World Traveller 73 
After the wonderful beaches of Phuket and Ko Phi Phi Don, we gave ourselves some time in Bangkok to get to experience the city. We ended up staying at the Le Meridien Bangkok as it intersected the needs for price, convenience and quality. Surprisingly, the room had a circular bed as well which fit the profile for this odd ball city. We were really happy with the stay and the location and would stay here again if given the need.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Le Meridien Bangkok, Bangkok, Bangkok
Booking and Getting there:
After a quick one hour cab ride through some immense South East Asian thundershowers, street flooding and rain, we checked in at the New Le Meridien Bangkok. The ride was 450 Baht with the airport surcharge and a “tip”.
I booked this property through the Starwood Preferred Guest site (direct) on a save 30% advance purchase rate. I had a little extra time and happened to notice a better rate on the online travel agency Expedia for 4,083 BHT. I submitted a Best Rate Guarantee and got a rate match to the lower 4,083 BHT ($129 USD).
On arrival at the hotel we were escorted into the funky contemporary Le Meridien. I’d highly recommend staying here again as the hotel was the right balance of oasis, tranquility, with a good location to see the sights. It was listed as a Travel and Leisure Top 500 Hotels of the world, but I don’t know if I would go that far… It was an excellent hotel and it opened in 2007.
The BTS Skytrain access was convenient, although perhaps not too convenient if you were trying to get here towing your own luggage. It was a 5 minute walk to the elevated BTS Skytrain. There is a 7-Eleven and Starbucks almost immediately adjacent to the hotel and a bank anchored money changer across the street open from 1400 – 2400hrs.
The Room: A Circular Room
When I was booking, I noticed that the hotel offered suites with a circular bed. Being one to jump at a novelty, I booked one. Perhaps it was my effort to be like Clark Kent in Superman II? Not withstanding Ms WT73’s amused impression when we arrived to the room, it was the most comfortable bed of our 22 day adventure across nine hotels. Beyond that, who else can say that you have stayed in a circular bed?
The room also offered a reasonably sized western bathroom.
We also had a pretty good view of central Bangkok from our hotel room. The view from room #2205 – Starwood Preferred Guest Floor.
Overall:
I would easily stay here again for business or pleasure without feeling the need to look around for different properties. In therms of the good things, let’s start with the Circular Bed. Need I say more? There was excellent noise insulation in the room (no noise), with a short walk to the BTS train and western conveniences within 1 block (7 Eleven, Starbucks)
In terms of disadvantages, the hotel pool was a little small, consistent with a high rise building with a small footprint. There wasn’t any free wifi available anywhere on the hotel property. The Patong night market and the door men pushing “ping pong” shows may put off those traveling with families. This can probably be avoided by taking alternate routes in the area (away from the market). Overall it was a great stay and I would easily stay at this property again.
Sometimes, older is often better. Our domestic flight in Thailand was on an older Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The flight was just over an hour. This older equipment offered comfortable seating and was an “old school” way of getting around Thailand. I enjoyed every minute of it and it was a fun experience for such a short flight.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Thai Airways, Boeing 747-400, Phuket – Bangkok
After our time in the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Phuket, we wandered down to the gate.
There is nothing like airports in Thailand where they have reserved seating for monks. This turned out to be a frequent sighting in our travels through Thai airports and something that I haven’t ever seen anywhere else in the world.
As in Shanghai, the boarding process on Thai again involved the display of a small computer printed board behind a white plexi glass display placard. There was no Vanna White walk this time though… As soon as the gate agents hold it up – almost like an auctioneer holding up the item number, there was the immediate stampede of a few followed by the stampede of many follow.
Like many other Asian boarding processes, we squished our way on. The boarding took a bit of time as there were a lot of passengers to board, given the equipment type. The plane was double boarded with other international connecting passengers also boarding the plane via the international departures (immigration cleared) but using the same jetway. The international passengers were marked with stickers on their sweaters.
Thai Airways
HKT-BKK (Phuket International Airport – Bangkok Survarnabhumi Airport)
TG 202 – Economy Class (Y)
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
May 13, 2012
Booked: Boeing 747-400
Flown: Boeing 747-400
Watching the world board, we noticed that that there was no one seated upstairs in the business class cabin. Peeking through the front, we were seated on the Domestic 747 aircraft, with the old business and old first with the two adjoining recliner seats. I did catch a glimpse of a few people seated together in F and J up front – despite this leg being sold as a two class aircraft.
On Board a Thai Airways Boeing 747 Domestic:
I learned on this flight that newer equipment is not always better. I personally found the legroom on the Boeing 747 fabulous and that the old equipment was a neat experience as compared to our flight out on the Boeing 777. The legroom was exceptional on these “Recaro” seats. The trade off of more legroom and personal space in economy without in seat AVOD was preferable to that of lessor legroom of that of the 777-200 with AVOD. A flight map complimented the journey from the main screen maps. I’d pick this equipment type over the 777-200 any day for the extra room.
The Meal: An In Flight Snack
The in flight meal was another little snack, this time in the shape of a bun-wich.
After a short hop, we were back at Survarnabhumi and the cool purple of Thai aircraft about the apron. The international passengers with their stickers were rounded up immediately outside the gate;with ground staff doing the searching for them.
After a quick one hour cab ride through some immense South East Asian thundershowers, street flooding and rain, we checked in at the New Le Meridien Bangkok. The ride was 450 Baht with the airport surcharge and a “tip”.
Overall:
The Thai Airways flight on the Domestic Boeing 747 was a pretty neat experience. It’s one of the older planes and a relic at that. Despite it being an older experience, it was also about ten times more comfortable thanks to the extra personal space it provided. Any day that you can fly on a wide body Boeing 747 over a narrow body Airbus 320 or a Boeing 737 is fine by me. This day was no exception.
