Trip Report: American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS

***This is part 19 of my "Camels, Bats, and Bloggers" trip report detailing a recent trip to Dubai and Seychelles, with a final stop in Las Vegas to attend the 2014 BAcon conference hosted by BoardingArea***

1. Introduction - Camels, Bats, and Bloggers
2. Emirates Lounge at SFO
3. Emirates First Class San Francisco to Dubai
4. Conrad Dubai
5. Old Dubai, Ski Dubai, and At the Top
6. Emirates Terminal B First Class Lounge at DXB
7. Emirates First Class Dubai to Mahe, Seychelles
8. Four Seasons Seychelles
9. Air Seychelles Economy Class Mahe to Praslin
10. Raffles Praslin Seychelles
11. Island Hopping - La Digue
12. Island Hopping - Praslin, Cousine, Curieuse, St. Pierre
13. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa
14. Emirates Business Class Mahe, Seychelles to Dubai
15. 7-Star Luxury at the Burj Al Arab
16. British Airways Lounge at DXB
17. Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai to Los Angeles via Hong Kong
18. 2014 BAcon Conference in Las Vegas + Mandalay Bay Hotel
19. American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS
_______________________________

With a couple hours to kill before our final flight home, we made our way over to the American Express Centurion Lounge located near gate D1 in Concourse D at Las Vegas airport. This would be my first visit to a Centurion lounge and was excited to see what the hype was all about.

American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS

All of the bloggers at BAcon were given complimentary access to the lounge, but we also had the American Express Platinum card which would have given us access to the lounge. There was an interesting vertical garden inside featuring the American Express logo.

The LAS Centurion Lounge was unlike any domestic lounge I'd been to. It featured extremely stylish decor, and while many other lounges which can feel like dungeons, this one was filled with natural light. Sundays are one of the busiest days at this lounge, and it was hard to find seating at first.

The lounge is centered around the bar and buffet area, which featured additional restaurant-style seating.

Since people were coming and going frequently, after hovering for a few minutes we eventually scored a comfortable booth with perfect views of the TV in order to keep track of all the NFL action.

The food at the lounge is really top-notch. Each of the Centurion Lounge menu's are curated by a celebrity chef, and Scott Conant takes credit for the menu at LAS. Among the hot food, there was a pasta dish along with roasted potatoes. Having watched Scott critique countless numbers of contestant's pasta on Chopped, I was ready to do the same to him, but the pasta was cooked perfectly and really delicious.

There was also a fancy salad bar featuring things like kale and quinoa, along with a selection of sandwiches.

But this guy absolutely stole the show - an amazing lamb meat pie covered in yogurt sauce. I simply lost control, and couldn't even tell you how many I ate. It's one of the best things I've eaten at an airport, and would have been happy to order this at any restaurant.

There are some international lounges that are worth going to the airport early for, and it's extremely rare to fine a domestic lounge that falls into that category. In my experiences, along with the Emirates Lounge at SFO, the Centurion Lounge at LAS is simply one of the best lounges you'll find in the US, and can't wait for the opening of the Centurion Lounge at SFO in early November!

Trip Report: 2014 BAcon Conference in Las Vegas + Mandalay Bay Hotel

***This is part 18 of my "Camels, Bats, and Bloggers" trip report detailing a recent trip to Dubai and Seychelles, with a final stop in Las Vegas to attend the 2014 BAcon conference hosted by BoardingArea***

1. Introduction - Camels, Bats, and Bloggers
2. Emirates Lounge at SFO
3. Emirates First Class San Francisco to Dubai
4. Conrad Dubai
5. Old Dubai, Ski Dubai, and At the Top
6. Emirates Terminal B First Class Lounge at DXB
7. Emirates First Class Dubai to Mahe, Seychelles
8. Four Seasons Seychelles
9. Air Seychelles Economy Class Mahe to Praslin
10. Raffles Praslin Seychelles
11. Island Hopping - La Digue
12. Island Hopping - Praslin, Cousine, Curieuse, St. Pierre
13. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa
14. Emirates Business Class Mahe, Seychelles to Dubai
15. 7-Star Luxury at the Burj Al Arab
16. British Airways Lounge at DXB
17. Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai to Los Angeles via Hong Kong
18. 2014 BAcon Conference in Las Vegas + Mandalay Bay Hotel
19. American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS
_______________________________

We could have arrived in Vegas on Thursday night and gotten a good night's sleep before the start of the conference on Friday afternoon. But that would have meant shaving a day off of our trip which I was simply unwilling to do.

