- Introduction: Around The World With Dad
- Review: Etihad First Class Boeing 787 (IAD-AUH)
- Review: Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 737 MAX First Class (AUH-DOH)
- Review: Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha, Qatar
- Review: Katara Hills Doha, A Hilton LXR Property
- Review: St. Regis Doha Marsa Arabia Island, Qatar
- Review: Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Lounge Doha Airport (DOH)
- Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge Doha Airport (DOH)
- Review: Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North Doha Airport (DOH)
- Review: Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South Doha Airport (DOH)
- Review: Qatar Airways First Class Airbus A380 (DOH-PER)
- Review: Ritz-Carlton Perth, Australia
- Review: Virgin Australia Lounge Perth Airport (PER)
- Review: Virgin Australia Business Class Boeing 737 (PER-SYD)
- Review: Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport (SYD)
- Review: Qantas First Lounge Sydney Airport (SYD)
- Review: Qantas First Class Airbus A380 (SYD-LAX)
Welcome to my next trip report series, which will cover a recent round the world trip with my dad. You can expect first and business class reviews of Etihad, Qatar Airways, Virgin Australia, and Qantas, plus reviews of several points hotels, including properties of Hyatt Regency, St. Regis, Hilton LXR, Ritz-Carlton, and… Holiday Inn Express.
In this post:
Why we took this trip
A majority of the trips that I’ve taken in the past year have been “pure” review trips, which is to say that they’re primarily intended to be able to review certain premium airline products and hotels. In this case, I decided to mix things up just a little bit.
I’ve had some very memorable trips with my dad over the years, but unfortunately in the past few years, I haven’t traveled all that much with him. That’s because my mom has been sick, and I’ve been prioritizing traveling with her.
That being said, my dad is always down for some fun flying and an adventure, and the perfect opportunity recently presented itself. There were some new flights experiences I really wanted to review… and there were two award seats available for the entire journey!
So I embarked on a review trip, but with my dad in tow. This was actually a total surprise for him, as he had no clue where we were going the entire time. He just found out which airline we’d be flying and what our next stop would be shortly before boarding each flight. He’s such a good sport with this kind of stuff.
We had an amazing time, and I’m so happy we were able to do this.
The airlines we flew on this trip
Not including positioning flights (from Miami to Washington and Los Angeles to Miami), the review portion of this trip covered 22,605 miles, spread across five segments. As you’ll see, I primarily redeemed American AAdvantage miles for this journey.
To kick off the trip, I booked us in Etihad and Qatar Airways first class to the Middle East. I booked the following for 115,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $18.55 in taxes and fees per person:
5/18 EY130 Washington to Abu Dhabi departing 9:15PM arriving 6:15PM (+1 day)
5/20 QR1055 Abu Dhabi to Doha departing 1:50AM arriving 1:55AM
That first segment was in Etihad’s Boeing 787 first class. It had been years since I flew Etihad first class, so I was curious to see how the product was holding up, especially in light of my recent Etihad A350 business class flight, which was exceptional. Then the second flight was operated by Qatar Airways’ brand new Boeing 737 MAX, which are aircraft that were initially intended for Russia’s S7 Airlines.
For the next portion of the trip, I booked us in Qatar Airways first class to Australia. I booked the following for 100,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $104.50 in taxes and fees per person:
5/23 QR900 Doha to Perth departing 2:25AM arriving 6:20PM
This flight featured Qatar Airways’ A380 first class. I was looking forward to seeing how this product was holding up, as it had been years since I flew a Qatar Airways A380. Another primary motivation was being able to review all of Qatar Airways’ new lounges at Doha Airport.
Next up, I booked us Virgin Australia business class for an Australian transcontinental flight. I booked the following for 28,800 United MileagePlus miles plus $12.10 in taxes and fees per person:
5/24 VA562 Perth to Sydney departing 3:30PM arriving 9:50PM
Why did we book Virgin Australia? Well, Qantas had no award availability, and cash fares were outrageous. This presented a good opportunity to fly Virgin Australia, as I was curious what the airline was like after restructuring. Note that there’s a trick to finding Virgin Australia award space for multiple people, as the airline often releases one business class award seat at a time.
