Welcome to my next trip report series, which will be a long one! That’s because it covers a combination of a vacation in Iceland, plus a review trip tagged onto the end, which took me through India, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, the UAE, Ireland, and more! This was a super fun trip on many levels, in terms of destinations, airlines, and hotels.
In this series, you can expect flight reviews on Icelandair, Air India, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, and Aer Lingus, plus hotel reviews from Iceland, India, Malaysia, and Singapore. Of course there will also be several lounge reviews!
In this post:
Why I took this two-part trip
For planning purposes, this was a two-part trip, so let me explain the order in which we planned things. For years, Ford and I had wanted to visit Iceland together — I had been once over 10 years ago, while Ford had never been.
To be honest, we had kept pushing off a trip to Iceland due to my mom’s very long battle with cancer, as it was just never a priority. However, when my mom passed, we eventually felt like we needed to just get a change of scenery for a bit, and we decided to finally plan that Iceland trip on short notice.
Admittedly the middle of fall maybe isn’t the ideal time in terms of the most pleasant weather, but the whole thing sounded cozy. But still, we had the time, so we figured we might as well go with it, in hopes of enjoying some nature, and possibly seeing the Northern Lights.
Since we were leaving our kids with family, we tried to minimize the amount of time without either of us home.. So at the conclusion of our time in Iceland, Ford and I parted ways — he flew straight home to Miami (MIA) on Icelandair’s new seasonal flight, while I decided to tag on a review trip, with all kinds of products that have been on my list for some time.
The timing seemed perfect, since it was a relatively calm time for our family, after a rough several weeks. I was excited to check out everything from the new Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur (one of the highest hotels in the world), to Air India’s new A350 business class, to Etihad’s A380 The Residence…
The airlines I flew on this trip
On this trip, I flew a total of 12 segments, covering 23,748 miles. Let me explain exactly how I booked each segment, in chronological order of travel (I’m not covering my positioning flights from my home airport, since there’s not much to report there).
For the first portion of the outbound, I flew Icelandair’s 737 MAX Saga Class from New York (JFK) to Keflavik (KEF), and then after a six day stopover, I flew Icelandair’s A321LR Saga Class from Keflavik to London (LHR). For context, Saga Class is Icelandair’s premium cabin, and think of it as being somewhere between business class and premium economy.
Icelandair has reasonable Saga Class fares, and I love how you can have a stopover in Iceland at no extra cost (perfect for the purposes of my trip), so I booked the following for $1,116.24 (I redeemed Chase points at the rate of 1.5 cents each toward airfare, back when that was possible, meaning I paid around 74,000 points):
10/24 FI618 New York to Keflavik departing 11:10PM arriving 8:55AM (+1 day)
10/31 FI450 Keflavik to London departing 7:35AM arriving 10:50AM
After six incredible nights in Iceland, it was time to continue the journey, and I flew Air India’s A350 business class from London to Delhi (DEL), and then Air India’s A320neo business class from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur (KUL).
I booked the following for 80,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points plus $398.23 in taxes & fees (the cash component was so high because of the steep UK Air Passenger Duty, for technically “originating” in the UK on this ticket):
10/31 AI112 London to Delhi departing 1:00PM arriving 4:00AM (+1 day)
11/01 AI2384 Delhi to Kuala Lumpur departing 1:30PM arriving 9:40PM
Then after a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur, I made my way toward Cambodia, and I flew Singapore Airlines’ A350 regional business class to Singapore (SIN), and then Singapore Airlines’ 737 MAX business class to Phnom Penh (KTI).
I booked the following for 25,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points plus $109.65 in taxes & fees (that includes an extra 5,000 points for having a stopover of more than 24 hours in Singapore):
11/03 SQ105 Kuala Lumpur to Singapore departing 10:30AM arriving 11:45AM
11/04 SQ156 Singapore to Phnom Penh departing 12:45PM arriving 1:45PM
The whole reason I positioned to Phnom Penh was to originate there for a reasonably priced first class fare, which would allow me to fly Etihad’s A321LR first class to Abu Dhabi (AUH), and then Etihad’s A380 The Residence to Paris (CDG), which are Etihad’s two premium products I’ve most been wanting to review.
