for this leg, I was pretty happy to have eaten before getting on the light. The buy on board wasn’t too substantial and they had run out by the time the second service came around. The in flight entertainment options were non existent unless you happened to own a large tablet or smart phone. Most interesting were the landscape views arriving to Varadero; the sights were barren and ripe for development.
If you’ve flown to Cuba, how did you get your Tourist Immigration Card ?
Our first flight for this trip would have us departing from one of Vancouver’s smaller regional airports located in the suburban Fraser Valley and outer Lower Mainland regional district. Canada’s second airline: Westjet Airlines came in as an underdog and has pretty much emerged as Canada’s second national carrier. We’d be flying with them extensively on this trip on a carrier that I don’t typically fly on.
This post is one chapter on our trip to the isolated country of Cuba. This trip was planned through Westjet Vacations. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Havana and Varadero, Cuba via Westjet Airlines
- Westjet Airlines: Abbotsford – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Varadero
- Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, Varadero, Cuba
- Commercial Shopping in Communist Cuba
- Overland Travel: Varadero to Havana, Cuba
- Landing into New Havana, Cuba
- Climbing on Havana’s Most Famous Fort and Stepping into Old Havana, Cuba
- Tackling the Four Squares of Old Havana, Cuba
- Westjet Airlines: Varadero – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Abbotsford
Review: Westjet Airlines B737-6, Abbotsford International Airport – Calgary International Airport.
After a 3 AM wake up, we left the house at about 4 AM for the 40-minute drive to the Abbotsford International Airport. Abbotsford is a bedroom community; a suburb of Vancouver that is about 1 hour and 20 minutes drive from downtown Vancouver. Westjet and Air Canada have attempted flights out of here over the last twenty years with only Westjet surviving with any real frequency. It was absolutely pouring with rain on the drive to the airport. It’s also worth nothing that at the time of this trip, it had rained in Vancouver for 26 out of the last 28 days . We were ready for some dry and sunny weather.
Abbotsford is so small, that there is usually only one flight departing at any one time. We parked the car at the front loading zone and were able to unload the luggage AND check in without worrying about being towed or being detected by an over zealous security guard. I can’t say that it’s always like that, but it was quiet enough at 4 AM that it wasn’t an issue at all. Abbotsford Airport is also a clean and bright facility, which has been spruced up since my last trip through here.
Checking Into Westjet Airlines:
There were the usual three outstation staff working on this date. We used one of the six kiosks (3 of which partially out of order and were unable to print baggage tags) and self tagged our bags. Westjet was quite strict on the weight and one of our fellow travellers had to re-pack when they were 6 lbs over to usual 50 lbs weight limit. The kiosk was offering upgrades to Plus; the Westjet business class equivalent in an economy seat with a blocked middle seat for this segment only for $50 per person.
With only one restaurant in the public concourse area, we proceeded straight through security to the holding area. There was free wifi in the terminal.
The airport had an unusual flat screen display that featured a display of the runway operations.
There were only a few flights on the board today, with the furthest one being Puerto Vallarta, Mexico by Westjet. It’s amazing to think of an airport with only six departures a day.
When it came time to board the flight, Westjet called boarding was called by zones. Our seats were assigned at check in. With seats in row 7, we were in the last zone to be called.
Westjet
YXX-YYC (Abbotsford International Airport – Calgary International Airport)
WJ 450
November 5, 2016
Booked: Bombardier Q400
Flown: Boeing 737-600
Departure: 6:00 AM
Arrival: 8:20 AM
We were scheduled to be on a Bombardier Q400, but they up gauged the plane as we got onto an older, and quite worn, Boeing 737-600. For about 15 years, Westjet followed the Southwest model of having only Boeing 737 aircraft. They have recently branched out and acquired some used Boeing 767’s and some Bombardier Q400’s for their smaller markets.
On Board Westjet Airlines:
The Westjet Airlines do not offer a true business class seat in their mainline aircraft. They offer a European styled product with a blocked middle seat. I took a glance at their business class “plus” seats as we shuffled back to our assigned seats.
It’s certainly a seat that I can’t get too excited about but similar to the business class offering in Europe. The up charge to plus for our package was $1,100 CAD per person, although they were being sold at the kiosk for $50 CAD for this short segment at check in.
We found our seats in Row 7. The seats were leather covered and reasonably comfortable.
The seats had in-back television screens, along with an older credit card machine reader.
There was a somewhat dated in flight moving map display. The map contained a lot of low resolution detail. I had not seen the Geo Nova brand on other carriers before so it was refreshing to see something a little bit different.
We had a slow departure today. The poor ramp attendants on the apron must have gotten completely trenched as it was pouring with rain outside.
Along with the wet climb, we seemed to have a bit of sleeting snow on the way up. The departure spotlights from the plane lit the snow quite a bit for a cool effect.
There was free television today from the seat back monitors. I settled on something light.
Food and Beverage Service: A Hot Beverage & Pretzels
There was a coffee and water service with pretzels and water offered. I was pretty sleepy so I didn’t partake.
We had a morning light landing in Calgary with a nice sunrise over clear skies.
We landed at Calgary International Airport. We taxied to gate D70 in the brand new international terminal.
We had carry on’s and for the first time in as long as I can remember, we were run over by mothers and grandmothers in the aisle as they pushed past us from rows behind us to get off the plane while we were bringing our carry ons’ down from the overhead bins. It made me somewhat long for the orderliness and familiarity of the business travellers on Air Canada.
We would disembark and get head onwards to Westjet Airlines Calgary – Varadero on a connecting flight.
My Thoughts on the Air France Experience:
Overall, Westjet has a more cheerful attitude than the legacy carriers. Most of its employees own stock in the company and their motto is “Owners Care”. The compensation system really shows through in the service levels. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be catering to the business travellers all too much. As such, the flights are filled with family travellers, which can tend to make the seasoned traveler like my self a little irritated – especially on these 4 AM flights!
If you’ve fly within Canada, is Westjet your choice over Air Canada ?