I was a bit surprised to even find a lounge on the domestic side of the airport in Phuket, Thailand. Thanks to Star Alliance Gold Status, we were able to gain access into this odd ball lounge. Thai Airways runs a network of domestic lounges between Bangkok, Phuket and Chang Mai. At the very least, it was a quiet place to hang out before a flight.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Domestic, Phuket, Thailand
After 4 days of relaxing bliss, it was time to head back to Bangkok for a 36 hour stopover adventure. We took the hotel car back from Le Meridien Khao Lak to the Phuket International Airport. I had picked the 10 AM flight out of Phuket as I wanted to attempt the short domestic flight on a Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 and indeed at 1hr5 mins, it was my shortest B747 flight ever.
As in many parts of this corner of the world, there is an immediate x-ray of baggage as soon as you enter the check in area. Once inside, the Thai Air check was quite deserted considering the equipment being used. We were accepted at the business check in as Star Alliance Gold’s. We were assigned seats then near the front of the economy cabin as we did not have an earlier seat assignment. The seat next to us was blocked or otherwise left empty intentionally.
Accessing the Lounge:
We presented our Aeroplan Elite status cards. With Star Alliance Gold status, we were offered access into all Star Alliance Lounges regardless of class of service. On presentation of the cards at check in, we were verbally invited to the lounge. I was surprised since we weren’t really expecting a lounge in Phuket as we were flying domestic. Thai Airways offers a Thai Royal Silk Domestic Lounge in only 3 locations: Phuket, Chang Mai and Survarnabhumi Bangkok.
At the right end of the concourse was the tiny entrance to the Domestic Royal Silk Lounge. It was a tiny affair. It was one of the first lounges that I had been in that used a seventies style full sized wall mirror in order to make the place look larger than it actually was.
Inside the Thai Domestic Royal Silk Lounge:
The lounge was pretty straight forward and more colourful than it’s flagship mother “Royal Silk” domestic lounge in Bangkok. It offered a quiet sitting area. Despite flights leaving almost every other hour, it was almost deserted on our visit.
There were a selection of small white bread sandwiches, and canned soft drinks or fruit juices. The coffee machine didn’t look too appetizing. The lounge did have some couches which is always a plus in my books. The free wifi was easy to use and connect to, with WEP passwords obtained from the Easter Egg basket at the front desk.
Overall
I was surprised to see a Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge on the Domestic departures zone at Phuket airport. Although there were lots of departures, the lounge itself was almost deserted just before 10 AM on our way through. I guess people departing Phuket prefer to sleep in.
Any traveller to Phuket Thailand should make the time and effort to get themselves through a tour of the Ko Phi Phi Don Archipelago. This region is a little bit further from Khao Lak, than it is from other resort hotels in Phuket, but worth the journey nonetheless. The seas are green, the beaches among the most spectacular in the world, and the scenery of the lime stone rocks are memorable. Despite some crowding and rough seas that can potentially occur, with the right tour and guide combination, you can experience this area and have a great day out of it.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Region Visit: The Beaches of Ko Phi Phi Archipelago, Andaman Sea, Thailand
“A trip to the Ko Phi Phi Archipelago is not to be missed when passing through this corner of the world. The islands and beaches are unlike many other areas and are unforgettable”
Booking and Getting there:
We booked a day trip to the Phi Phi Islands, booked through the resort for about $100 USD. It was the standard tourist tour – bus to the Marina in Phuket, tour of Phi Phi Lei, a visit to Leonardo De Caprio’s “The Beach”, buffet lunch, a snorkel, a visit to Monkey Bay, and a visit to a semi private island where overpriced drinks are served amid backdrops of fabulous scenery.
I presume that many Thailand traveler have had the opportunity to visit this part of the world, so I won’t describe the whole experience in great detail. I’m including this part of the trip as it’s the sights are a must do if you’re in this part of the world, even if the journey to get there is a little rough and challenging. By rough, I do mean that the seas can be rough. We took Gravol Ginger (non drowsy) and it saved us. A poor family on the boat did not take any medication and they described their tour experience as “the worst family experience ever” due to the sea sickness involved.
The tour operator that Le Meridien used for this tour was unfortunately not as nice as the tour operator that was used at the JW Marriott Phuket. The JW Marriott used “Andaman Leisure Tours” and they were fantastic. I’d highly recommend them if you get the opportunity to use them. Our operator had hired some younger guides that made the experience feel as though you were on an extreme tour with artificial attempts to excite the travellers that a bumpy bobbing speed boat was indeed an awesome experience. A little Whitesnake rock music to go along with it highlighted just how extreme this adventure was.
On the Water:
The day started with a transit over to the Ko Phi Phi Don archipelago islands. The islands are a major tourist attraction of this part of Thailand.
We initially headed out for a quick snorkel to set the tone for the day. The best part was seeing the canyons and the blue green water surrounded by the bliss of nature (along with a few other tour boats for good measure).
The spot that they chose for snorkling was, unfortunately, a high traffic area off the pier at Phi Phi Island. As a result, the visibility was not as good as it was on our last tour. A lot of sand was churned up by passing boats. The corals were also quite churned up and pretty lifeless. We still got in some great fishes, and there were many more fish than our visit to Dahab, in Egypt last May.
Landing on Maya Bay in Ko Phi Phi Don:
Our tour today took us to Maya Bay near Ko Phi Phi Lee. The Beach at Maya Bay was made famous in the Hollywood movie “The Beach”. It’s a pretty spectacular spot, almost too spectacular since the destination has been closed indefinitely thanks to over tourism.
