Farewell Miles – A Mileage Burning Party with All Nippon Airlines, Thai Airways and Asiana Airlines in Business Class (with a BMI Leg)
Featuring the ANA International 787-8.
- Oh BMI *shakes head* (The Introduction)
- The Off, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham Airport to Frankfurt with BMI for Lufthansa
- Hotel Savigny, Around Frankfurt
- Frankfurt Airport and Meeting the 787
- Frankfurt-Tokyo Haneda with ANA’s International 787
- The Strings by Intercontinental, Tokyo
- One Time Exception: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
- Tokyo Haneda International – Hong Kong International with ANA’s 777-300
- Crown Plaza Causeway Bay (Happy Valley) – THIS SECTION
- One Time Exception: An Emergency Camera Clean…
- Hong Kong to Seoul with Thai Airways International
- Ramada Seoul Dongdamun
- One Time Exception: Jongmyo Shrine
- Seoul Incheon to London Heathrow with Asiana Airlines
- Wrapping up
Yes, it’s time for another hotel review after jetting here with ANA. And in this, I learn the real reason why I paid for Ambassador with Intercontinental last year (even if it took them 6 months to get me a membership card and welcome pack!!!!)
After negotiating Hong Kong immigration with what I thought was a long wait for Hong Kong (30 minutes) it was time to sit down and work out my next move, and work out where was going next. Abusing the free WiFi at HKG therefore was a must. It was then a case of buying a 3 day octopus pass with Airport Express tickets loaded, loading an extra HK$50 on incidentals (such as Ferry, Tram and Bus ride and then heading to the island.
Airport Express is of course its usual quick self, depositing me at the Hong Kong MTR station 24 minutes after picking me up at the Airport.
A quick check, and realising there was no shuttle bus to the hotel, I wandered into the Hong Kong to Central connection and was instantly reminded of how long a walk it is from the station to station. Well it is longer when you have a 20kg solid backpack on you with another 10kg in the front.
The MTR is… it’s usual self (actually a good reason why I don’t particularly like the MTR. Too much pushing, shoving, etc with walks that seem longer every time I go through a station – part of the reason why I switched to tram, bus and ferry when I could). Eventually, I make my exit into Times Square, a quick double back and I reach my digs for the next two days – the Crown Plaza Causeway Bay.
Price Paid: 30,000+$120USD (Points and Cash).
Oops. (Although in my defence, I couldn’t see the Priority Club Check In point)
I was welcomed as the agent tried unpick the damage that had been done with the reservation, and welcomed me formally as a Platinum Ambassador. I was then told of I was upgraded to a corner room with a view of the Happy Valley Race Course (nice), breakfast was included in the rate (very nice) as well as nibbles in the bar after 5:30 (very nice indeed) as well as Internet Access (Excellllent!).
The agent also checked when I was leaving and extended by an hour too.
With that, I was shown to the lift, and reminded to shove my keycard in the slot in the elevator to get get access floor level access to the room.
The after settling in, and opening up the blinds,a view of the Happy Valley was before me.
The room itself was a lovely size, and the views were… great. Not as amazing as the ones in Tokyo (that will ll be hard to match anywhere I suspect). What made this room different are the amenities in it – from the bathroom that looked out onto the world.
But it was the little things around the room like a USB charging socket, an a iPod dock to charge your phone or watch your media on.
And “normal” plugs (well, normal to to me anyway – those of you who aren’t a resident of the British Isles won’t appropriate yet another adaptor in your collection ;))
It’s little touches like that, that make one hell of a big difference.
Soon enough, a welcome fruit plate turned up as well. Hang on, am I in a Crown Plaza or a Intercontinental here?
Anyway, after settling down, I decided to enjoy the evening, and headed to the bar, where it was drinks time and nibbles time. As there is no lounge here – it’s drinks at the bar.
I can live with that.
After being fueled for the evening, I escaped into town, and over to the Kowloon.
Another day, and it was time to take advantage of the buffet breakfast. Well it’s inculded in the rate, so why not?
Now this is a big buffet they have, form sushi to noodles, to western stuff, to cold and even a custom omlette and Noodle bar
Overall: If you want Intercontinental Service without the Intercontinental cost, this the Crown Plaza to visit. Excellent and friendly service, whilst being lovely and friendly throughout. Just make sure you’re at least an IC Ambassador to get the best of the place….
Next up is something slightly different for those of you who read GhettoIFE. A lot of you know I’m a camera nut, but I had a bad case of dirt contamination inside my sensor on this trip. I’d better do something about it…
Why would they treat IC Ambassador any different than the plaine platinum? You are not in the IC and platinum should be enough.
I was at this CP for my birthday, and I agree on how good it is. I am a Platinum as well, and they were very good at upgrading me. I really liked the phone I could take with me. The bottle of wine for my birthday was a nice gift as well 🙂