The Caribbean country of Cuba has always been an interesting travel proposition. As one of the few countries in the world still to identify as communist, it’s always been on my list as a travel destination that I had yet to realize. After being able to tag onto a girls’ trip, I was able to accompany MrsWT73 and her friends for a week of exploring Cuba.
Trip Introduction: Havana and Varadero, Cuba via Westjet Airlines.
Trip Background:
Every year, Mrs WT73 gets herself a kitchen pass and takes a girls trip to Las Vegas or another sunny destination with her friends. This year, in honour of celebrating an especially round birthday celebration in the group, it was decided to go to Cuba for a week to change up the scenery. Surprisingly, I was asked: would I be interested in tagging along to see what Cuba was like? Sure !
Part of my motivation for taking this trip was to see what Cuba would be like before it opened up to general travel. At the time of this trip, the tourism Visa restrictions were lessening with the United States in the twilight of Barack Obama’s term in the fall of 2016, and it wouldn’t be long before one of the largest markets in the first world would be on Cuba’s doorstep. Although a country doesn’t change overnight, it would be a great opportunity to see the country.
As it turned out, there was a stunning political upset against Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton that would land Republican President Donald Trump as president for the next term. This would undue many of the more liberal Democratic policies under Obama’s administration. The country would not end up seeing the opening that many Cuban’s aspired to see.
Trip Planning and Constructing the Trip:
The country of Cuba isn’t open for regular travel for citizens of the United States unless they meet certain categories under humanitarian purposes. Although there are some exceptions, it is difficult to book a commercial flight between the United States and Cuba.
Many Canadians visit Cuba on vacation tourist packages. This particular trip was arranged wholly through Westjet Vacations – the carriers vacation package program from Canada’s second most popular carrier. In these cases, the flights overfly the United States without any direct stops on the way to Cuba.
Tickets purchased through the Canadian operators’ program automatically come with a Cuban Tourist Card which is required at immigration in order to enter the country. Some carriers sell tourist cards and if you’re approaching Cuba from Latin America or Europe, it’s worth inquiring whether your ticket includes a Cuban’ Tourist Card.
The week in Cuba, including round trip Westjet flights Vancouver (Abbotsford – Calgary. – Varadero) , a coach transfer from the Varadero Airport to the hotel, and 7 days all inclusive in Cuba, cost $1,099 plus $94.79 in taxes, totalling $1,193.79 CAD ($966 USD) per person on a two person sharing basis. I can’t imagine a week’s holiday with airfare getting much cheaper than this. We were able to credit our short Abbotsford – Calgary flights to AAdvantage Program. However, due to terms and conditions relating to the embargo of the United States doing business with Cuba, we were unable to get any frequent credit for our Calgary – Varadero flights with the AAdvantage program.
I didn’t pick any of the hotels in this report (or flights) so it’s strictly a report on what we found in Cuba without any miles strategy.
This post is one chapter on our trip to the isolated country of Cuba. This trip was planned through Westjet Vacations. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Havana and Varadero, Cuba via Westjet Airlines
- Westjet Airlines: Abbotsford – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Varadero
- Ocean Varadero El Patriarca, Varadero, Cuba
- Commercial Shopping in Communist Cuba
- Overland Travel: Varadero to Havana, Cuba
- Landing into New Havana, Cuba
- Climbing on Havana’s Most Famous Fort and Stepping into Old Havana, Cuba
- Tackling the Four Squares of Old Havana, Cuba
- Westjet Airlines: Varadero – Calgary
- Westjet Airlines: Calgary – Abbotsford
We ended up having an interesting trip with a great opportunity to see one of the world’s more interesting countries that is ripe in new travel experiences to discover.
If you’ve visited Cuba, how did you go about getting there ?
Our travels home would have us departing from Europe’s largest Skyteam hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle. With a competitive overseas marketplace, Air France goes head to head against Lufthansa from their co-bases in Frankfurt / Munich, and British Airways from their busy hub at London Heathrow. How would Air France stack up against these heavy weights?
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Review: Air France Business Class B777-200 ER, Paris Charles de Gaulle – Vancouver International Airport.
After experiencing a few great wines at the Salon Air France Lounge Paris Charles De Gaulle, we headed to Gate L42 at about forty five minutes prior to travel. The clouds had burned off from our earlier arrival and it was a beautiful sunny morning looking down on Paris today. The boarding was already underway with most passengers already on board. There was proper double jet bridge boarding today with a separate bridge for business class.
Air France
Business Class
CDG-YVR (Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Vancouver International Airport)
AF 0374
September 25, 2016
Booked: Boeing 777-200
Flown: Boeing 777-200 ER
Departure: 10:45 AM
Arrival: 11:40 AM
On Board Air France Business Class:
We headed on board and settled in. The plane looked a lot cleaner and newer than the past flight that we have took to Europe. The seating configuration on this Air France Boeing 777-200ER was 2-3-2 in business class. This is a dated angle flat seat configuration. While the 2 seats on the window are great for travelling with a partner, they are not so great for travelling as a single for business purposes. The window passenger does not have direct aisle access.
As in regular Air France style, a coat hanger was waiting for us on the seat. This is a nice touch as it’s not all that regular that coats get collected on Business Class flights.
The seat entertainment system offered the wired remote controls that were consistent with this generation of seat. It included the usual channel, volume, flight and call features.
The seat console offered storage for in flight (or personal) magazines. It also offered limited space for the amenity kits or other personal articles. The spaces were not large enough to store purses or other items such as a computer. In a plus, the seats did feature in seat power with North American power outlets.
There was a view from our seat of what appeared to be an A380 gate with a Boeing hooked up to it today.
Pre Departure Services:
It was a bit slow with the service of the pre-departure beverage. Air France seemed to prefer to wait until all passengers have boarded, prior to offering a pre-departure beverage. In this case, it was us being the last to board, despite boarding within 5 minutes of the recommended time on the boarding card.
Today’s choices were grapefruit juice, water or champagne. The drinks were passed out at about ten minutes before the flight and then efforts were made to collect them in a rush shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, there was no relaxed sipping or savouring your champagne here; please get it down the hatch and I’ll take back your glass!
