Hong Kong, Sydney, Abu Dhabi Trip Recap

With the full trip report finally done, I wanted to wrap up with an overall summary and links to the individual posts so it was easier to find everything. We had an amazing time on our over the top flight on Cathay Pacific First Class from Boston to Hong Kong, a quick but culturally packed day in Hong Kong, Thai airways Royal Orchid Lounge may be the best I have experienced, a Four Seasons disappointment but an incredible time exploring Sydney Australia, the most ridiculously amazing flight experience I have ever had thanks to Ethiad Apartment Class Sydney to Abu Dhabi, and an incredible day exploring The Grand Mosque. And the absolute best part is that all of these flights combined cost less than $400 total for two people!

Part I:    Cathay Pacific First Class Boston to Hong Kong First Class

Part II:   Hong Kong in a Day
Part III:  Hong Kong Transportation and Hotel Review

Part IV:  Thai Airways First Class Hong Kong to Sydney

Part V:   Sydney Australia recap, Things to Do & Places to Eat

Part VI:  Etihad A380 Apartments Class & Etihad 787 Business Class Review

Part VII: Abu Dhabi in a Day

This trip was so much fun to plan, and absolutely lived up to its expectations of amazing destinations, incredible flights, and overall enjoyment. If you have any questions about these destinations or planning your travel please let me know! 

Have a great day!

Etihad A380 Apartments Class and B787 Business Class Review

Etihad Apartments Class A380 Sydney to Abu Dhabi

Written by: Passports and PeeptoesEtihad Apartments A380 Apartments Class A380 Sydney to Abu Dhabi

When we started planning our trip to Sydney Australia, I didn't intend to fly us around the world BUT, that's what happened.  In my searching I found that Etihad was flying their brand new A380 between Sydney and Abu Dhabi, and with my American Airline miles, Etihad Business Class (which was available for 2 tickets when the scheduled opened) was just 55k miles per ticket.  The real value however, was that Etihad First Class was just 67.5k miles per ticket. And that my friends is why we visited Abu Dhabi on this trip and I flew us way out of our way to get home.  Because this isn't just any First Class, no, this is Etihad Apartments Class.

Etihad A380 Seat 4A

Etihad A380 Apartments Class

And it is divine.  And it has a shower, and 2 bathrooms for 9 seats, and a bar, and a flying chef. 

In our Apartment (yes 1 per person) we each had a Vanity, a minibar, and 2 seating options - the bench seat folded out into a very awesome bed.  

Etihad A380 Seat 4A

In addition to Etihad's amazing flight experience, their ground service was outstanding. Our trip from Sydney started with getting picked up with Etihad's signature Chauffeur service at our Hotel and whisked off to Apartments Class check in at Sydney Airport.  Lounge Service here was also incredible.  The lounge was spacious, service was outstanding and there was a nice spread of small plates and snacks with full meal service available.  We choose to just have Champagne - Dom 2004 was served in the lounge as well as in the air, and a few snacks before we boarded.  

On board Champagne and Dates

Etihad Business Class 787 Abu Dhabi to Washington D.C.

Business class was great, but not nearly as fun as Etihad Apartments Class!  I did enjoy flying the 787 Dreamliner, it was very quiet, and was a comfortable flight.

Lounge service in Abu Dhabi was good, but the lounge was vey busy when we got there.  We didn't stay long because we had to go through U.S. Customs before boarding (the Etihad flight arrives into Washington pre-cleared) so we needed to leave enough time before take off in case there were lines. We ended up clearing quickly with our Global Entry and were waiting for the flight which was late taking off for a bit.  We boarded, got our champagne and settled in for our 14 hour flight to Washington! 

Thai Airways Hong Kong to Sydney Australia

As we continued on our Around the World Journey, I choose to book us on Thai Airways from Hong Kong to Sydney Australia.  I choose this flight for a couple reasons, first,Thai Airways first class had amazing award availability about 10 months out, second, I was really interested in experiencing the Thai Airways First Class Lounge Bangkok, the Royal First Lounge.

Our flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok, while lasting only 3 hours, was on a double decker A380 and was an absolutely beautifully done first class cabin with huge seats and excellent foot space.  The service onboard was top notch, and I experienced my first ever minced chicken with spicy basil dish - a dish so divine I continue to scour every Thai place I see at home for a replica!!

Thai Airways A380 First Class

Thai Airways A380 First Class

Controls - Thai A380

Upon arrival into BKK, we were greeted at the end of the jet way by a golf cart and whisked away to the lounge by a very efficient Thai Airways representative.  I wish I would have taken some photos of this experience, but it was pretty interesting to be flying through the airport on a golf cart!  All in, it took about 15 minutes to get from the jet bridge, through the security checkpoint and up to the lounge.

Holy crap the lounge.  It is a large lounge with very personalized service.  The bar was stocked and small bites were out in a separate room.  Most importantly, the lounge offers full body massage services to first class passengers free of charge!  Business class passengers can get a neck and back massage at no charge.  Because we were tight on connection time due to leaving Hong Kong late, I sadly did not get to experience the full body massage I was hoping for.  I instead asked for the 30-minute neck and back massage and it was awesome!

Royal Orchid First Class Lounge BKK Image courtesy Thai Airways

After I settled back into the lounge with another drink and just relaxed in our very private lounge room.  I loved that the lounge had these little separate areas with a TV, chairs and sofa for you to relax in, instead of being spread out in the main area.

Finally, we were escorted down to our plane for our trip to Sydney!  The flight to Sydney was relatively uneventful, and was on a 747 with semi-private suites.  I found the A380 to be a much more comfortable ride, but the service and in flight options were excellent.