by Eric Hoffman | Oct 13, 2018 | Asia, Hong Kong, Luxury, Transportation
We’ve flown international business class on some of the top airlines. We’ve only flown international first class, though, a few times. When we had the chance to cash in some American Airlines miles to fly Cathay first class from Hong Kong to Frankfurt, we were thrilled. In this post, we share our Cathay Pacific first class review, focused on the Cathay Pacific 777 first class cabin and service. Cathay Pacific Airways consistently ranks as one of the best airlines in the world. A young modern fleet of mainly Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A330-300s. A focused dedication to the passenger experience both on the ground and in the air. They are known for exceptional in-flight service. We previously experienced Cathay Pacific Business Class flying from Chicago to Hong Kong. We were eager to experience Cathay Pacific First Class as we set off to Germany. Booking The Cathay Pacific First Class Cabin We wanted to use our American Airlines miles for our flight to Europe. Our initial goal was to fly from Hong Kong to Frankfurt, in Cathay Pacific Business Class. Because it’s hard to book Asia routings using miles on American’s website, we called American Airlines Reservations. Because we were using American Airlines miles, we were not able to call Cathay reservations directly. We knew it would cost each of us approximately 52,000 American miles for a one-way Business Class ticket. We were pleasantly surprised that for an additional 18,000 miles each, we would be able to experience Cathay Pacific First Class. This was music to our ears. With the average Cathay Pacific first class price hovering around $17,000 a person, an additional... 
by Eric Hoffman | Oct 13, 2018 | Asia, Hong Kong, Luxury, Transportation
The battle between international airlines to win over premium passengers isn’t just reserved for the in-flight experience. On our trip from Hong Kong to Frankfurt, we had the pleasure of experiencing a revolutionary new design and passenger experience at the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge at their home in Hong Kong International Airport. Dubbed “The Pier,” this one of a kind airport lounge provides first class passengers with a wide range of services all set in a simple yet contemporary setting. In this post, we will share our review of the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, the Pier, along with tips on how to make the most of your luxury travel lounge experience. Unfortunately, our Cathay Pacific First Class flight to Frankfurt was scheduled to leave Hong Kong just after midnight. Fortunately, because we came from Macau by ferry, we had about 7 hours to kill before our flight. That was plenty of time to make the most of our Cathay lounge experience. We managed to figure out how to experience every luxury travel lounge experience offered at the Pier Lounge, the best Cathay lounge in Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific Lounge Hong Kong Cathay Pacific maintains over a half dozen lounges at Hong Kong Airport, spread throughout Terminal 1. With names like “The Wing,” “The Bridge,” and “The Pier,” each lounge offers premium passengers a space to unwind before their flight. For me, it’s another time to make the most of our business class or first class flights. Which is the Best Cathay Lounge Hong Kong? The best lounge in Hong Kong airport for Cathay Pacific Airlines passengers depends on... 
by Eric Hoffman | Oct 11, 2018 | Asia, Food, Hong Kong
My obsession with pork is by definition probably an unhealthy one. But when so many cultures around the world prepare pork in a variety of tasty ways, what’s one to do? Well, one goes on a pork pilgrimage to track down the famous Macau pork chop bun. The Macau pork bun is a sandwich we first tracked down in Malaysia, so finding the best pork chop bun Macau offers was top on our list of things to do in Macau. Fortunately, we’ve spent a lot of time in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Spain, and Italy over the years. These are all great countries able to satisfy my need for all things pork. Ribs, pork belly, jamon, prosciutto. The list goes on and on. One item on this porktastic list is also one of the most elusive: the famous Macau pork chop bun. The Macanese pork chop bun is something we had never heard of before traveling to Asia. What is the Macau Pork Bun? What is a Macau pork chop bun? Picture an oversized bone-in Macau pork chop, marinated to perfection in a combination of five spice powder, garlic, sugar, salt, soy, white, and black pepper. The pork chop bun Macau is fried to a golden brown and severed on a warm, buttered Portuguese bun. Hungry yet? Want one? The Macau pork chop bun recipe reminds me of the Portuguese bifana, which is not exactly a porkchop bun but is a similar pork sandwich. The Macau-style pork chop sandwich and the Portuguese bifana are two of my favorite pork sandwiches in the world. That’s saying something. Prior to our visit to Macau,... 
