Will it be the Dom or the Krug? SQ J, EY F, EY Apartments & SQ Suites

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When I originally booked I had 3 nights on the standard Beach Villa with a 4th night booked in a Water Villa upgraded in advance from points for $275++ USD. However on check in we had been given an additional night in the Water Villa as a complimentary upgrade.

Our island host Anees had organised for our bags to be transferred to our new room and keys to be available for us along with a buggy transfer from the main reception once we had finished our morning activities. The service we received from Anees could not have been faulted throughout our entire trip. He really did make everything seamless from the moment we arrived to the time we left. He had even organised us to receive the specific WV 318 I had mentioned was our 1st preference based on location and description from the Rangali thread on Flyertalk..

While the Water Villa is a fantastic room we both actually preferred the DBV as it was more comfortable as the deck on the WV got very hot from about 10am. The WV are starting to show signs of age as well and could do with a light refurb soon.

[video=youtube;kTkeZ47juCU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTkeZ47juCU[/video]

 

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After lounging around the villa for a while my wife departed for her afternoon treatment at the overwater spa.

I decided to go for a walk and a swim before taking up our usual table at the Vilu coughtail hour.



We had dinner at Koko grill which is a 9 course Japanese Degustation set in sunken seating and open air kitchen on the beach near the Quiet Zone. this was to cost $275 USD and we elected to have the matching sake pairing at an additional $75 USD. We had been given a 10% off voucher which made it slightly less ridiculous but like everything here the food was of a high quality and the service was impeccable and I just tried t think of the triple points I would be earning on this stay to go toward our next redemption at the Conad Koh Samui. The points game really does warp your perception

Koko Grill

Quiet Zone

 

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On our last night there was a managers reception at the Quiet Zone which seemed to be limited to Diamonds or at least other selected guests as there was only about 20 guests there and what seemed twice as many staff. There were coughtails, wine, champagne and beer on offer with plenty of canapes as well. This was an interesting opportunity to chat to some of the staff and management about their experiences which was nice.

Our final night we decided to stay in our Villa and order room service which was rewarded with 4 large fully grown reef black tip reef sharks patrolling the area around our villa steps. I could have sat there all night watching them. We had seen quite a few baby sharks around but these were much bigger at about 1.5m long.

I had mention to Anees that we would like one of the Conrad toys to add to our collection. He made sure there was an abundance of sea life on our final turn down service.

We had also received as a festive gift a gift wrapped box of face creams etc and a scented candle along with an Italian Christmas cake with a card from the GM.

 

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We received confirmation from Anees that we had been booked on the last seaplane out of Rangali and granted a late check out of 4pm. It really was a fantastic stay and the only fault I can find is the price, there really is no way to spend time here cheaply as everything is at a significant cost eg $7++USD for juice or soft drink $32++USD for a club sandwich.

Having complimentary water available with meals would be a reasonable compromise as it did start to get tiresome having to pay $13 ++USD for a bottle of Voss every time.

Having said that we are planning on returning so it is worth it if you can afford the cost.

 

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We were both sad to leave Rangali but we had something very special to look forward to, our first international First experience followed shortly by a trip on the EY A380 in the Apartments.

First stop was the lounge at MLE, we had been offered access to the Conrad lounge at the seaplane terminal which was nicer but as check in had opened by he time we arrived we elected to check in for our flight at the main international terminal straight from the sea plane.

The lounge is not much to speak of but it was fine for the hour or so we were there.

 

[diningdecadence]

bringing back great memories of our honeymoon at the Conrad last March!

what did you think of breakfasts?

 

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While there was a greater range at the main island we preferred the ala carte options at Vilu. We ended up having 3 out of our 4 breakfasts there.

Both were great though.

 

[RB]

Some fantastic photos. Looking forward to reading the rest of your adventures

 

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Now was the time I had been waiting for 2 F flights in quick sucession. When I had initially booked we were in J for EY279 as the flight was scheduled to be a two class A320 but a few months in advance the aircraft was changed to be a 3 class A333 with 6 F seats showing as available for redemption on Etihad Guest.

Great news, right?

Well for some reason AA could see the seats available for new reservations but it would disappear when they tried to amend my existing reservation.

After a few frustrating calls spaced over multiple weeks the availability changed to 2 seats which could then be booked by AA.

Our chariot awaits.

 

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We boarded to an empty F cabin which was expected as I had been monitoring the flight loading.

After being welcomed by a lovely flight attendant from Perth named Sam we settled in with a glass of champagne each.

 

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Unfortunately our personal F cabin was about to be invaded, I overheard an attendant in the galley behind us ask where they had stored the card machine. EY's onboard upgrades were about to strike.

An Emirati lady and her 3 children all bundled into the F cabin down my aisle with the children aged between about 6 and 12 fighting over where to sit.

Poor Sam was able to maintain the utmost professionalism while trying to take our order for dinner and after take off drinks while the younger child in front of me kept standing on his seat and yelling out to get her attention. The mother remained silent throughout the flight but the eldest did eventually tell the younger two to quiet down. It was a minor annoyance and the children did settle once fed and watching movies, it was more an assault to the senses after the quiet relaxation we enjoyed in the minutes prior.

