I applied and was instantly approved for the Alaska card which offers 70k after 3k spent. The reason I am writing about it is two-fold: First, I continue to be rejected for the business version. I assume that they did not refund the annual fee when I closed it and it shows that I have an outstanding balance. I always mean to call to clear it up, but the list of personal calls is out of control (see Complaints: How Long Till You Let It Go?). Second, Alaska points have a special place in my heart. Remember the days of flying Emirates first after 4 40k apps in the same day? Whatever happened to Darius from MMS?
I recently redeemed Alaska points for the world’s longest flight from JFK–SIN for 100k points (see World’s Longest & Best Business Class Flight: JFK-SIN). I also booked LAX to Fiji then to Australia in business for 55k points (see 55K Alaskan to Fiji And My New Melbourne Residence). Although those are great redemptions at a great value, my Alaska balance suffered as a result. Fortunately, BoA doesn’t hate personal me. Now, if I can just figure out how to get business me back into their good graces.
What I did not do and what I should have done when I called Alaska was change the date of my SIN-HAN leg to any date in the future. There is no charge to do so. Since my first objective was to cure my initial mistake, I did not do so and was marked as a no-show for what would have been a sweet SQ business class flight. I used 100k to book JFK-SIN (see Booked! World’s Longest Flight) and paid $6 to add the Hanoi leg. Unfortunately, that money is gone forever.
TPOL’s Tip: Think I’m stupid? See all of my mistakes on the Travel Lessons page.
The Wi-Fi is terribly slow and requires going to a machine to print out a password. With such ‘exclusivity’, I would expect my web surfing to be flawless.
The food break at night still happens, leaving passengers with no food.
The food is great, if you arrive when there is food.
The beds are reserved for a select few.
The seating situation is even rougher than before. People are scoping out seats itching for someone to leave so they can swoop in and rest. The couches are worn out from the traffic.
There is also a battle for charging ports as there are not enough outlets.
The place is noisy. Given the layout, guests are on top of each other. Here, more than any other lounge, I have found people using Facetime without headphones.
The shower rules are next to impossible to secure. I have yet to qualify for a shower.
The chai is always empty or brewing.
The staff is not friendly, especially the barista.
The barista should have more Turkish coffee.
The gates are far, far away.
2:05AM to Baghdad, better get going now.
Overall
The Turkish business class lounge in Istanbul is a big Sam’s club bus station with no personality.
I have never been particularly impressed with Turkish. The last time I flew their long-haul it was from Istanbul to Shanghai on an old school 2-3-2 (see Turkish Business IST-PVG: Really, 2-3-2?). I have found the soft product to be anything but soft. It is typically service curt and short (see Turkish Business IST to Beirut: Just the Basics). After flying Turkish eight times, I enjoyed the consistency and familiarity of what it offers but cannot say that it is a great business class product when compared to airlines like SQ, Cathay, or Qatar.
The Familiar
Since there are eight of these posts, I refuse to audit each flight as if it were my first time. For this review, I will focus on the familiar. The first is the seat which can range depending if I were flying on a 737, an a321-200, or an a321-neo, with the latter being the best.
What would a Turkish flight be without its mezze? Prepare to see this photo again and again.
In keeping with the theme of familiarity, another consistent attribute of Turkish is that the main dish is inconsistent. Sometimes it’s great (see Turkish Business Beirut to Istanbul: Lamb Chop!), and sometimes it’s this:
Overall
Lest you misinterpret my post, I am not slamming Turkish Airlines. I was happy to fly it eight times, but I recognize and can affirm its limitations.
I first laughed when I heard, “We will be ‘scooting’ off to Bangkok. If you have any questions, ask our flight attendants, we call them Scootis.”
I laughed again when I heard: This is your captain. My name is Herman.
I laughed for the third time when I noticed that I was on board a 787 for a 2 hour 25 minute flight.
“Scooting away?” “Scootis?” “Herman?” A Dreamliner for this short flight from Bangkok to Singapore? Surely this was a joke.
787 drape-less window
I also noticed that I was sitting in the ‘business class’ part of the plane. I booked the ticket on a random website, eDreams, that was cheaper than Scoot. Included in the fare was a free drink, which the flight attendant insisted I order. In no mood to drink after a night out in Singapore (see Singapore Nightlife Guide: Hip Hip Hop-a You Don’t Stop), I obliged and asked for an Asahi. Then I proceeded to pass out.