So instead, I had the ingenious plan to spend 30 hours in transit to Vegas which included arriving at LAX from Dubai at 8AM Friday morning, and then connecting to a Southwest flight to Vegas which would land just in the nick of time.

I was able to check-in for our Southwest flight during our layover at HKG in order to avoid being in the dreaded "C" boarding group, and after an uneventful connection at LAX and short 45 minute flight, we touched down in Vegas. We joined the taxi line that was already 200 people deep, and 30 minutes later were at the lobby of the Mandala Bay hotel.

Our ride from LAX to LAS

With Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande headlining the iHeartRadio concert next door at the MGM, Vegas was already buzzing by early Friday afternoon. The check-in line at the Mandalay Bay was incredibly long, but luckily we were able to use the Invited Guest line which helped reduce the wait time.

Mandalay Bay hotel lobby

We headed up to our room on the 33rd floor, and as the winner of the charity auction, I had been upgraded to a suite at the end of the hall. My wife and I were both physically and mentally exhausted at this point, and with jet lag coming down on us like a ton of bricks, I threw my bags down and jumped on the couch for a quick nap.

Before laying down, I took a minute to admire the gorgeous desert clouds and airport runway views from the room.

It's been at least 5 years since I've stayed at the Mandalay Bay and have to say that the hotel is starting to show its age. The suite is about 40% larger than a standard room, and in the middle of the room was a large couch where I curled up for my afternoon nap.

The king bed was very comfortable, although it had a large wooden frame that stuck out far beyond the mattress and was obscured by the bedding. You probably know where this is going. I'm still wearing the scars of two shin-splintering incidents that left me squealing in pain.

The bathroom featured double vanities along with a large soaking tub. The toilet is in a separate room adjacent to the sinks which is great for privacy, but unfortunately the hotel decided not to put any type of ventilation in there.

With all the wear-and-tear that Vegas hotels get, they tend to age in dog years. Overall, we had a pleasant stay here, but compared to its newer counterparts like the Delano and SLS, the Mandalay Bay is a step below and we would choose to stay elsewhere next time.

I won't cover the BAcon conference itself in much detail, but in case you're interested here's the agenda. The lineup of speakers was fantastic, and I learned so much in just a short 3-day span - everything from how to tell better stories, to technical stuff like SEO and Google Analytics, and even a legal overview to help stay out of trouble.

It was also great to meet Randy and the rest of the House of Miles folks, and to network and chat with many of my bellow BoardingArea and Prior2Boarding bloggers.

And say what you will about these guys, but they know a thing or two about building readership and generating traffic, and were more than happy to share tips.

The evening events were the best part since afterall we were in Vegas, baby! With back-to-back nights of open bars, you better believe that was like a scene from "Bloggers Gone Wild". As for myself, I'd grade my Vegas performance as a solid F given that I was asleep by midnight due to jet lag, and didn't spend any time at the craps tables.

The first night, we headed over to the Linx for a ride aboard the High Roller, which provided some of the best views you can find in all of Vegas.

Views from High Roller at the Linx

The following night's event was hosted at the Mix Bar at the Delano Hotel, after which we joined a couple others for dinner at Burger Bar back at Mandalay Bay where I was able to order my favorite Nutella milkshake.

Views from Mix Bar at the Delano Hotel

Nutella milkshake at Burger Bar

Being jet lagged, we were up at 5AM each morning which left plenty of time to kill before the conference's 9AM start. The first morning we made our way over to Veranda Cafe at the Four Seasons for breakfast. The Four Seasons is connected to the Mandalay Bay via a walkway next to the lobby.

There's no better way to start the day than with a peaceful outdoor breakfast by the pool. Why was it peaceful? Because all the rowdy youngsters were just getting to sleep, and the demographics of the clientele at this hour were, how should I say it, of the older variety.

So we tried our very best to fit in.

This food here is simply amazing, and we ordered up an indulgent feast that included tiramisu croissant French toast and chicken and waffles. It was so good that after wrapping up breakfast around 6:30AM, we went back to the room and it put me right back to sleep for another couple hours.

