Early in the year, we took an exciting trip to Southeast Asia. It was especially exciting because 1) we flew premium class the entire way 2) we visited multiple countries 3) we visited Thai beaches for the first time!
We began our trip by flying Cathay Pacific business class from New York (JFK) to Hong Kong. The 15 hour flight was uneventful and a nice way to experience Cathay Pacific’s world famous in flight service. The food was really good.
Ladies Market
Victoria’s Peak
Star Ferry
Tim Ho Wan – the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world
Ozone Bar – highest bar in the world
and having a suit custom made!
By making using of a stopover, we continued on with Cathay Pacific to Bangkok, Thailand with just enough time to catch a Bangkok Airways flight to Koh Samui. We spent four days in Koh Samui based out of the Sheraton Samui. We kayaked Ang Thong National Park and learned how to make Panang curry in a cooking class at the Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts (SITCA). Samui is a beautiful island!
After our time in Samui, we headed back to Bangkok for three days. Our home base in Bangkok was the Radisson Blu and it’s in a great location for getting around the city easily. We really enjoyed a night bike tour of the city by Grasshopper tours. The tour is about 10 miles total and takes you through an amazing flower market, with a stop to enjoy Thai street food.
We also visited Tiger Temple (we booked a private car tour to get there), the floating markets, and had Thai massages pretty much everyday. The massages were only $9/hour. Traditional Thai massages are a bit different from the massages we are used to having in the States, they involve more stretching and no lotion or oil.
After three days in Bangkok, we flew Japan Airlines business class to Tokyo where we just spent the night. The next day we flew Tokyo to Chicago in Japan Airlines first class which was quite an experience in itself. It was our first time trying JAL’s first class cabin and the service was fantastic. Upon arrival at the airport, we had people rushing to take our bags from us and the JAL first class lounge in Narita is lovely and offers massages too. JAL’s first class cabin is called the Sky Suite and offers a choice of a soft or firm mattress for sleeping. Really nice!
After that whirlwhind of long flights and far east timezones, it was back to reality!
-J
So amazing! Your pictures are wonderful. Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventures.
Shelli
Sounded like an amazing time. Thanks for sharing!