For a bit of background, to fly in The Residence, you need to be on an Etihad first class ticket issued through Etihad (and not a partner airline), and then there’s an upgrade fee, which in this case was around $1,600.
I booked the following for $2,701.12 (I redeemed Chase points at the rate of 1.5 cents each toward airfare, back when that was possible, meaning I paid around 180,000 points, which was substantially less than Etihad Guest was charging in its own points currency):
11/04 EY437 Phnom Penh to Abu Dhabi departing 7:50PM arriving 12:45AM
11/05 EY31 Abu Dhabi to Paris departing 2:30AM arriving 7:10AM
From Paris, my goal was to get home relatively quickly, while trying something new, which required positioning. I flew Aer Lingus’ A321LR AerSpace cabin from Paris to Dublin (DUB), which is the carrier’s regional premium product, and it’s much better when a flight is operated by an Aer Lingus long haul aircraft.
There’s no way to redeem points directly for this product, but I paid $212.11 for the following flight in AerSpace:
11/05 EI521 Paris to Dublin departing 10:30AM arriving 11:15AM
Lastly, I flew Aer Lingus’ A330 business class from Dublin to Boston (BOS). I booked the following for 45,000 Alaska Atmos Rewards points plus $41.43 in taxes & fees:
11/05 EI137 Dublin to Boston departing 4:45PM arriving 6:55PM
In addition to flight reviews, you can expect reviews of the following airport lounges:
- Icelandair Saga Lounge Keflavik (KEF)
- Plaza Premium Lounge Phnom Penh (KTI)
- Plaza Premium First Lounge Phnom Penh (KTI)
- Etihad The Residence Lounge Abu Dhabi (AUH)
- Delta Sky Club Boston (BOS)
The hotels I stayed at on this trip
In this trip report series, I’ll be reviewing a total of seven hotels, including four in Iceland, one in India, one in Malaysia, and one in Singapore. I’ll share the basics in this post, and then I’ll talk about what we paid and the booking process in the individual installments.
When we landed in Iceland, we first spent a couple of nights at Torfhus Retreat, which is a pretty secluded property in Iceland’s Golden Circle, ideal for sightseeing and enjoying nature. It was super cozy, though it’s definitely a quirky property.
We then spent a couple of nights at the Reykjavik EDITION, arguably the best property in Iceland’s capital. All things considered, I really enjoyed this hotel, much more so than the typical EDITION property. That being said, this is Marriott, so there were still some aspects to the experience that weren’t seamless, and had more friction than they should.
Next up, we spent a night at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, the ultra luxury property at Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon. This place is very expensive, and going in, I had no clue whether this would be a massive tourist trap, or actually be a high quality hospitality experience, given the lack of reviews. Well, let me say that I was blown away by my stay, and can’t recommend this property enough, if you can swing it.
Then I had an extra night in Iceland after Ford left to fly back home, as I was departing early the next morning. So I spent a night at the Courtyard by Marriott Reykjavik Keflavik Airport.
During my Air India journey from London to Kuala Lumpur, I had an extended layover in Delhi, and was hoping to get some rest. I booked the Holiday Inn Express Delhi Airport Terminal 3, which is located inside the international departures zone. In theory I was hoping to sleep, though unfortunately this layover went completely sideways due to an issue with my phone.
Upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur, I was ridiculously excited to stay at the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, which recently opened, and is one of the highest up hotels in the world.
Lastly, I had one night in Singapore, and decided to stay at the Singapore EDITION. I should’ve probably stayed elsewhere, because while there were some good aspects to the property, it was peak, generic EDITION vibes. My bad… that’s on me.
Bottom line
I had a really enjoyable adventure in Iceland, followed by a lovely review trip where I got to check out some airline products and hotels that have long been on my list. As you can tell, this is one of the more drawn out trips I’ve taken, in terms of combining a vacation with a quick sprint around the world.