We landed on Ko Phi Phi Lee. In addition to Hollywood movies, it’s also quite famous for many selfies and an overall great sandy beach setting. You can’t deny that this part of the world is easy on the camera lens. Even though part of the day was cloudy, we had a nice day re-visiting this touristed corner of the globe.
We headed over from here to a sandy beach outside of the marine conservancy park for some over priced drinks and a beach chair. The weather started to turn a little sour for us after the great morning but it’s still a great corner of the world.
Overall:
Despite distances involved to get here, it’s still a beautiful part of the world. We were pretty exhausted, sand drenched and sun kissed by the time we made it back to Khao Lak at around 8 PM that night. Regardless, we’d probably go again if we were by this corner of earth. Perhaps a quieter long tail boat would be better next time.
On my last trip to Phuket, I ended up staying in the beach resorts along the west coast of Phuket. For this trip, we decided to venture further north into the Khao Lak region. The area is known for it’s pristine beaches and quieter pace of life. The Le Meridien Khao Lak property was to be our home for our stay during this journey. It became the perfect location for travellers looking for a peaceful get away.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Le Meridien, Khao Lak, Thailand
Booking and Getting there:
We were staying at the Meridien Khao Lak on our second visit to Phuket. I picked this place based on reviews on travel forums and on trip advisor, and also taking into consideration the rate. We booked for 3,440 BHT or $110 USD per night for a standard room including taxes and a breakfast buffet. We were upgraded to a Premium Room on arrival for free. We were doing things on the economical side since the goal of the trip was to complete this trip as economically as possible. The rate was a complete steal for a 4 star resort in my opinion. It would indeed show that apparently the rate was not strong enough to attract people, the resort was pretty much deserted when we got there.
Le Meridien had a nice arrival lounge immediately after the first luggage carousel exit on the secure side of Phuket Airport near all the tour desks and the money exchange counters. This is the only photo that I have of the lounge, and I wasn’t about to tell MsWt73 to beat it while I got an empty photo of the lounge.
I had booked the hotel car, which was offered for 2,000 Thai Bhat ($66 USD). I suppose it would have been a better deal to get a local taxi outside of the airport, but I did notice that the “official” rates listed on the baggage claim for the airport taxis were also 2,000 Bhat. There’s also nothing like the convenience of car service when you’re looking for an easy transfer.
We were given bottle waters while we waited for the car to be brought around. We were bundled into their Toyota Camry and after an hour and ten minutes in the car, we arrived at Le Meridien Khao Lak.
My previous experience of a mega resort in Phuket was staying at JW Marriott Phuket. My initial impression was that the JW Marriott was a much grander place than the Meridien Khao Lak. However, our time spent at Le Meridien made Khao Lak grow on us over the days that we stayed. We arrived to the resort and had a reasonably good first impression. You’ll note that in the photo, the pool surrounding the sculpture was drained, as several maintenance works were in progress while we stayed.
You’ll note that in the photo, the pool surrounding the sculpture was drained, as several maintenance works were in progress while we stayed.
The Room: A Premier Room
On check in, we received a complimentary Starwood Preferred Guest Gold upgrade to a Premier room (room 269). We were also offered a late checkout but our departing flight was at 10 am so we didn’t take advantage of it. We also received a wrist lea with flowers at the lobby on check in. There was also free wifi in the lobby of the hotel, which attracted many families there in the evenings.
Around the Resort:
During our visit in May, the resort was totally empty – there were maybe about 50 couples staying here. As a result, of all the five restaurants on the property, only two or three were open on any given evening.
The Beach and Shore line:
These photos are of the beach area in front of the resort – curiously missing from the hotel website. Similar to other Thai resorts, the beach was not swept or raked. We found some debris and garbage on the shores sadly. Despite this, the beaches at the Le Meridien Khao Lak were actual beaches and not artificial man made beaches that you can find at some Phuket resorts. The sand was quite pleasant and better than at some other Thai resorts.
The resort has it’s own baby elephant. Say what you want about the animal interests of captive wild animals but it’s a bizarre experience after an afternoon nap and waking up on a beach lounger with an elephant waving it’s trunk in front of you. Once I finally wiped the sleep out of my eyes, the elephant was hanging out on the beach.
Around the Resort in Khao Lak:
After several years of self funded travel, I find the task of laundry in the hotel room sink getting a little old as I approach my forties. Since this was the mid point of our travels, I had my laundry done just off the resort by a family down the street at the entrance of the resort (well signed). It was 80 baht a kilo (2.5 kilos). A bit expensive but I didn’t mind paying since it was a working family and they gladly interrupted their dinner to help me out at 6 PM. It was a 24 hour turnaround for the wash, press and dry.
Missing from the resort was a regular convenience store. Given the high taxes on alcohol in Thailand, we had picked up Duty Free in Shanghai. The only self stock options on the hotel property itself were 900 baht ($3 USD) for a Tonic Water in the mini bar. Next to the family with the laundry (just off the resort again) was a family house / restaurant with all the sundries and cold drinks you could need- 15 baht ($0.50 USD) for a tonic water at the family store at the end of the walkway. I was hoofing it down there frequently (2 km), although I did get a ride to the edge of the property from the elephant trainer on his motorcycle side car one day. As you can see, the Khao Lak and the resort are in a more rural part of Thailand – way off the touristed strips of Patong.
There were many signs on the resort were pointing towards beach massage. One day at 3:30 PM I went hunting for one. There was a signed stand “off the property” (but on the beach) featuring Thai massage for 300 baht but it was totally deserted, likely because it was low season. I retraced my steps to the on property beach massage post but it was empty. I asked at the pool hut, who politely referred me to the front desk, who called the spa, and discovered that the massage was “fully booked” for today. I made an appointment for the next day.