Tiramisu croissont French toast

Chicken and waffles

Trip Report: Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai to Los Angeles via Hong Kong

***This is part 17 of my "Camels, Bats, and Bloggers" trip report detailing a recent trip to Dubai and Seychelles, with a final stop in Las Vegas to attend the 2014 BAcon conference hosted by BoardingArea***

1. Introduction - Camels, Bats, and Bloggers
2. Emirates Lounge at SFO
3. Emirates First Class San Francisco to Dubai
4. Conrad Dubai
5. Old Dubai, Ski Dubai, and At the Top
6. Emirates Terminal B First Class Lounge at DXB
7. Emirates First Class Dubai to Mahe, Seychelles
8. Four Seasons Seychelles
9. Air Seychelles Economy Class Mahe to Praslin
10. Raffles Praslin Seychelles
11. Island Hopping - La Digue
12. Island Hopping - Praslin, Cousine, Curieuse, St. Pierre
13. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa
14. Emirates Business Class Mahe, Seychelles to Dubai
15. 7-Star Luxury at the Burj Al Arab
16. British Airways Lounge at DXB
17. Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai to Los Angeles via Hong Kong
18. 2014 BAcon Conference in Las Vegas + Mandalay Bay Hotel
19. American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS
_______________________________

We had already taken one step closer to home from the Seychelles to Dubai, but now it was really time to head back. The direct flight from the West Coast to Dubai is already long enough at 16 hours, but we were going to take the even longer route via Hong Kong that would add another 8 hours in transit.

Before this year I had actually never flown Cathay Pacific, but within the past 12 months it's been the airline I've flown the most. While the First Class product may not be as extravagant as other airlines such as Emirates, we found that's it been consistently excellent.

But in my opinion, Cathay Pacific's Business Class product is where they really shine, and it's one of the very best in the market today. Today's flight would be similar to our return from the Maldives on Cathay Pacific earlier this year, starting with a ride on the Airbus A330-300.

Quick aside on trip reporting - at times it can actually be hard to sit back and enjoy yourself in the moment, because you're so consumed with capturing every single detail. More than anything, what I really enjoyed about these flights is that I'd taken them before. With all the previous photos and experiences in my back-pocket to lean on, there was no longer a sense of needing to stay alert, which in turn allowed me to enjoy myself more.

We headed over to the gate just as boarding was starting. From the looks of it, DXB-HKG is a heavy business travel route with the Business Class cabin at full capacity.

Our ride to Hong Kong

Since I had booked the trip several months out, I was able to get seats in the mini-cabin from rows 19-21. Since this is partitioned off from the larger Business Class cabin and Premium Economy sections, it's extremely quiet and private and would highly recommend getting seats here if available.

A330-300 seat map

Without the Dom and caviar that you get in First Class, Business Class comparisons across airlines boils down to the seat. And Cathay's are top-notch, featuring the reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration. The seats are extremely comfortable and private, and stretch out into a complete 180 degree flat bed.

And the best part about these seats are that they are as wide as you can find out there. In fact, the Cathay Pacific Business Class seats at 21" are actually wider than the 20.5" you get in Emirates First Class on the 777-300ER!

One little detail that makes all the difference in the world is the wedge that sticks out diagonally from the seat near the armrest. It can be raised or lowered based on your preference, and provides that extra little bit of space that you need to maneuver and shift while sitting, or to sleep comfortably on your side.

Even though I admittedly watch a lot of TV and for the most part am caught up on the latest blockbusters, I was still disappointed in the IFE selection on our flights. There was literally nothing that I wanted to watch and luckily had brought backup IFE on my iPad which was loaded with all the Sons of Anarchy I needed to fill the 24 hour journey.

The IFE and seat controls are simple but effective, and in some ways I like the idea of the tactile controls as opposed to dealing with the complexity of a fancy system.

The footrest provides plenty of space and there is more than enough space in front of you to place a bag as well as your shoes.

Since we hadn't eaten much that day and the lounge food wasn't very appealing, we were looking forward to a proper meal. And since we had been traveling for 2 weeks in the Middle East and Africa, I had a huge craving for In-N-Out Burger, Mexican food, or Asian food. Given that we were on an Asian carrier, understandably the last one was the only craving that I was able to satisfy for now.

Dinner service started about an hour after takeoff, and consistent with our previous flights, the food on Cathay Pacific is a true highlight. I would take these meals over the food served in Emirates First Class any day.

First up was the prawn appetizer, salad, and garlic bread.

I chose the red snapper in sweet and sour sauce for my entree and was as happy as could be, it was absolutely delicious.

To finish up, cheese and then the chocolate mousse cake. The food was excellent, and really my only gripe was that service was a bit slow, with meal service taking around 2 hours from start to finish.

There was only 3-4 hours of flight time left, and we dozed off for a the remaining few hours before landing at HKG where we had an upcoming 4-hour layover. I won't bore you with the details, since we literally repeated the layover we had in May, which was spent showering, relaxing, and eating at The Wing lounge.

The internet speed at the Cathay Pacific lounges was blazing fast, and I only wish that all lounges could provide similar speeds. We were able to make calls and video chat with no issues.