Unfortunately, there was a 30 minute ground wait at the gate due to British air traffic controlnot allowing us to depart. We eventually headed on a long taxi towards runway 27L behind a Delta widebody aircraft. I managed to see an Air France Airbus A380 on final approach as we waited.
As we were waiting for departure, for the first time ever, despite about 100 flights reviewed, I was approached by the purser, and asked in French, if I was working for a commercial airline reviewer magazine? I answered no which followed up a question from her if these photographs were going to end up on the internet? I had taken about 5 photographs total of my seat at this point. I described that they were for personal use and were not commercial in any way. She seemed satisfied by that answer and left. I never saw her again. I don’t think that this had much effect since the service levels didn’t improve too much after this. It seems that the purser is not a hands on like on some Asian or Middle East carriers where they come around and introduce themselves to you.
Amenity Kits:
About 45 minutes into the flight, the amenity kit and menus were passed out. The kits were similar to our outbound flight. The kits were a contemporary case, with some basic middle of the road items. There was no specific branding partnership with the items within the kit.
The Meal: A Tasting Menu Lunch
Today’s menus offered chef Yves Camderborde, alleged Pioneer of the Bistronomy movement at the Relais St Germain Hotel and le Comptoir restaurant. This seemed to be unique to the Paris departing flights as these items were not offered on our outbound Air France Business Class Vancouver – Paris flight; leaving Vancouver.
Along with the great wines located at the Salon Air France Business Lounge, the wines on board Air France Business Class featured quality french wines. It was great to have wines that highlighted their region.
We started with a towel service. This was followed by a Mis en Bouche of Creamed Peas with a gin and tonic, which was served without ice. This wasn’t a choice, rather its how it arrived and it seemed the staff were rushing.
The next course was the gourmet appetizer and seasonal salad with toasted pine nuts: Duck Foie Gras terrine with lemon, chantrelle mushroom salad with golden raisins, goat cheese timbale with sunshine vegetables, celeriac mousse with lemon, carrots with hazelnut oil, celery with olive oil with Bourgone Blanc Chablis 2014 Jeam Marc Brocard
For the main lunch course, I went with the suggestion du jour of slow cooked veal shank of veal confit, with salt cured lemon, sautéed artichoke and penne pasta with white sauce, paired with Bourgone Rouge Reserve du Bastion 2013 Domaine Chanson. Despite the celebrity chef, the meal didn’t look all to appealing. It was okay, but for a famous chef, maybe I had greater expectations than having a dish with a side of pasta? I suppose I could have ordered something else, but I found it a bit odd when it was presented.
For dessert, I went whole hog with brownie, vanilla cream puff, strawberry-raspberry vacherin parfait, and apple sorbet and ice cream.
The staff pretty much disappeared again after the dinner service. MrsWT73 went to get a drink refill after the movie and the staff ran away from her into the do not enter area presumably busy eating their lunches? The service was typically French; with jokes that are seem like they could be half true. You are having dessert and sorbet?
Dinner was a leisurely affair, with the meal service being concluded at around 2:30 PM local time or 3 hours after departure. Window shades were drawn down around the cabin at this time as we were traveling with the sun.
Views from the Wing: Spotting Arctic Glaciers
One of the best features of this particular flight was the fact that this flight crosses the artic during the day time. Most of these flights from Europe to the West Coast are typically in the late afternoon or at night, and you can’t see anything. As we passed over Greenland at about 4 PM, you could see all the glaciers and even some icebergs breaking apart off the glaciers from the air. It was truly unique and a first for me despite all my trans-atlantic crossings.
The glacier spotting over Greenland was definitely the highlight of this flight.
I attempted to get a few hours of sleep. The seats were angle flat and even on the return journey they were not what I would describe as “comfortable”. They did allow some relaxation but not much deep sleep. The seat has limited functionality as it only goes down, or up; with no other settings.
Another first for me on this flight- we had an Asian family of six in the center of the business class cabin and seated immediately next to us. They were traveling with a 2 year old (with his own seat) and they allowed him to treat the cabin like a nursery. There was frequent “yelping” and “shrieking” without any effort to calm junior by the parental units or the Air France staff. The minders did get “instructed” not to change junior’s diaper on the business class seat in the cabin, which they seemed to ignore mid change. Needless to say, it was not easy to get a restful sleep while this was going on and the staff seemed to take a “laissez faire” attitude about the whole thing.
As a result of boredom, junior clambered and draped himself over the row of business class seats visiting some random people while the minders pretty much ignored him. I certainly don’t mind kids in the business class cabin having traveled with mine several times but Air France’s approach to this situation, like their service, was relaxed for most of the trip; poor kid.
The Second Service: Refreshments
I did manage to get in a little snooze and awoke outside Northern Saskatchewan. The lights came on and Window Shades were pulled up about 1:50 hrs left of flight time for the final food service.
The last service was a strange quinoa lunch snack that really didn’t have much taste.
We had an over water arrival on runway 8L coming into a cloudy Vancouver today.
We went through the Vancouver International arrival hall and we were through customs with Nexus, although we had the most nexus users I have seen with all 8 kiosks occupied on arrival.
Compared side by side, I can’t see the advantage of flying Air France vs Lufthansa to Europe. The transfer expreience at Paris Charles de Gaulle and the somewhat dis-interested service that was Air France on board didn’t make it appealing or a reason to chose Air France over another carrier. The food and beverage that France (as a country) is famous for did not translate into the same service on board. Overall the quality of food was quite disappointing and below average.
I found that Air France were far behind our last Lufthansa Business Class Munich – Vancouver flights, which had far better food and beverage, better seat configurations and more pleasant and attentive professional service. The accolades that Air France La Premiere First Class seems to get doesn’t seem to have any trickle down effect to their business class product in terms of food, beverage or service. I would sadly even rate Air Canada mainline as offering a higher level of service than Air France. As a result, I’m hesitant to provide any endorsement for them and we’d probably chose another carrier if the prices were even.
