The Chen and Pitts Travelogue

The Black Rhino Game Lodge Experience

In this installment of the blog, I’ll cover the actual lodge and stay experience, and in the next post I’ll cover the experience of going on game drives and some of the cool stuff we saw

Booking

Booking this stay was relatively straightforward. I went through a few different safari booking agents until I found something that was in our budget and provided the amenities we wanted. The agent I spoke to quoted a two day, two night experience at Black Rhino Game Lodge for ~13000ZAR (~$850) all in for two people. The lodge billed itself as a luxury experience, with all meals included, spacious rooms with all the modern amenities you expect from a luxury hotel, and two game drives a day, all on the grounds of the private Black Rhino Game Reserve, located within the Pilanesburg National Park.

Before committing to booking, I checked with the travel agent to see if they offered an Airline Staff Rate, since many providers offer discounts to members of cabin crew. The agent said no other discounts were available, but just to make sure I contacted the property directly to inquire. As a general rule of thumb, I prefer booking travel and accommodations with the providers directly whenever possible, as a) they often offer the lowest rates directly, since no commission needs to be paid, and b) when things go wrong, it’s always much less complicated to have one less middleman involved. The only exceptions are when some travel agents are able to offer a better price or more amenities/benefits than booking with the provider directly (such as the American Express FHR program from the Platinum Card).

The property got back in touch with me and offered an Airline Staff Rate of ~11000ZAR (~$700), which was about 20% less. After confirming with the lodge that all the same amenities were included, I confirmed the booking with the lodge directly and politely thanked the travel agent for her time. As is common with many safari bookings, the entire stay needed to be prepaid, and cancellations were not allowed. I paid for the lodge with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card in order to take advantage of the excellent travel insurance, and didn’t take out an additional insurance policy. We were comfortable with the level of coverage and had some flexibility in travel plans, but depending on your own risk tolerance, travel itinerary, and price paid for a safari booking, a supplemental insurance policy is often recommended.

When the initial receipt for payment was emailed back to me, it showed the payment had having been paid by MasterCard, rather than Visa (the CSR is a Visa card). I quickly emailed back and requested clarification that the payment had been processed successfully. However, despite two attempts to reach the reservation staff at the lodge, all I got was radio silence. The charge did post to the my credit card account, and after one last email to confirm everything was in order about two weeks before our visit, I received a response confirming everything was in order and we checked in without issue. This hiccup was a demerit to the otherwise friendly helpfulness of the staff during the reservation process.

Arrival

Also in the confirmation email were driving directions to the lodge. We were warned not to trust GPS directions, and to follow the written ones. However, after cross referencing the Google maps directions with the directions provided, we decided to rely on the modern technology and it worked fine. We were also instructed to call the lodge when we drove past Sun City, a gambling town about 30 minutes away from Black Rhino, so the lodge could prepare for our arrival. However, despite strong signal and even a functioning LTE data connection, both of us kept getting “Cellular Service Unavailable” errors despite multiple attempts and even restarts of the phone. We eventually shrugged our shoulders and gave up.

Entrance to the reserve
Security gate

We arrived at the main gate to the reserve at around 10:30am, and I was surprised to find that the Black Rhino Game Reserve was home to almost 20 different safari lodges, with corresponding numbers. The security guard at the entrance, who had a long printed list of guests checking in that day, asked us what lodge number we were headed to, but unfortunately I had no idea since the confirmation didn’t make any mention of a lodge number. He started talking to a bunch of different people on his radio, presumably to figure out where we were supposed to be. Eventually, I caught a glimpse of CHEN/PITTS on his paper manifest and pointed it out, telling him that was our reservation. After a quick confirmation of our IDs, we were informed that we would be in Lodge #4, given our entry permits and a map of the reserve along with detailed instructions on how to get to the lodge and then promptly admitted. While the security process caught me off guard, I found it completely understandable given how poaching is such a major issue.

Watering hole along the road to the lodge. We found out a few days later that a hippo calls this hole home, but we didn’t see him this time.

After a scenic 15 minute drive along gravel roads (no animals spotted yet, unfortunately!), we arrived at the reception area for the lodge. We were quickly welcomed to the property and taken to the reception desk where check in formalities were completed. Mandy, the front desk agent, was quite lovely, and informed us that we had been assigned (upgraded?) the honeymoon suite. The schedule of the meals and game drives was explained to us, and we were handed the key (a real key!) to the room, which conveniently had a flashlight attached to help us find the way along with winding, unlit paths after sunset. This was followed by a quick apology that since we were checking in early, our room wasn’t ready yet, but would be ready by 2 pm. The schedule for lodge activities was as follows:

6:00am Meet for morning coffee, tea, and biscuits
6:30am Depart for morning game drive
9:00am Arrive back at the lodge for a full breakfast
10:00am-1:00pm Free Time
1:00pm Lunch is served
2:00pm-3:30pm Free Time
3:30pm Afternoon Tea
4:00pm Depart on Evening Game Drive
7:00pm Return to Lodge for Dinner
In bed by 9 pm due to jetlag and early wake-up

As you can see, there was a LOT of eating on the schedule. After the intro, we were offered a quick tour of the lodge facilities, which we gladly accepted.

Welcome to the Black Rhino Game Lodge!
Reception office and welcome drinks
Bar and Lobby
24/7 Tea and Coffee Station, along with indoor dining
Lounge seating
More lounge seating
Beautiful thatched roof
So many lounging options
Gorgeous surroundings

First Impressions

The decor and design of the lodge was really spectacular. Everything was quite classy, and felt luxurious while staying true to the cultural heritage of South Africa and the safari experience in general. Plenty of natural wood elements, and lots of lounge space for hanging out during down time. We were invited to connect to the WiFi, which was only available in the common areas (not the room), and offered complimentary tea and coffee. The only additional cost that wasn’t included in the room rate was for any beverages. Aside from tea and coffee, one large complimentary bottle of water a day, and anything on the buffet line during meal times, all other beverages cost extra, including water and non alcoholic beverages. Thankfully, we found the markups to be quite reasonable (similar to in Johannesburg), especially since we were in quite a remote location. Though there were definitely a sense of staff trying to drive a little extra revenue via drink sales, nobody was overly pushy.

We ended up sitting down with some coffee around 11:40, and relaxed for a while until lunch was served at 1 pm. While we were lounging, a giraffe approached a nearby tree and started munching, much to Robert’s delight. One annoyance about the property was the copious amounts of flies that were constantly buzzing around. They weren’t too problematic in the actual occupied areas, including on the patios, but I found myself constantly swatting at them while walking around, and their incessant drone was always noticeable whenever we were hanging out outside, almost as if there was a giant beehive nearby. They probably bothered me more than they should because I’ve watched too many videos of botfly larvae being extracted on YouTube.

Dining at the Lodge

Hearty, family style cooking
Outdoor patio seating for lunch
Breakfast on the corner of the patio overlooking the watering hole was always a real treat.

We took a seat right at around 1 pm for lunch. All of the meals were served in a family-style buffet format. I didn’t bother taking pictures of all of the meals, but there were always 2 protein options, some breads, two starches, and two different vegetables. Dessert was only served at dinnertime. While I wouldn’t call the selection extensive, and some options were repeated, I found the quality to be quite good. Reservation and check-in staff were quite proactive about checking for any allergies or dietary restrictions ahead of time, and there was even a small a la carte kids menu available for younger guests as well that was complimentary. Servers roamed around frequently to clear plates and offer drinks. Note that water is not complimentary, and must be either brought from your room or purchased.

We had some beers, a bottle of wine, and a few other drinks during our stay. The staff was happy to open and then safekeep a bottle of wine for us if we wanted to drink it throughout the course of two (or more) meals.

