Having fun with Havila

[jase05]

Billund Airport

BA use the King Amlet Lounge
Nice comfortable lounge with good views of the tarmac and the inside of the airport. Wine was average but food pretty good

 

[jase05]

BLL-LHR BA807 A320 2035-2125
Seat 4C

Eurobiz set me back a whopping $187 for this 90 minute trip
Pretty good flight, seats were comfy enough and the food was good but what really surprised me was how engaging the crew were in comparison to what we normally see in BA. Crew were enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy their job. Meal service started about 20 minutes after takeoff and as a cold dish of roast beef and potato with a dressing. Was pretty tasty and the dessert was quite nice too.
Drinks were proactively topped up and never got below half full before we were asked for a refill to the point we managed to get 4 in for the short trip.

 

[jase05]

Arrived at T3 and was a breeze through customs and then caught the Heathrow Express to T5 and made our way to the Sofitel. We have stayed here before several times so no issue for us but I do think those not familiar with LHR it could be a tad overwhelming with the lack of signage.
We were just staying for the night so booked a Classic Queen room but as a Diamond member we got an upgrade to a Lixury King room.
A bit tight on their welcome gift and the rooms look a tad tired but it’s still a solid option and works for us. We really only needed a bed for the night and didn’t even have breakfast in the morning but grabbed a takeaway coffee for the drive. Sixt have a branch located at the entrance to the Sofitel so we booked through them and picked up the vehicle in the morning and drove up to the rellies. Had a good few days catching up them and attending a wedding which was a fun day.

 

[drron]

On most of the BA flights we take the crew have been excellent and efficient.

 

[jase05]

On most of the BA flights we take the crew have been excellent and efficient.

I’ve found them hit or miss over the years and the last few flights we flew with them pre Covid I found them absolutely ordinary and most unhelpful

 

[jase05]

Was good to catch up the rellies but as we had a few days between events we had decided to go for a quick trip into Europe as we needed to get our BA sectors up to retain status and we didn’t want to just hang tight in the UK plus it would be good for the two of us to get away. We had decided for a quick break in Prague which is our favourite city in Europe and one we love going back to as often as we can. $670 return in Eurobiz with BA which is a bargain.
Dropped the car back at Heathrow and had a morning flight out of T3.
Thought we would check out the CX F lounge first up and the lounge was packed and the offerings seemed quite ordinary and I must say I wasn’t impressed at all and left after about 5 minutes. Quickly ducked into the QF lounge and that too wasn’t great so we headed to the BA lounges. Was quite a few passengers headed towards the lounges but thankfully all went to the J lounge and we headed into the F lounge and there was only 1 other couple in there and by time we left there was still only a few others in there. Decor is a bit old and worn but was quiet and they did great pancakes with bacon and maple syrup aswell as a pretty decent coffee. Pretty good tarmac views and a nice stay

 

[jase05]

LHR-PRG BA852 1035-1330
Seat 6C

2hr flight and again the service was exemplary. Was 8 rows of J and quite a boisterous flight as there were several groups going to Prague for Bucks/hens shows and lots of blokes wearing dresses and silly costumes. All were pretty well behaved and a lot of singing on the flight.
The meal tasted better than it looked (was sweet potato on top not Pumpkin)
Was a shepherds pie that was quite delicious. Our glasses never got below half full and again we drank our fair share
Good smooth flight and arrived on time. Our bags came out in the first few and through immigration in a matter of minutes.
Prague airport has pretty much got rid of taxis and Uber is king there with many calling themselves Airport Uber. About $40 for the 45 minute ride to the Hotel and the driver spoke little English so a fairly quite ride in

 

[jase05]