My Thoughts on the Air France Experience:
If this flight is any representation of Air France, it was pretty underwhelming overall. There are much better equipment and service offerings out there- Lufthansa’s newer full flat seats and Air Canada’s reverse herringbone seats are much nicer. The food and service offerings are miles ahead on other carriers as was the service these days. I got the impression that the staff were just going through the motions and didn’t really appear to interested in their jobs. I think that had we paid a regular price business class fare (instead of the smoking deal that we got) that we’d have been quite disappointed. All in all, I can’t say that I would ever choose Air France again if I had the choice between Lufthansa or even Air Canada. Be forewarned if you happen to be flying Air France in order to watch out for these older business class cabins.
If you’ve flown Air France, did you find them competitive versus Star Alliance or One World ?
There are many cities to connect through when travelling from North America to Europe. This particular flight would be my first experience departing Europe on a Skyteam carrier. This would allow us to experience the Salon Air France Lounge located in Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E. It’s always neat to experience a flagship lounge for a flag carrier and we’d come to appreciate this lounges wine program as one of it’s best qualities.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Review: Salon Air France Business Lounge, Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L, Paris, France.
Connecting at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport:
We were off our Air France Business Class Munich – Paris flight without incident. Our impressions of the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport continued. It’s a strange terminal that puts design over function. The first impressions were of a slightly odd design that had lots of space. When we rounded the corner, we ran into bottle necks everywhere. It had lots of different outbuildings with computer monitors allowing travellers to check to see what gate area their flights were departing from.
Unfortunately, the traffic flow for these areas appeared to criss cross in an X pattern, with computer terminals inconveniently situated close to exits and other secure intersection areas making for several bottle necks.
We passed through the mess of the maze for the EU exit border customs with a priority line that was totally clogged up by other passengers. The line was enforced by a bouncer but there was absolutely no passenger control and the terminal was a mess. I have to say that nobody in this line on the right looks happy. Even MrsWT73 was opining for the Munich Terminal 2 transfer experience with its large spaces and the convenient and luxurious first class lounge
We made our way through the exit area towards the lounge area in Terminal 2E, Gate Area L. We witnessed several, err French behaviours. The first was at the EU exit border line where a line dragon was insistent that a family of 6 (consisting of a mother and father and baby, taking care of a parent in a wheel chair) separate from two persons over 65; sending the 65 year olds to the back of the economy line (pictured above) that was probably over 30 minutes long. There wasn’t any compassion that the family get screening all together and I genuinely got the impression that this wasn’t an family attempt to circumvent a line. The other was at the duty free store when, despite a line of more than 5 people in queue waiting to pay, the manager decided to close her till leaving her co-worker to complete the work for us remaining in line and instead wander around straightening up the store. Of course, this isn’t a commentary on Air France since it’s not within their control, but rather a comment on the attitudes one may experience when connecting through Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Locating the Air France Salon Business Lounge:
After eventually finding our terminal, we were encouraged to use the lounge that was closest to our gate. The Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has several Air France Lounges spread out in separate concourses. As a result, there were multiple Air France Lounges in Terminal 2E. Since our flight was departing from Concourse L, we ended up at this outer concourse location.
Map Courtesy of Aeroports Paris
The Salon Air France Lounge is located via several elevator access points near the central retail area of the concourse. We found our way up one level to the lounge via the elevator.
Accessing the Air France Lounge:
The Air France access rules are as can be expected for class of service and similar to the other airline alliances.
Guests travelling in Business Class are afforded access with no guests. Guests travelling in their La Première First Class are permitted to bring in one guest. Premium Economy and Economy guests travelling on Air France can gain access by paying a visit fee of 25 – 30 € in Europe, 30 – 50 $ USD in the United States and South America and 30 – 50 $ CAD in Canada.
Frequent travellers in the Air France Flying blue program at the elite level of Flying Blue Platinum or Gold are permitted to access the lounge in any category of travel with no guest privileges.
We were admitted without issue based on class of service on our departing Air France Business Class boarding pass.
Inside the Air France Salon Business Lounge:
After being admitted, we traveled down a long entrance hallway and past reception into the main lounge area.
The Air France Lounge Terminal 2E concourse L is a large rectangular space with food and beverage areas spread throughout the lounge. The lounge was very busy and we didn’t find any space to sit other than at the tables. Relaxing and tranquil were not adjectives that I’d use to describe the environment. It was packed, short on available space for seating, lots of bags in the walkways, and strangely full of grumpy looking people.
There were a few segregated areas, presumably reserved for Air France La Premiere (First Class).
Food and Beverage:
A Light Breakfast and Great Wines
The lounge offered some breakfast snacks, and several types of wine. It was perhaps the most redeeming quality of the lounge that made it stand out from any other. While the food was just average, the French wines were the most interesting feature of the lounge.
The wines featured included St Emillon Grand Gru, Champagne and white wine available on free pour. I was impressed by the decent wines as it isn’t all to often that you can get actual French Champagne on offer at a business lounge. It was so good, MrsWT73 decided to have an impromptu wine tasting in the lounge on our brief connection.
The lounge had lots of natural light, with floor to ceiling windows running the entire length of the lounge. However, the lounge was hidden behind glass slats and mesh window coverings, which made it hard to get in any great photos of the French freeway system outside.
My Thoughts on the Air France Salon Lounge:
All in all, the Salon Air France Lounge was a more than reasonable lounge in a large scale similar to any large upscale airport. The best feature of the Air France Lounge was the terrific caliber of wines that were made available, including free pour champagne, which isn’t offered at the business class level all that often. Despite this, I can’t imagine purposely wanting to connect through CDG Paris over MUC Munich or even FRA Frankfurt. The experience was one of total disorganization and the airport authority staff (and tenants) don’t seem all to hospitable or interested to serve.
If you fly Air France / KLM in Skyteam, how do you find the flagship hub lounges compare to One World and Star Alliance ?
Our connecting flight on Air France from Munich to Paris Charles de Gaulle had us travelling on one of the most unique Airbus aircrafts in the world; the Airbus 318. We would enjoy a short hop over to the Air France Hub in Paris Charles de Gaulle prior to connecting onwards to our international flight home.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Review: Air France Business Class A318, Munich Franz Joseph Strauß Airport – Paris Charles de Gaulle
We departed the Air France KLM Lounge Munich. It was a pretty simple experience but we had gotten what we had needed from the lounge on our early morning visit.
