We've really come to appreciate the advantage of booking a hotel day room or a transit hotel when the layover time on a long itinerary permits it. Does this mean we’re getting older and wiser, or just older?
Our first such stop on our most recent trip was a stay of several hours at the PARKROYAL hotel right across the drive from Melbourne Airport's International Arrivals. While we didn't sleep, we were able to rest for several hours after our SFO-MEL nonstop on United flight 60, landing around 9 A.M. local time.
At around 7800 miles and a duration of close to 16 hours, UA 60 definitely falls into the ultra long-haul category.
Our connecting flight to Darwin, four hours in Virgin Australia economy, albeit in an exit row with plenty of legroom, departed at 7:45 P.M., and didn't land at DRW until after Midnight.
We were tired, but that 11-hour layover would have been close to intolerable without that day-room, and it was well worth the expense.
On the post-Oz Fest return trip, we departed DRW at a civilized 3:45 P.M., flying Singapore Airlines to Singapore, landing at 7:10 P.M. We stayed at the IHG Crowne Plaza, within the airport complex, a property rated in some places as the "world's best airport hotel." We wouldn't argue with that at all, and would happily stay there again.
The next morning we availed ourselves of coffee and some food in the Silver Kris Business Lounge, before our ongoing four-hour flight to Manila, again on SQ metal (i.e. a Singapore Airlines plane).
We two experienced travelers made a rookie mistake in not checking the requirements to enter the Philippines. While there's no visa or ETA needed, each traveler must complete an online E-Travel form before entering the country.
We found the instructions a little ambiguous, and the pulldown menus awkward to complete on a cell phone. For example, we had to find the United States, then Washington State, then pull down for a rather arbitrary list of cities, before settling on "other" at the very bottom.
After wrestling with the forms for upwards of half an hour in an airport corridor, we eventually threw ourselves on the mercy of a friendly young immigration supervisor, who completed the forms on our phones in about two minutes time for each. He mentioned that they weren't happy that airlines such as SQ failed to warn passengers of this requirement in advance.We aren’t either!
We used our Grab rideshare app for the first time, after learning it's widely used in Manila. It worked quite well, and the fares are amazingly cheap by our standards,with a fare of roughly USD $6 for the 30-minute drive through Manila's horrendous traffic between the airport and our hotel, the Hilton Conrad, overlooking Manila Bay.
We were rewarded there with a magnificent corner room, more of a junior suite, with absolutely spectacular 180-degree views of the bay (the scene of a massive and rather ugly reclamation project), and an amusement park that's part of the huge Mall of Asia complex.
The Conrad is connected to the mall by a covered bridge. We walked over to it once, but malls hold little appeal for us these days, especially hot and crowded ones.
In fact, the weather was so hot and humid that even the locals were complaining. The temperature hit 92 F (33.3 C) and we decided to hang around our hotel, a spectacular property, rather than take a tour. We ate breakfast once in the downstairs buffet, and twice in the Executive Lounge, which we preferred.
The Filipino employees we encountered during our stay were universally friendly and helpful. They would be finalists in any contest choosing the nationality with the biggest smiles.
On our first night in the Executive Lounge, a half dozen employees, having noticed Kathy's birthday was two days earlier according to her passport, serenaded her with the Birthday Song and presented her with a beautiful little cake.
The following morning a second birthday cake was delivered to our room.
After we mentioned that we’d be attending our youngest granddaughter's high school graduation when we returned home, and that she was a class valedictorian, we received a third cake, this one adorned with "Congratulations." Let them eat cake!
We discovered the Conrad houses a wonderful Chinese Restaurant, China Blue by Jereme Leung. Leung is a celebrity chef and restaurateur who owns upwards of a dozen restaurants in various parts of Asia.
China Blue just recently received recognition from Michelin that in our humble opinion is well deserved. Their huge menu includes dim sum at lunch, and we chose dim sum for two of our three lunch visits there. The food, decor, and service are outstanding. Our average bill for a large lunch with a glass of wine each was about USD $65, so we'd have been fools not to.
See if you can spot the “fake” mushrooms and pears below, edible works of art.
The boiled peanuts are strangely addictive, especially when our chopstick skills enabled us to snag one nut at a time.
These are actually mushroom-shaped truffle buns with a delicious minced mushroom filling.
Those pears are actually beautifully constructed pear-shaped dumplings with stems crafted from whole cloves, stuffed with smoked duck and mushroom. These had a touch of sweetness. To be frank, while visually stunning they looked better than they tasted.
Our Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo Haneda didn't depart until just before Midnight, so we arranged to keep our room until 8:00 P.M., giving us time to rest, relax, and shower before the nerve-wracking drive back to the airport. We whiled away some time in a cavernous but pleasant contract lounge before boarding.
We fell asleep as soon as the wheels were up. It's not all that far from MNL to HND, and we landed early just after 4:00 A.M. We proceeded through transit security without difficulty, and found our way quickly to the Royal Park Transit Hotel. Our first hotel stay of the trip was the PARKROYAL so it seemed fitting - or at least symmetrical - that our last stay was the Royal Park.
In fact, the transit hotel didn't open until 5:00 A.M., but a night clerk roused himself to get us the room we’d reserved for 6:00 A.M. months ago.
This was by far the smallest room of the trip, but it had everything we needed and we managed to get a few hours of sleep before rising around noon. A shower for Brian and a bath for Kathy made us feel ready to face the world, or at least the elegant Japan Airlines First Lounge, only a five-minute walk.
OneWorld Emerald status has its privileges.
There we ordered food at our table electronically, and compared the taste of a leading British sparkling wine and Perrier Champagne, with ample time before our 4:20 P.M. departure on JL 2, bound for San Francisco.
Boarding in Japan seems ceremonial, with lots of employees (we counted 8-10), bows, and signs displaying boarding groups and a mood much more peaceful than we see elsewhere.
The JL Boeing 777 was definitely not new, but we felt cozy in a sort of mini-cabin business class just behind the First Class cabin. We ate dinner and slept for several hours (it's only an eight-hour flight) before touching down at SFO an hour late at 10:45 A.M. local time.
Despite a surprisingly lengthy Global Entry line at SFO, with only three kiosks and one agent on duty turning it into a half hour wait, we had time for a Cappuccino in the spiffy new Alaska Lounge before boarding our AS flight for Seattle.
We had a closer connection in Seattle but still had time for a bite to eat, given that we landed and took off from the C gates, also the location of an Alaska Lounge.
We landed in Bellingham just after 5:00 P.M. Saturday evening, and one of our wonderful next-door neighbors and her large pickup truck were welcome sights. We were completely exhausted by now. Carmen dropped us off at our house about 36 hours after we left the Conrad in Manila.
We've been slowly catching up on sleep and will continue to sleep whenever we feel like it. That's a minor joy of being retired.
We learn something every time we travel. For example...
Check the fine print in advance for any entry requirements for any country you visit. Incidentally, courtesy of Live and Let's Fly, that European ETA may still fcome into effect in the last quarter of 2026, but the word is there'll be no charge for those over 70 or under 18.
Build relaxation time into your schedule whenever possible on long and demanding itineraries. That includes skipping a tour when what your body really needs is some rest.
Take advantage of any opportunity to eat in a great restaurant, especially when it's a bargain.
Finally, especially if you're a senior on an ambitious itinerary, be aware that your reserves are going to ebb as the trip progresses. A flatbed business class seat provides no guarantee that you'll get a decent night's sleep. Be prepared to pamper yourself as you near the end of the journey.