Our hotel in Prague for 3 nights was the Century Old Town MGallery. We had booked an Executive King room which looked quite decent at $403 per night. About a week out from our stay we were notified via email that as a Diamond member we had been upgraded to the Kafka Suite which was nearly $1400 per night and the best room on the property. The hotel is located in a great part of the old town so close to many attractions and restaurants and is a great area to wander around. The hotel was the former office building for the Workers accident Insurance institute and Franz Kafka worked in this building and penned some of his famous works in it. It has been converted into a stunning hotel and the Kafka suite pays homage to Franz Kafka and contains photos and art from his time working there. The staff at the hotel were absolutely amazing and we were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived and they were keen to learn about our travels and gave us maps in which they circled locations and restaurants and also wrote the names of restaurants in Czech to help us out. The room itself was fantastic and consisted of a large bedroom with large writing desk and decent size bathroom. There was a seperate lounge room with sofas and tables that had large windows that opened for good views of the old town. We received 4 drinks vouchers to use at the bar but we ended up staying there a bit longer as the wine selection was pretty decent. The room had 2 complimentary minibars with soft drinks and beers and our welcome gift consisted initially of a bottle of bubbly, some fruit and chocolates and some nice postcards. About an hour after checkin we had a knock at the door and the staff gave us a plate of wonderful desserts made fresh by the chef. One was like a coffee eclair and the other like a cream puff. The chef also personally made us a chocolate cake in the shape of a dog high was coated in chocolate. They all tasted superb. Breakfast had a good spread of dishes and a fresh egg station if you are into that. Champagne and beer available at no cost and staff happily poured mimosas for breakfast. Who can say no to a 6am Mimosa
On checkout we were given some Prague fridge magnets as a gift and a nice Prague beer mug as a thank you.
Absolutely fantastic stay and I did fire off some emails to Accor to let them know of how great the staff were.

 

[jase05]

Our Kafka Suite

 

[jase05]

First arvo in Prague we just had quick wander around and did a bit of souvenir shopping. For dinner we went down the road to Cerveny Jelen which was recommended to us by the receptionist at the hotel. It’s a beautiful old building that was once a bank and is now a multi storied restaurant, brewery and function area that specialises in local cuisine and beer. Both the food and beer was good and it’s a massive setup.
After dinner we just had a brisk walk around the block and then decided to have an early night

 

[jase05]

Next day we decided to go for a walk around the Old Town area near our hotel. The Old Town square was all setup with Easter markets so was a great relaxing day A very compact area that is great to walk and as you go around every corner another magnificent view opens up. Despite visiting many times I love just wandering around and losing myself in the alleys and streets and still find places I haven’t come across before
Powder Gate Tower

Wandering down to the Old Town Square

 

[jase05]

Easter markets were pretty cool and the food smelt great

 

[jase05]

Big crowd as usual at the Astronomical clock

 

[jase05]

Couldn’t resist the smell so grabbed a late lunch at the markets

 

[Two Aussies]

Have you done this cruise yet or is it upcoming? We are looking at doing it next year. It looks great.

I have just returned from a Havila Cruise in June 2024. I did the 12 days from Bergen to Bergen and loved it. I had an accessible room 7105 (as I do not like to step up into a bathroom). I had a balcony and loved it as when we came into a port I could go out on the balcony. The gangway is from this side and so I saw every port. Some on lower decks complained of noise. I had no noise. Food was good, but regimented times and as soon as you get on book your table times. I left mine too late and got a table on the inside for the first 6 days, and then a window seat on the last 6 days when some got off. I did the specialty restaurant (seafood night) on one day and it perfect. I can highly recommend Havila. I loved Deck 7.

 

[jase05]

Day 3 we crossed over to the West side of the river and then walked up to Prague Castle

 

[jase05]

Got a bit thirsty along the way
$1.40 for a 500ml bottle of water or $1.30 for a 500ml beer, I’ll take 4x beers thanks

Stopped at a couple of pit stops along the way for a drink too

 

[jase05]

Made it to the top unscathed

 

[jase05]

The whole area is wonderful to wander around and aswell as St Vitus cathedral which is immense there is plenty of other magnificent buildings in the precinct and superb city views

 

[jase05]

Was a decent walk so we decided to catch a train back to the hotel. Metro system is cheap and efficient and ordered/used tickets via app and was a piece of cake