So I am off to Bali for vacation. It isn't so easy of a
destination on
Star Alliance for
some reason despite the heavy number of Asian partners. I ultimately chose to
fly
United Airlines to Singapore and then
switch to
Garuda
Indonesia from Singapore to Denpasar. I made pit stops at
SFO and
HKG en route to
Changi Airport. Luckily, my longest
layover was at Changi Airport. My SFO layover was 3 hours but I intentionally
booked it that way in case there were delays getting into SFO. With the weather
conditions in that area, it is always 50/50 if flights can land into the
airport. On this trip, no delays getting into SFO meant I was in the
United
Club lounge for most of the time. Not a bad spot to be if you have to wait
in the international terminal. At one point, United Club advertised that there
were meal options available for purchase but it must have failed. When I walked
in, there were the same typical snack options available. At least the booze was
an amenity they kept.
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| Fish entree on UA flight to Hong Kong |
On my SFO to HKG flight, United offered wifi service on this
particular plane. I was tempted to pay the $19.99 USD to access the internet
but I thought I should entertain myself with movies. I thought I would opt for
the internet on my return to while away the hours and connect with family and
friends. At Hong Kong International, I had a very short layover. I did have
time to buy some french macaroons from
Fauchon. The macaroons were surprisingly good. I also made a pit stop at the United
Club Lounge before getting to the gate. I always enjoy the international United Club locations because 1.
there is food and 2. the food selection always has hot items. It also helps
that I like the asian food served too!
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| Macaroons |
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| Chicken Indian Curry at UA Club in Hong Kong! |
When I arrived at Changi airport at midnight, I had hoped to
kill time at the Kris Gold Lounge. Unfortunately, I was denied access since my next flight was on Garuda
Indonesia instead of a Star Alliance carrier. I guess they didn't care that I
came from a Star Alliance partner. So I went over to a pay per use transit
airport lounge inside the airport,
Ambassador
Transit Lounge, and paid $9 Singaporean to shower. I could have paid $35
Singaporean to chill at the lounge and take a nap but the price wasn't worth it
given how nice Changi airport is and eateries are open 24 hours. The shower
facilities were nice and was exactly needed during my 7 hour layover stint.
After being on a plane and airports for almost 20 hours, I just wanted a
shower. The transit lounge also offered a free bottle of water and snack for
their customers. It was a nice touch.
Since the flight on Garuda was almost at 8 am, the transfer
lounge desk wasn't open until 6 am to get boarding passes. Luckily, United had
already routed my bags onto Garuda. I was able to let the Garuda folks know
that my luggage was in the bowels of Changi Airport luggage hold and to haul it out.
There are two transfer desks in Changi and I would advise if the airline is
open at both desks to go to the one furthest away from the gate of departure.
Everyone congregates to the closer one and the lines can get pretty long
especially with first flights out for the day. The walking time between the two
is 15 minutes so it is doable. Before boarding, I opted to get some breakfast
in me in case Garuda 1. didn't offer food or 2. had food I wouldn't want to
eat. Garuda should be joining
SkyTeam
at the end of the year. Until then, they are an independent regional airline
and I certainly have no standing with them. I wouldn't even if they were part of SkyTeam but at least I'd get some Delta points. When I was able to get boarding
passes, my seat assignment was in the back of the bus. Not knowing how my
motion sickness would kick in, food seemed like a good option to get before
getting on the plane. In my time at Changi, I had a mudpie and a latte from
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, kaya toast breakfast set from Kaffe and Toast, and
some baos from
Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert (which I ended up not eating and
throwing away). Compared to paying for access to the transit lounge, my money
spent on food was cheaper and the waiting areas in the airport was nicer.
I will say that Garuda have certainly invested in new planes
as I looked around the
Boeing
737-800. Being in the back of the bus, it allowed me time to look at the
new features like LED lighting, larger overhead bins, and in-seat TVs. The
lighting also changes colors when the plane takes off. Pretty cool. The
in-flight service was very nice and the meal was pretty good. I had my first
taste of Indonesian food when the noodle entree was super spicy!
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| Garuda in-flight meal |
I was pleasantly surprised when I landed at
DenpensarAirport. The airport is undergoing an expansion but the existing structure is
fairly ornate. In the airport, visitors can immediately get a visa before
hitting the inspection desk. It is best to have some cash on hand, at least $25
USD equivalent, because the visa kiosk may not take credit cards or sole ATM
machine may be crowded with folks trying to get cash. It just depends on how
much queuing one likes to do.
Not really knowing what I would face at the airport I opted
to arrange for pick-up from the
Conrad Bali. The hard part with going into
known tourist destinations with small airports is that the number of hawkers
and illegal taxis can be overwhelming. I was happy to find that it was a good
call after walking out of departures and seeing the large mass of people coming
and going in such a small airport. Also, the rate of $20 USD for car service is
a relative bargain.
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| Chicken club sandwich at pool bar |
Checked into the Conrad Bali and opted to rest up. The room
wasn't ready until normal check-in time and I had lunch at Azure, pool bar, to
kill some time. The chicken club is done really well here and I would recommend
getting that item above all the other selections. The sate is pretty tasty too.
It was great to be able to get into the room once it became
available. It has been a 24+ hours of airports and planes. I was expecting
Indonesia to be much more humid than it was when I landed. The weather forecast
for the week was intermittent thunderstorms which may have accounted for the
lack of humidity. After freshening up, had some drinks at the Lounge and then
went to the lobby restaurant, East, to have a light dinner of nasi goreng
before going to bed.
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| Welcome fruit plate with monkey at Conrad Bali |
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