Last but definitely not least, we finished off the trip with what can only be described as a unicorn award, as I found two Qantas first class award tickets across the Pacific. I booked the following for 110,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $79.75 in taxes and fees per person:
5/25 QF11 Sydney to Los Angeles departing 10:20AM arriving 7:05AM
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try Qantas’ A380 first class once again, and also to revisit the Qantas First Lounge Sydney, which is one of my favorite lounges in the world.
In addition to flight reviews, you can also expect reviews of the following airport lounges:
- The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- The Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Doha Airport (DOH)
- The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge Doha Airport (DOH)
- The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North Doha Airport (DOH)
- The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South Doha Airport (DOH)
- The Virgin Australia Lounge Perth Airport (PER)
- The Qantas First Lounge Sydney Airport (SYD)
The hotels we stayed at on this trip
In an ideal world, we would have spent several days in each destination, especially Perth (which I had never visited before) and Sydney (which I hadn’t visited for years). However, on this trip we ended up moving pretty fast for a variety of reasons:
- I wanted to minimize our time away from home, since Ford was taking care of our 11-month-old at home
- I planned the trip around the Sydney to Los Angeles flight, since I found two first class awards on that, and that’s incredibly rare
- I intentionally had us stay in Doha for a couple of nights, since our timing coincided with the opening of the new Qatar Airways Louis Vuitton Cafe
So in the end, we spent three nights in Doha, one night in Perth, and one night in Sydney.
In Doha, we stayed in three different hotels. Since we were arriving in Doha at around 2AM, we decided to spend the first night at the Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha. I booked this because it was cheap (just 5,000 World of Hyatt points), and also because it’s close to the airport, so it just seemed like the most practical option.
The next night we stayed at the most interesting hotel of the trip, Katara Hills, a Hilton LXR property, which consists of just 15 standalone villas. While the cash rate would have been nearly $2,000, I booked this using a Hilton Honors free night award — talk about a great value!
Lastly, we spent a night at the St. Regis Marsa Arabia Island Doha. I booked this using a Marriott Bonvoy free night award, valid at a property costing up to 35,000 points. Again, that was a great deal compared to the cash rate.
Next up in Perth, we spent a night at the Ritz-Carlton Perth. I booked this through Marriott STARS, and the cash rate was fairly reasonable, at around $300 for the night (USD). When you consider the added perks, like complimentary breakfast and a $100 property credit, I’d say that was a good deal.
Lastly, we just had a quick overnight in Sydney, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport. This did the trick for the night. While it would have cost nearly $140 for the night (USD), I redeemed an IHG One Rewards free night award for the stay, which was expiring soon.
I’ve gotta say, this was a pretty great trip when it came to redeeming credit card free night awards!
Bottom line
My dad and I had a really fun trip around the world, even if we wish we had more time for the trip! We had some awesome flights, stayed at some interesting hotels, checked out some great lounges, and enjoyed exploring Doha (which is so much more interesting than a couple of years ago, by the way) and briefly visiting Perth.
Stay tuned for this series, and thanks for reading!
Omg. This is a dream trip Ben. Most of which I have done in separate parts but definitely not all in this luxury. Just a pity you missed out on the old virgin Australia a330 business class. That was one of my favourite trips while living in Queensland.
Oh, he could (illegally) have experienced it in Perth. He could've somehow figured out a way to head to T1, because that A330 is *still there*.
Cannot wait until Miles is old enough to join his grand father and father in a three generation 'round-the-world' adventure.
So excited for this trip report!
Wonderful with your Dad and his love and appreciation for the Ambiance. I follow him, although I do lie flat
Excellent timing for next week’s Birthday RTW. I’m flying QR 1st from Sydney. Last time I got access to QF First lounge. Looking forward to the DOH Garden.
Great work on hotel nights.
Love these reports. Serious question though, was your dad absolutely fried by the end (or even during it)? Even if he was enjoying all of it, with not much ground time and constantly moving, I'd think he'd be exhausted. I know I would be, and I'm in my 30s!
I am happy for you to hear that your dad was up for this short adventure and the two of you had fun.
Even with all the first class flights and nice hotels, I couldn’t get my father motivated for such a journey.
