Here and there but mainly there.

[Blinky]

I joined this forum when I found some trip reports. This s great so far, and brings back memories of our time in HK a few years ago. Looking forward to the Paris sector. My wife and I will be there next March.

 

[drron]

Turtlemichael I am with you on this.I have never found CX to be extraordinary with their inflight meals even on those occasions when upgraded to F.
hope Paris is good for you.

 

[amaroo]

The flight to BKK was just okay. Despite the lunch in the Wing we were still a little peckish and had the meal. I made the mistake of ordering chicken biryani which was probably the worst business class meal I’ve ever had on any airline. The CX regional product is quite poor in most aspects The only compensating factor is the good friendly service.

Two weeks ago I had one the worst meals I've ever eaten at 30,000 odd feet - CX J SYD-HKG

3 days later I enjoyed one of best - CX whY HKG-HND

Strange but true!

 

[jetlagger]

Thanks for the update... Agreed, the food looks average for J, though it is all about 'the service" for CX

 

[turtlemichael]

Hilton Millennium Bangkok

We took the suggestion of MunitalP and used the hotel limo to get from the airport to the Millennium. The options were various BMWs and a Camry. We opted for the Camry on the basis that frugality in limos was a virtue. MunitalP got upgraded to one of the BMWs, on the basis of his HH Diamond status but we weren’t so lucky. Still, it was a nice car that felt like a limo with an excellent driver who actually obeyed the speed limits. Consequently, we were like a sitting duck as others zoomed past us. We also opted for the same thing on the return journey but this time got Stirling Moss as the driver. We actually hit 155k in an 80k zone on the freeway. On being asked to slow down he reluctantly eased back to 135k.

We liked the Millennium apart from the EL. We had a Great Getaway package at under $150 per night in a King Suite. HHD status got us upgraded to a King Suite Plus. The only difference I could work out was a different shape and a better view. The suite itself was very comfortable with lounge, bedroom bathroom and additional toilet. It had a great view up the river and over the city. We were greeted by a nice box of chocolates, a bottle of prosecco and a bowl of fruit. Plenty of complimentary water in the room too. When we opened the welcome envelope the day after downing the prosecco we found that it was addressed to someone else. Oops.

The hotel is located on the river not far from Taksin skytrain station which is accessed by complimentary hotel ferry across the river. The service was every 15 minutes. No problems with the location.

In Flow restaurant we had breakfast and a dinner, both of which were very good. It has an amazing cheese room. The pool area is excellent and service around the hotel is top notch. The major disappointment was the EL which we found to be very poor service with very average food, apart from the egg station for breakfast. The evening drinks and food I fear left a lot to be desired in food safety standards. Chicken things sitting under warm lights for lengthy periods and children with inquisitive fingers were the main beef (so to speak).

All up, we enjoyed the hotel but probably will give the Conrad a try next time.

 

[turtlemichael]

Hong Kong to Paris October 6/7.

I have decided that my new very best hotel is Conrad Hong Kong. On our last night I told the lady doing the turn down that we liked their chocolates. Three baskets with 12 chocolates appeared, delivered with a huge smile. I could have opened a chocolate shop. It was a disappointment to leave it and the friendly staff but now it is on the Paris, the main destination of this trip.

As on a couple of earlier occasions we decided to fly Royal Jordanian. There were several reasons for this –good price, economical access to SC’s and good quality product. The major worry with RJ however is what happens if something goes wrong. There is basically one flight a day through Bangkok to Amman and that flight originates in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur on different days of the week. Indeed, there is generally only one flight a day from Amman to Paris albeit with a generous transit time. Any problem could see considerable delays and, from experience, their ground services are a touch woeful. So it was with some trepidation that we noticed that the previous day’s flight from Bangkok had been delayed by 5+ hours.

We took Airtrain out to the airport late afternoon – good value at HKD160 for two people travelling together. We took the advice of someone here not to take the free shuttle bus from the Conrad to the Airtrain station because of the length of the trip and the involuntary tour of Hong Kong it involved. We were at the station by cab in 5 minutes. A quick check-in and we were at HKG 30 minutes later.