We did have a funny situation one night where I asked for a large bottle of water to have with dinner. The staff initially told me they were out of large bottles, then found one in the cooler. They served it to us, and I took, a sip, only to be horrified that it tasted sickeningly sweet. Completely bewildered, and considering my glass may have been dirty from a previous drink, I frantically reached for Robert’s glass to grab a sip of his water to rinse out my mouth. Much to my dismay, his “water” was also disgustingly sweet. I quickly realized that the bartender had likely been using this water bottle to store the simple syrup used to make cocktails, despite the bottle having all of the original labels on it and no other indicator that it held anything but water. I brought this to the servers’ attention, and we all shared a good laugh before a bottle of actual water was eventually located and delivered with an apology. Funnily enough, we did end up needing to pay for the bottle of water in the end, which seemed a little odd to my American service recovery mindset, but it wasn’t a big deal as it only cost about $1.50.

A note about gratuity and tipping on safari: I had to do quite a bit of Google research on what the policy for tipping was. It seemed like a 100% open ended topic with no real “right” answer. We spent a total of ~$35 USD on additional beverages during the duration of our stay (told you it was cheap!). In the end, we tipped $30 to our safari guide, and $15 each to housekeeping and to the service staff at mealtimes, for a grand total of ~$100 additional that we paid at checkout. The tipping culture in South Africa is one I’ll discuss in a later post, but ultimately I had no idea of my amounts were considered too little, too generous, or appropriate. Based on the value of what things cost, that amount seemed appropriate to us for a two night stay, but your experience and personal tip comfort level may vary.

Our “Room”

After we were finished, one of the service staff helped us move our bags from our rental car to the Honeymoon Suite. It was a decent walk, especially trying to drag a bag down a loose gravel path while swatting at the flies. Once we rounded the corner and our building came into view, our jaws dropped. Holy cow, this was not a suite, this was a freaking VILLA!

Our “room”
“Room” entrance
Bright and airy interior
Wow wow wow…..

The interior was beautifully decorated, with tons of natural light and plenty of room to spread out. There were double sinks, a dual showerhead, a bathtub, and even an outdoor shower! The toilet was in a separate room, and two large closets were available, along with some couches and a coffee table. The staff member that helped with our bags made sure to inform us that our room was at the very end of the footpath, and we shouldn’t expect there to be ANY foot traffic whatsoever, and to feel free to leave the blinds open for natural light :).

We were in #10
Snake identifier chart, much to Robert’s fright

Right after the staff left us to settle in, he came scurrying back and breathlessly told us to come with him to the observation area overlooking the watering hole, as a herd of elephants had just arrived. We scrambled to the observation room, and captured this scene of the herd drinking and spraying each other with water. How cool!

A few downsides to the room: the bathroom is open concept (except for the toilet), and the shower doesn’t have any sort of curtain or divider. Coffee was also only available in instant form, which was a bummer, and the TV was tiny and about 20 years out of date. Lastly, power outlets in South Africa are quite a strange design, and none of our extensive collection of international adapters would fit. The lodge provided one adapter that converted the South African plug into a European Style plug, and we ended up with this comical power arrangement below:

We ended up plugging in one of our laptops into the main socket, alternating as necessary, while charging our phones in the USB sockets on the laptop. Even if we had a South African adapter, there were no outlets by the bedside tables so there wasn’t any way to charge our devices in a convenient location.

The room also featured an AC/Heater combo, as well as an additional space heater. The AC was unfortunately positioned to blow right over the bed, so at bedtime we turned the unit to fan only (so no harsh hot/cold air was blowing right on us) and used the space heater to keep the area comfortable.

Double Showers
Outdoor Shower
Cute toiletries
Bathtub

Everything worked well in the room, but we were warned not to drink the water (I’m pretty sure it was well water). The one time I filled up the bathtub to take a bath, the water did have a slightly yellowish tinge to it. We were provided with both an aerosol can and a lotion form of insect repellent, and I had some concerns since some of the doors had small cracks when closed that weren’t 100% insect proof, but it didn’t end up being a problem at all. I didn’t get a single insect bite in South Africa, and it’s also worth mentioning that Black Rhino Game Reserve and all of the Pilanesburg is actually a malaria-free zone.

When we returned to our room after our first game drive, the housekeeping staff had performed a honeymoon themed turndown service, complete with balloons, potpourri, and some bottles of sweet sparkling wine. It was really cute, and we ended up enjoying the sparkling wine on the following day’s sunset game drive.

Other Facility Information

There was also a small pool with lounge chairs, which we didn’t end up using since it was still pretty chilly. Towels were provided poolside if necessary.

A gym/fitness center was not available, which was a bummer considering how much we ate!

Despite being located inside the Black Rhino Game Reserve, leaving the fenced in area of the lodge to explore the reserve is strictly prohibited, whether on foot or in a car. This is both for safety/liability reasons, and for anti-poaching reasons I’d imagine. There was a mention in the arrival guide of guided walking/night safaris available upon request, but I’d imagine those cost extra. At any rate, two multi-hour drives a day was enough wildlife for us.

Overall

We loved our experience at Black Rhino. The value proposition was great, the accommodations were incredible, and the food and drink selection exceeded our expectations. The safari experience was really enjoyable as well, as you will read about in the next installment.

The Tastes and Sips of Johannesburg

Johannesburg has no shortage of great restaurants. While South Africa may not have a globally recognizable cuisine, the food landscape in Joburg is incredibly diverse and has influences from the African continent as well as all over the world

Our first night in Joburg, we visited a restaurant that I fell in love with the first time I was in the city and stumbled across the restaurant on a long layover: Little Addis Cafe. The service was good, and the value for money incredible. The lovely waitress came around before and after the meal with a pitcher of warm water and a metal bowl for a handwashing service (since Ethiopian food is eaten with the hands). We got an Ethiopian sampler platter with an incredible variety of proteins and veggies, a spicy chicken stew with Peri Peri peppers, and two beers. Including tip, the grand total was 210ZAR, or $14, an incredible value.

After dinner, we ended up visiting the hotel bar for a glass of wine. The bar was relatively busy, though we found it strange a bit suspicious that we were told no menus were available and to just ask the bartender for what we wanted. Any price gouging fears were mostly dismissed when we received the bill and found the glasses of wine to be roughly 130ZAR each ($8). For the most part, we found the alcohol prices throughout South Africa to be quite reasonable, especially for on premise consumption. Most locations seemed to mark up beer and wine an average of 2x compared to retail, when I’m used to the standard markup for bars/restaurants in the states to be anywhere from 3x-5x.

The next morning, we were both wide awake by 6 am thanks to jetlag, and decide to indulge and get the hotel breakfast, purely due to convenience. Breakfast wasn’t included with the mid-tier Gold status I have with Marriott through the AMEX Platinum, so I had to pay. The cost was 220ZAR+tip, and for about $16 a person, and I found the offerings to be a poor value, especially in South Africa. All the hot dishes were lukewarm, and nothing looked that appetizing or fresh. The whole area was overrun with Chinese tourists, and one even scolded me while I was waiting in line for the fresh egg station.

(previous person had just finished ordering, cook turned around and starting to prepare his order. Chinese tourist is standing next to me on the hot buffet while I waited for the cook to turn around and take my order)
Chinese Tourist: (in Chinese) Did you order yet?
Me: (also in Chinese) No, not yet.
CT: Well what are you waiting for? Holler at him and get his attention!!
Me: (death glare)
CT: (turns around and goes back to picking over the bacon)

Seriously, how rude! A running joke between me and Robert is the nightmare of Chinese tourists overrunning the world. They are some of the worst behaved, most entitled tourists in the world. You know it’s bad when even the central government acknowledges that etiquette is a problem when its own citizens go abroad. I had an even worse encounter on a Singapore Airlines flight (which I’ll soon blog about as well) where I almost resorted to blows with an incredibly entitled mainlander who just couldn’t believe that I would be allowed to sit in Business Class and he couldn’t. And of course, to make matters worse, I look like them. I feel like constantly defending myself in certain contexts to ensure tourism employees don’t think I’m one of “them”.

Back to the breakfast, the selection was fine for a mid-tier hotel, but the value proposition was quite weak, especially after such a delicious meal the night before that cost 210ZAR total. Skip it unless it’s free.

