Trip Reports

Flight Review: Etihad First Class (Jet Airways Config) Abu Dhabi To San Francisco
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Flight Review: Etihad First Class (Jet Airways Config) Abu Dhabi To San Francisco

ByTerence Chan

As I wrote about here, it seems like I was the only person in the frequent flyer community that was actually excited for this flight. On the plus side, because I’d heard so many negative comments, the bar had been set really, really low. After a few final stretching exercises in the Etihad US Premium Lounge, we headed over to the gate and on-board our 16-hour flight back home to San Francisco. It was well past midnight and I was half-asleep, so I remember having to do a double-take when I saw the exterior of the plane showing the Jet Airways livery.

Flight Review: Etihad Business Class Hyderabad To Abu Dhabi
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Flight Review: Etihad Business Class Hyderabad To Abu Dhabi

ByTerence Chan

Even on partner mileage redemptions, Etihad provides chauffeur service for premium cabin passengers and this made for a relaxing start to our 24-hour journey home. Pick-up from our hotel was scheduled in advance, and I was very impressed with the logistics. Not only did we receive an email and phone call the day before to confirm, we also received about 2-3 text messages the day-of with updates on when the driver was expected to arrive. We jumped into the sleek Mercedes S-Class, which definitely stood out like a sore thumb as we drove through the streets of Hyderabad on the way to the airport.

Premier Lounge At SIN, SilkAir Economy Class To Hyderabad
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Premier Lounge At SIN, SilkAir Economy Class To Hyderabad

ByTerence Chan

Our flight wasn’t scheduled until 8P, so even with a late check-out time of 3PM, it still left several hours to kill. We mulled over the various options, but ultimately decided to just head over to the airport early. Besides, if you had to spend time at an airport, Changi is probably the best place to do that. We had about an hour left and had exhausted all of the options in that terminal, so we decided to hop into the Premier Lounge to relax. This lounge was part of the Lounge Club network, and I used my two free passes that come with the Chase Ink card since they were about to expire.

Dinner At Singapore’s Best Restaurant, Restaurant Andre
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Dinner At Singapore’s Best Restaurant, Restaurant Andre

ByTerence Chan

This was far and way the most inventive meal we’ve ever had. Restaurant Andre currently sits at #46 and I think it’s going to continually ascend in the coming years. Unlike many restaurants on the list, it was surprisingly easy to get reservations to especially considering that this is a relatively small 30-seat place. They do require a small deposit, so perhaps that keeps people from making reservations speculatively, only to cancel later on.

Eating Singapore – Hawker Stands, Chili Crab, And Kouign Amanns
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Eating Singapore – Hawker Stands, Chili Crab, And Kouign Amanns

ByTerence Chan

Now for my favorite half of the trip, all the food! As I mentioned in the introduction, I’d rank Singapore as a close 2nd behind Japan as the best eating destination in the world. One of the big reasons that I could never rank it first? For a big-sweater like myself, it’s literally impossible to sit down and truly enjoy a meal at an open-air hawker center because of the insanely hot and humid weather. I’d literally shovel the food into my mouth just so I could get out of there faster and escape to an air-conditioned oasis.

Hotel Review: Conrad Singapore
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Hotel Review: Conrad Singapore

ByTerence Chan

I’ve heard this sentiment shared by many others and I’d tend to agree. Singapore is a frustrating hotel market. While there’s a nice mix of boutique and chain options, the prices are in no-man’s land. In other words, they aren’t expensive enough to feel like you’d get a good deal by using points, but they’re expensive enough that you’d consider using points rather than shelling out cash.

Eating Singapore – Flowers, Supertrees, And A River Safari
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Eating Singapore – Flowers, Supertrees, And A River Safari

ByTerence Chan

Our time spent in Singapore can basically be broken into two buckets – the times when we were eating, and when we weren’t eating. It’s probably a 50/50 split. Let’s start with the non-eating stuff. It’s funny to hear that many people argue that Singapore isn’t really “real” Asia, whatever that might mean. To them, a trip top the “real” Asia probably involves navigating the sea of motorcycles in Vietnam or visiting the rice paddy fields in Bali.