The next day we turned up for our massages, we were treated to a “beach massage” in the indoor spa building. The bonus was that we paid the beach spa price of 9,000 Baht ($30 USD) instead of the regular Spa Massage price of $100 USD. The Meridien Spa was lovely and the private cabana that we used for our massage was a nice peaceful retreat.
The food cost was reasonable for a resort. The Westernized Thai dishes from the themed restaurant was about 360 baht ($10 USD plus 10% service + 7% tax) which I found to be okay compared to European or American standards. Wines, as in Indonesia and the rest of Thailand were rather exorbitant due to the taxes imposed by the government.
Overall:
I had mixed feelings about the Le Meridien Khao Lak resort with most feelings leading towards the positive side. On the plus side, it’s excellent value for money and the resort is quite isolated and away from the tourist trails of Patong and Phuket (at least one hour and twenty minutes of travel time). There’s no annoying on command movie screen when you turn on the tv; it goes straight to tv – excellent! There are also full Thai massages in the spa for the price of a beach massage in off season.
In terms of some disadvantages, there’s no on site convenience store. It’s a two kilometer walk in the heat to get to one. The resort seemed a little disorganized – more so than at other Thai locations. This was a bit surprising considering how few people were staying there. It’s quite isolated and remote, although this also an advantage depending on your perspective. The nearby Similan Islands which are a major tourist attraction were closed during our visit due to government regulations.
The Bottom Line:
I would return if I was in the area, but I would likely try a different resort if returning to Khao Lak. Most memorably, it was a very peaceful experience.
Editors Note:
At the time of publishing this report, this property is now operating as the Robinson Club Khao Lak.
With Thai Airways, we had a major difference in experience in domestic flights compared to our domestic Air China flight a few days earlier. Although a compact seating experience, the hospitality of the Thai’s was much warmer and enjoyable.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Thai Airways, Boeing 777-200, Bangkok – Phuket
We left the lounge early to arrive to an overcrowded gate. Once again, the reserved flight was different than the equipment that was provided.
That’s an awfully large Airbus 300!! One of the cool things about domestic air travel in Thailand is that they have these massive wide body jets flying around on domestic routes.
Thai Airways
BKK – HKT (Bangkok Survarnabhumi Airport – Phuket International Airport)
TG 205 – Economy Class (Y)
10:00 AM – 11:20 AM
May 13, 2012
Booked: Airbus 300
Flown: Boeing 777-200
On Board Thai Airways Domestic:
We got on board and experienced a very tight economy seat on a Boeing 777-200. There was AVOD in the back of every economy seat in a 3-3-3 configuration. The seat room was tight but not unbearable. We had a Bangkok Airways coral and fish painted aircraft at gate A4 next to us on the apron.
A Thai Airways Domestic Flight:
As we took off, were able to see some of the more unique landscape that make South East Asia such a wonderful place to visit. It started with the fields surrounding Bangkok. Soon, islands were within our view.
At around this time as we levelled off at cruise altitude, the seat ahead of me came back into the full recline position. With a swish, I literally lost about 45% of the available room between the seats. Needless to say, it would be VERY uncomfortable for a lonerg flight. Those readers that are considering an economy seat on the Boeing 777-200 equipment type for a long haul beware!! It would not be a comfortable experience.
The Meal Service: A Sandwich Snack
For just a one hour flight, we were still given a quick mini snack. It was a small sandwich with the crusts cut off consisting of a tuna filling, a ham filling and one that looked like egg, but was a strange liquid goo.
Beautiful views as we crossed over the Bangkok bay.
As we touched down at Phuket International Airport, there were always lots of strange aircraft that you don’t always get the opportunity to see.
The Russians are in town – Transaero Boeing 747.
Overall:
The Thai Airways Domestic Service allows travellers to experience large wide body aircraft on select domestic routes. If you play your cards right, you can fly a large aircraft on some short haul flights. Despite this, the personal space on these larger aircraft isn’t all too generous. A small meal is also served, which is a welcome touch.
After a shower and a decent night’s sleep at the Novotel Survarnabhumi, it was back to the airport for our next segment. We took the shuttle back this time and it was a quick trip to get back to departures.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Thai Airways, Royal Silk Lounge Domestic, Survarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand
My initial impression of Survarnabhumi Airport was that it was a large fortress type of structure, meant to convey strength, power and style. Exposed metal girders were everywhere through the roof and around the public areas. Unfortunately, I felt that the image of this metal wasn’t done in tasteful lines like in Beijing Capital or in Shanghai PuDong. It had none of the warm feel of Singapore’s Changi International Airport or any of the slickness of Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport. I felt like I was in an airport belonging to Gotham City in Batman.
We arrived at the separate aisle for Star Gold Check in. We were using the Star Alliance Gold Check In courtesy of Aeroplan Elite status. The aisle is split into two sections, with International Segments toward the back of the airport, and the domestic check in toward the front of the airport. There was no line and they took our slightly heavy 30 kg and 27 kg bags without any questions.
Accessing the Lounge:
We proceeded through domestic security and down the escalators to the domestic floor. After a long walk on the moving travellator, we ended up at the Thai Royal Silk Lounge Domestic lounge. Access to the Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge was courtesy of Air Canada Aeroplan Elite status which allowed us access regardless of cabin purchased thanks to Star Alliance Gold status.
Inside the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Domestic:
In addition to this flagship domestic airlines lounge, Thai Airways also runs domestic lounges in Phuket and Chang Mai.
It was a pleasant place to spend an hour before the flight. There were sandwiches and small snacks. There was easy to connect to wifi and lovely old fashioned juice boxes. The only thing missing was the liquor for those that wanted to indulge in mimosas or similar. I must have been vibrating from the withdrawal as my photos turns out a little blurry.