The next place where we had something to eat was Cake & co, which was located directly adjacent to 27boxes, referenced in my previous post. It was a lovely boutique cake shop with friendly service. I had an espresso while Robert had a Brazilian Hazelnut Latte which he loved, and we shared a slice a chocolate cake. The cake was well made and beautifully presented, but a bit too sweet for my taste. It’s also worth noting that Cake & co is apparently quite highly regarded in Johannesburg, and has won a few awards for best cake in the city.

After an afternoon of shopping, we ended up stopping by Gerakaris Family Wines, located about 30 minutes NW of Johannesburg. Kath Gerakaris, from Auckland, is the winemaker at this tiny little family run operation. They source grapes from the Swartland region, just north of Cape Town. Their entire operation, from fermentation, aging, labeling, and bottling, is done in a small building roughly the size of an average American home.

Gorgeous birds at the bird feeder by the tasting table
This virtually all of the ready-to-drink/sell wine that they have!
Their lineup (minus the Tom red blend)
Ellaki Chenin Blanc
Thomas Syrah

The Ellaki Chenin Blanc was 100% stainless steel aged, and I found it to be a bit harsh and aggressive on the minerality. The Tom Red Blend and Tom Syrah were quite decent, but overall unremarkable. The Thomas Syrah was quite nice though, with good depth and complexity, and we did end up purchasing a bottle for 280ZAR (about $18). It was really cool to see and support such a small producer, and at only 50ZAR (~$3) for the tasting fee per person, visiting is a no-brainer. It was a lovely way to spend an hour of the afternoon, with the cool spring breeze and the birds fluttering around the bird feeder contributing to a nice, relaxing ambiance.

Epicure menu
Almost two years after the South African water crisis, the lingering effects are still apparent

For dinner, I made reservations for us at Epicure, one of the fine dining restaurants in Sandton serving a selection of African cuisine. This was going to be our “flagship” dinner in Johannesburg, and Epicure did not disappoint.

The menu was a combination of influences from all over the African continent, but it was tied together with Chef Coco’s interpretation of the common ingredients and dishes. We started with a few glasses of Pinotage (South Africa’s signature red grape, a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Hermitage) and browsed the menu, and with help from our server, decided on Accra Love Bites (Plantain Gnocchi with Peanut Sauce and Hibiscus Caviar) and Leisurely Lagos (Char-grilled Calamari with Nigerian Spices and Crisps), followed by Maffe Sahel (Lamb Chops with Braised Goat, Attieke [Cassava] and Fonio [African Millet] mille-feuille, and peanut butter lamb jus) and Exquisitely Oudtshoorn (Grilled Ostrich Filet with Butternut Mash and Pinotage Jus).

Bread and Butters
Grilled Calamari
Plantain Gnocchi

First we were brought a lovely breadbasket with a duo of herb butter and carrot/feta butter (our surprising favorite!). The calamari was absolutely delicious, fresh and tender with a nice combination of spices. The chips were almost superfluous, except to add some neutral crunch to the dish. Much to our surprise, the plantain gnocchi was simply outstanding as well. They were a little bit denser than traditional gnocchi, but had a nice chewy yet tender bite. The sweet gnoochi was bathed in a spicy and savory peanut sauce that had a lovely depth and complexity, and somehow managed to be rich yet light at the same time. The micro greens and hibiscus caviar added a freshness that kept me going back for more.

Right when my glass of wine was running low, the service staff came by and delivered this pair of beautifully presented cocktails. One of the managers accompanied them and wished us a happy honeymoon and described the cocktail to us; however, we were both so shocked and delighted that I completely forgot the name and the ingredients as soon as he left. I know it was a Bacardi 8 rum based cocktail, definitely with some floral notes. It resembled a Ramos Gin Fizz, while obviously being made of rum and also tasting sweeter than a traditional Ramos. There was originally a dome over the cocktail with some cinnamon smoke as well. Something tells me they have a Polyscience Smoking Gun behind the bar ;). It was a tasty, beautifully presented cocktail, and a lovely way to celebrate.

Ostrich Filet
Lamb Chops

The entrees were also delicious and beautifully presented. It was my first time trying ostrich and I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite similar to a venison strip loin, extremely lean but quite tasty. The lamb was flavorful and tender as well, and I enjoyed the polenta-esque side made with traditional ingredients.

For dessert, we had a few glasses of South African Bubbles (Graham Beck), and shared the Gateau Louz, which was a buckwheat pudding with orange blossom pudding and mandarin sorbet. It was beautifully presented and flavorful, though I found it a bit too sweet overall especially with the sugar tuile tower.

The next morning, we woke up early and skipped breakfast in favor of an early departure and drive to the Black Rhino game lodge.

South Africa has a much more vibrant dining scene than most people give it credit for. There were a lot of international options as well, though we tried to stick to food native to the continent whenever possible. Have you ever tried ostrich before? What about Pinotage? What did you think? Let us know in the comment below…

Joburg City: Where We Stayed and Places of Interest

I’m going to break down the 1.5 days/2 nights we spent in the City of Johannesburg into our hotel experience and the points of interest we visited, followed by where we ate and drank.

Since we ended up arriving in Johannesburg two days earlier than planned due to our last minute rerouting to avoid the unrest in HKG, I had to scramble to find a suitable hotel for the two nights we had before we drove out into the bush to experience our first safari (stay tuned for that adventure!). I had originally planned to book an airline staff rate at the Hilton in Sandton (one of the upscale neighborhoods, which we ended up visiting as you’ll see below), for roughly $115 a night. Since I have Diamond status, we would likely get a good upgrade, and have free breakfast and executive lounge access for evening drinks and snacks. However, right when I was ready to book the rate, the staff rate disappeared, and I could only curse my luck as the new rate was over $200 per night. Instead, I found availability at the Protea Hotel Johannesburg Parktonian All-Suite, part of the Marriott family of brands. It was only a Category 1 hotel, costing 7,500 points (worth roughly $55) per night, with the same points cost for all rooms whether you booked a queen bed, two twin beds, or a king bed. I booked a King Executive Suite for a total of 15,000 points, which was the perfect redemption since I had roughly 16,000 points orphaned in my Marriott account with no real way to use them.

I quickly confirmed the reservation, and fired off a quick email to the hotel confirming our stay, our early check in time (we ended up rolling into the hotel just before 11 am), and noting that it was our honeymoon and anything that they might be able to do to make it special for us would be much appreciated. For what it’s worth, I find it’s always worth noting special occasions in hotel/restaurant/flight reservations, as worst come to worst nothing happens, and a customer driven business will make an effort to make a special occasion memorable. We experienced that on the Lufthansa flight experience, and at several other points in our journey as well. Naturally, don’t do so with a) expectation of free stuff, and b) falsely, when no such special occasion exists, but I find that letting the staff know enables them to deliver some over the top customer experience moments and is often a source of pride for them to “show off.”

After picking up our rental car, we rolled up to the hotel at around 10:45 am, well in advance of the official check in time of 3 pm. Parking allegedly only cost 25 ZAR in the garage (~$2), but we the garage was located a block away from the hotel and we found free street parking directly adjacent. The security guard warned us at the end of the stay that it wasn’t safe to park there, but a) it was at the end of the stay as we were leaving, so what were we supposed to do? and b) we didn’t have any issues and felt comfortable especially with it being so close by, but your personal risk tolerance may be different

Upon walking into the physically imposing hotel (one of the tallest buildings in the area at 24 stories), we were met by a cramped and dated lobby. We were helped by an associate upon stopping by the reception desk, which was a bit confusing, since all the desks annoyingly had a “Check-out” placard on them, and none marked for “Check-in.” We eventually were directed to the next available agent, who despite a bit of a language barrier, was quite friendly and greeted us every time he saw us throughout the stay. There was one more awkward moment, when he presented me with a form with the check-in details, and there was a cash rate of ~250ZAR a night (~$16…???) reflected, and after I politely pointed out that my reservation should have been paid for entirely with points, he talked to a supervisor and then promptly removed the charge. Always check the paperwork before signing, especially for hotel and car rental reservations!