We got on board the Airbus 318 without much delay. Before this trip, I had never ridden on an Airbus 318 and it’s among the least popular narrow body aircraft in the Airbus fleet.
The Sky Priority lane was clearly marked and boarding by status was enforced. An over zealous gate agent tagged my laptop bag with instructions to place it “under the seat”; despite us being assigned the bulkhead seat.
Air France
Business Class
MUC-CDG (Munich Terminal 1 – Paris Charles de Gaulle T2F)
AF1125
Sept 25, 2016
Booked: Airbus 318
Flown: Airbus 318
Departure: 07:15 AM
Arrival: 08:55 AM
On Board Air France Business Class:
On board, the seating is typical economy with a blocked middle seat. Here is a photo in the event you missed what it looked like. The bulkhead is really the only seat worth having in this cabin it seems that the seats on the right hand side, 1 D and 1 F have a bit more space than the seats in 2 A and 2 C.
It is also worth noting that when we booked 4 months out, the bulkhead seats were the only seats marked as available. All other seats were shown as occupied. Similar to other carriers, Air France has the ability to expand the business class cabin by adjusting the number of rows of seats in the cabin as a result of the seat configuration being the same as economy.
I don’t know if they expand the business cabin based on demand, but it didn’t seem like last minute travellers would get their preferred seat assignments if they were traveling at the last minute.
Airbus 318
There was plenty of bag space for rollies and other bags, not pictured. If this is a concern for you (as it always is for me) there was nothing to worry about.
We had a prompt, on time departure today, and a climb out of a foggy Munich where the sun was just starting to rise.
The Meal: A Continental Breakfast
Service was a bit slow with breakfast being offered about T+45 minutes. I wasn’t super hungry today after gorging myself in the lounge but I took one for the team and had the breakfast tray being served. The offering had yogurt, heated croissant from the breadbasket and orange juice to drink. For whatever reason, there was no printed menu today like there was on our inbound flight to Munich.
It was a very short flight. We had some beautiful clouds as we came into Paris CDG.
We touched down at CDG with distant views to the Air France Concorde at CDG, parking next to other Air France short haul jets.
My Thoughts on the Air France Short Hop Experience:
Overall, it was a pretty average flight no different than any other European carrier short haul. Most interestingly, it seemed like supply was short in demand as the business class cabin was totally full. Had we not booked our trip well in advance (4 months prior to travelling), we may not have had any ability to get a seat.
If you’ve flown Air France, did you have an easy time in securing Business Class availability ?
The Air France KLM Lounge in Munich, Germany is in the heart of a Star Alliance stronghold dominated by founding carrier Lufthansa. Today’s flight experience would have us departing from Munich’s other terminal; Terminal One. We would have a short visit to the joint SkyTeam Air France KLM Lounge prior to a short hop to another European SkyTeam hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle on an Air France Business Class flight.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Review: Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Terminal One, Munich Franz Joseph Strauß Airport, Munich, Germany.
We booked a taxi for our trip to the airport from the Westin Grand Munich. After a 4 AM wake up, we met our driver downstairs in a Mercedes E Class Wagon. No Uber’s (Uber X or Black) were available at this hour, and I had found very patchy Uber availability from Arabella Park at most times during our stay. The regional subway S Train was not an option on this Sunday morning as the first train did not start in time for us to get to the terminal by the time that our flight closed. A quick 30 minutes and 63 € later and we were at Munich Terminal 1 filled with Transvia and all other SkyTeam members.
Checking into Air France Business Class:
There was a long line at the Air France Sky Priority check in today, with only 3 agents working all flights and two scheduled Air France / KLM departures to Paris CDG and Amsterdam Schiphol. We were headed off on Air France Business Class Munich – Paris today. This wasn’t exactly a happy place at this time of the morning (4:45 AM). . .
We used the Business check in line to get through security which was quite busy and had almost 100 people in line. The Germans appear to do the one -on – one approach to security screening with a discussion with each traveler prior to them giving you a bin for your articles, which seems to slow down matters quite considerably.
Locating the Air France / KLM Lounge:
After we had passed through to the secure side, we went searching for the lounge. The early coffee shop line was about 20 persons deep, making the lounge our best bet. The lounge was located adjacent to the “D” Gates in Munich Terminal One.
Map Courtesy of Munich Airport Website
After walking down the Munich Terminal One concourse, we would end up finding the lounge access next to the Duty Free Store.
The Air France / KLM Lounge was located up one level through stairs, or a thin elevator to access the top floor.
Of course, being all things European, the actual lounge was up another 3 steps from the main upper concourse. A slight issue with those with rolling suitcases as it was another obstacle to navigate.
Accessing the Air France Lounge:
The Air France / KLM Lounge access rules are as can be expected for class of service and similar to the other airline alliances.
Guests travelling in Business Class are afforded access with no guests. Guests travelling in their La Première First Class are permitted to bring in one guest. Premium Economy and Economy guests travelling on Air France can gain access by paying a visit fee of 25 – 30 € in Europe, 30 – 50 $ USD in the United States and South America and 30 – 50 $ CAD in Canada.
Frequent travellers in the Air France Flying blue program at the elite level of Flying Blue Platinum or Gold are permitted to access the lounge in any category of travel with no guest privileges.
Access to the lounge was provided complimentary due to class of service with our AF business class ticket.
Inside the Air France / KLM Business Lounge:
The lounge was a small, dark place during our visit. It had about fifty seats, which were fairly evenly spread out. There were contemporary chairs but the overall feeling of the place was that of a small windowless but nicely appointed space with little to show in the way of personality aside from the odd dash of color. It reminded me of those unfortunate windowless conference rooms that grace office buildings.
The lounge seating area was split into small zones for seating of about six seats each.
There was the odd window to the terminal, which still made it a dark experience given our early morning visit.
Surprisingly, for such a busy check in, the lounge was pretty empty and it was easy to have your pick of seats.
