I am really excited about a big Asia trip scheduled for the end of March/early April. Kevin and I had originally planned this trip for 10 days in November 2011, but due to the emergency flooding in Bangkok, we decided to postpone the trip for our comfort and safety.
Since I had put a lot of my heart and soul into planning the November trip, I’ll admit that I was devastated to have to cancel and reschedule everything for spring. I must say though, it was a pretty smooth cancellation (for the most part… I’ll get into the nitty gritty about those details in a later post).
On the flip side, canceling had its positives too. Our original itinerary had us flying economy on Cathay Pacific, where as our new itinerary now has us flying first class on Cathay Pacific. That itself makes the trip 10x more exciting and will be a new and incredible experience for both of us. Plus, we were able to use some newly-acquired hotel points & elite hotel statuses this time around, allowing us to stay for free. Oh, and we were able to add Singapore to the list too!
Now let’s get down to the planning basics:
New York to Hong Kong:
Flight: JFK (New York) nonstop to HKG (Hong Kong) departing on March 27, 2012.
Ticket Class: 2 first class one-way tickets from JFK – HKG onboard Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 777.
Points Redemption: 100,000 British Airways miles from the British Airways Chase card promotion, 10,000 miles from spend using the British Airways card, plus ~ 40,000 miles gifted to me on behalf of my father (British Airways “Household Accounts” rock!) = 150,000 miles.
Airline Taxes & Fuel Surcharge Fees: $194.35 per ticket. $194.35 x 2 = $388.70
Selling Price of Ticket (as of 12/7/2011, 7:52 pm EST): $7,832.50 per ticket. $7,832.50 x 2 = $15,665
Total $ Amount Saved by Using Miles: $15,665 – $388.70 = $15,276.30
Hong Kong:
Update in Progress, Stay Tuned!
Macau:
Hotel: We will be spending one night at the Casa Real Hotel in Macau. From a few previous bookings on HotelClub, I had $37.37 in bonus bucks, which brought the room down to only $67.08. Originally, I had blocked off two nights in Macau, but based on many reviews from other travelers, it seems that one night should be sufficient. Plus, less time in casino-town is best for both of our sakes.
Bangkok:
Flight: Booked under the same Cathay Pacific reservation as above, we utilized British Airway’s unlimited stopover perk. We will “continue on” onboard flight CX703 from HKG to BKK in business class for no additional cost to our original ticket from JFK, since BKK is considered our “final destination” on this reservation.
Hotels: I redeemed 30,000 Club Carlson points (15,000 per night) for 2 Nights at the Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18. Judging from the reviews on Trip Advisor, it looks like a great hotel in the center of town. For the 3rd night in Bangkok, we will be staying at Lebua State Tower/Tower Club, which is where The Hangover: Part II was filmed. I’m extremely excited about this one because I was able to book it at the rate of $113.07 (taxes included) per night via flash sale/luxury-travel website, Vacationist (you’ll get $25 off your first booking using my link). We are most looking forward to dining on the famous roof top restaurant and bar!
Hotels: I redeemed 30,000 Club Carlson points (15,000 per night) for 2 Nights at the Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18. Judging from the reviews on Trip Advisor, it looks like a great hotel in the center of town. For the 3rd night in Bangkok, we will be staying at Lebua State Tower/Tower Club, which is where The Hangover: Part II was filmed. I’m extremely excited about this one because I was able to book it at the rate of $113.07 (taxes included) per night via flash sale/luxury-travel website, Vacationist (you’ll get $25 off your first booking using my link). We are most looking forward to dining on the famous roof top restaurant and bar!
Phuket:
Flight:
Flight:
Hotel: I booked 3 nights at Serenity Resort & Residences right on Rawai beach for a total $258.74 including all taxes, which brings it down to about $86.25 a night from HotelClub. Members of hotel club receive cash back on every booking. As a platinum member, I receive 7% back on all bookings. I’m really happy about the rate because the Serenity Resort is truly a gorgeous property, and updated rates for the dates we will be there have gone up to $207 per night plus tax. We can’t wait to be able to explore Thailand’s beautiful beaches!
Singapore:
Update in Progress, Stay Tuned!
Singapore to New York:
Update in Progress, Stay Tuned!
-x0 Angelina
Your plan looks awesome! I wish I had taken advantage of the BA Chase promotion. I hope you'll write about your trip on your blog! I'm glad you're able to add Singapore to your itinerary. The city is really nice, and their airport is amazing!
Also check out the new Aloft Bangkok. I was able to snag a rate of about $70 (including taxes)!
Any update on where you will be staying in Singapore? I have travel planned there in May and was looking for hotel recommendations. Enjoy the blog!
Brad, I’ll be staying at Sheraton Towers in Singapore… I used SPG points + cash option– ended up being 4000 SPG points plus $60 a night :) Thanks for reading
Hello,
can you please update us on your trip as I am planning to take a similar trip soon.
When you do the stopover, are you able to get your main suitcase off the plane between flights? Or do you have your carryon only?
Cee, we traveled with carry ons only, but when you check in for your first segment, ask to check the bags to the next destination (your stopover) and not your final destination. By doing that, you can claim your bags and recheck them before your next flight.