There was also a nice garden area in the back that you’d easily miss. No food here though, just the small bite size sandwiches on offer in a serving station and the cookies. The clientele in the lounge was much more international compared to the domestic travels we had done in China.
In Summary
Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge at Survarnabhumi Bangkok Airport was a reasonable and clean stopover on your way to your domestic destination. While there were some food items available here, the most noteworthy thing about this lounge is that it is a dry facility.
Our flights with Thai Airways have always been very enjoyable thanks to the wonderful Thai’s hospitality. This flight was no exception as we travelled from Shanghai to Bangkok.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class, Airbus 330, Shanghai Pu Dong – Bangkok Survharnabhumi
“A flight with Thai Airways Royal Silk Business will always be remembered for its colourful cabins and its hospitable Thai’s”
It came time to board quite quickly. Perhaps it was our individual experiences but I found that in Thai style, priority boarding consisted of no formal announcement, but a plastic sign with “Business Class, Royal Orchid Plus, and Star Gold” written onto it. It was held up by an attractive gate agent with a whimsical smile – “Yes, it’s time” accompanied by a walk around the podium similar to the North American game show assistant Vanna White. Unfortunately, these actions were followed by a massive crush of about 50 stampeding Star Gold and Business Class passengers, followed by economy passengers behind him. The gate agents eventually split them up into a two line system.
Thai Airways
PVG – BKK (Shanghai Pudong International – Bangkok Survanabhumi Airport)
TG 665 – Royal Silk Class (I)
5:25 PM – 9:00 PM
May 12, 2012
Booked: Airbus 330
Flown: Airbus 330
We walked down the single jetway and onto our A330. We got a swadikaa Thai Welcome as we boarded. You could immediately tell the hospitality difference between the Chinese and the Thai’s. I do like the Thai people as they seem to be very genuine and humble in their demeanor.
On Board Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class:
We settled into 12A and B – a massive seat with an brown amenity it (socks, lip balm, eye covers) with noise canceling headphones and an inflight magazine in the seat pockets. The Thai Airways Business Class configuration on board this Airbus A330 was 2-2-2.
The seat itself was very comfortable and much more comfortable than Asiana’s slanted seat. The Airbus 330 seemed to have much more personal space than the Asiana Boeing 767-300 flight where I felt pretty squished in. The aircraft colors were softer and a seat pillow for the lower back was provided. From the lie down position, the seat was quite comfy and mostly flat and offered a more comfortable lie down. There was an overhead light and personal snake light in the shoulder area but no personal air nozzles as with other Airbus 330’s.
We were offered water, orange juice and an unnamed champagne which was brought around on a general tray.
Food and Beverage:
The crew was exceptionally efficient in getting everyone settled for our 4.5 hour flight to Bangkok. The menu and wine lists (separate booklets) were passed out.
My forensic sleuthing got the better of me. I was offered and asked for a refill of the champagne, which was brought out in the same manner – on a tray. I placed it next to Ms T73’s champagne in the center between the seats and noticed that there was a slight but noticeable difference in color between the two champagnes. Neither of them tasted off or affected with cork taint. The champagne on the menu was listed as Laurent Perrier but I suspect they may have been using a cheaper version for the pre-departure beverage.
The pre-departure service continued with a towel service and a two tiered cart being rolled down the aisle containing newspapers and magazines. The menu order was also taken after pushback while taxing for takeoff.
We had a long taxi to the runway. I was enjoying the view, staring out the window looking at some of the aircraft on the apron. It was almost before we were to turn on to the departure runway that I saw an Antonev AN 124 heavy lift plane parked over at some private hangars, decorated in company colors. Accordinng to Wikipedia, there are only 55 of these in the world so I was super stoked to see one.
At this point in our trip, I started to reflect. Hey – this was a pretty neat adventure. Maybe these F RTW’s are actually going to be fun, even if they were for no particular reason at all. We were getting to experience lots of different carriers, different menus and different cultures. We were away from our usual business class in our home carrier featuring the familiar menus and the similar catering over and over again. It was all for the price of something that we already had in our possession, countless miles just sitting in a 6 figure mileage account. My perspective on the Timeshare presentation started to change… I was no longer thinking that the trip was going to be the boring part.
Once we got airborne, some nuts were given out and in old fashioned style, the pre supper drink was served from a cart. I took another refill of the bubbly. My first impression of Thai Royal Silk was great. I really enjoyed the service and quick attention.
There was that Vodka and tonic that I had been longing so much for.
The Meal: Dinner Service
It quickly came time for the meal, and I opted for a full serving. The meal was served old school style from elaborate carts in the aisle.
The meal was presented pre-plated on an airline tray. It did have some funky plates that weren’t completely square or oval, but flowing in nature. The bread service included garlic bread, which was a first for me on an airline.
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When it came time for the main course, it was presented, again in an old fashioned style, in a tray out of the warmer with a colored foil wrap over top. It seemed a little low grade with each entrée on the cart being a different foil stripe color. I had the Beef Medallion, which I loved. Ms WT73 had the Halibut which wasn’t too her liking: “Fish just doesn’t taste good microwaved” was her comment.
The cheese and fruit board arrived from the old fashioned trolley. I was offered and poured (without asking) a glass of port. I had actually asked for a glass of red wine to go with the Beef Medallion since I never got it during the streak part of the dinner. They were able to accommodate and did insist on getting me a fresh red glass- not re-using the white glass.
As if the cheese and fruits weren’t enough, this was followed by dessert, digestive drinks and tea or coffee.
