Intro Pt 2: My Craziest Trip Yet. 10 Countries, 19 Flights, Top Hotels In Asia. All In 21 Days.
Lastly, we stopped at Delhi and while it already sounded like a crazy trip, it gets a little bit more wild. This is where it turns to the more luxurious side.
Fourth Leg: Bhutan
Price Paid For Flight: 900$
The plan is to fly Drukair from Delhi to Paro in Bhutan, which is the second most dangerous airport in the world to land into. I will be reviewing the Drukair economy experience as I think it's not worth business class on this route.
I am quite excited about this flight but also a little bit nervous due to the location of Paro.
Upon arrival, I will be met by the AmanKora staff and will go to AmanKora Thimpu for two nights and learn about "Mitakpa". Following that I will transfer to AmanKora Paro to spend New Year's there! Truly a treat! The price paid for AmanKora is 10,567 all inclusive for 4 nights.
AmanKora Thimpu
Following what is sure to be an incredible stay in Bhutan, I will fly from Paro to Bangkok with a passenger pickup in Bagdogra. While flying with a stop isn't the best it's the only option that worked as I had to be in Vietnam the next day so it would have been a hassle to backtrack to Delhi, while Drukair's flight to Singapore isn't daily.
Fifth Leg: Bangkok-Da Nang
Price Paid for flight 201$
For the next portion of the trip it is time to take a morning flight on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Bangkok after staying overnight at the airport hotel in Bangkok, Le Meridien. Vietnam Airlines A321 seems like quite an old business-class product but the other airlines weren't accepting any of my credit cards upon booking so it had to do.
With only 8 seats in the cabin, it might seem quite cozy
Upon a morning arrival into Da Nang, the Four Seasons Hoi An staff will greet us and take us to the resort. Since we are pool villa guests this is inclusive. The Four Seasons Hoi An seems to be one of the nicest Four Seasons in the world by talking to some family friends that live in Asia so I am super excited to stay. We have booked the beach pool villa which comes with a whopping 2600 square foot villa. The total cost for three nights comes out to 7200$.
A gorgeous property
Sixth Leg: Da Nang-Singapore-Bali-Singapore
Price Paid For Flight: 671+88$
Having to leave a night early to go visit family in Bali means missing out on the pool villa for a night. No problem here as the plan is to fly the Singapore 737-8Max to Singapore in the evening. I was unable to snag a throne seat since the flight was fully booked but got a great fare for 671 including the Bali leg in SQ business class. Upon arrival in Singapore, I will stay at the Yotel once again that night as I have an early morning flight to Bali.
I will then hop onboard a 787-10 in Singapore business to Denpasar the following morning and have a great big feast with family that night. Will certainly be a day to remember.
I am excited to review this product, heard mixed thoughts
A hopefully not-so-hungover morning shall occur since I have to take an Air Asia flight to Singapore at 7:30 a.m, call me crazy I know. I paid 88$ and with the SQ flight price seeing north of 300 economy and 800+ in business for a short hop, Air Asia seemed like the right choice. I also quite like Air Asia and when departing in the morning delays are quite minimal.
Seventh and Last Leg: Singapore-Jakarta-Doha-New York-Los Angeles
Price Paid SIN-CGK: 10,500 miles+150$
Price Paid FS Jakarta: 222$
Price Paid Qatar Q suites: 2100$
The reason for flying to Singapore was so that I could get onboard the Garuda A330-900neo to Jakarta, for review purposes. I managed to snag two award seats when there was a transfer bonus from Chase to Flying Blue so the total came to 10,500 points each plus 150$. A great deal with fares hovering around 7-900$.
Upon arrival in Jakarta, the same rinse-and-repeat cycle will occur, it's traditional at this rate. Massages and dinner booked a good night's rest seems inevitable.
The next morning it will be back to the airport to fly Q suites to New York. I pray for no Jakarta traffic. It will then be 9 hours to Doha on a 77W with a 2-hour layover then 14 hours to JFK, all booked in seats 1E,1F for both legs. I have flown this route many times and is great to be flying it again. The soft and hard products never fail to disappoint.
Qatar Q suites
After 21 busy days away from the USA I will arrive in New York for one night. Have a dentist appointment and then head over to LA. While this leg isn't currently booked I am looking at AA Flagship First or to try and get a good fare on the new Mint. Let me know in the comments which one you would rather see.
Conclusion
Learning about Mitakpa in Bhutan, Christmas Day Singapore Suites, and the Four Seasons in Vietnam makes out to be a trip of a lifetime. While Jam-packed with adventure there will be many pictures taken and many reviews coming up to be published! Stay tuned for more!