Meal
Rather than leaving me in peace, the flight attendant came back later and shouted at me that my meal was here. I guess that is included in the fare as well. Shaken from my scoot slumber, I thought I would give the yam rice a try. I opened it and instantly regretted that decision. While Singapore is known for its delicious chicken rice (see Guns & Butter: Singapore Travel Guide) and SQ is known for its ‘Book the Cook’, this was the exact opposite. This was death served on a plastic plate. Try as I might, I could not contain the toxic gasses that escaped from this dreadful dish. I almost puked when I ate the tartare on my LOT flight from JFK to Warsaw (see LOT JFK-WAW: It’s How You Finish) and would have set off a domino effect of everyone on board vomiting had I taken a bite of this. It was so vile that I had to press the call button and have the flight attendant take it away.
Can you smell it?
Overall
I should have been flying SQ business to Hanoi (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?). Instead, I was trying to stop gagging from the garbage that I was served. Safe to say I was no longer laughing. The joke was on me.
I was impressed by the fresh quinoa salad. The sandwiches weren’t bad either.
Drink
The liquor selection was suspect. Unless top-shelf spirits are offered, my days of hard drinks at the lounge are over.
Seating
I don’t know why blog readers demand photos of the seating. Hope these satisfy your seating fetish.
The executive chair at the entrance.
Overall
And that’s the lounge in Vilnius. Now, let’s go to Iraq (via Turkey).
What does narbutas mean? Narbutas is a Lithuanian language surname. It originates from the Lithuanian noble family Narbutai. Where else besides this blog will you receive that insider lounge knowledge?
Marhaba Singapore is not the SQ’s Private Room. The Private Room is the best lounge I have visited in terms of service and food selection (see all Lounge Reviews). Incidentally, I failed to write a review for the Private Room when I flew suite class all those years ago (see Singapore Airlines A380 Suite Class, My Turn).
The lounge did not offer lobster thermador, nor did it have a private butler. It did have wine and high-end crackers. That’s all I deserved, given my logistical shortcomings.
Overall
Sometimes I spend plenty of time in a lounge, warranting a thorough lounge review. Sometimes I spend a few minutes in a lounge to recalibrate and recharge before the next leg of my adventure. Thus, the quality of the ‘lounge review’ will vary.
TPOL’s Guns & Butter Travel Guide is the best way to see as much as you can in as little time as possible. Here’s how it works: A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy. The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa. The guide includes inefficient activities i.e., tourist traps that should be avoided and aspirational activities that are worth doing but may be impossible to see given the constraints of time and resources.
All grown up, I would tell you there’s more to do than nothing, but that doing nothing is not that bad.
Getting There
Of course, the best way to arrive in Singapore is on Singapore Airlines.
Food
Chicken rice! Have chicken rice while you are in Singapore on the street.
It is imperative that you head to Newton’s Circus for the hawker stalls. Besides this iconic dish, Singapore is home to some of the best street food in the world.
Oyster omelets are the best
Drink
If you’re on a budget, buying wine and sitting on a bench in Clark Quay is the economical option. Tiger beer may be cheap at the store, but it will still run up a big tab even at Hooter’s.
Still have a copy of the Hooters receipt
Everyone says to go to the Raffles hotel to have a Singapore Sling, where it was invented. I had one at the club lounge at the Marriott Tang for free.
This is the aspirational choice for where to stay.
The Rules
Singapore is a country of rules. I wouldn’t advise having your bachelor party here. However, everything and anything you want can still be found (see “You can get anything you want here.”).
Overall
Singapore is a functioning island with excellent infrastructure. As a backpacker looking for value, I used to think that was boring. As a resident of Puerto Rico, I wish my island was ten percent as ‘boring.’
TPOL’s Guns & Butter Travel Guide is the best way to see as much as you can in as little time as possible. Here’s how it works – A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy. The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa. The guide includes inefficient activities i.e., tourist traps that should be avoided and aspirational activities that are worth doing but may be impossible to see given the constraints of time and resources.
This is a combo Guns tour of Lithuania because I believe that one should and can visit both Vilnius and Kaunas on the same trip.
A fun-ic experience is taking a funicular up to a view. Admittedly, I did not know that funiculars were real machines. I saw it in Grand Budapest and thought it was an invention of the clever director. My first funicular attempt was in Vilnius. Unfortunately, the funicular to the castle was closed leaving me to put my repaired Achilles to the test with each step I took (see TPOL Is Down).
