Sydney to Guam the long way

[brads92]

I promised to do a trip report on my latest USDM redemption of SYD-BKK-HKG (TG) HKG-GUM-HKG (UA) HKG-BKK-SYD (TG) (almost all in first, and for just 40,000 miles).

I apologise for the lack of extensive photography on the Thai Airways legs... the almost endless supply of Dom and caviar was my priority.

Despite being a First passenger, was met with a surly check in officer (contracted) in Sydney, who didn't take kindly to me pointing out that the Visa conditions for Guam were slightly different to that of the continental United States.

The SYD-BKK-HKG legs in Thai First were all fairly standard - an older 747 with dated (but comfortable) seats having little privacy, accompanied by a great meal service and genuine Thai hospitality.



My personal lounge in the nose of a Boeing 747

The ground handling in BKK deserves a special mention. I've never been looked after better by an airline than what I was by Thai in BKK. The buggys from gate to immigration and from the private first check in to the lounge, the escort and porter from aircraft to taxi rank outside (including use of the diplomatic immigration line), and the complimentary thai spa treatment before the flight are all absolute standouts.

The Royal First Lounge in BKK is great, but I couldn't help be disappointed with the levels of service considering there were 2 or 3 staff for every passenger in the lounge when I was there (when that's the case, I shouldn't be approaching the bar for refills).

But, with everything taken in consideration - I can definitively say that you haven't flown First Class until you've flown through BKK in Thai Royal First.


Waiting in the Thai Airways Spa with a complimentary iced tea

I'm currently in Hong Kong waiting for my United flight to Guam. This was the segment of my trip that was only available in Y - meaning, technically, no lounge access (I have no Star Alliance status).

Despite this, I tried my luck at the Thai lounge, explaining that I'd made the hard (cough) journey in Thai First all the way from the Sydney, to connect to a destination Thai doesn't fly to.

The dragon seems horrified that 1. I couldn't get somewhere on Thai Airways, and 2. That I was flying in Y, so she quickly proceeded to escort me to the Thai Royal First lounge, urging me to load up on champagne to deal with the coming six hours! It's amazing what you can do with a big smile on your face and a first class boarding pass!

Next - is there anything in Guam besides a Hilton, a defence base, and an Airport?

 

[amaroo]

I recall they love pick up trucks on huge tyres.....things might have changed, we were there in 1989.

Crew Cut city!

 

[phantompharter]

Hey brads92 - looks like a great trip.
I've been reading about some of the great opportunities for a nice trip out Guam way Hopefully I will be able to swing one soon enough too.

Just curious to know - USDM doesn't allow stopovers on singe zone awards - so does that mean the transits in BKK and HKG are layovers?
How much time did you get in each before it is a stopover? Is it simply less than 24 hours?
The BKK first class lounge sounds awesome!

Looking forward to the rest of the trip report

 

[burmans]

Hey brads92 - looks like a great trip.
I've been reading about some of the great opportunities for a nice trip out Guam way Hopefully I will be able to swing one soon enough too.

Just curious to know - USDM doesn't allow stopovers on singe zone awards - so does that mean the transits in BKK and HKG are layovers?
How much time did you get in each before it is a stopover? Is it simply less than 24 hours?
The BKK first class lounge sounds awesome!

Looking forward to the rest of the trip report

Me too, keen to hear something about Guam itself if a few are going there.

 

[Timba-Jet]

Hi Brad, look forward to reading about your stay in Guam, I fly out there next weekend!

You say the long way, but transiting via BKK-HKG is probably the shortest way there alongside BKK-TPE, unless you start from Cairns.

Great work at HKG with charming the TG staff to get lounge access. Agree with you on superb ground service in BKK as well as lack of proactive attention in TG F lounge by some staff.

 

[smit0847]

Thanks for the TR! Looking forward to the rest of it - I'm off there in Jan. Ive booked 5 nights in Guam which I'm hoping won't be too long. I'm not expecting there will be a huge amount to do there but I'm keen to spend a few days lying by the beach/pool in the sun. The island is to small I don't think it will take long to explore (I think you can do the whole ring road in about an hour!).