We were given EY's old amenity kits and pyjamas which given the short flight went straight in the hand luggage. I was glad for the old type as we knew we should receive the new ones on the A380.

Not so great NC headphones so I used my own.

The seat controls had both physical buttons and a touch screen. It looked simple enough but seemed to require an engineering degree to actually do what I wanted, much the same with the lighting.

 

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Drinks were served shortly after take off along with olives, almonds and some quite spicy wasabi peas. I tried the rose champagne which I preferred over the 2006 Vintage.

For meals I had the Arabic mezze and Etihad's steak sandwich. The steak sandwich was really disappointing, the bread was too thick, dry and dominant. I ended up just eating the filing after a few bites.

 

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EY279 Menus

Welcome letter

 

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After a movie and a short nap it was time to deplane in Abu Dhabi.

I snapped a quick picture of the J seat for reference. It does look very narrow for 1-2-1 especially when you compare what we experienced on SQ's for a similar length fight.

Being a regional flight we arrived at a remote gate. The family in F turned out to have an older son of about 16-18 who was left in J. They were picked up by two Audis plus a van for their luggage from the tarmac. So the two of us had a super exclusive private bus transfer while the J cabin was held back finally EY DKWIA.

After clearing a security point it was a fair walk to the new First lounge and the signage was not exactly clear but we got there in the end.

It really is a nice lounge it was just a pity we were there so late in the evening as we didn't fully utilise the facilities.

My wife just wanted to grab some sleep so I left her with a blanket and eye mask in the relaxation room. It really seemed to be a strange decision to have such a giant screen with moving images in the area designed for rest. I guess it looks impressive in promotional photos.

While my wife slept I went to have a wet shave and shower. The shave was a new experience though I don't know if I would ever get used to having a straight razor up against my throat.

The shower rooms were compact but nice enough to feel refreshed.

After this I went for a wander around the lounge before settling in to the bar for a couple of drinks..hic

Melbourne Signature coughtail

Shanghai Signature coughtail

 

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To say I was buzzing with anticipation for this flight would be an understatement.

Boarding was called about 1 hour before departure so we made the trek to our gate.

While there was a sort of priority boarding in place prior to the gate this was defeated by the secondary boarding pass check prior to the aerobridge. This was compounded by the Resident passenger arriving at the same time causing the staff to block off the aerobridge. So this was our priority boarding experience:

Nevertheless after a short delay we were both welcomed on board to turn left. Even having read numerous trip reports, looked at dozens of photos and a few videos for good measure nothing could really prepare us for seeing the Apartments in the flesh for the first time. It really was a wow moment 1-1 on an A380 is really something special.

I quickly downed a glass of champagne while the rest of the F cabin settled in as I was planning on having a quick dessert before catching some zzz due to the 2:30am departure.

The Chef came around and took our orders asking whether we would like dinner, breakfast or both. I said I would prefer to have a proper meal just after my shower and prior to landing

I ordered some ice cream for now and asked that my bed be made up ASAP.

The cabin supervisor came around and asked what time I would like to shower, when i said I would like to shower as late as possible she recommended that I take the 2nd last slot as this would allow me time to eat prior to our descent.

After my plate was cleared I changed into the very comfortable pyjamas at the larger bathroom (without the shower) and hopped into bed.

 

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After what was the most restful sleep I have ever had on a plane I woke up noting that it was about 30min before my shower slot.

I decided to stretch my legs and check out the lounge. There was a couple from J sitting in the seated area so I thought it best not to photograph them, it seemed they had no such qualms as I saw their flash go off as I was walking back to F. Perhaps they were following this report and DKWIA.

Before I could report their uncouth behaviour to the captain Hugo our Spanish flight attendant noticed I was up and the shower was free so asked if I would like to shower now to allow more time for breakfast. My wife had also stirred so thought that this was a good idea as we planned to eat together in my apartment and I know better than to delay her breakfast.

 

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Sorry no photos of me having a shower, well in truth there is a GoPro video awaiting passing from the censorship board. 5 minutes of hot water was plenty and I really did enjoy feeling lean and refreshed on board. This coupled with the good amount of sleep meant I have not experienced any jet lag on this trip so far, though I am sure it will hit me like a ton of bricks when I get home.

EY11 menu (minus drinks menu as this was identical to EY279 up the page)

 

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I had pre-ordered a classic breakfast of steak frites with bearnaise sauce and a glass of pinot noir. My wife on the other hand ordered the more adventurous vanilla pancakes with a latte.

Now this is where the benefit of having a chef on board did come into play, there was not enough sauce on my wife's pancakes so she asked for some maple syrup to wash them down. Turns out the boffins at EY catering had not loaded any maple syrup so the chef made up a syrup using sugar, honey and cinnamon which went down a treat.

After a refill of pinot noir I had a rather decent cappuccino and watched our decent to London. Unfortunatley my request to go around a few more times was not granted and we landed on time.

