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 Amber | Oct 13, 2018 | Luxury, Transportation
Cathay Pacific Airlines has a pretty great reputation. For Americans who are used to traveling on the US legacy carriers, it’s a breath of fresh air. Our Cathay Pacific business class review includes the highlights and some lowlights of our Cathay Pacific 777 business class experience. In this post, we share our Cathay Pacific business class review 777, as well as information on the Cathay Pacific business class service, meals, and amenity kit. Our focus is on the service on the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong to Chicago flight. Flying Cathay Pacific Business Class Chicago to Hong Kong We booked our Cathay business class flight using American Airlines miles. Eric called American Airlines every day, and sometimes twice a day, for a week, to score us a miles saver ticket for Cathay Pacific business class. I protested that I would have been fine in Cathay Pacific economy class. But after seeing Cathay Pacific business class pictures I knew I wanted the experience. Particularly for a 15-hour flight, Chicago to Hong Kong Cathay Pacific business sounded like a perfect use for our accrued miles. It would have been 35,000 miles in economy and only 55,000 in Business, with a continuation to Singapore. Totally worth it. I was thrilled for this Cathay Pacific upgrade to business class, courtesy of the husband. For us, the Cathay Pacific business class price cost 55,000 miles. At the time, I believe I priced the cost of purchasing the ticket at a little less than $5000 a person. Learn how to earn miles to book your own Cathay Pacific 777 Business Class Flight Cracking the Code to Travel... 
by Amber | Sep 23, 2018 | Transportation, Travel Advice
Sometimes I feel as though I have been booking travel since I was a child. I recognize that is a bit of a stretch, but being the one who books 95% of our travel and transportation, With Husband In Tow, I spend my fair share of time online, looking for decent deals, earning and redeeming miles and points, and managing our itineraries. Before the first time booking through Kayak, I never thought to ask the question: “Is Kayak Reliable”? But, after our first booking experience, I feel that everyone should be asking: “Is Kayak safe to book flights?” One of my cardinal rules of travel booking is to book direct. I do this for a variety of reasons. Mostly because I want to earn points and miles. But, after booking some flights through Kayak I realized there are even more reasons why it’s best to book direct. I hope that you can learn from my mistake. In this post, we will share our Kayak flight booking experience and provide our answer to the question is it safe to book through Kayak. I also hope to share our advice on whether you should book through kayak or airline direct. Booking Flights on Kayak – Using a Middleman I have always been skeptical of travel booking websites, like Expedia, Kayak, and god forbid, Priceline. In my mind, you never know what you are going to get. We religiously use Kayak to search for itineraries, figure out who flies where, and to price flights. In recent years, I’ve started to rely more on Google Flights because I like the interface. Before this experience, I... 
by Amber H. | Jul 19, 2018 | Asia, Maldives, Transportation, Travel Advice
One of the most confusing things about a Maldives resort holiday is figuring out how to travel to the Maldives, and then how to get around the Maldives when you get there. Our Maldives Travel Guide offers some advice to make your trip to the Maldives smooth. We were a little, well, lazy, when it came to figuring out how to travel to the Maldives. We obviously were able to figure out how to travel from Bangkok to the Maldives. But, we didn’t really look much beyond that. We trusted the Maldives hotels we booked would take care of things. And, for the most part, they did. In the end, though, we needed a little more than that to handle Maldives travel. Wondering what are the best resorts in the Maldives? Check out our Travel Guide Maldives: Where to Stay in the Maldives. Flying to Maldives – The Maldives Airport One of the most important Maldives travel tips is how to get to the Maldives in the first place. It’s not easy, particularly if flying from the US to the Maldives. Our Maldives travel advice starts with an overview of what airlines fly to the Maldives airport. Maldives flight options are not as limited as you might think. There are plenty of full service and budget airlines that fly to the Maldives and offer Maldives holidays. We bought our flights to the Maldives with Air Asia because we were flying from Bangkok. We flew Air Asia through Kuala Lumpur, which was the cheapest option with the fewest layovers. It did mean, however, an overnight flight back to Kuala Lumpur. The... 
by Amber H. | Aug 9, 2017 | Europe, France, Transportation
This was a unique city break to Paris, France. We did absolutely none of the things that normally top a tourist’s must-do list in Paris. Instead, we spent a handful of days learning how to live like a local in Paris. And, this worked fine for us. This is my fourth trip to Paris and Eric’s second. We’ve seen the Eiffel Tower, and the Musee d’Orsay. I’ve seen a lot more than Eric, but he’s okay with that. Instead, for both of us, this trip was more about living the Parisian life. We hoped a quick flight on Air France to Paris and started to live the Paris life. Rent a Luxury Airbnb Apartment This was the first time we rented an apartment in Paris. And, when searching for flats on Airbnb, we choose the most Parisian one we could find. It was a little far to the north, in the 10th Arrondissement, or neighborhood, of Paris. But, it was Parisian, to the extreme. The apartment was in an old building, with wrought iron balconies, crown molding, ancient hardwood floors, and a claw foot bathtub. The owners kitted the flat out with artwork from famous artists I had never heard of. And, like I imagine most Parisian apartments to be, it was filled with stacks of books, on politics, and travel, and famous art exhibits. It’s exactly how I imagine the French to live. Surrounded by art and intellect. If you’ve never stayed at an Airbnb before, try it out, and get a discount on your first stay here. Eat Like a Local in Paris And, because we were... 