I think UA Y is going to be a massive shock after TG F!

What are the slightly different entry requirements to mainland? I thought you just needed a standard ESTA?

 

[amaroo]

Me too, keen to hear something about Guam itself if a few are going there.

Hi Brad, look forward to reading about your stay in Guam, I fly out there next weekend!

Thanks for the TR! Looking forward to the rest of it - I'm off there in Jan. Ive booked 5 nights in Guam which I'm hoping won't be too long. I'm not expecting there will be a huge amount to do there but I'm keen to spend a few days lying by the beach/pool in the sun. The island is to small I don't think it will take long to explore (I think you can do the whole ring road in about an hour!).

FWIW anyone going to Guam should look at including Saipan on the itinerary. We were there in 1989 and found the place very interesting......decent WWII history and has classic pacific scenery.

 

[MaxLaughton]

Very interested to see your thoughts on the accomodation in Guam. That's been the thing that's putting me off the place.

 

[jetlagger]

Thanks for the colourful report so far... Look forward to the remainder of the journey.

 

[travelislife]

Looking forward to reading this as am off there for 3 nights in April, haven't booked any accom yet so looking forward to hearing any reviews on hotels/locations that come up.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I recall they love pick up trucks on huge tyres.....things might have changed, we were there in 1989.

Crew Cut city!

Yep I was there in 89 as well...you're right. The best thing about guam are the islands in the surrounds, like Palau and Truk.

 

[brads92]

Apologies for the delay in posting the next instalment - have been stranded without a AUS to US power adapter, but have been able to charge my iPhone using the TV so haven't rushed to obtain the adaptor for my MacBook.

The UA leg HKG-GUM (dated 737, projector IFE, US Domestic First class seats in J Class) was relatively uneventful - I pre-purchesed an exit row on the UA website for around $25, but unbeknownst to me, while both rows 20 and 21 are exit rows, only 21 has both legroom and recline. Row 20 has no recline... Luckily for me all of row 21 was filled, but I had a full set of three seats to myself, so was able to make an awkward upright bed and still pass out for the 5.5 hours to GUM :mrgreen:.

Arrived at GUM around 5.30am, nothing special about the airport - does the job.


The hall leading to immigration

Immigration was fairly straight forward - make sure you pick your line closely though, otherwise you may be stuck there for ever (Guam seems to be a popular destination for entire Japanese families to go on vacation - and I mean the entire family - the 3 year old, the married children, grandma and grandpa in wheelchairs etc etc... I'll let you figure it out).

Note for Aussie passport holders: Guam/Saipan/CNMI have a separate visa regime from the rest of the US. While you can use your ESTA to gain entrance, if you don't have an ESTA (like me), you do not need one to travel to Guam (see Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program | Homeland Security).

The argument I had with the check in agent in SYD was whether I needed an ESTA or not. On the plane from xx_-GUM, the FA will hand you a 'visa waiver form', which you hand to the immigration officer in GUM to get an instant visa on arrival, no fee, no questions asked.

But back to Guam!

I stayed at the Hilton Guam, a short $15 taxi ride from the airport at 6am. Despite the time, I was permitted to check in early without fee, despite my reservation not being until the afternoon (with their check in time being 3pm) due to 'my Gold status only'. I also got an complimentary upgrade from the lowest class of room to a high ocean view room with executive club access. The accommodation, while in no means 5 star, is more than adequate, with comfy bed, working space, balcony, LCD TV... but a bathroom in desperate need of refurbishment (clean and functional, but very dated).


View from the executive club (with very similar view from my balcony)

If accommodation is your concern, there's no problems in Guam (unless you're awfully precious).

Weather is a constant 30ish degrees, with around 80% humidity. On my first day I thought I'd stepped into a sauna and was really struggling, but surprisingly after the second day the heat really wasn't an issue.

Note on transport - you're going to struggle to enjoy Guam without a car. There are japanese orientated buses that run to and from some shopping malls to hotels, but besides that you're really only left with cabs to get anywhere else. There may be tour deals on offer with transport etc, but that's not really my thing, so not too sure.