I had some really great flights and hotel stays, and also some that disappointed a bit, so stay tuned, as I have a lot to cover. Thanks for reading!
Remind us, how did you get access to the Delta Sky Club in BOS?
DRAFT DODGER TRUMP (DDT).
On the right side of the pond it is felt that the person who currently holds the office of The President of the United States, has severally tarnished the name of the U.S. For a reported five times draft dodger, who has no concept of military conflict, history or the role played by British Forces in Afghanistan, he is an excellent example of the ignorance of some American citizens.
Should he...
DRAFT DODGER TRUMP (DDT).
On the right side of the pond it is felt that the person who currently holds the office of The President of the United States, has severally tarnished the name of the U.S. For a reported five times draft dodger, who has no concept of military conflict, history or the role played by British Forces in Afghanistan, he is an excellent example of the ignorance of some American citizens.
Should he be my Chief of the Armed Forces, I would be utterly ashamed of any association with that creature. He has displayed his unmistakable cowardice, by not having the courage to stand up and apologise to the members of the British Armed Forces, or, the families of those who sacrificed themselves in the war on terror. DDT’s words were crass, untrue and unwarranted remarks.
Trump has certainly earned his “Draft Dodger (DDT)”, nickname and the unmitigated consequences of his cowardice. Time will tell, but it certainly looks as if the cowardly DDT, will drag the American military into serious conflict before the end of his term in office. One can only pity those who will suffer for the creatures ignorance and crass stupidity.
One is convinced that all those self respecting U.S. service personnel who know the truth, are truly ashamed of their Commander in Chief.
P.S. HANDS OFF GREENLAND, DDT.
Ben, serving and veteran U.S. forces personnel. I make no apology for the aforementioned missive. Until DDT, finds the courage to admit his failures, I will feel compelled to berate the creature. A coward is a coward and he has blotted his own copy book.
Pal, I'm with you on not liking Trump, but, what are you even trying to do here?
As you have never served, or, ever taken incoming, you will never be able to comprehend the dismay, disgust and utter contempt, which that creature has brought upon his cowardly self.
Ben this is fabulous. I feel like it's 2017 again. Looking forward to all of the posts from this trip!
What was your thought process in booking flights using Chase UR at 1.5 cents when you value them at 1.7 cents?
I’d assume cash would be the way to go, particularly for you, as it’d be a valid business expense?
@ Just Curious -- It's a fair question. It might not be the best redemption in the world on a cent per point basis, but this was a case where redeeming points as cash toward the cost of the ticket was a better price than an outright redemption with Etihad Guest points. I knew I wanted to take that itinerary, it was just a function of how I was going to pay for it.
I...
@ Just Curious -- It's a fair question. It might not be the best redemption in the world on a cent per point basis, but this was a case where redeeming points as cash toward the cost of the ticket was a better price than an outright redemption with Etihad Guest points. I knew I wanted to take that itinerary, it was just a function of how I was going to pay for it.
I wouldn't have felt great about spending $4,300 in cash on a one-way flight (since I was paying $1,600 to upgrade), while a combination of points plus the upgrade fee felt a bit more palatable.
@Ben, I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that you still haven't covered TAAG's first ever route to the Far East two days after it was announced!
@ Throwawayname -- Hah! Fair point...
On a serious note, if you please Ben?
Do you accrue any points for the flights which you took on this trip?
@ AeroB13a -- Yes, I credited the Icelandair flight to Alaska Atmos Rewards, and the Etihad flights and Aer Lingus intra-Europe flight to American AAdvantage.
Thank you Ben, this ‘bear of very little brain’ finds it hard to understand how your points tally is accumulated.
I still remember the line you said when you were in the Blue Lagoon for 5 hours - you were looking and feeling like a prune! Hah.
…. and that was only what was occurring underneath his speedo’s …. Sorry Mike/Ben, I simply could not let that trigger line pass unremarked.
hell yeah