by Amber | Oct 11, 2018 | Asia, Food, Hong Kong
I remember the first time I experienced eating dim sum. For the longest time, I really had no idea what dim sum was. I remember a reference to dim sum in the movie Sleepless in Seattle but really had no clue what those two tasty words meant. Now, I feel like an expert on dim sum in Hong Kong, a mecca for the perfect meal of dumplings. But, for those uninitiated in this world, here we answer the question: What is dim sum? In this post, we talk about typical Cantonese dim sum dishes and answer the question how to do you eat dim sum. We also provide recommendations on where to eat dim sum in Hong Kong, including our favorite place for classic dim sum dishes as well as some options for higher-end versions of some of the most popular dim sum dishes. Eating Dim Sum That first time we ate dim sum in Chinatown in Washington, DC, back in 2002, we had no idea how to eat dim sum. I merely just looked for dim sum near me, without thinking about what was the best dim sum, or traditional dim sum. We exited the Chinatown Metro and followed the crowds to a dim sum restaurant. We ended up at Tony Cheng’s dim sum Chinatown DC. We had no idea how to eat dim sum. We looked around as carts wheeled by, pointing to some things that did not look scary (like the chicken feet, we avoided those), and we ordered a few dishes. Having no idea how much a plate of dumplings cost, we ordered maybe four... 
by Amber H. | Oct 8, 2018 | Asia, Hong Kong
Sham Shui Po district is located in the heart of Kowloon and not far from some of the most popular Hong Kong tourist neighborhoods. The Sham Shui Po shopping district is characteristic of much of Hong Kong, the side of Hong Kong not normally seen by travelers. It hosts historic sites, unique architecture, and all sorts of food options. It also offers some of the most interesting shopping in Hong Kong. This is one district that is as local as Hong Kong gets. We’ve traveled to Hong Kong about a dozen times since our first visit almost ten years ago. During our earliest visits, we stayed mostly in the tourist hot spots of Tsim Sha Tsui or Wan Chai. During subsequent visits, our circle of exploration widened. We explored Causeway Bay, Central, and Sheung Wan. We even spent a few weeks housesitting in Taikoo Shing and Quarry Bay, certainly not touristy Hong Kong neighborhoods. Although we might not be true Hongkongers, but we know our way around. What I Love About Hong Kong One of the things I love about Hong Kong is that there is so much to explore, to see, to eat, and to experience. It’s a challenge because sometimes I want to go back to our favorite places – the neighborhoods that feel comfortable to us, to eat at the restaurants we love. It seems that each time we visit Hong Kong, though, we extend our time in the city to always ensure we have sufficient time to do both – our old standbys and soon-to-be favorites. The more time we spend in Hong Kong, and... 
by Amber H. | May 12, 2016 | Asia, Hong Kong
Eric doesn’t like tomatoes. He will eat pizza, and tomato sauce. But any tomato that still holds some resemblance to its original shape he avoids like the plague. When I force him to try a tomato in a way I think he is going to like, he scrunches up his face, shakes his head, and generally responds with yuck. This is even the case with a Bloody Mary. It’s sacrilege. How I Lost Interest in the Bloody Mary I’ve always loved Bloody Mary cocktails. My favorite memories of when I used to be a golfer involve a Bloody Mary, made on the course, by a girl in a cocktail cart. When we lived in Chicago, I would go gaga over make your own Bloody Mary brunches. In recent years, though, I’ve almost given up my Bloody Mary habit. It’s unfortunate indeed. Some of that is because we spend most of our time in Asia. We don’t frequent brunches like we used to. We also generally don’t start drinking in the morning anymore. Well, not frequently. Maybe it is because we don’t hang out at places I trust enough to make a quality Bloody Mary. But, really, I blame Eric. If he and I could enjoy our Bloody Marys together, I would probably enjoy them more often. If he didn’t make that gag me face when I drink a Bloody Mary, I would probably enjoy them more. Mostly, though, I just blame The Husband for everything. It’s just easier that way. How I Regained My Interest in the Bloody Mary During our most recent visit to the Renaissance Hong Kong, we... 