Food and Beverage:
At this early hour, there was a European Breakfast available. Similar to our experience at the Air France Salon Business Lounge Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F, the catering was not super expansive or varied. Breakfast consisted of cheeses and other meats available, in addition to toast and other croissantsStrangely, there was no butter available, instead a butter and Camembert mixture for the toast and the croissant. I had a cappuccino crème, which came out black with without any crème at all.
There was a table section as well. I’m not usually one for sitting at tables in lounges so we found some chairs with side tables instead.
In terms of media, I was able to pick up the Wall Street Journal, which was the only English newspaper available in the lounge this morning.
After a short snack, we headed down to the gate and boarded our Air France Business Class Munich – Paris flight. The visit was highly functional and met our needs for a black coffee and a snack.
My Thoughts on the Air France Salon:
The Air France / KLM departure experience at Munich Terminal One was a pretty busy and crowded adventure. Between the lines at check in, security and the seeming over capacity of travellers compared to actual staff able to help, it seemed to be a challenging experience. The lounge had reasonable food offerings, was comfortable to sit in, and had clean fit and fixtures but it’s not a reason to get to the airport early by any means.
If you fly Air France or KLM from Munich Airport, do you visit the Air France KLM Lounge before your flight ?
The city of Munich has a number of great spaces in its inner urban centre, including some attractions surrounding the Olympic Games of 1972 that were held in Munich, Germany. We’ve always taken the time to take in its various sights and explore all that Munich has to offer in its lifestyle.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Activity: Taking in BMW Welt and Taking in BMW Welt and Neuhaser Straße, Munich, Germany.
We took the train from Oktoberfest and headed for a walk downtown from Karlaplatz. It turned into a beautiful sunny day, which was great for simply wandering around.
We wandered around Neuhauser Straße while MrsWT73 did some shopping. After realizing that I was happy to support her shopping endeavours by giving her freedom, she cut me loose after about 30 minutes and I headed up to Olympia Zetrum and went to check out BMW Welt (World).
BMW Welt / World:
For those that aren’t familiar with BMW Welt, the concept is that it is the flagship showroom for BMW products. It is also the location where you can accept delivery of your BMW in the European Delivery program. Typically, those purchasing through the program get several days of European auto insurance to drive the car in Europe, then self deliver the car to a depot for worldwide shipping to eligible countries that participate in the program.
The BMW Welt is situated near the Olympic Grounds from 1972’s Olympics in Germany.
These people on the top level have the fortunate experience of collecting their new car today.
The showroom has all the models and is free of sales staff that hover over you, making it a pleasant way to spend time looking at cars.
The building seems a little more commercial than the last time I was here. The facility now features displays of Mini and Rolls Royce which they had acquired since 2007 on my last visit.
I managed to sit in a 5 series BMW 530d Touring (wagon)- which unfortunately isn’t available or imported into North America. I had to settle for a 535xi Grand Turismo for the extra space.
I didn’t have time to go to the wonderful BMW museum this time, but the short visit was a great way to spend an afternoon for any car enthusiast.
Music at Odeonsplatz:
I returned back to the Odeonsplatz and met up with MrsWT73 whom had completed her shopping conquests. The last item on the list was a trip Starbucks for a travel mug. We wandered up through Munich towards Odeonsplatz, passing by the Ander Music Festival where people were out on the patios enjoying bands rockin it out.
Lady Luck was with our side today and we happened upon a limited editionOktoberfest mug, which we had never seen before.
We were pretty knackered by this point, having spent the last 3 days hitting the payment hard in Venice and here so we opted to go back to the Westin Grand Munich hotel. We had dinner in the lounge not super inspiring but an easy way to unwind after such an early wake up and preparing for our early morning start the next day.
What I thought about BMW Welt:
Munich remains one of my favourite European cities to explore. While it doesn’t have those landmark sights like the Eiffel Tower or the Tower of London, it does have wonderful experiences in it’s inner city centre in a city that is highly approachable, especially for car enthusiasts like me.
If you’ve visited BMW Welt, do you return every time you are in Munich?
The city of Munich has a number of great tourist attractions. In addition to great tourist attractions, they have a number of great themed tourist attractions like Munich’s Christmas Markets or Munich’s Oktoberfest. We’d get an opportunity to take in Oktoberfest through a little accidental planning that would have us visiting Munich during the fall months.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Activity: Drinking at the Biergarten at Oktberfest, Munich, Germany.
When we arrived to Munich the night before, and without any fixed plans, I asked at the Westin Grand Munich hotel front desk on what was the best time to arrive to Oktoberfest event. We received a recommendation that we should aim arrive as early as possible. We had some overhear of some youngsters on the S8 train that were planning to arrive at 7:30 AM on a Saturday morning. Yikes.
We were counseled by the front desk at the Westin Grand Munich that it is fairly easy to get a seat in at the outdoor biergartens at each tent, but as the day went on, it was somewhat harder, if not impossible to get into the tents where the entertainment was
With that in mind, we got up at 7 AM, and had a quick breakfast in the lounge. We headed out on the U4 train to Thersienwiese station. From the station, it was a short walk to the grounds of Oktoberfest.
I was behind the grind today with the short sleep and turn around and I didn’t really have my head on straight as I left my Lonely Planet Travel guidebook on the U4 on the train seat; which I realized when I got to the top of the subway escalators and the train was long gone.
Arriving to Oktoberfest:
There was some but not a lot of security once we got off the train- especially since the news events of terror attacks in Europe. MrsWT73 had her purse bag searched on entry and each time we entered a beer hall. Interestingly enough, the staff were confiscating aerosol containers (hair spray) of all the fraulines in the area.
The set up at Oktober Fest is part fair, part amusement park, part beer hall; because an amusement park with roller coaster rides is exactly what you need after a full afternoon of drinking.
The first impressions were that of a regular country fair. There were food stands. Yep, that’s a German Corn on the Cob!
Different Snacks: Smoked Fish
There were also some snacks being cooked up that I wouldn’t typically associate with drinking. Smoked fish anyone?
Drinking at Hofbrahaus:
We headed straight for the Hofbrahaus tent, which is actually seems to be a semi permanent structure. We managed to walk straight in at 9:40 AM (on the last Saturday!)