I hired a 2013 Mazda CX5 from local company Andy's Car Rentals (Andy Car Rental, Guam ? Lowest Prices On Island), who gave me a much better deal than what Budget, Avis, Hertz etc were offering. They picked me up from the Hilton within 15 minutes of calling and was with car and insurance less than half an hour later. I'm under 26, and it often seems that the major car rental companies like to think that somehow people in this aged group are the most flushed for cash when it comes to car rental (okay I understand insurance and whatnot... but still).

After sleeping for most of the first day, I made the epic circumnavigation (by road) of Guam on the second day. I'd recommend this being one of the very first things you do when you get here, taking a little over an hour if you don't stop, or taking a whole afternoon if you really want to explore, and aren't afraid to get lost.

I found an awesome burger joint called Jeff's Pirate Cove on the opposite side of the Island to the tourist strip (I think the area's called Talofofo). If you embark on the 'circumnavigation of Guam', you can't miss it. There's a giant blue inflatable football like sign with the restaurants' name on it on the side of the road. The signature 1/2lb cheeseburger was worth the quick pit stop, and with great views to match.


Celebratory circumnavigation burger


Amazing sunset on Guam

Shopping wise - Guam does have quite a bit to offer considering its size. There's a DFS duty free store, a Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Tiffany's, and a whole bunch of high end retailers all bunched together at the Westin end of the tourist strip. There's also ample free parking.

This is also where the majority of the tourist restaurants are - like the Hard Rock Cafe, and TGI Fridays.

I recommend stopping by Micronesia Mall, the only mega mall on Guam. There are close to a hundred different shops, a huge food court and more here. There's also an incredibly large Kmart just down the road from Micronesia Mall too.


​Tourist drag near the Westin Hotel

I'm today three days in to a five day trip, and I'm already feeling like there's not too much more to see and do. I'll write up another update once I fly out on Saturday.

So far my impressions of Guam are: a surprisingly large island, very american, very touristy in parts. There's next to no hint of the major military presence if you don't leave the tourist areas. Instead of buzz cuts driving huge SUV's, I'm constantly held up by Japanese Tourists driving Nissan Cubes!

Guam is definitely a destination you need to visit. However I'd reccomend staying in Guam a maximum of three nights (I'd actually suggest three full days and two nights), and heading over to Saipan, Tinian, Rota or anywhere else if you're here for longer. A quick look at flight prices GUM-Saipan show around $220 return - a good investment, I say.

Until Saturday/Sunday!

Brads92

 

[casanovawa]

Not sure if its your thing, but is there any diving available there??? Wouldn't mind doing a day of diving on one of these tropical islands if a company offered it...

And so what price was your room there??

 

[Solid]

There is plenty of diving there and diving companies. You can also snorkel some reefs straight off the beach in parts. Not as good as the diving obviously but not a bad way to kill a couple of hours.

I'm struggling to remember the local spicy dish brads92, remember eating it at a wharf restaurant when I was there about 12 years ago. Also remember going up to the caves where Japanese soldiers hid for years after WWII not believing the war was over.

 

[brads92]

Not sure if its your thing, but is there any diving available there??? Wouldn't mind doing a day of diving on one of these tropical islands if a company offered it...

And so what price was your room there??

Had a look into the diving trips, but not really my thing - prefer more of a museum, food, roadtrip kind of holiday!

Paid $161 a night all inclusive for the Hilton.

 

[Foreigner]

I am aware of routing via NRT to GUM on JAL.

What are other OW options to Guam from SYD at the moment, using US Airways miles?

 

[smit0847]

I am aware of routing via NRT to GUM on JAL.

What are other OW options to Guam from SYD at the moment, using US Airways miles?

None. JL is the only OW airline who fly to GUM and with their new 'within 90 days on JL' rule for award seats The GUM deal is basically dead.

 

[casanovawa]

I couldn't find where you you'd have to look to find these seats to GUM anyway...

 

[burmans]

I couldn't find where you you'd have to look to find these seats to GUM anyway...

You'd need a time machine for a start!

 

[casanovawa]

I meant the JL ones...