At this point we had basically pulled an all-niter, and in general were just exhausted from the 2-week trip. Other than the fact that our flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles was on a different plane (Boeing 777-300ER) and twice as long as our flight from Dubai, it was essentially the same experience.
 
So I did something I've never done before in my life...I actually passed on the opportunity to eat on-board the flight! For people that know me, they know how crazy tired I must have been since I just don't miss out on any opportunity to eat.

But again, the beauty of being on a flight that I had taken multiple times was that I didn't like I was missing out on anything. Immediately after boarding the Benadryl went down the hatch, earplugs and eye shades went on, and 30 minutes later I was out like a rock for a glorious 10 hours of barely-interrupted sleep.

Next thing I knew we were just a couple hours out from LAX and the second meal service was about to start. No chance that I would miss this one.

Breakfast started with some fresh fruit, along with a croissant.

I always go for either the congee or dim sum for breakfast on the Cathay flights, and flipped a coin to decide. Dim sum it is.

I spent the last hour shaking out the cobwebs in my head, and arrived at LAX as rested as one can possibly be after a 12 hour Trans-Pacific flight. Overall, another fantastic flight aboard Cathay Pacific and I can't wait to fly them again.

P.S.We really need to work on our Global Entry pictures, can two people look any more suspicious than this?

Trip Report: British Airways Lounge at DXB

***This is part 16 of my "Camels, Bats, and Bloggers" trip report detailing a recent trip to Dubai and Seychelles, with a final stop in Las Vegas to attend the 2014 BAcon conference hosted by BoardingArea***

1. Introduction - Camels, Bats, and Bloggers
2. Emirates Lounge at SFO
3. Emirates First Class San Francisco to Dubai
4. Conrad Dubai
5. Old Dubai, Ski Dubai, and At the Top
6. Emirates Terminal B First Class Lounge at DXB
7. Emirates First Class Dubai to Mahe, Seychelles
8. Four Seasons Seychelles
9. Air Seychelles Economy Class Mahe to Praslin
10. Raffles Praslin Seychelles
11. Island Hopping - La Digue
12. Island Hopping - Praslin, Cousine, Curieuse, St. Pierre
13. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa
14. Emirates Business Class Mahe, Seychelles to Dubai
15. 7-Star Luxury at the Burj Al Arab
16. British Airways Lounge at DXB
17. Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai to Los Angeles via Hong Kong
18. 2014 BAcon Conference in Las Vegas + Mandalay Bay Hotel
19. American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS
_______________________________

After spending the morning at Wild Wadi water park, we soaked in our last few moments at the Burj Al Arab before packing our bags and continuing the long journey home.

With a 5:10PM departure, we left the hotel around 2PM since the afternoon traffic can be quite bad in Dubai. We jumped into a taxi, and 50 AED and only 30 minutes later we arrived at Dubai International Airport.

We had been through DXB a handful of times already, but each time we had been flying Emirates. Emirates is truly the king, or sheikh in the case, of DXB airport, and has exclusive use of Terminal 3.

Cathay Pacific, along with many of the other non-Emirates airlines, fly out of Terminal 1, which almost felt like an afterthought. It's pretty clear that Terminal 3 has gotten all of the state-of-the-art upgrades, and it was a simple check-in and security experience at Terminal 1.

Then there was a long walk, like a seriously long walk, to the gates. I've had some long walks at airport such as HKG, but this one was truly a marathon that clocked in at well over a mile based on my wife's Fitbit.

Cathay Pacific only runs 2 flights per day through DXB, and therefore has no need for their own lounge, and share with the British Airways lounge.

After our previous experiences at the Emirates lounges at DXB, this was a very abrupt return back to reality. Not to say anything bad about the British Airlines lounge, other than the fact that it was a perfectly comfortable and typical airport lounge experience that you'll find at most airports around the world.

The seating area is actually on the smaller size, but didn't really fill up even as we got closer to departure.

There were several hot food, soup, finger sandwiches, and other snacks to choose from, along with a wide assortment of drinks. The hot food and sandwiches were pretty mediocre, so we decided to hold out for a proper meal on-board our flight.

While food and drinks are nice, what I really want out of a lounge is a clean bathroom and fast wifi. The British Airways lounge had the clean bathroom down, but the wifi was ridiculously slow to the point that it was unusable.

Overall, the British Airways lounge at DXB was a perfectly nice and comfortable lounge, but is a notch below it's counterpart at SFO, and several steps below the lounges offered by Emirates. While it doesn't make sense to choose an airline simply based on the lounge experience, it's pretty clear that when traveling through DXB, flying Emirates has its advantages over other airlines.