Once inside, it’s a massive free for all with everyone in Lederhosen. I felt over – aged, if you get my drift.
Drinking Games on Display:
The amount of debauchery was unbelievable. It was a source of entertainment all on its own. There was pretty much every drinking game going on, including beer chugging in front of 1,500 of your new best friends.
Once we had anchored ourselves to a railing (a Oktoberfest rule that says that you can only be served if you are touching the railing or seated at a table), we ordered a 1 litre beer for 10.60€ each.
Similar to any sporting event, there were tons of people walking around selling everything from giant gingerbreads, to pretzels to plates of meat.
The band started at 11 AM. They had at least 15 brass musicians playing. They were there but weren’t totally into it- probably because they were drinking themselves as well.
After the omm – pa – pa band had finished a few songs, and didn’t win any awards for their performance, we left the HofbraHaus. True to reports, the place was much busier and the outdoor beirgartens had filled up
We wondered around the Oktoberfest area. It was a strange mix of families and couples all in lederhosen that had turned up to have fun. The tents and beer halls were actually quite different on the outside. There were quite a few people (young women) getting sick already at 1 PM. I suppose that’s one way of doing it then you have the whole afternoon to recover instead of being hungover the next day (laughing).
At about 2 PM, we left Oktoberfest and headed downtown to the Aldstat. There was no shortage of people coming to visit and the place was quite full.
What I thought about Oktoberfest:
The Oktoberfest experience was a strange one. I enjoyed seeing all the Lederhosen and an event that is as German as their fine automobiles. I was certainly happy to have had a beer at one of the Biergarten’s but would I have traveled around the world to see it ? Probably not. . . I have found more value out of visiting the German Christmas Markets in Munich as a more interesting and authentic experience. Nevertheless, it was an interesting way to spend a morning made, all the more entertaining by all that there was to see there.
If you’ve visited Oktoberfest, did you find it worth the trip ?
Our visit to Munich happened to be timed with Oktoberfest; a period when the hotels fill up and room rates can get surprisingly expensive. A sample of room rates around Munich had prices around 400€ during the famous fall beer festival. We ended up getting outsized value by using annual certificates from American Express cards to stay for free during Oktoberfest at the Westin Grand Munich.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Review: The Westin Grand Munich, Germany.
Booking the Hotel:
When I happened to book this trip, I had some how forgotten that it was Oktoberfest. When I checked the prices of hotels, the room rates in Munich were pretty steep. Rooms at the central properties near the Hauptbhanhof in Munich were nearing 400€ ($464 USD) a night. I decided that the way around this was to use Starwood Preferred Guest (now Marriott Bonvoy) points for the Munich hotel room as we both had two free weekend nights awards from two separate credit cards from meeting a minimum spend threshold on our Canadian Starwood Preferred Guest American Express.
The Aloft Munich near the Hautbahnhoff had a sneaky 3 night minimum stay requirement (despite the programs’ no blackout dates on rewards rooms) so we couldn’t go in there for a two night stay. The Le Meridien Munich was showing as completely full, so we opted for the Westin Grand Munich which seemed to be the best choice over the Four Points properties that I have to frequent for work on a regular basis.
The hotel is now in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program as a Category 5 hotel. Rooms are available for between a low of 30,000 to a high of 40,000 points per night with a standard rate of 35,000 points per night. The Category 5 hotels are typically available with the annual free night certificates that accompany many Marriott Bonvoy American Express cards.
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 $175 USD or 150€ a night. There are quite a few Marriott Properties in Munich at the Category 5 level, including the Aloft Munich so you can have a choice of properties with this one among them. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, the Le Meridien Munich is also another great choice as a Category 6 hotel.
Given that the room rates during Oktoberfest were expensive, it was an easy decision to use points / certificates with the Starwood Preferred Guest / Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card for our stay at The Westin Grand Munich.
Getting to the Westin Grand Munich:
Arabellastraße 6, 81925 München, Germany
Coming off our Air Domolti Venice – Munich flight, we took the S8 train from Munich airport, switching to the local U4 and arrived door to door 1 hr and 45 minutes door. It was not the best transfer performance, today and we should have probably taken a car from the airport instead.
The Westin Grand Munich is located in a mostly office park type of environment. It is a short train ride from the Alstat and all the major tourist attractions in Munich.
The hotel is a bit of a seventies-esque type structure with little visual appeal. MrsWT73 decided to model out front.
The only minus about the location of this property was the slightly inconvenient location that had the hotel a few stops out of the downtown core on the S train. It’s also not super convenient to get to and from the Munich airport. Our taxi out of the Westin Grand Munich on our early morning from the hotel to Munich International Airport on the day of our departure was a 65€ sting. If you’re looking for a more convenient hotel to the city center, the Aloft Munich or the Le Meridien Munich is directly across the street from the Munich Hautbahnof train station, making for easier connections.
Checking into the Westin Grand Munich:
This was the first hotel that I have been to that offers a giant pretzel from a rack at the front desk to guests that are checking in. On arrival, we were given a SPG Platinum suite upgrade at the front counter as part of our elite benefits to be upgraded to best available room. We were on back to back reservations in my name and MrsWT73’s name (only SPG Gold) but despite a little “Tetris” at the front desk, there were unable to keep us in the suite both nights. They were very accommodating to have us in the room immediately next to ours on the second night.
The Room: A Junior Suite
Our room was assigned as a Junior Suite # 1803 was actually designed as two standard rooms that had been converted into a suite. Passing through to each area was through the a-joining door. Instead of a bed in the other second room, there was lounger sofa bed. The room was nicely situated on the corner of the building, so the room had nice light throughout the living side.
There was a standard bathroom in the main room containing the bedroom.
The Living Room:
Over next door in the joining suite… … with an easy pass through.
The Suite Living Space was reasonably spacious for an older hotel.
Consistent with the room starting life as another bedroom, there was a second full bathroom in the living area of the suite.
It was a comfortable way to have two nights and actually a very separate space between the areas as MrsWT73 took to arranging her packing for the homeward trip and I didn’t see her for the rest of the evening.