We were directed to wait for a few moments in the lobby while the staff finished preparing the room. Reception proactively brought us WiFi credentials so we could browse the web while we waited. A short time later at 11 am, we were brought the keys to our room, and had the features and amenities of the hotel explained to us. The elevators were located in a room that required key card access, which was the first time I’ve seen that in a hotel but perhaps makes sense as a lower cost/complexity security feature than programming key slots in each elevator individually.

We were assigned a King Executive Suite on the 22nd floor, and walked into a fairly spacious, well lit room, albeit with somewhat dated furniture (like the rest of the hotel). The main living room had a walk out balcony, which was nice but definitely triggered some of Robert’s agoraphobia. The couches were rather uncomfortable, but overall the room was spacious, clean, and a great value for the 7,500 Marriott points we redeemed for it.

Towel swans and Rose Petals on Bed
More Rose Petals in Bathroom

Walking into the bedroom, we cracked up upon seeing the towel swans and rose petals scattered all over the bed. How cheesy/cute is that? It was a lovely gesture, and I felt bad moving the arrangement when we settled in for a jet-lag fueled nap later. They even scattered rose petals in the bathroom floor as well.

We ended up napping for a few hours, and were woken up by a phone call (“We have your welcome gift waiting outside the door!”). Groggy and confused, I opened the door to find two beautiful arrangements of strawberries and cream with chocolate meringues. What a wonderful touch, and they were delicious. The British influence on South Africa was still apparent ;).

The bed was large and reasonably comfortable, but I slept funny the first night and woke up with a slightly tweaked back. The only air conditioning unit in the room blew directly on the bed in our faces, which made it hard to get comfortable since I need moving air/fan to comfortably sleep but the Antarctic breeze from the AC was less than ideal.

Our first night in Joburg was mainly resting, with dinner and drinks to be reviewed in the next post. The next day, mainly driven by Robert’s obsession with vinyl record shops, we stumbled upon a few really cute neighborhoods.

Microgram Music Traders + Robert Doing His Thing
Cute Little Area Outside 27 Boxes

The first area was Melville, located about 15 minutes northwest of downtown Joburg, in search of Microgram Music Traders. We almost didn’t even explore the area, since Google Maps had Microgram on the wrong side of the street. We ended up wandering a mini shopping plaza of sorts called 27 boxes, constructed almost entirely of shipping containers, which seems to be a fairly new development. This is where Microgram was eventually found, much to Robert’s delight. The whole area in general, was extremely walkable, filled with cute boutique shops with plenty of parking, and felt extremely safe. We enjoyed the South African sunshine and cool weather, and wandered the area and shops for the entire morning.

After Melville, we moved on to the Milpark/Sunnyside area, located just a few minutes away, in search of Mr. Vinyl. While the surrounding area was a little bit gritty (Parking was an adventure with several aggressive “car guards” common in Johannesburg), the vinyl shop was located in a cute little village of shops called 44 STANLEY, which featured lots of cafes/restaurants, some vintage clothing stores, and all sorts of lovely little surprises. I ended up being a little uneasy because we had haphazardly parked our car in the middle of uncertain “car guard” territory, so we didn’t stay long, but if you arrive using other means or park somewhere more secure, it’s easy to imagine spending all afternoon there.

Afterwards, we ended up popping over to Sandton briefly, since it’s known to be the most developed area of Joburg (and where the Hilton hotel I originally wanted to book was located). Our first impressions of the area, upon driving into the neighborhood, were indeed that the area was filled with upscale high-rises and a much cleaner experience than the nitty-gritty of the city. We drove to Sandton City Mall, but was disappointed (though not surprised) that the mall was mostly filled with tourists shopping at expensive high-end stores, and there wasn’t anything remotely authentic about the experience. Sandton relative to downtown Joburg reminds me a little bit of Pudong relative to Puxi/Old Shanghai. Lots of newer, more developed architecture, fancy cuisine, high end shops, but lacking the older, more authentic feel of the working class going about their lives. It’s a good neighborhood to be if you’re just looking for somewhere with creature comforts and familiarity to stop over on your way to and from safari, but not where you might find an accurate representation of real South African life.

After Sandton, we decided to venture WAY southeast of Joburg, driving almost 1.5 hours (it’s about 1 hr away from city center) to go to the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. We paid less than 100ZAR total to get the two of us plus the rental car in the park. It’s worth noting that while doors close at 6 pm, they technically stop admitting vehicles at 4 pm since the driving route for tourists is about 60 km long, and will take at least 1.5 hours if you make a few stops to admire the scenery and wildlife. We ended up pulling up at 4:15 pm, and with some gentle chiding from the guard we were admitted. Towards the end of our visit we did have to rush a bit in order to make sure we exited the park in time.

The African Savannah
Everything the light touches…..
Enjoying the quiet and stillness
Catching the first glimpses of wildlife
Zebras against an amazing backdrop
Up close with some fauna
Flock of wild zebras
A beautiful, solitary tree.
Gorgeous African Sunset
Continued….

The park as a whole, was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. There was so much variance in topography and geography, it truly brought back memories of watching the Lion King as a kid and seeing versions of the grasslands depicted throughout the animated film in real life brought back waves of nostalgia. It was also so incredibly peaceful the few time we stopped for some fresh air and pictures. Once I turned off the car’s engine, there was literally nothing you could hear, with the exception of planes taking off from the airport two dozen miles away! At the top of some of the hills, not even insects or birds were audible. It was just so incredibly quiet and peaceful, and rejuvenating for the soul.

We also saw quite a bit of herbivorous wildlife as well, including a huge flock of zebras. It was an exciting prelude to the safari adventures we would be enjoying shortly, and WELL worth the ~$6 equivalent it cost to get in.

That’s all we had time for, and it was virtually entirely crammed into one long but exciting day. Johannesburg is definitely worth exploring and spending some time in at the beginning or end of your safari adventure!

First Class on the Queen: Lufthansa First Class from Frankfurt to Johannesburg

There is always something awe-inspiring about stepping foot on a double-decker jumbo jet. Holy crap, this thing FLIES? We were directed left into the nose of the 747. If I had booked in advance, I would have loved snagging 1A and 1K, the most private seats at the very front of the cabin, but booking so last minute, those were long gone. Instead, I grabbed the only paired seats in the cabin, 3D and 3G. The cabin ended up being full, even though there were still 4 seats available when I secured out seats. Looks like waking up early to grab those seats was worth it! It was also funny that aside from us, every other passenger was the older German businessman type.

The elegant, spacious cabin
So many seat adjustments!
Drink table, screens, spacious ottoman, and signature rose
I love the Lufthansa Logo! And Robert’s hair…

Lufthansa doesn’t have overhead bins over the center seats, but does have a large locker assigned to each passenger in the cabin. Robert found space over the window seat next to him, while I used the locker for my belongings. The seats in the cabin, while not the most cutting edge or flashy, had a certain German sleekness to them, and were extremely well padded and comfortable. There were several storage compartments at each seat, plenty of space to spread out and get comfortable. There were more seat adjustments than I knew what to do with, including a power-operated ottoman that you could move adjust to be closer or further away. The window seats also had access to power operated blinds, but unfortunately we didn’t get to play around with those.

Waiting at our seats was a pillow, and a signature Lufthansa rose. Before putting our belongings away, we presented the Godiva chocolates we bought at Duty Free to the crew. The crew was literally speechless for a few moments, then thanked us profusely.

Speaking of the crew, the two ladies working First Class were an absolute delight. Polished, flawless, and unmistakably German, it was clear they loved their jobs. Also interesting was the fact that the Purser did not work First Class, unlike on most other carriers. She did come to the cabin to greet every passenger after takeoff and before landing, however, and congratulated us on our special occasion.

The photo was still developing, but what an awesome touch!

As soon as we sat down, one of the FAs popped out of nowhere with a Polaroid camera and offered to take our picture. I could hardly squeak out my enthusiastic yes before busting out into a huge grin and posing for the pic. What a wonderful, cute, and classy way to help us celebrate this special flight! That picture has already become a priceless memento of our honeymoon experience.