After dinner, we settled into movies. Ms WT73 asked for a second class of wine to enjoy her movie with and was given what she interpreted to be a mortified look. The flight attendant returned with crackers instead. After another flight attendant came by, we were able to correct the order. Supper was followed by another towel service for all Royal Silk passengers. From there, it was settling into the Advanced Video on Demand movies for the rest of the flight.
The overall theme of the service seems to be similar to McDonald’s fast foods. “Let’s get these customers served as quickly as possible and then forget about them”. By this I mean that after the food service was completed, we could hear crickets through the cabin – not a single staff member to be found. We did press the call button twice to get drink refills over the remainder of the flight.
Looking around, there seemed to be a complete mix of races of those on board: older Thai travelers, yuppies on business, middle aged tourists… There was no generic profile unlike Air China which was strictly Asian. At the same time, I noticed that the blended cabin also resulted in varying demands of the flight attendants from travelers as well- with some seeking more attention than others.
We arrived to the cool blue glow of Suvarnabhumi International airport in Bangkok at a non gate position. They were going to deplane the aircraft with two sets of stairs. I always enjoy a non gate position because hey- it’s different, it’s exotic and not something that happens every day. MsWT73 was not sharing my enthusiasm at that point “I can’t stand it, I have to carry my bag down all those stairs?” Approaching midnight, my explanations for the excitement were not met with the same enthusiasm. Before we knew it, we were among the first off the plane and on the executive class bus , which departed immediately for the terminal.
Our checked bags were out almost immediately and there was duty free on the secure side of the baggage hall which was a nice touch.
Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class Summary:
I really enjoy flying Thai Airways. The seating on the Airbus A330 was much more comfortable and spacious for regional business class than on Asiana’s Boeing 767. The food and wines were enjoyable. The cool purple of the color scheme is especially groovy. In the low points, the service was rushed and quick. In the end we loved the TG experience and wouldn’t hesitate to fly them again within Asia.
Our Thai Airways flight contracted with the Shanghai Airlines Lounge to provide a space to relax in before our flight. The Shanghai Airlines Lounge was a comfortable space in a groovy looking terminal, despite wishing for some better food and beverage.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Shanghai Airlines International Business Lounge, Shanghai PuDong, China
“The Shanghai Airlines International Lounge offers a relaxing place to lounge before your flight, made cooler by the contemporary vibes of the Shanghai Du Pong Airport”
Getting There and Checking In:
Returning to the airport, at about 2.5 hours prior to departure, we retrieved our checked luggage from self storage and made our way upstairs to the Thai Check in Desks. We were flying today Thai Airways Business Class Shanghai to Bangkok. The business maze and lines were overflowing as without any staff or logic to why the lines were configured the way they were. I suspect many people were using shortcuts to circumvent the maze.
A whole group of Thai people were seated on the floor next to the check in. I wouldn’t mention this – but it was out of the ordinary that you find 20 people seated on the ground next to a check in desk. It stumped me – and I should have taken a photograph, but didn’t (laughing).
Accessing the Lounge:
We were checked in and invited to use the Shanghai Airlines International Departure lounge (by invitation). Access today was granted based on the Business Class Service of our ticket on Thai Airways.
Based on the signs outside, we made our way through and at 3:30 PM on a Saturday, the lounge was stuffed full of people. It was nearly impossible to find two seats together. We managed to split a four square of chairs with another traveler who left shortly thereafter.
The lounge entrance from the main concourse was central and easy to find.
Inside the Shanghai Airlines Lounge:
The nicest part of the lounge again was the architecture of the building. The lounge is elevated over top of retail on the international concourse and large glass windows are open to the aircraft on the apron for all to see.
Food and Beverage:
By this time, after scrubbing around Shanghai and the earlier flight in the morning, I was looking forward to a cold Vodka Tonic with ice or even a glass of Sparkling. Maybe I was setting my standards too high? When I got to the lounge, I realized that I was!!
The bad part? There was a very limited selection of alcohol. On offer was Chinese red and wine wine. There were zero spirits to be found. There were several kinds of canned beer – Asahi, Tsingtao, Budwiser and Calsberg in the fridge. This was consistent with our Chinese lounge experiences.
I settled for a glass of the Imperial Palace Chardonnay. The food, like the PVG Domestic and PEK Domestic Lounge didn’t look too appealing, despite the lounge being operated by different companies completely (Air China vs Shanghai Airlines). I opted only for the drink only knowing we would be fed on board. It also made me appreciate the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounges (I am thinking of HKG and SIN specifically) and the Dim Sum steamers that they have there. For an expanding market such as China, I’d love to see some better catering in their lounge offerings.
Thanks to the glass, we were able to see the soothing purple of our Airbus 330 arriving to the gate at PuDong. We headed down for some last minute souvenir shopping and to check out the gate area.
In conclusion:
Like many of our other Chinese lounge experiences, the Shanghai Airlines Airport Lounge was unfortunately no different. It featured a lovely and spacious environment to hang out in prior to your flight. The Shanghai Airport was pretty sleek and designed with a contemporary vibe thanks to it’s open air ceiling and flowing architecture. Unfortunately, the food and beverage left a little bit to be desired. Those looking to relax with an iced drink may be a little disappointed as this is more of a spacious holding room instead of a luxurious food and beverage oasis.
There is nothing like a high speed train to spice up travel, especially one that doesn’t actually touch the track and is elevated by magnetic levitation. Our trip through Shanghai allowed us to experience the speed of the Shanghai Maglev.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
“The Shanghai Maglev is a neat attraction when visiting Shanghai and an opportunity to ride the smoothest and fastest magnetic levitation train in the world”
We deplaned off of Air China and walked the long trip back over the 6 travellators to the baggage claim. No golf cart was waiting for us like on our departure, but it was a good opportunity to stretch the legs.