Now in my early days of the game back in 2013 I flew my wife and I PER-SYD return on VA A330 J, her famous last word was "you can never send me back there" in reference to Y (and thanks to AFF she hasn't had to). Unfortunately I heard something very similar after this flight however this time I think she may have been referring to all J and non A380 F. I didn't have the heart to tell her the next 2 flights were not going to be so luxurious. Ignorance being bliss (and much better for my wallet and points balance).

We were greeted by our Etihad chaffeur, a lovely lady who whisked us away in her BMW 5 series to our next destination the Hilton London Bankside.

 

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I had booked a deluxe room on a prepaid sale rate around the Brexit crash when I was just a mere Gold hoping for an Exec Upgrade.

Now that MACQ had made me a Diamond the HHonors app was showing a pre-upgrade to an Exec room so that was a good start.

We arrived at the Hilton Bankside at about 8am which I had pre-warned the hotel in the hopes of an early check in.

Handing over my Diamond card I was told by the front desk agent that there was an Exec room available right now, which I thanked him for and then enquired if there were any suites available.

Yes sir he said we do have a one bedroom suite available right now, but before I could even crack a smile he continued you can have it for a fee of 95GPB for the stay. Now as it was early and we just wanted to get to the room I declined the offer without pushing much further.

Now this interaction is a microcosm of our stay here and characterises why I remain a little unsure of how I feel about the stay and whether I would return to this hotel. I was very grateful for the very early check in but also felt that if there was a suite available then surely this could have been made complimentary as a Diamond upgrade especially as I had booked above a base room.

Anyway getting into our room so early was a massive bonus so I shouldn't complain.

In case you are not aware Perth doesn't get so cold and doesn't exactly have world class shopping so being boxing day the first stop was Oxford Street to find the wife some suitable clothing for the Highlands.

After braving the massive crowds and the worlds most lost Uber driver (I hadn't been in London for a decade but ended up having to direct him as he couldn't find Oxford street for the life of him nor follow the GPS) we successfully acquired the necessary provisions ahead of schedule and had acquired an appetite again.

Unfortunately the few places open were still doing breakfast with the exception of this place on Carnaby Street

Welcome to Kua 'Aina - The Legendary Burger and Sandwich Grill - Kua 'Aina

We were enticed inside via the charming Hawaiian shirted Bangladeshi gentlemen who managed to drag himself away from the Big Bash to seat us then talk our ear off about Cricket once he found out we were Australian.

Cricket, beer, and seriously good burgers my return to Blighty was off to a good start.

Now I apologise in advance that I did not take any photos of the room while at the Bankside. It was a nice sized room but the storage was rather lacking. It was also quite dark in the room and an over abundance of wood grain panelling which I feel will date rather quickly. The minibar included complimentary snacks and non alcoholic drinks which was a nice touch.

Oxbo (including mounted Joe Camel head)

We returned to the room around lunch time to find a welcome amenity of 4 small mandarins courtesy of the Chef and a letter from the Director of Rooms. Again this is why I am in two minds about this hotel, it really feel like the amenity was the absolute minimum possible to fulfil the brand standard obligation which just made us feel why bother at all. Perhaps my history of working in the industry many years ago has caused me to have higher expectations surely it was just put in the room by housekeeping any "Chef" would be embarrassed to put their name to this or have it come out of their kitchen:

The lounge is off reception on the ground floor next to the main restaurant. I was a nice space with a gas or ethanol fire and plenty of seating. We didn't end up coming here for any food or drinks after all.

We had the choice of standard lounge breakfast (cereal, scrambled eggs etc) or a full breakfast at Oxbo which we did do on both days. This s one are the lounge could add something special to this hotel as both the lounge and Oxbo have the kitchen run along their rear wall so an omelette, crepe station or something different from the kitchen in the lounge would make it a much more enticing option.

Having said that the actual quality of the food at breakfast while a more limited choice was in our opinion better than Rangali which is really saying something.

Service was really hit or miss in this stay, we asked for extra towels and pillows which were delivered promptly but when I asked for a shoe horn on the 2nd day it never arrived (I used a tea spoon as we were getting short on time) and I received the paper one day but not the other.

The Bankside is a nice new hotel and the area is good for South of the River but given the number of Hilton options in more desirable locations closer to the action let alone other brands I would probably not stay again unless it was significantly cheaper.

 

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The next day we had tickets to the Royal Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House.

This was a fantastic venue and while the bear in the little car is not my favourite art form (I prefer the theatre) my wife was over the moon as this is her favourite ballet. I could however appreciate that this was a high quality production so I recommend anyone attend if they can.

After the performance we ducked into a pub over the other side of Covent Gardent for a quick pint before walking over to the night's main attraction, Dinner by Heston.

Unfortunately the Mandarin Oriental is undergoing renovations and covered in scaffolding so it did not look like much from the outside and the walk to the restaurant was mostly boarded up inside.

Once we were greeted and shown to our table we had a great view of the kitchen.

The menu is rather short with all dishes inspired by traditional British meals.

I intended to take the menu with us to document later but after a bottle of Bordeaux I promptly forgot.

One tip I have is make sure you save room for 2nd dessert (or skip the 1st dessert) so you can have nitrogen ice cream cones with toppings made at your table. This isn't on the menu and is offered after dessert.