Van Laack Amenity Kits
Oversized eye mask. It might be Robert’s new favorite.
Best airplane slippers ever. For sale on eBay for almost $40…

After settling into our seats, the parade of goodies began. We were first offered our choice of beverage (Champagne, of course!), along with mixed nuts. Having done my research ahead of time, I knew Lufthansa would serve Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle on board, and it was predictably excellent. Next came a well stocked Van Laack amenity kit and Pajamas, which also came with a stylish scarf. The amenity kit was stocked with all the usual goodies, including more of the hyper-expensive La Prairie products. The pajamas included a long sleeve collared polo style shirt, and were comfortable and stylish though ran a bit small. The medium set left my ankles a bit exposed, and Robert ended up needing a large. Also offered were the most comfortable padded slippers I’ve ever worn, aptly branded Cumuli.

Beautifully designed Food and Beverage Menus
Food menu intro
Food menu
Dedication to…curry?
Wine List Intro
Sparkling and White Wine
Red and Dessert Wines
Spirits and Cold Beverages
Hot Beverages

Next, we were offered the full menu and wine list. My jaw dropped when I saw that they also served vintage 2004 Laurent Perrier Cuvee Alexandria Rose, which retails for over $250 a bottle. That’s what we ended up drinking for most of the flight, but I did sample the 2010 Chateau Larmande Saint-Emilion and the Rieslaner dessert wine, both of which were also quite delicious.

We pushed back and departed on time into the Frankfurt night sky. One of the quirks about sitting in the nose of the 747 is how incredibly noisy it is during taxi and the takeoff roll due to the close proximity of the nose gear, contrasting with how breathtakingly silent it is after takeoff when the landing gear has been retracted, with no noise audible aside from the faintest whir of the GEnx engines over 100 ft behind us. Robert and I held a full conversation at library whisper levels and could hear every word.

As we climbed to our cruising altitude, I reclined the seat and took a look at the IFE. Lufthansa uses excellent quality Bose noise-cancelling headphones, which combined with the quiet cabin provided an immersive sound experience. The IFE itself, however, was a little slow to respond, and is probably due for a refresh within the next 5 years or so. The screen was way too far away to be used as a touch screen (not that I even attempted), and navigating the content with the remote wasn’t quite as seamless as the IFE on American Airlines, for example. I was, however, able to finish How To Train Your Dragon, and then watched the airshow the rest of the way down the African continent.

Lufthansa also offers free WiFi, with no apparent data, time, or speed caps, to their First Class passengers, but trying to actually use it was incredibly frustrating. Just merely getting to the landing page took a dozen tries, and after finally connecting, the signal was slow and unstable. While offering free WiFi was commendable, it really wasn’t useful except in very limited circumstances, and something that Lufthansa can surely improve when they start taking delivery of the new generation of 777-Xs.

Soon after takeoff, the FAs sprung into action. The rest of the cabin apparently wanted to go straight to bed after take-off, and while one of the FAs took our order, the other FA took the bedding from the closet at the front of the cabin and made the beds of the other passengers.

A thick, wonderful smelling hot towel was offered and our orders were taken. Moments later, our drinks arrived, along with an amuse bouche of fresh and delicious smoked salmon tartare.

LP Cuvee Alexandra Rose and Smoked Salmon Tartare

We were also offered our choice of bread, along with butter and a deliciously complex olive oil. Robert and I shared a giggle at the fact that beverage napkin and the butter were both labeled “Lufthansa First Class,” to ensure they weren’t mistakenly used in Business Class or (gasp!) Economy? Heaven forbid!

This butter is reserved for First Class
Caviar Service

Shortly thereafter, we were served a rare indulgence: caviar. I’ve only had caviar service on one other occasion, in Thai Airways First Class a year ago. While I could never imagine paying the $100+ price tag to enjoy this otherwise, both Robert and I enjoyed the three generous spoonfuls, served with onions, creme fraiche, grated egg, fresh lime, and toast. I even accepted the chilled shot of Grey Goose vodka offered with it. While caviar snobs may be horrified that the roe wasn’t served with a mother-of-pearl spoon, I was quite content to eat it with a fork.

Appetizer Trio

Since the rest of the cabin wasn’t dining, we were offered a refill, but declined since there was still such an extensive feast coming up. The trio of appetizers was fresh and tasty, and I found the Bok Choy with Coconut Mousse to be the surprising favorite.

A small mixed green salad with Yogurt and Lime dressing followed. It served as a nice palate cleanser between courses.

Robert’s Seafood Skewer
My Beef Filet
Cooked a little more than I’d like but was juicy and delicious!

Robert ordered the Scallop and Prawn Skewer for his Main Course, which was small (thankfully) but flavorful. The seafood wasn’t overly rubbery, and the sauce gave it a nice flavor. I wasn’t sure what to order at first, since the seafood entree would have been my first choice but I wanted to try something different. Lufthansa is notorious for ruining red meat by overcooking it, but I decided to give it a shot and was glad I did. The meat was cooked to a medium plus, but more importantly, was full of flavor and incredibly juicy. The Tomato and Pine nut crust added a nice depth of flavor, and the Saint-Emilion was a delicious pairing.

Funky, delicious cheeses! I could smell them before they even brought the plate out…
Robert’s desserts.

I was quite full (and more than a little tipsy), but enjoyed a sampling of deliciously funky, rich, and flavorful cheeses. Robert sampled both of the sweet desserts, which I found to be rather boring and unmemorable. Oddly, the Champagne and Elderberry Soup was actually more like a panna cotta.

After dinner, I visited the lavatory while the crew made up our beds. The 747-8 lavatories were quite spacious, and even had windows (make sure to close them if using the lav on the ground!). They were stocked with mouthwash, Evian facial spray, and more La Prairie hand cream. However, the lavatory on my side of the cabin consistently stank of raw sewage, as if the drain in the sink was malfunctioning and allowing sewer gasses to enter the cabin. Using the toilet flush to vacuum the air out of the lav cleared the stench temporarily, only for it to return moments later.

Comfy Bed
Candlelit dreams

Walking back to my seat, I found it transformed into a spacious bed. The crew even left behind a cute little LED candle to add a lovely ambiance. The central divider/storage compartments prevented it from being turned into a true “double bed”, but we were able to (cue cheesy honeymoon moment) hold hands while drifting off to sleep.

Jetlag, a mild hangover, and a stifling hot cabin woke us up about three hours later with 4.5 hours remaining to JNB. I rang the call bell and asked for some ice water and if the temperature could be lowered. Both requests were quickly granted, and I felt the AC kick in on my sweaty neck.

Unable to go back to sleep for the time being, I managed to get my phone to connect to the WiFi intermittently and entertained myself that way while chatting with Robert and watching the airshow.

I ended up snoozing a bit longer after cooling off until about 1.5 hours before arrival, when breakfast service started. I ordered the smoothie and the scrambled-to-order eggs to start, then went back to the main menu with a request for the Spaghetti Carbonara with Chanterelles, partly to test the “Dine on Demand” concept and partly because it sounded delicious and I love Chanterelles. After checking with the galley to make sure it was available, she confirmed with a smile, with the caveat that it would take just a moment since it was heated and plated to order.

Freshly Scrambled Eggs
Pasta (and more champagne) for breakfast
Fresh Fruit

Everything tasted wonderful, and the absolutely incredible scrambled eggs were a highlight; hot and fresh, rich in flavor and tender, with none of the sulfurous notes or rubbery texture that are the hallmark of airplane breakfasts. The pasta was delicious as well, and I loved how easy it was to use the pepper grinder to douse my food with the copious amounts of pepper I craved. The only thing to nitpick would be that the croissants were quite soggy, which for a European airline seems like a travesty. Robert had some Muesli with Yogurt and Smoked Salmon and enjoyed his breakfast as well.

After finishing up with some fresh fruit and delicious, pulpy orange juice, it was time to change out of our PJs and get ready for landing. However, the crew had one more surprise waiting for us. With an almost comical sense of coordination, the two crew serving us popped out simultaneously down both aisles, and set down a pair of adorable Lufthansa plush toys on our cocktail tables (“to help you remember your flight!”), then promptly disappeared back to the galley, leaving us to gawk and giggle at how absurd, yet awesome the gesture was. Look how cute they are! Between the FCT “Wedding Ducks”, the Polaroid, and these plush toys, Lufthansa absolutely nails how to use souvenirs to make a travel experience for a special occasion memorable.