The Westin Executive Lounge:
We ended up taking dinner in the lounge on our second night there. The hotel was kind enough to allow us both the lounge access as a Platinum, even though the booking was under my wife’s name (SPG gold).
At the time of writing, the lounge was a sectioned off area of the main restaurant on the ground floor. The lounge offering was a generous spread and I was quite impressed with the quantity and quality of food.
There were lots of food available, both hot and cold.
Heaps of food here – you could feed a small village. You get the idea.
There were wines and beers available, although there no spirits available (or obviously available).
Our Stay at the Westin Grand Munich:
The Westin Grand Munich was a comfortable but not ideally situated place to stay for our trip. Being a free stay, it was more than adequate for our needs and we’d easily return if we had business in the area. The service levels were also strong and they went out of their way to accommodate us. The Executive Lounge was a welcome inclusion and we even used it as a light dinner on one stay. Overall, we had a good visit to this hotel and would happily stay again if we had business in the area.
If you’ve stayed at the Westin Grand Munich, did the location work to your advantage?
In order to pick up our return flight home on Air France Business Class Munich – Paris – Vancouver, we had to connect back to Munich on Air Domolti; a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Airline Group. Our experience with Air Domolti would have us on a convenient evening one hour flight direct from Venice to Munich with a timing that would allow us to experience the most of Venice during the day, and allowing us to awaken in Munich to enjoy an Oktoberfest experience.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. 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”.
Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Valetta Gozo – Malta, Venice – Italy, and Oktoberfest Munich – Germany via Air France Business Class
- Air France Business Class: Vancouver – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2F
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Munich
- Lufthansa Airlines: Munich – Malta
- The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta
- Boating to Gozo and a last look at the Azure Window, Malta
- Swimming on the Island of Comino and Exploring the Coastal Caves of Malta
- Wandering in the Walled City of Valetta, Malta
- Lufthansa Airlines: Malta – Frankfurt
- Lufthansa Airlines: Frankfurt – Venice
- The Westin Regina Europa, Venice, Italy
- Getting Lost in the Streets of Venice, Italy
- Is a Gondola Ride through the Canals of Venice worth it?
- Air Dolomiti: Venice – Munich
- The Westin Grand Munich, Germany
- Drinking at the Beer Garden at Hofbrahaus, Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
- Taking in BMW World and the Alstat, Munich, Germany
- Air France / KLM Business Lounge, Munich Terminal One
- Air France Business Class: Munich – Paris
- Air France Business Lounge: Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E – Concourse L
- Air France Business Class: Paris – Vancouver
Review: Air Dolomiti E195, Venice Marco Polo International Airport – Munich International Airport
Getting to the Venice Marco Polo International Airport:
We left the Westin Europa Regina at about 5:20 PM. I had booked the Water Taxi for 5:30 PM, and it was waiting for us already by the time we had arrived to the Westin private boat launch.
We had a nice beautiful drive out for the sunset as we headed back to the airport. We passed by San Marco square and the bridge of sighs as we headed along the waterfront to the Arsenale. It was another fantastic and majestic departure with spectacular vistas and scenic light. We had one last look at the Westin from the water side as we pulled away on the Grande Canale.
We cut through on through the Rio de la Pleta over to the north side of the city of Venice and sadly away from this beautiful city.
We then navigated out to the other side of the Venice island and towards the airport trough the large lagoon. We passed the Venice cemetery which is the second photo in the walled area.
There was lots of private metal (jets) on the apron at VCE as we pulled into the water taxi terminal. On our arrival, baggage porters were offering to carry luggage from the water taxi terminal to the airport station for only 25€. It’s about a 5-7 minute walk.
Checking Into Air Dolomiti:
We were the only ones at the check in counter today. There weren’t many signs of Air Dolomiti and it was surprising how little it was broadcast and marketed. Even the Apple Wallet Boarding card for Air Dolomiti was Lufthansa Orange.
Sadly, the outer terminal at Venice is a complete dive and not much worth writing about. There were a few sorry cafes and not very much to deal with. Thanks to our evening flight timing, we headed inside to the secure side in attempt to source some dinner. Once on the secure side, there were wine shops, a reasonable food fair upstairs and an interesting library feature with books to read.
We had no lounge access today but thankfully strong and free wi-fi compliments of the airport that didn’t drop or disconnect.
We found the food fair upstairs and I had some cheese and pepper pasta. Not too bad and only 8.90€. It tasted better than it looked.
Air Dolomiti
Economy Class
VCE-MUC (Venice – Munich)
EN 8237
September 23, 2016
Booked: Embraer 145
Flown: Embraer 195
Departure: 8:10 PM
Arrival: 9:15 PM
Once at the gate, there was a boarding call but no line enforcement for priority or business.
On Board Air Dolomiti:
During the boarding process, we passed by the “business class” seats for Air Dolomiti. They look a lot (exactly the same) as the economy seats.
Air Dolomiti has a nice green pleasant interior with the large Embraer windows. Today’s economy seating with a comment from MrsWT73 “ We sure are flying a lot of economy lately” (groan)
We took our carry on rollies on and managed to squeeze them into the overheads on the Embraer 195.
Food and Beverage: a Drink Service Only
A first for me- the flight snack of pretzels was handed to you as you boarded to take back to your seat.
There was a beverage service on today’s flight (no food). White wine and still water was offered and quickly consumed!
It was a very quick and easy flight over to Munich. On arrival, we parked at the gate next to another Lufthansa A340 jet.
With a long escalator ride down and a short train ride over to the main terminal to collect the bags at the baggage hall.
We didn’t get any Aeroplan Miles for this flight, even though the check in software system recognized status on the boarding cards and codeshare Lufthansa flights (connecting to international) are eligible for credit. We didn’t book direct through the Lufthansa website as the flight was 100% more expensive.
My Thoughts on the Air Dolomiti Regional Service:
In summary, Air Dolomiti was a great way to get around Europe. The staff were mostly cheerful and it was another odd ball subsidiary of Lufthansa that seems to do well throughout Europe. The green cabin color was also surprisingly pleasant for an airplane cabin.
World Traveller 73 
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