RJ does not have its own lounge at HKG but uses the Travelers’ Lounge one of which is located near Gate 1 and therefore also near the CX Wing lounge. In the interests of research we tried the designated lounge and, for a paid lounge, it was not too bad – akin to a Business class lounge and a lot better than RJ’s flagship Crown lounge at Amman. Food was decent and the boarding pass got us free booze at the bar. Wireless access however was awful. After a 75 minute wait we reached the top of the list for showers and had a decent one before the flight. We decided to stay put and not use the Wing lounge this time.

RJ183 boarded on time (8.45pm) and was probably 25% full for the flight to BKK. Service was friendly and the offering was a substantial snack. Seats are quite comfortable on the A330 with a sloping fully flat position for sleeping. We were not allowed off at BKK for the 60 minute “technical stop” and it was there we had a chance to see the number of goons on the plane. These are RJ’s terrorist protectors in ill-fitting suits and seemed to number around 6. There was an animated discussion amongst them in the business class section during the transit which appeared to be about who would get the short straw and have to go to Economy and who would guess to stay in Business class. Two stayed in J and 4 were despatched to Y. From BKK to AMM the plane looked full. I decided to just sleep on the leg to Amman but the OH did take some dinner pix. 5-6 hours of sleep served me well. Again, good service and a fresh breakfast.

The stopover in the Crown lounge in AMM was as previously experienced. It’s a poor lounge – out dated, average food offerings and grubby toilets. Last time through here we had a 6 hour transit and used the bedrooms available for hire to catch up on sleep. They were good value at USD50, at least last year. This time it was a sit in the lounge before boarding the A320 to Paris (RJ117) which also departed on time (7.00am).

Having done this leg before it was good to have clear weather this time, at least for the first half, and to fly over Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Santorini and the Peloponnese. We had a great view too of the Corinth Canal which we had transitted last year on a cruise.

Again the flight was comfortable, well serviced and a lot better than some flights I’ve had. The only complaint on any RJ flight is the entertainment programme quality. We got to CDG on time and after a quick swish through immigration (passport not even opened) and first bags off the belt, we were on our way for 5 weeks in Paris.

 

[jetlagger]

Thanks for 'reporting in" with your talented & quality adventures
Just wondering, apart from the chocolate generosity @ Conrad HKG, how was the rest of the hotel experience, including the view?

 

[turtlemichael]

Amman to Paris.

Jerusalem



Tel Aviv


Santorini


Peloponnese


Corinth Canal

 

[turtlemichael]

Thanks for 'reporting in" with your talented & quality adventures
Just wondering, apart from the chocolate generosity @ Conrad HKG, how was the rest of the hotel experience, including the view?

The hotel experience was excellent. I also reported it on the Hilton thread.
The best views are from high floors, of course, with lower room numbers. We had 6012 and 5806 and the best view of the harbour was from the latter. It all depends on the weather and "mist" too.

 

[ellen10]

Enjoying your trip report
Looking forward to the Paris sector

 

[turtlemichael]

So starts 5 weeks in Paris.

I thought the best way to tackle this report would be to do posts as we go along on things that interest us. We have been to Paris many times over the years and last year had more than 4 months here. So we tend to do out of the way things as there are just so many times you can visit the Eiffel Tower etc I’ll cover what I think are some of the good restaurants we try and places we go to.

I’ll start with a bit about where we are living.

Last time we rented an apartment from a Melbourne guy who we came across on the Internet. He has another apartment in the bastille and handful elsewhere in Paris. We decided this time to stay in the Batille area but try the alternative apartment which is around the corner. We have a small apartment in Rue de Lappe which is a very active street, almost laneway, at Bastille. It is a big nightlife area with loads of bars, clubs and restaurants. We are on the third floor, no lift, of a building constructed in the late 1700’s, just after the fall of the Bastille. Double glazing means that we do not hear any street nose which seems to be still going strong at 6.00am most mornings. It is a great location with a supermarket nearby, the metro round the corner and a number of local bakeries where we can get the morning baguette. But then there are very few locations in Paris without those services in walking distance. The pus of this sort of rental is that everything is included - electricity, telephone including free calls to Australia, TV and internet. It has a good shower, excellent heating which we have already needed and is bright and cheerful.

Our broad plan is to eat in one night and out the next but, after a week that has broken down and we have only had one meal in so far. It seems that there are too many good to excellent restaurants nearby and life is short.

The apartment is one bedroom and with a convertible sofa and not large. We are having a couple of friends coming from London to stay with us for a day or to each so that will test the friendship.

A few photos follow.

