Qatar Airways Lounge BKK is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.
Do you know where the best Qatar Airways Lounge is in the world? It’s certainly not the business class lounge in Doha. It’s also not the sterile first-class lounge in Doha either. By process of elimination and my personal experience, I declare that the best Qatar Lounge in the world is in Bangkok. Here’s why:
Flight Delayed
I had timed it perfectly. I was going to finish playing night golf by 11PM (see Night Golf Bangkok: First Time for Everything) and then head to (somewhat) nearby BKK to catch my 2AM first-class flight on a Qatar a380 bound for Baku, Azerbaijan. Instead, I arrived at the airport to find a small mob of angry passengers. The flight to Doha was changed from 2AM to 8AM, yet no one was told that the flight was rescheduled.
TPOL’s Tip: If a flight is delayed, it does not mean that the passengers can arrive at the airport later. If the delay is resolved and the plane takes off on time, it would be the passengers’ fault for not being there. This is different than what happened here where the flight was canceled then rescheduled.
I was told to go the business class lounge where I would be very comfortable.
Lounge Itself
This is a small lounge that is only meant to operate for a few hours. It does not have places to accommodate passengers overnight.My Rest Area
Fortunately for me, I found one of the places where I could sprawl out and sleep. Unfortunately, there were no blankets in the lounge and the AC was on full blast.Food
The food was spectacular. I tried everything from the biryani in the buffet to the a la carte sushi and pad thai. Do you recognize the purple cups?Drinks
I believe the normal bartender wasn’t available when I was there. Instead, it was a few workers who did their best to make cocktails.TPOL’s Tip: A warm dirty martini is just warm vodka and olive juice.
I switched to champagne and Hennessy VSOP, a cognac not offered in either the business or first-class lounge in Doha!
Better list than in Doha.NFL Week One
It didn’t matter to me that the flight was delayed. I had a makeshift bed, alcohol, and the disappointing Lions streaming. It was perfect.Open Bar
I saw a passenger joking with the impromptu bartender that it was not his fault that the flight was delayed. The sarcasm was lost on the bartender who kept apologizing for the delay. I learned that my fellow lounge refugee was also from New York, though he was flying in business, not first, to Doha. We struck up a conversation about everything and anything as lounge goers tend to do. Meanwhile, the drinks kept rolling in.
Our rendezvous turned into a small party among those forced to work overtime and us passengers. The collective group was disappointed when the now boarding flashed on the monitor, forcing us to hustle to the gate.
Overall
Qatar Airways could have told its passengers the flight was rescheduled. It worked out because the lounge, staff, and company were great.
Night Golf Bangkok is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.
Years back, I stayed at Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Bangkok. Imagine my excitement when I checked in and found a golf course on the premises. And that the golf course was open at night. Fast forward to this trip when I made a reservation to play.
Location
Summit Windmill Golf Club is near the airport. I planned to play and then head to BKK to catch my flight to Doha.
TPOL’s Tip: 72 หมู่ที่ 14 Bang Na-Trat Alley, Bang Phli Yai, Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan 10540, Thailand
Cost
It cost $108 to play. This includes the caddy, cart, and rentals.
Pre Eat
Hungry? Why wait? Caddy
Because it is night golf, a caddy is compulsory. Aided with a flashlight, my caddy was able to find most of my errant shots.TPOL’s Tip: A tip of $10-$15 is suggested.
Date the Caddy?
There are many videos on YouTube of sexy caddies. Many have misinterpreted this entertainment as sex tourism. While I have heard of numbers being exchanged after a round, these are serious caddies with great knowledge of the game of golf.
Course
Is there anything more beautiful than this course?Estates
The houses along the course were anything but small. I may have hit a few.
Bad Golf Shot Footage
Novelty aside, I was here for a serious game of golf. I seriously sucked. The caddies were laughing.
Get set.Look where it ended.Eventually, I was putting.Video
It’s better (or worse) on video.
Score
Don’t worry about it.
Clubhouse
This is not Nana Plaza (see Since I cannot personally go to SE Asia with Mikey and show him the ladyboy bars in Bangkok…).
Leave refreshed.Overall
If I lived in Bangkok, I would play night golf frequently.
Traveler’s Diarrhea is part of the Still The Best Trip Report.
Many friends offer unsolicited recs. Typically I find the tips are useless (see Giordano’s Pizza Chicago: Trust Your Taste Buds, Not Your Friends). I like what I like and do as I please. I have been wrong twice in my life so I still hear what they have to say.
