I took this photo of some CX widebodies from the Centurion Lounge at HKG in 2024
I'm officially done booking our trip to Asia this fall, with the majority of it on points! I'm especially excited about this trip as it will be my brother's first time traveling internationally. I've been preaching to him about international travel, and he agreed earlier in the year to get the Sapphire 100k sub and an Ink.
Myself and P2 will be going to Japan (Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto – my 6th time in Japan) and Hong Kong (technically my 3rd, but really my 2nd) with my brother, then we are continuing along to Macau and Thailand (Koh Samui, Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai) for the first time.
All in all, super excited for this trip. I think this is like the 3rd year in a row I've been on at least one extended trip to Asia, so very excited to see both familiar places and totally new ones. And of course, I couldn't have done it without the US credit card industry 🤑. Now let's get into what we're flying and where we're staying.
SFO->NRT - JAL PY
Flying JAL's Premium Economy booked via AS for 50k each. Not a stellar deal by any means, but getting 3 J seats to Japan from SFO is near impossible. JAL has a very nice premium economy product, plus it's a daytime flight, so we wouldn't sleep anyway.. And at this point, with all the long international flights I've done from SFO, 9 hours in a nice premium economy seat is nothing.
Hyatt recently did a fairly substantial deval in Japan, so things have gotten a lot more expensive from the last time I stayed in the large cities (GH Tokyo is now 45k a night on our dates!). We are starting the trip in Kyoto and staying at the HR Kyoto. This seemed like a good balance of quality and being mindful of points spending. We are Globalists and also use a GOH award for my brother. Still crossing my fingers for PH Kyoto to open up 2 rooms.
Next, we're staying at the Fuji Speedway Hotel – which I'm really curious about. My brother is a big car guy, so we'll get to see some races right from the hotel. I used a SUA award here to guarantee a suite with a large balcony overlooking the speedway. This one should be fun.
Finally, in Japan, we are staying at the HR Tokyo. I stayed at the Andaz Tokyo last year for a night using a cat 1-7 award (Andaz Tokyo is now cat 8!), and loved it. The vibes are just phenomenal, it's hard to explain. But at 45k a night, it's tough to swallow. I think the HR Tokyo should be done being renovated by then, and it will be a happy medium.
HND->HKG - CX 777 J
Unfortunately, we got equipment swapped to the old 777 config with glorified recliners in J, but whatever, it's a short flight.
We are staying at the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui for 2 nights. My wife and I stayed at the Grand Hyatt a couple of years ago and loved it (especially the lounge, probably the best hotel lounge I've been to), but the location is meh. The HR is in a much better part of the city.
Macau - We are taking the boat over to Macau from Hong Kong for 2 nights before heading to BKK. Staying at the Grand Hyatt Macau for 33k points for 2 nights. Supposedly, they treat Globalists very well, so hoping for a suite upgrade. I'll be gambling and wife will be pool chilling for a couple days to relax before Thailand.
HKG->BKK->USM - CX A330 J - PG Y
Flying to Bangkok on Cathay's A330 in J. Did this same plane and seat last year HKG->KUL, and it was great. The CX tickets were 30k a piece via Aeroplan. Then flying Bangkok Airways (PG) to Koh Samui, the only airline that flies there (they actually own the airport). Booked PG via QF points, for 10k a piece, but transferred Capital One points during a 20% QF bonus. PG flights are not too bad for cash, but I was flush in MR at the time and would rather pay points than cash.
Staying at the Hyatt Regency Koh Samui. Paid cash for this as it was barely 1cpp with Hyatt points. It should be super nice.
USM->BKK - PG Y
Back to Bangkok for 4 nights via PG.
We are staying at the Park Hyatt BK. Paid cash for this as well for the same reasons. The rates during the last week of September were only $250/n. Hoping for a suite upgrade as a Globalist. Park Hyatts in Asia are just sublime.
BKK->CEI - TG A320 J
Heading to Chiang Rai after Bangkok. It will be my first time flying Thai. From what I've seen, the narrowbody flights are still super nice, so I'm excited. 20k Aeroplan points.
Staying at the Le Meridien Chiang Rai. Paid cash as it was very cheap, around $100/n for a deluxe room.
Chiang Mai - After Chiang Rai, we are driving to Chiang Mai for a few days.
Staying at the AMANOR, which is an SLH hotel – booked for 45k Hilton points a night. Wish Hyatt had a larger footprint in northern Thailand, but SLH hotels have always been nice in my experience.
CNX->BKK - TG A320 J
Finally, the last night in a hotel. Staying at the HR BKK before my flight to HKG the following day. Seems like a totally adequate airport hotel for a layover, and at this point, I'll probably just want to chill around the hotel and do nothing before heading home.
BKK->HKG - TG A320 J
My third flight in a row on Thai Airways' A320 in business. Kind of surprised this isn't a widebody, but maybe CX fills that gap.
HKG->SFO - CX A350 J
I'm scheduled to have around a 6-hour layover in HKG before heading home to SFO on CX's excellent A350 in J, and I fully plan on spending the layover at Cathay's "The Pier" First Class lounge, as Oneworld Emerald. I visited this lounge last year as well and loved it. It's just an overall amazing experience. Maybe I can tear myself away for a minute to check out "The Wing". I orginally had CX F booked for both my wife and I home, but she had to leave the trip a little early for a work offsite, and I've done CX F before. I'd rather just fly nonstop home to SFO in business than have to fly to LAX and overnight in first.
Overall, super excited for this trip. Get to see a couple of new countries (Macau and Thailand) as well as some nice new luxury Hyatt properties and new airlines and flights.
I'll report some points/flights/lounge/hotels related stuff on this blog, but will be posting more photos and full-featured travel reports on my more personal blog.
Talk about general points & miles, travel and travel hacking, share your trips and bookings, and connect with like-minded people in the points & miles space!