Omg!!!
Look at how cute they are!
Cabin prepared for landing

All too soon, the majestic 747-8i touched down at O.R. Tambo International Airport with a shudder, and the most amazing flight Robert and I have shared (so far!) drew to a close. We missed the chance to take a picture with the crew, but what a wonderful way to kick off our honeymoon. It will probably be a long time before I have the opportunity to experience Lufthansa First Class again, but it absolutely lives up to the hype the frequent flyer community puts on it, and I can’t wait until I have the chance to experience it again.

One last shot of the Queen after deplaning

What was cuter? The wedding ducks, or the plush toys?

The Lufthansa First Class Terminal Experience

After a surprisingly impressive flight on Lufthansa from Madrid to Frankfurt, it was time for a truly special part of this travel experience, a terminal dedicated to First Class passengers on one of the premier airlines in the world.

Walking to the FCT from the main terminal
Ground level entrance to the Lufthansa FCT

To access the FCT from the main arrivals area, just exit and continue walking left. You’ll pass a few parking lots and a taxi staging area, but the FCT will soon be visible almost straight ahead. The entrance at the ground level features a sleek elevator that leads up to the lobby level.

Upon exiting the elevator, we were greeted by our personal Lufthansa representative, Monica. She verified our eligibility via a tablet, then warmly welcomed us and whisked our passport away for check-in formalities. We quickly cleared security at a dedicated station, and found a duty free section to our left with the rest of the lounge/terminal straight ahead.

Look at the liquors!
Premium wine selection
Light buffet

Monica gave us a brief rundown of how the FCT was laid out. In the center of the terminal was a concierge desk where a LH representative was always available to answer any questions we might have. To the left were some offices with closing doors for phone calls, along with a variety of seating. More to our interest, a beautiful and extensively stocked bar was located to our right, along with the a-la-carte restaurant and buffet. Further towards the right was the relaxation area, with showers, the bathtub (!), and two private nap rooms. We found a place to settle down with our luggage, and Monica promised to return and find us once she had our boarding passes ready.

Robert and I quickly started browsing the drink selection. I chose a glass of Louis Roederer Rose 2013, and Robert enjoyed a Kavalan Solist on the rocks. While trying to order our drinks at the bar, the only true negative part of the FCT experience became apparent: there just wasn’t enough staff, especially at the busier times. It seemed that there was only one or two servers/bartenders, who were responsible for making all the drinks (including coffees), along with taking orders and clearing plates for the a la carte restaurant. The only self-serve beverages came from a small juice bar located on a communal table. We had to stand awkwardly at an unmanned bar for about 5 minutes before somebody went behind the bar to take our order and make our drinks, with a promise to deliver them to where we were sitting. Later on in our experience, we had to wait almost 15 minutes after ordering our drinks before they were brought to us. While we are definitely talking first world problems here, this slowness of service would have been annoying at a mid-tier restaurant, much less for a premier first-class lounge experience.

With drinks in hand, we toasted to a great vacation ahead. Shortly thereafter, Monica returned with our boarding passes, along with an incredible surprise.

We almost died laughing and blushing because HOW CUTE IS THAT??? A beautiful red rose, and two famous Lufthansa First Class rubber duckies wearing tuxedos! Monica smiled as she presented them to us, describing them as “a pair of wedding ducks to celebrate your honeymoon.” The packaging just took it over the top, and we had grins on our faces for the rest of the day every time we saw them.

Soon after, I ordered a drink and walked down the corridor to check with the shower room attendant about how long the wait might be for the single shower room that also included a full size soaking bathtub. Since the FCT only has one, there can sometimes be a wait for the space. When I approached the desk, there was nobody there. In theory, there was a bell you could ring for service, but a few rings yielded no results. I retreated back to the central concierge desk to ask them instead, and with an apology, the concierge marched towards the corridor to find the attendant. It seems that the attendant was also responsible for personally cleaning all 4 shower rooms and 2 nap rooms between uses, along with cleaning the bathrooms, and maintaining cleanliness on the buffet line as well. Honestly, it seemed like far too much responsibility for one employee, and further enhanced the perception of the FCT being understaffed.

The attendant informed me that the bathtub room was unoccupied and available immediately. I let her know that I was waiting for a drink from the bar still but once I received it and downed it, would be right back and take my turn. I went back to the main lounge area, waited a few minutes for my drink, downed it, and was back at the desk within 5 minutes…..only to find it empty. A few more futile rings of the bell….nothing. After waiting a few minutes, I returned to the concierge desk with a combination of sheepishness and annoyance. The whole charade repeated itself, and I finally found myself in the bathtub suite, ready to relax.

The large, spacious bathtub
Another #FirstClassDuck to add to our collection!
The bath salts smelled so good.

The bathtub suite was equipped with a sink, toilet, rainfall shower, and of course, a bathrub. In addition to the standard shampoo, body wash, lotion, and other amenities, there was a collectible #FirstClassDuck (only available in the FCT bathtub suite, although the attendant was happy to hand them out upon request as well), along with some lovely scented bath salts. I enjoyed a nice soak in the tub, then a quick rinse and shower. Simultaneously, Robert did the same in a shower suite, and we regrouped and met for a nice, leisurely meal.

We found ourselves a table at the restaurant, and settled in to look at the menu. At this point, the FCT was mostly empty, presumably after a bank of flights had just left. We received prompt service from the friendly bartender/server, and quickly placed our water order (Valser Still for me, Glenlivet Sparkling for Robert), more for the novelty of having so many choices for water rather than an actual preference. Robert enjoyed more whiskey on the rocks (Glenfarclas 25) while I enjoyed a Louis-Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse. We each ordered a soup (Tom Kha Ga for Robert and Gazpacho with Shrimp for me), an entree (Seared Cod with Coconut Rice for Robert and a Filet for me), then proceeded to the appetizer bar to enjoy some nibbles while the rest of our food was being prepared.

20 different choices for water…
Our personal water selections
Some light apps while we waited for our orders
Tom Kha Ga
Gazpacho with Seared Shrimp
Pan roasted Cod with Coconut Rice
Filet of Beef with Arugula and Parmesan salad

All of the food was absolutely delicious, and not out of place in a high-end restaurant. The wild Chanterelle salad, buffalo mozzarella, and perfectly balanced gazpacho were some of my favorites, and both main proteins were beautifully cooked as well. I sipped on a Monkey 47 Gin and Tonic with my meal. Lufthansa partners with famed catering company Do and Co for their lounge and inflight service, and they did a phenomenal job.

Thoroughly stuffed, and a little drunk, I sought out a nap room for a quick snooze. The nap rooms were well insulated, and featured a bed with a sheet, comforter, and pillow, along with a conveniently placed charging port, some water, and a signature Lufthansa rose. The bed wasn’t particularly comfortable, but did the trick for a quick two hour nap.

After waking up from my nap, I did some work and made some phone calls. Robert and I convened for one last drink, then checked out the duty free selection. Robert somehow managed to use almost an entire tester of La Prairie Skin Caviar on his face, while I bought some chocolates for the crew and some wine for consumption during our hotel stays.

I knew La Prairie products were expensive, but holy cow!

Before we knew it, Monica had returned to retrieve us to go downstairs to our tarmac transfer to the plane. We were led to the world’s cutest little passport control booth, where the officer quickly stamped us out of the EU, then led to our waiting Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Sticker Price: $126,000+!). Unfortunately, we didn’t really get to experience the speed of the car, as all too quickly we pulled up next to our gorgeous 747-8i. A few quick photos, then our driver whisked us up an elevator to the jetbridge, past all the boarding economy class passengers, and handed us off to the crew who would be looking after us on our 10.5 hour journey to Johannesburg.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo Interior
Obligatory Planeside Porsche photo
Lufthansa First Class Entryway

Which part of the FCT experience was most impressive to you? Anything on the drink list that we really should have tried?