On this occasion, I am happy I listened. The location was Cannes. The town was buzzing. Only I had a serious issue. With nowhere to turn, I confided in my friend the unstoppable problem I was facing. He replied, “I have the cure for that. All we need to do is find a pharmacy.” All of a sudden finding a pharmacy seemed impossible. Google Maps did not help. Finally, I saw the green sign of relief and entered. I asked for the magical potion and the pharmacist audibly said, “Oh for diarrhea?” I meekly said yes.
On the street, I opened a tube of this peanut butter gummy and found immediate relief.
As one who is prone to food poisoning (see Malaria Or Food Poisoning? Day 2 Safari Ruined & Hyatt Sharm el-Sheikh Wants My Stool Sample) and has been lectured by ignorant readers that I should not travel on account of said proclivity, I will not leave the house without this:
Overall
Most people talk shit. This time it was worth listening to it.
By Bus Nice to Cannes is part of the Still The Best Trip Report.
I finally made it to Nice after missing my previous flight (see Finally Arrived). I assumed there would be a direct train from the airport to Cannes. I was slightly surprised to find that no direct train links both. The best option is to take the bus. To do so, catch the tram from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. You can then buy the bus ticket using the app or on the website for 19 euros, the only bargain in the South of France.
TPOL’s Tip: Definitely take the bus over Uber if the bus is available. Traffic is avoided in the bus lane.
LIS-FRA-NCE is part of the Still The Best Trip Report from August 2023.
I have yet to fly Lufthansa first class, but I have flown Lufthansa short-haul business, and each time, I am unimpressed. Following my missed flight from Lisbon to Nice (see Travel Lesson Lisbon: Friend Reunion Led to Missed Flight ), I used 20,000 Lifemiles and $75 to book this ‘business class’ trip.
LIS-FRAWhen will I try first?Not today: FRA-NCE
I have gone from Hyatt Diamond to Hyatt Explorist to Hyatt Globalist a few times (see That’s Me in the Corner Losing My Globalist Status). This is an odd year (pun intended), which means I must have qualified for Globalist again. What will I do with my status?
Nothing: I qualified for Globalist this year by chance. The reason I was keen on qualifying was so I could remain an Explorist through February 2027. I have no urgency to try to requalify again.
Spend: Those who have a thriving self-run business dominate the points game. I would like to increase my wealth (and points) by spending more on my Hyatt card. Wouldn’t it be nice to qualify by spending my way to the top?
Category 7: As a Globalist, I have six months to use a Category 7 free night certificate. The list of Category 7 properties is far from compelling, with Santorini being the only destination I would visit for the sake of my Country Count.
Explore: Hyatt does not have hotels in the majority of the 52 Places I Probably Won’t Visit in 2025. However, it does have one in Lagos, Nigeria, my prime target. My mission will be to find Hyatts in countries I have yet to visit.
Overall
I have no major plans now that I am a Globalist. I can confidently say that between having status and making money, I will choose status. Having the former means I can save money, which will ultimately lead to making more money.
On my way to Globalist 2027? I think not.
The Failing NY Times published its stale 52 Places to Go in 2025. Based on the unoriginality, I am convinced they used an AI bot to create their list. To retaliate, I told my AI bot to come up with a list of UN countries I haven’t visited. I asked it to rank the cities by ‘danger.’ While most will be missed this year (see I Don’t Want to Visit Every Country), many are intriguing and may make the cut (no pun intended). Those are bolded below with Lagos, Nigeria my top demand.
TPOL’s Trivia: I have been to 119 out of 193 countries (see Where I’ve Been).
Priority Pass DTW is part of the TPOL Won’t Visit All 50 States And That’s OK Trip Report.
My Michigan mission was accomplished. I visited family. I saw the Bills vs. Lions game at a cheap price (see Bills vs. Lions: Ticket Scalping When No Tickets Are Available), and I qualified for Hyatt Globalist (see Finally, a Review of the Hyatt Place Livonia). All that was left to do was to travel on Spirit for 12 hours from DTW-MCO-SJU.
In preparation for this arduous journey, I was happy to relax in the Priority Pass Lounge in DTW.
Restrictions
Instead of a warm welcome, I came across this:
The lounge practices German time: I tried to walk in at 3:59 and was kicked out. The woman didn’t find it funny.
TPOL’s Tip: Be sure to check the app for restrictions.
Not our hours.Food
The pasta was good as was the salad. Beer
I appreciated the Stella and the Labatt Blue. Memories
Did you know that this was the first lounge I visited before my first angle-flat flight (see Losing My Points Virginity: Trip Report Overview)?
Like Flint, success is measured in Detroit by not coming back.Seating
It’s becoming increasingly awkward to take photos in lounges. I do my best not to be creepy. Overall
As the saying goes, a lounge is better than no lounge even when access is delayed.
And now for S-P-I-R-I-T!