We checked our baggage into “left luggage” which is on the arrivals level of PuDong Airport. We were self connecting to a Thai Airways flight this evening to Bangkok. We had 7 hours to kill so we thought we would take advantage of this down time in Shanghai and try out the train.
Booking the Shanghai Maglev:
Being a fan of transportation technology, I had always wanted to try the Shanghai MagLev Train. The Maglev train uses electromagnetic technology to elevate the train from the track so that the train floats on a cushion of air. In doing so, it is able to reach higher speeds (allegedly) and reduce friction. There are only a few in public operation in the world, the Shanghai MagLev, the Linimo (Tobu Kyuryo Line, Japan), and the Daejeon, South Korea line.
The Shanghai train costs are 50 RMB for a one way ticket or 80 RMB ($12 USD) for a same day round trip. The line passes 30 km in 7 minutes. The line ends at a connecting station to the Shanghai metro at the city end. It is a separate ticket to ride the Shanghai Metro. Credit cards were accepted for payment at the cashier.
There is a computer monitor sign posted outside the entrance that indicates the speed of the train. Interestingly enough, the train goes faster during the mid morning and mid afternoon. If you want to experience the train at it’s fastest, make sure your connection through PuDong is during these times!!!
On Board the Shanghai Maglev:
After we paid for our tickets, we completed a bag x-ray and entered into a holding area that wasn’t too exciting. Upon arrival of the train, we were let into the platform area. I managed to take a few photos before getting on board. There are no posted departure times so you have to be a little quick without waiting around on the train platform.
Once on board, there is no assigned seating and seats are in a 2-2 formation. There are two classes of service – normal and VIP. I did not check out the VIP car.
I checked out the cockpit and noticed a very simple control board with the driver looking at a Chinese version of an Excel spreadsheet. I later learned that the entire system is remote and that the trains are controlled from a command center. The person in the driver’s seat is merely a conductor designed to confirm any situation that may be received through the command center. It looks like there is a database of information that runs on the cockpit screen (lists of journey’s perhaps?)
The Experience: Riding a Train at 400+ Km/h
On departure, the train acceleration itself is very smooth and gradual. It’s not sudden like the acceleration of a plane taking off on a run way. Being a magnetically elevated train, there was no clickety clack from the trains and story books of our childhood. Despite the smooth start, there are a few bumps and jolts along the way. As this was happening, I had an image of the nineties era TV Commercial of the Lexus accelerating to 100 km/h with a stack of champagne glasses on the hood of the car. In this situation however, these glasses on the Maglev train were cascading down around us as we hurtled toward 300 km/h, gently being bumped and jostled around. Even the usually unflappable Ms WT73 announced quietly “I’m freaking out.” As she looked around and out the window as the country side passed by at such a rapid rate.
Our return trip offered the delight of speeds up to 431 km/h.
I couldn’t help but wonder, there is something strange about seeing the ground fly by at that velocity. I recalled past high speed train experiences of the Train de Grande Vitesse (TGV – France) or the Shinkansen (Japan), but all of those experiences were on ground tracks that were fenced off from the population – this version was on an elevated track that ran closely over freeways and other minor roads. Like on the final descent into PuDong, your mind tells you that it is not right that the ground should be passing by the window so quickly. Add a few banked turns and as you bob around, and your mind can’t help wondering what is happening.
Before we knew it, our terminal velocity came to an end as the train started slowing down. Our 8 minute ride finished at the terminus in Shanghai. For train enthusiasts, there is a museum at the city end of the tour that offers explanations on how the track was built and designed. It is free with your ticket stub. It was worth a 10 minute visit for train enthusiasts.
We changed to the regular subway and hung out in the PuDong area (new area) of Shanghai, prior to heading back to the airport on the Maglev Train.
The Bottom Line:
This is a must do if you find yourself transiting through Shanghai, especially if you are train buff! It is a unique experience in the world and was by far the fastest I have ever traveled on ground. The train floats over rural areas, which is different than the French SNCF or the Japanese JR Rains high speed trains that seem to skirt rural towns. Within about 45 minutes, you can Maglev and subway into the PuDong area of Shanghai, making for a pleasant diversion when transiting through Shanghai.
At the very least, Air China is a very consistent airline. It provides a no frills service between cities with a minimum of fuss.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Air China, Boeing 737-800, Beijing Capital – Shanghai Pu Dong
At boarding card time, we wandered down to gate C33. Whether it was efficiency or otherwise, the flights was again almost completely boarded by the time listed on the boarding pass.
Air China
PEK-PVG (Beijing Capital International Airport – Shanghai Pudong Airport)
CA 1883 – Economy Class (Y)
08:00 AM – 10:46 AM
May 12, 2012
Booked: Boeing 777-200/300
Flown: Boeing 737-800
The air was thick with Beijing smog as we got underway. Only a little ways from the Beijing Capital International Airport terminal and already it was thick with pollution.
We were airborne again for a quick hop back to PuDong. The seat was the same so I offer a recycled photograph.
As we left early in the morning, a western breakfast or Asian breakfast was offered. The Western Entrée consisted of scrambled egg, chicken sausage, a stalk of broccoli and two small hashbrown potatoes – in the soft microwave variety. I was quite pleased to see this as I was in the mood for some food from home. I have a difficult time with the Asian breakfast. I did sneak a peak through the seats to see the asian breakfast and found out that it was plain looking congee and a brown egg. I’m a fan of trying new foods but even that would have been hard to stomach in the morning.
The beverage service on the flight was very plain. Orange juice, tea, and water were pretty much the only things observed offered. The in flight service and that amongst our hotels were similar to other communist countries – the bare necessities. Occasionally, you get one hotel or hospitality worker who is from somewhere else, but usually, the service was mostly transactional, without any flair or spirit. This would be something that I would remember if I was ever taking a First or Business Class reward booking on Air China, as I likely wouldn’t expect the service levels of countries such as Thailand or Japan, whom have been serving people for several years and have developed quite a skill at doing so.