The Upper CastleBy Funicular!
Unfriendly Achilles roadThe view of Vilnius
My second funicular was in Kaunas. The Radisson Kaunas and Wikitravel both said to take it to the top for a great view of the city. I took it to the top but do not know where this great view was. All the lookout points were obstructed.
Lower entranceFunicularFunicular passing on the leftAt the topAt the topFunicular dedicationWhere’s the view?Where’s the view?Upper entrance
My third funicular was also in Kaunas. I rushed to get there before it closed and was disappointed when Bolt (see The Preferred Rideshare App) dropped me off at the top. I tried to get a ride down but the operator said they were done for the day, forcing me to take the stairs down.
From the funicular, I walked back to the city center.
Food
The description of the food in Lithuania referenced Medieval Times and the food of hunters. The thought of drinking wine out of chalices and feasting on wild game appealed to me. I planned my meals to make this happen.
Vilnius
The first restaurant in Vilnius was called Lokys or “Bear” in Lithuanian. I ordered the meat combo and a beer, a perfect combination for the wild hunter that I am. The food was perfect.
TPOL’s TIP: Lokys is located at Stiklių g. 8, 01131.
As a snack, I ate at Būsi trečias. It is the oldest brewery in Vilnius. They served pig ear which went down easily with the local dark.
TPOL’s TIP: Būsi trečias is located atTotorių g. 18, 01121.
For dinner, I ate at Etno Dvaras. The place was packed and I had to wait thirty minutes to be seated. It was worth it because it was like grandma’s comfort food. I had dumplings and meatballs. The price was fair. Two main dishes and two large beers for $24.
TPOL’s TIP: Etno Dvaras is located at Pilies g. 16, 01123.
Kaunas
In Kaunas, I satisfied my primitive instincts for meat by eating at Medžiotojų užeiga, the Hunters’ Inn.
TPOL’s Tip: Never order wine by the glass(es). Either go all in on a solid bottle or skip it entirely (reference Delayed Flight=More Food Guns & Butter: Tallinn, Estonia Travel Guide).
TPOL’s Tip: Hunters’ Inn is located at Rotušės a. 10, 44279.
Across from the restaurant is a strip of bars. It was a bit early in the day to start and also very cold, making me wonder who would make use of these outdoor seats.
As part of this trip, I am going to the country of Georgia. While exploring Kaunas, I stopped at Mtevani for Georgian shashlik and great beer.
TPOL’s Tip: Mtevani is located at Laisvės al. 56, 44246.
Novelty
There are one-of-a-kind things to do in both Vilnius and Kaunas.
When I think Hampton, I think Hampton Inn. When I think Hampton Inn, I think of an airport bi-level motel with sketchy guests. I don’t know if it is because the hotel has rebranded itself to Hampton by Hilton or because this is a Hampton in Doha, but the Hampton Doha Old Town was much different than I expected. The going rate during the World Cup was $565 which was a bargain compared to the Sheraton Grand for $3000 where I stayed my last night (see Sheraton Doha: Charming Gaudy Gold). I came away impressed with my great redemption of 50k points/night stay here (see Hilton World Cup Booked! Your Results Will Vary).
Same sign, different Hampton
Early Check In
I arrived at noon in Doha and was at the hotel by 1PM. I was still battling food poisoning/flu and hoped I could sneak in a nap before the US game at 6PM (see Flight Review MIA-DOH: Qsuites to the World Cup!). The front desk immediately said that check-in was at 3PM when I handed her my passport. Under the weather, I had no choice but to assert that I am Hilton Gold and would like her to check to see if anything was available. She huffed a little and obliged. A few moments later, I was given a key to my room.
TPOL’s Tip: if you visit Doha, realize that many workers have only been there for a few months if that. Spotty service is to be expected.
Room
This was not the Hampton Inn that I imagined. There was no need to take out my black light in search of DNA.
Shower
Given my condition, I enjoyed the hot shower.
Location
The hotel is located in the old town next to the National Museum. It is around the corner from a delicious kebab place and one stop from the fake old town of Souq Waqif (see Guns & Butter: Doha Travel Guide).
Avoid the 20 dinar double espresso ($5.50) at the front desk and go to the espresso shop next to the kebab place.
Overall
Given that it was the World Cup and that I did not want to stay in a Fyre Fest Container (see Housing World Cup Qatar: Adventurous or Fyre Fest?), I can’t think of a better place for location, value, and convenience than the Hampton Old Town.