Getting to Frankfurt via American Airlines and Lufthansa

The jewel of our outbound travel experience was Lufthansa First Class from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, but we needed to get to Frankfurt first. This first part is also where I made some crucial errors, as indecision about which European gateway city we would fly into ultimately cost me a seat in Business Class on the way there, and prevented me from getting our intra-Europe flight in Business Class as part of the same award. Oh well.

We ended up traveling from DFW-MAD on AA36. One of the Business Class seats on this 777-200 was broken, so Robert and I split cabins to take advantage of the one Business seat available. Normally I would have been quite frustrated about the situation, but the excitement about the rest of our upcoming trip minimized any negativity about my own mistake. I encouraged him to take it, as I can sleep on planes in almost any seat fairly easily, plus the fact that I had him booked in Cathay First Class originally :). Our flight did post a small delay as maintenance finished up some paperwork. Alas, the broken seat issue was not resolved.

The gate agents were kind and did their utmost to keep us posted about any no-shows and assigned me a Premium Economy aisle seat with nobody in the middle. The Premium Economy seats on AA are actually quite comfortable, and a big step up from regular Main Cabin seats. The seats are almost identical to a typical domestic First Class seat, with generous width, legroom, and recline. When AA first started selling PE, the additional charge was roughly $200 each way, which is a no-brainer considering most extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seats cost about $150. Now, the fare difference can sometimes be significantly more. I would consider an upgrade to Premium Economy for $200-$300 each way on a long haul flight to be a good deal, striking an excellent balance of value vs comfort.

High-def video screens, and generous seat recline.
Plenty of shoulder room, and adjustable headrests.
More than enough legroom to stretch out!

Back to my own flight, rather than just an empty middle seat, I ended up with a whole row to myself, and cocooned myself with a fort of pillows and blankets and was quite cozy during the flight. I took advantage of the extra underseat storage and was able to stretch my legs, recline my seat fully, and relax, with extra tray tables for my drinks/electronics while I snoozed. One weak point of these seats is the footrest attached to the seat in front, that several passengers, even with flight attendants helping, were not able to extend fully. I chuckled as I watched them spend a good 5 minutes trying to lower the footrest to no avail. I just used the extra pillows in my row to prop my feet up instead. Overall, not a bad way to travel!

The service on this flight was also excellent. The smiling FA taking care of my side of the aisle was extremely pleasant, and wished us a happy honeymoon. Robert was kind enough to send up a glass of champagne from Business Class, which she delivered with a smile. An initial drink service was offered with pretzels, and I chose my signature Dasani Lime. Shortly thereafter, the main meal service commenced, with another drink offer (I chose white wine to go with my meal). The bulgogi chicken with rice and vegetables was actually delicious and flavorful, with tender chicken pieces in a genuinely zesty sauce with nicely cooked vegetables. The portion was filling, yet the dish felt light and healthy. I do wish AA would serve warm bread rather than the cold packaged rolls, but overall this was one of the better airplane dishes I’ve been served, especially in Premium Economy.

Business Class Food Menu
Business Class Wine List

Up in Business Class, Robert was left with the Chicken as the only option since he was seated in the last row and had his order taken last. He did enjoy the option, though the Red Snapper sounded delicious. The Collet Premier Cru Champagne which he sent back was quite nice and balanced as well.

Another drinks pass came after dinner (3 drink services so far!), and I enjoyed one more glass of wine while watching How To Train Your Dragon. Eventually, the wine made me drowsy, and with eyemask on and earplugs in, I dozed off intermittently for about 5 hours, awakening as the FAs turned the lights on for a continental breakfast service. After some yogurt, fruit, and coffee, we touched down in Madrid a few minutes late (due to our delayed departure).

The transit experience in Madrid is not the easiest for inexperienced travelers. Lots of walking is involved, along with a train ride to the main T4 building if you arrive or leave from T4 Satellite (S). A bus ride is also required if you are traveling between T4 and the rest of the terminals.

TIP: Use the elevators to travel up and down between the train and T4S/T4 levels to save a big chunk of time.

After going through security and immigration, we went curbside and found the shuttle bus between terminals. After a 15 minute bus ride, we checked in at the Lufthansa counters and were issued boarding passes for Frankfurt. Since we had 3 hours to kill, we spent some time in Puerta de Alcala, which I access using Priority Pass from my Chase Sapphire Reserve. We filled up on some coffee and breakfast options while I did some work and Robert made friends with some fellow travelers who were impressed with his David Bowie shirt.

Like many European airports, the gates for each flight are not announced until shortly before boarding, to encourage passengers to spend as much time (and money!) wandering the terminal as possible. Eventually, our gate E69 was announced (Robert: “My favorite number!”). The flight was fairly full, and Robert and I were assigned middle seats 24B and 26B. Also due to the full flight, our bags were checked, which was fine by me since we were going to exit the terminal anyways to get to the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. After boarding was announced, we stepped onto LH1113 from Madrid to Frankfurt.

Lots of legroom in the Exit Row
Robert suffering

Upon boarding, all one could see was a seat of slimline Economy class seats, with virtually no padding or legroom. Even “Business Class” had the same seats, with only the middle seat blocked for a little bit of extra space. Due to the proliferation of LCCs Ryanair and Easyjet in Europe, even legacy carriers have had to adapt and seating arrangements like this reflect that change in the times. This time, I lucked out, as I ended up in an exit row seat with almost unlimited legroom. Robert, much to his dismay, was not as lucky.

The rules and safety requirements of exit row seats around the world are interesting. I was not permitted to store my backpack under the seat in front of me, but neither was I briefed about exit row responsibilities and asked the typical “willing or able” question. Fortunately, it was not an issue on this flight. We soon took off, with a projected flight time of 1 hr and 50 mins.

After takeoff, I tried to take a nap but was unable to get comfortable in the seats and played games on my phone instead. The smell of cooking food soon permeated the cabin, and I had a momentary twinge of jealousy at the Business Class passengers in the front of the plane. The FAs soon wheeled a cart of beverages down the aisle, followed by a cart filled with dozens and dozens of meal trays. Wait a second, that’s far too many meals for the 6 passengers in Business Class….?! I watched, bewildered, as they proceeded to serve a complimentary hot lunch to all 170+ passengers in the cabin, followed by a beverage of choice (including complimentary beer and wine). Service took quite a while, as it seemed the crew had to cook the meals in two batches due to oven space, and the purser (who was working the beverage cart) was offering each passenger multiple drinks.

Purser: Can I offer you something to drink?
Customer: Sure, white wine please.
P: Certainly. Any still or sparkling water as well?
C: Still water would be great.
P: Of course. Any tea or coffee as well?
C: Coffee please.
P: Any milk or sugar?
C: Some milk, please.

Rinse and repeat. For all passengers in the cabin. All done with a smile and professionalism. When the other crew members were finished serving the food, they came back with a beverage cart and helped finish the service for the remaining passengers.

Vegetable Paella with delicious crusty bread and butter, and coconut wafers for dessert. #carboload

The actual meal was not that interesting, but the “soft product” on this flight absolutely blew me away, and rivaled most first class flights I’ve experienced of similar length within the US. What an incredible investment in the economy customer experience, and what stellar and patient service from the FAs, in the face of some difficult and demanding customers. One couple nearby was sleeping during the initial service, and woke up irate that they had missed the meal offering. The purser was in the aisle with the beverage cart, and quickly grabbed a phone to call the back galley, where an FA grabbed a leftover meal, brought it forward to the purser, who then offered it to them. After they completed the initial service, they continued to roam the aisles, offering drink refills, collecting trash, and responding to call lights. It was truly remarkable.

Soon enough, we touched down in Frankfurt, and taxied to our gate. Deplaning was a bit of chaos, but soon enough we grabbed our bags and exited the terminal, excited to experience the magic of Lufthansa First Class finally!

Our Flight Itinerary (and how we booked)

The whole idea of our honeymoon started with my obsession with points and miles, and learning that it was possible to fly Cathay Pacific in First Class all the way to Africa for only 70,000 Alaska Airlines Miles.

WARNING: Geeky Miles/Points post incoming. Read on only if you want to learn how to “Travel Hack”, and not for a trip report.