 

[turtlemichael]

Promenade Plantee

Last year while I was in Paris I was doing the walking challenge in the Get The World Moving programme. It was also earlier in the year and the weather was a lot better than it has so far been this time. Consequently, I was doing a lot more walking. One of the favourite walks was along the Promenade Plantee which runs from behind the Opera House at Bastille to the Peripherique, the inner Paris ring road, to the east. The distance is about 4.7 kilometres so it is about a 45-50 minute walk, at a good pace, each way.I've managed it a couple of times in our first week here, usually dodging the rain.

The route follows the old Vincennes railway line which was shut down in 1969. The parkway was built from the later 1980’s and is in part above what is now the Viaduc Des Artes which is a series of up market art studios and shops. All very interesting. The Promenade Plantee was the first elevated park in the world and has now been joined by the High Line in Manhattan. Several more are planned around the world but I think the suggestion to make the unloved Monorail in Sydney a similar thing has been canned.

Even on a first or second visit to Paris I’d recommend the Promenade Plantee for a stroll on a nice day with 3 million other people!

Promenade Plantee

 

[turtlemichael]

Some more Promenade Plantee

 

[ellen10]

Oh so jealous, love Paris. Although to be honest I was there just 9 days ago. This time we stayed in the 5th, which we loved. But last year we stayed in an apartment in the Bastille area and Promenade Plantee was on my list to do but ran out of time. In fact there is so much to do and see in Paris, I would never tire of it.

5 weeks now very jealous! I will enjoy your reporting. Thanks

 

[amaroo]

Love Paris. We did an apartment in the 7th over the NY.......about 15m from Rue Cler. I'm stating to turn a little green:mrgreen: looking at your photos.

 

[turtlemichael]

Lunch at Septime

Last year in Paris we tried Septime for one of our “special” meals. We were so impressed that we went back a second time. Even last year, just after it had opened, bookings were hard to get. Very favourable reviews including in the NY Times made sure of that with Paris foodies and American tourists flocking in. The chef and owner, Bertrand Grebaut, was regarded as hot adding to the mystic and popularity of the place. Bookings are possible a couple of weeks in advance so we made one for lunch during our first week here.

Septime is located on a narrow busy “short-cut” street, Rue de Charonne in the 11[SUP]th[/SUP]. It is in fact a 5 minute walk from our apartment. Although nothing special from the outside, once inside it is warm, informal, and inviting with uncovered tables, crowded together in the French manner, and an open kitchen where the chef was always very active.

The waiting staff were skilled, friendly and numerous and always willing to help with information in English and French. This is not always the case in Paris.

Last year at lunch the price was 26E for 3 courses off a limited menu of 2 or 3 choices. This included a glass of wine. This year it is 28E and no glass of wine. Still, that is an incredibly cheap price for a meal of this quality. There is also a carte blanche menu too where the chef produces 5 courses for you, in part off the short menu, at 55E. You just specify the framework – no meat, gluten free etc. We went for the three course menu but will make sure we are really hungry next time so as to try the carte blanche. The wine list is comprehensive and reasonably priced.

As last year it was an excellent meal. I had mackerel, definitely in season in Paris, duck with autumn vegetables and an apple crumble. The OH had the same except for a lamb entrée. The emphasis is on the prime ingredients, rather than sauces etc. The mackerel was the best I had tasted and the duck, probably too rare for some people but not for me, was excellent.A fter 10 days of some very good meals here the one at Septime is still in first place. We have chosen to go back on November 1 for the OH’s birthday.

Here is a link to a You Tube video of the chef.

Interview with Chef Bertrand Grebaut, Septime Restaurant Paris - YouTube

I also see he is to be one of the guests at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in March next year.

Stars of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

 

[KitKat]

Yep, loved my time here at Septime as well.
You may like to try "Au Passage". Was great value and great food when I was there in June, although James Henry might not be there any longer..
Keep it up turtlemichael​!

 

[turtlemichael]

Yep, loved my time here at Septime as well.
You may like to try "Au Passage". Was great value and great food when I was there in June, although James Henry might not be there any longer..
Keep it up turtlemichael​!

Hi KitKat, I should have acknowledged your excellent Paris restaurant reviews from earlier this year.

 

[krisflyer]

Good work! An interesting trip report!

 

[drron]

That food certainly looks interesting.Food for the eye as well as for taste.