Things didn’t start well at the airport. Immigration and customs were both fine, but then it went downhill. Yes, we were exhausted after over 30 hours of travel from Munich at that point, but we fell into a trap at the airport – a trap that I should know better not to fall for: we…
After an extremely early morning bus ride from the Hyatt Regency Tokyo out to Narita, I proceeded to the very exclusive feeling ANA Suite Check-in facility. Here, I was quickly checked in and whisked away to a private security line before I went on to clear immigration. I relaxed for about an hour in the…
We arrived at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport a couple of hours before our scheduled departure for Toyko-Narita. Check-in was quick and simple, and I was pointed towards the security line where I was able to skip the line since I was flying First. I ended up clearing security and immigration only minimally quicker than my…
First of all, I’ve made no secret of my love for Park Hyatt properties. I feel that they are some of the nicest and well-done properties in the world, and are certainly amongst the best hotels in which I’ve stayed. Before my trip to Shanghai, I’d previously stayed at Park Hyatts in Tokyo, Dubai, Melbourne…
As previously noted, we spent the first part of our layover at the THAI Royal First Lounge, but with twelve hours between flights, I wanted to get into the city a bit just to experience a little of the utter chaos that is Bangkok. We left the lounge and headed for Thailand immigration, where our…
After a wonderful flight from Munich, we arrived well rested a little after 1pm at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Upon deplaning, we were immediately met at the end of the jet way by a THAI representative who quickly whisked us away on a golf-cart to transfer security and immigration. In less than five minutes, we were…
For the first time in four years, I opted to stay at a hotel for Oktoberfest not named Four Points Sheraton Munich Central. And the result? A mixed bag, really. The Le Meridien Munich is located pretty darned conveniently – especially for Oktoberfest. The property is literally across the street from the south entrance of…
I’ve been pretty open about my love for Oktoberfest in Munich. As the largest festival in the World, Oktoberfest attracts over 6 million visitors each year during the 17 day event. The past five years, I’ve spent at least a couple days at the Wiesn, and I’ve always had a blast. This year was no…
I write this post on Saturday morning — not from Iguazu Falls as planned, but from New York – JFK, Terminal 2. That’s right. I never made it to Iguazu Falls. There were a ton of little things that went wrong with my trip, and they all caught up with me Friday afternoon in Sao…
After much internal debate, I’ve finally decided to go through with my trip this coming long weekend to Iguazu Falls via pretty much every major airport in South America. Am I insane? Probably. Back this Spring, LAN offered a very, very cheap rate from New York to Iguazu Falls on both LAN and TAM metal. …