Back when SPG and Marriott were starting their integration, I purchased a few big chunks of Starpoints when they were discounted, converted them into Marriott points, and redeemed 270,000 of them for 120,000 Alaska Miles + a 7-night hotel stay (stay tuned for what I’m using that for!). I also went on a few mileage runs to earn the rest of the difference (including one routing from GIG-GRU-JNB-LHR for only ~$600 in business class that allowed me to experience JNB for the first time on a long layover, and also fly on the upper deck of an A380 for the first time!).

I found a date in August 2019 back in late 2018 that allowed me to book 1 seat each in First and Business from DFW-HKG, connecting in LAX with the first leg on Alaska in First Class, stopping over for ~30 hours so we could rest and get our dim sum fix on, and continuing from HKG -JNB in Business Class. Cathay doesn’t release more than 1 First Class seat in advance (naturally I gave Robert the available First seat and I took Business), and also doesn’t operate a plane with First Class to JNB. Cathay has historically released unsold first class seats in the weeks and days before departure, and with mid-August typically being a slower season for US-Asia travel, I thought the chances were good that another seat on the same flight (or two seats from a different US gateway) would be released so that we could fly together. Even still, I thought 30 hours x 2 people flying a mix of first/business class on one of the world’s best airlines, with a stopover in Hong Kong, was a phenomenal deal for 132,500 Alaska miles, which I spent a total of roughly ~$2200 for.

Eventually, I also discovered that I could book a trip on Singapore Airlines on the A350 from CPT-JNB-SIN-BKK for only 45,000 KrisFlyer miles. Singapore KrisFlyer miles are extremely easy to accrue, since they transfer from all US based credit card rewards programs (Chase, AMEX, and Citi). I thought this was another phenomenal deal for 15 hours in the sky in Business Class on one of the world’s most legendary airlines. I built in a long layover in SIN to explore the renowned airport and perhaps hop into the city to try some of the street food. Later, I found out that our flight from SIN-BKK got swapped to the new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, which means we get to fly in flat beds even on the short regional flight, and I get to check a brand new plane type off of my #avgeek list. Score!

In mid-2019, Chase announced the end of their partnership with Korean Air. The Korean Air Skypass program charged only 80,000 miles to travel from North Asia (anything from Hong Kong northwards) to North America in First Class, and includes a free stopover in Seoul. I speculatively transferred over 160,000 Chase points before the partnership ended in anticipation of utilizing this sweet spot. KAL always releases 2 seats for award tickets in advance, and after wiffle-waffling between flying on the A380 or the 747-8i, I settled on an itinerary from HKG-ICN (in First, operated by the 77W), stopping over for two days in Seoul, then taking ICN-ATL (in First, operated by the 747-8i) to take advantage of one last flight on the Queen of the Skies. I thought that was a great value for 160,000 Chase points, which is worth $2,400 in travel credits otherwise at 1.5 cents per point through the travel portal.

To fill in the remaining holes in the itinerary, I booked a flight from BKK-HKG on Cathay Pacific using British Airways Avios for only 15,000 Avios. Since there are plenty of flights between JNB-CPT available to travel standby on (a perk of Robert’s position with AA), and even confirmed last minute travel was cheap ( <$100 per person), I decided not to book a confirmed ticket as even booking through BA Avios would cost 15,000 miles and over $120 in taxes and fuel surcharges. Also in consideration was our lack of firm plans in CPT, so we had full flexibility to utilize standby travel. For that short flight, we instead paid roughly $44 for our standby tickets.

Lastly, to bring us back home, I found a ticket from ATL-DFW in First Class on AA, that connected on to one of the last scheduled MD-80 flights from DFW-IAH, for ~$180. Robert and I also both get 20% off all AA operated flights as a further perk of the job, so the price was $300 total, which I covered with $250 I had in random AA gift cards, along with $50 on my credit card. I would get to spend some time with friends in Houston, then could catch one of the numerous flights from Houston to Dallas to conclude our trip.

Cue Plot Twist!!

Two major events in 2019 would throw my meticulously planned trip into disarray. The first was Cathay Pacific’s infamous NYE Error Fare, in which they sold roundtrip tickets from Asia to the US in First Class for only $1100. It was an incredible deal for those that were able to book (I was at work, unfortunately), but it dried up almost all First Class availability from the US-HKG for revenue flights, much less Award Availability. At first, flights from LAX-HKG seemed relatively unaffected by the mistake fare tickets, but in Spring of 2019, Cathay Pacific pulled award availability 100% for ALL routes from US-HKG. It was a frustrating and seemingly punitive move against the “travel hacking” community, perhaps an effort to avoid further “cheapening” a flagship product that they already gave out virtually for free to thousands of people. I followed award availability like a hawk for months, and never saw a single seat open up for redemption in 2019, whether close in or far in advance.

That development in itself wasn’t enough to force me to change my plans. Even if we wouldn’t get to fly together, the ticket as is was still a great redemption, and I was only seated two rows behind Robert in Business Class, hardly slumming it ;). Plus, there were unconfirmed reports that flight attendants on Cathay were lenient with seat swaps and visits between cabins, so there was hope that we could at least share a glass of champagne together. And Robert would still be able to “guest” me into the exceptional First Class lounges in LAX and HKG.

The events that changed my mind, however, were the unfortunate developments in Hong Kong. The demonstrations near where we were planning to stay meant our relaxing, dim-sum fueled layover would be in a tense, potentially dangerous atmosphere. The disruption to airport operations, including two days of cancelled flights and countless other flights delayed, along with the dramatic ouster of several Cathay Pacific executives meant that there was a significant chance that our flight to JNB might be affected. Wanting to make sure our honeymoon got off to a good start, and with a nonrefundable safari lodge booking waiting for us in JNB, routing away from Hong Kong (at least on the outbound) was a no-brainer, even if it meant we would lose our coveted First/Business Class award redemptions.

Fortunately, the stellar customer service staff at Alaska (who we booked through originally) granted me a waiver, allowing me to cancel the tickets with a full refund without fees as soon as I found alternative flights. I eventually settled on Lufthansa First Class, as they offer the most luxurious and special product to JNB that is relatively easy to obtain using Points and Miles. LH First Class is legendary among the frequent flyer community, and combined with the impossibly extravagant First Class Terminal experience in Frankfurt, I’d been dreaming of trying it ever since I took my first exceptional flight on LH in Business. I considered Emirates First Class as well, but that would have cost me about 200,000 points + $1000 in surcharges to book….each!

*photo: Carioca NoMundo from youtube.com*

I quickly started stalking the award availability trends on Lufthansa from FRA-JNB and was able to secure a pair of seats on the 747-8i (should make an interesting head to head with the Korean Air 747!). I booked one with 87,500 Aeroplan miles (I had ~17,000 left over in the account and transferred the remaining 70K from AMEX) and the other with 80,500 Singapore Krisflyer miles (I had ~1000 left over from a previous redemption and transferred 80K over from Chase) with ~$400 in taxes/fees per person, yielding a total “cost” of roughly ~$3200. AA flights from DFW-Europe were wide open when we needed to travel, so we hopped the pond for free and even secured a pair of premium seats. While this redemption wasn’t as **incredible** of a value as the Cathay redemption through Alaska was, it was still very good, allowing me to check off a bucket list item, travel in style, while minimizing any out of pocket expense.

People tell me all the time how rich they thing I must be to afford all this travel. While this trip certainly wasn’t cheap by any means, and exhausted a big chunk of my miles and points balance, it wasn’t nearly as pricey as if I had booked the trip with cash. It’s certainly worthwhile for a special occasion, in my opinion, and easily attainable even for somebody on a decidedly average service industry salary.

TOTAL COST: 160,000 Korean Air SkyPass Miles, 87,500 Aeroplan points, 170,000 KrisFlyer miles, 30,000 British Airways Avios, plus approx $1200.

If you’re made it till the end here, please let me know if you have any questions about how we booked this incredible trip! I may launch a travel hacking/booking service in the future, but right now the advice is free :). Which airline/plane/product are you most excited to see us review?