I am looking forward to all the detailed reports.
Hi Ben. Looking forward to your reviews on these trips. It is so nice to know that you spent a few days with your dad flying to the Middle East and Down Under.
Speaking about HIE, I was wondering if you Ben or any readers on this blog know anything more about the IHG status renewal in regards to Ambassador renewal. I need to renew my Ambassador membership in November. I know that my...
Hi Ben. Looking forward to your reviews on these trips. It is so nice to know that you spent a few days with your dad flying to the Middle East and Down Under.
Speaking about HIE, I was wondering if you Ben or any readers on this blog know anything more about the IHG status renewal in regards to Ambassador renewal. I need to renew my Ambassador membership in November. I know that my elite status with IHG is through the end of December. Does anybody know when should I renew my Ambassador membership in order to maintain my IHG elite level? Should I or would I need to let it expire and buy a new Ambassador membership? Thanks.
@ SJC -- Thanks! I could be mistaken (and someone correct me if I'm wrong), but I think as long as you renew it before it expires, you should have your IHG status extended by an additional year. At least that assumes IHG doesn't change its policy.
Thank you for your kind clarification
Do you ever travel with your baby?
Can't wait for the installments!
Also, I have a question. When booking tickets on United, is it better to credit miles to Mileage Plus or Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program? I live in the U.S., but I rarely fly United. Do points expire on either program? I ask about using Turkish's peogram because I've heard that they have great redemption rates for domestic travel on UA. But I assume that the points earning rate is less. Is it worth it to credit to TK?
My friends in Doha, most of whom work for QR, always go to that Hyatt for meals/ shisha/ happy hour. I spent an enjoyable evening at the restaurant there during my visit in March. Great service and delicious food.
@ Jason -- Only realized when I got there that it's right next to QR HQ!
Yep it's right there. My friend lived in the hotel for a bit when he first moved there to work for QR before he found his apartment. Because of his stay there, he knew the people who worked there well, and we had a very enjoyable meal/ shisha. I didnt stay there, however - stayed at the Four Seasons, which was great. I did see your Katara hills hotel. I liked the park around that...
Yep it's right there. My friend lived in the hotel for a bit when he first moved there to work for QR before he found his apartment. Because of his stay there, he knew the people who worked there well, and we had a very enjoyable meal/ shisha. I didnt stay there, however - stayed at the Four Seasons, which was great. I did see your Katara hills hotel. I liked the park around that hotel - thought it was cool and something Abu Dhabi doesnt really have, but agree the hotel's placement was kind of weird. Overall I found Doha interesting. I prefer Abu Dhabi, but actually think the evening souk in Doha is pretty great and totally authentic. Definitely worth a visit.
Love to see you and your dad back on the road again! I hope he gave in this time and let you put all those lay flat seats flat!
@ Mosfet -- Hah, don't even get me started! He put the seat into the fully flat position exactly zero times this trip. :-/
I think it's time to fly Finnair business class
Apparently, it's quite a common "affliction" as I'm the same way. I absolutely cannot sleep flat on a plane - I get motion sickness whenever I try. However, with the seat at a very slight recline (or even not at all), I will fall fast asleep in seconds.
Wow this is very interesting. I flew in a lie flat business class seat on Turkish Airlines and felt so nauseous and motion sick the entire flight. I never even thought that it might be from lying completely flat. I will try to prop up a bit next time and see if that helps!
You beat me to this lol. I was going to ask the same thing from Lucky.
Looking forward to the reviews, that looks like an amazing trip! In case you won't elaborate in the Qantas flight review itself, could you tell us how you found the award? Were you randomly checking, or got an alert, were the 2 seats available at the same time, and how long in advance did you score the flight?
@ Clem -- I booked the SYD-LAX flight roughly three weeks before departure. I had set some ExpertFlyer alerts for first class space, so received an alert of the availability. I was supposed to fly Qantas first class in several weeks on an award that was booked months ago, but due to an aircraft downgrade, that wasn't happening anymore, which is why I set alerts.
I am shocked (not really) that you were able to find two “unicorn” Qantas seats that fit perfectly with your travel plans
Except he didn't. He literally said he booked the trip around finding that award. Reading is fundamental kids!