On the aircrafts’ descent into back into Shanghai, I looked out the rainy window. As we were on our final approach, I saw a most unusual sight. I looked on the ground and saw a train moving faster than the plane was traveling. I had to look twice to make sure my eyes were seeing this correctly. There is something about your mind and brain that tells you what is normal, and it was NOT normal to look out the window and see objects moving faster, on the ground even, than you were traveling, in an aircraft!! After a split second, it registered in my memory circuits that it was the Shanghai Maglev, also on approach to the airport station. Conincidentally, it was where we were headed next.
We arrived in Beijing without much issue and headed to the baggage claim for our bags.
In Summary:
Well, I’m not going to sugar coat it. Our Air China flights were not all that exciting. It offered simple “A” to “B” transportation. Being at the airport was likely better than the train since we were connecting onwards to another international flight later that day. The train would have been a much more interesting way to get in between Beijing and Shanghai but a whole lot more complicated it seems. Either way, I wouldn’t expect too much from the Air China flights in the future as it offered a pretty sterile experience.
The Air China Domestic Lounge provided the most Asian like food that we’d had on our international around the world trip. The royal red lounge offered spacious comfort before our domestic flight.
This post is one chapter in our Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain. This trip was booked using Air Canada Aeroplan miles. 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: Around the World in Star Alliance First Class via China, Thailand and Spain
- Air Canada Executive Class, Vancouver – Los Angeles
- Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles
- Asiana Airlines First Class: Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge, Seoul Incheon
- Asiana Airlines Business Class, Seoul Incheon – Shanghai Pu Dong
- Renaissance Shanghai Yu Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai, China
- Air China Domestic Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Air China, Shanghai – Beijing
- Swisshotel China Hong Kong Macau Center, Beijing, China
- Beijing, China
- Visiting the Great Wall of China at Miytanyu
- Air China Business Lounge, Beijing Capital Airport
- Air China, Beijing – Shanghai
- Riding the Shanghai Maglev at 430 km/h
- Shanghai Airlines Business Lounge, Shanghai, China
- Thai Airways Royal Silk, Shanghai – Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways, Bangkok – Phuket
- Le Meridien Khao Lak, Thailand
- Ko Phi Phi Don Islands, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Domestic Lounge, Phuket
- Thai Airways, Phuket – Bangkok
- Le Meridien Bangkok
- Thirty Six Hours in Bangkok, Thailand
- Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class, Bangkok – Madrid
- AC Hotel Carlton, Madrid
- Three Days in Madrid, Spain
- Day Tripping to Salamanca, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Madrid – Barcelona
- AC Hotel Barcelona Sants, Barcelona
- Exploring Barrio La Rambla in Barcelona
- Getting into Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain
- Renfe AVE Preferente Business, Barcelona – Madrid
- Puerta del Alcala VIP Lounge, Madrid, Spain
- Lufthansa Business Class, Madrid – Frankfurt
- Novotel Mainz, Germany
- Walking through Mainz, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
- Lufthansa First Class, Frankfurt – Seattle
- Air Canada, Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Air China Business Domestic Lounge, Beijing, China
Getting there:
Avoiding the stairs in the Beijing Subway (and saving my luggage), we took a taxi back to the airport. From the hotel, it cost 120 RMB ($19 USD).
We arrived at the massive Beijing Capital Airport, considered to be the second busiest airport in the world. The sheer expanse of this structure was hard to describe. Despite my many travels, it had a wow factor from the sheer size of it when you walked in the doors. It seemed almost endless depending on which direction you were looking within the building. This was the International and Domestic Departure Drop off Zone.
We checked in on the Blue Carpets courtesy of Star Alliance Gold Status and checked into our flight. Again, we were down gauged from a Beoing 777-300 to a Boeing 737-800. For some reason, the domestic air service check in for premium customers was, like in Shanghai, deserted. I guess everyone went to the train station instead.
After security, we went to the Domestic Air China Business Lounge. This lounge, like Shanghai’s domestic lounge, was on an elevated concourse above retail shops. It had a bright feel to it, which is perfect. It was actually much larger than the Shanghai lounge.
Accessing the Lounge:
The access to the Air China Domestic Lounge was up a set of open escalators. Access today was provided courtesy of Aeroplan Elite Status with Star Alliance Gold, which provided courtesy access regardless of cabin of travel.
I was happy to see that I was among the Air Koyro travellers accessing this lounge.
Inside the Air China Lounge:
As it was an early morning flight, breakfast was being served. We were self connecting back to our reward ticket later that afternoon, so we had left ourselves 7 hours transit time in Shanghai.
The lounge itself had spacious seating. Aside from the odd reddish tone to everything, it was a fairly relaxing place to be. There was a lot of ambient light. I could only imagine the massive construction it took to build what was among the world’s largest airports.
The food offerings were very Asian. Brown hard boiled eggs, Chinese buns. Croissants were on offer but there was no jam to go with them. All the coffee was Nescafe from a brutish sounding machine. The internet access was through China Unicom and to gain access, you had to provide your passport number at one of several kiosks outside the lounge in the airport. I didn’t bother leaving the lounge in order to get a wifi code. Similar to the Shanghai domestic lounge there were no English newspapers or English magazines on offer.
Overall:
The Air China Domestic Business Lounge was a reasonable place to stop prior to your trip. The best feature of the lounge was the ample seating and personal space. The low points included the food, which similar to our other Air China Lounge experience, was mostly to Asian tastes without any Western Options.
World Traveller 73 
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