Back to the Islands: Korean Air First Class ICN-CMB-MLE, Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN

1. Introduction
2. Korean Air First Class SFO-ICN, British Airways lounge at SFO
3. Eating our way through Seoul + Park Hyatt Seoul
4. Korean Air First Class ICN-CMB-MLE, Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN
5. Back to the Islands: Cocoa Island by COMO
6. Cathay Pacific Business Class MLE-HKG-SFO, CX lounges at HKG
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Have I mentioned before that I really like Korean Air? In case you missed it I'll say it again I outlined a few reasons in the introduction, but another thing I like about the program is that you can form family accounts which allow the pooling of miles across multiple people. It's not something that is featured in many other programs, with British Airways being one of the other main ones I believe. So while the booking process is a bit more complex, it was really nice not having to worry about having enough miles for 2 tickets from one account, enough for 1 ticket from each account, etc.

With an 11pm flight we had planned to catch the last airport bus at 8pm, but after checking out around 11am we had spent the entire day walking around nonstop. So while my wife can shop til she drops, I had already dropped and demanded to head back a bit earlier. We took the subway back to the Park Hyatt and got there around 5pm, got our bags, and then were dropped off by house car at the CALT bus terminal just a couple minutes away.

The airport bus system here is similar to Hong Kong's Airport Express in that it's really an extension of the airport, especially if you are flying Korean Air. After being dropped off we were able to check-in for our flight, check our bags, and receive boarding passes. The buses depart every 15 minutes so we only waited for a bit before hopping on with just a handful of other passengers for the 1 hour ride.

After arriving at the airport we were all set to go and headed straight through to security, then over to the Korean Air First Class lounge near our departure gate 26. Definitely felt like a deja vu moment and if anything got a bit nostalgic since this was really the first First Class Lounge I had been to. That visit came a couple years ago on my ex-RGN journey. At the time, I was like a kid in a candy store and just blown away - there's free food!? Massage chairs!? A shower!?

Funny how human nature is and feelings are all based on what you know at that point in time. Well, now I'm a somewhat jaded Flyertalker who isn't as easily impressed Fast forward a couple years and after massages at TG's BKK F Spa and after eating at the Emirates DXB F Terminal and CX's HKG F lounge, this one doesn't seem as great.

The food selection, even though catered by the Hyatt Recency Incheon, was just OK. At least they do have a freezer stocked full of Haagen Daaz, and I was more than happy to sample each flavor. But one thing this lounge does have going for it is space - it's a huge room to begin with, and in both trips there there were never more than 10 people in the entire lounge at any given point. So in a lot of ways it's certainly one of the most relaxing and comfortable lounges we've been to, but just not as extravagant as some of the others out there.

I decided to jump in for a shower (well, more like was told to if I'm being honest) since I was pretty gross after an entire day out in the sun. And what the lounge lacks in massages and food, they make up for in blazing fast internet (which we found consistently wherever we went in Korea), which allowed me to catch up on my beloved Sunday night TV shows Game of Thrones and Mad Men that I was missing back at home.

Korean Air First Class lounge entrance (near gate 26 on the 2nd floor)




Saw these types of model planes everywhere in Korea


One of many seating areas


This place is never full




Nice views of the tarmac


Wait, no humans here to massage me!?


Hot food buffet




Sandwiches and fruit


Shower room


Around T-30 we headed over to the gate which was just next door and boarded our flight. While our flight had an official First Class section, it's really just the first row of business class that is partitioned off from the rest, so the seats are indeed the same between both cabins.

On both of our Korean air flights I was amazed at just how fast they are able to board the plane. Granted it was a light load tonight (including us being the only F passengers, J looked about 25% full) we started boarding at 10:30pm sharp and were wrapped up and started taxiing at 10:45pm. It was so fast that I had to rush and quickly finish changing into my pajamas in the closet-sized bathroom.

This was a similar setup to our BKK-ICN flight a couple years back so going in we had expected this to be a sleeper-service flight with minimal food and amenities. But we were pleasantly surprised that both pajamas and amenity kits were passed out, along with two meal services - a supper right after take off and breakfast in the morning. The flight time was a bit longer than last time's so we probably just went over cutoff for full vs. sleeper service.

I guess I'll mention here that the flight is actually scheduled as ICN-CMB-MLE, and throughout the booking process I had inquired about the CMB layover, primarily to ensure that I wouldn't need a visa (US citizens don't). One agent told me that you just stay one the plane, and one told me that you get off and wait for about an hour before re-boarding. I was also confused at check-in since there is just one boarding pass that says ICN-MLE, so was hopeful that you indeed just get to stay on the plane. I asked the flight attendant while on board and she confirmed that you do have to deplane - uggh, that means I'll have to change out of my pajamas! Well, maybe I don't, if I'm willing to endure some dirty looks Not sure why I thought there was a chance we didn't have to get off, curious if there are any flights that allow it.

While both supper and breakfast were offered, I had stuffed myself at the lounge since I thought there would be just one meal offered in the morning and really wasn't hungry. So both my wife and I asked if we could instead have our supper right before landing in lieu of breakfast. The flight attendant was more than happy to do that for us, not sure if it helped that we were the only passengers other than a single seat reserved for the spare pilot.

Really great service again on the flight, and right after takeoff the flight attendant came by to offer turndown service. While we were in the "F" section, the seat really is a J seat in a 2x2x2 config on this A330-300. So there was no aisle access for me as I was seated at the window and would have to jump over my wife. It's a good thing that we knew each other, as a stranger wouldn't have been as receptive to my clumsiness and occasional falls while trying to jump in/out.

With the help of a Benadryl i got a solid 7 hours of sleep, and for once the cabin wasn't kept too warm. Before I could wipe the gunk out of my eyes, the flight attendant was standing next to me with a hot towel and getting my table set up for supper. Food was once again superb - great mix of western appetizers, along with my entree which was a full Korean ginseng soup (and I mean full as in an entire chicken).

Walking over to gate 26


Our ride to MLE, A330-300


"First" class seat - same seats as Business class but partitioned off separately




Still has plenty of leg room


2x2x2 config


Seat controls


IFE control


Reading lamp


Amenity kit, pajamas, Bose noise cancelling headphones




Pre-departure nuts


Supper menu


Breakfast menu


Goat cheese stuffed tomato with pesto - delicious


Crab crepe


Bread selection


Potato and leek cream soup - a bit watery


Salad


Won't turn down the opportunity for Korean Ginseng Soup


Wife's seafood soup - she gave two thumbs up


After landing we de-planed and a representative was waiting at the end of the jet bridge to hand out transit cards. We were instructed to walk over to the Ariya lounge just a few gates away and wait there until boarding was ready. The Ariya lounge was more than comfortable for the 1 hour layover - they had plenty of seating, and a decent selection of food and drinks. Also, pretty decent wifi speed so was a good chance to catch up on email.

About an hour later they said that the flight was ready for boarding, and we headed back to gate 12 where there was a security check. Ready for boarding in this instance meant that everyone else was already on board, so all of the First/Business passengers were able to jump on and were in the air just a few minutes later.

We were greeted on board by the same crew, and shown to our same seats. All the nice stuff (Bose headphones, blankets, pillows) were replaced with crappier versions, but other than those minor things everything else was unchanged. It was tough to survive for 1 hour CMB-MLE leg without the Bose headphones, as the new headphones let in much more ambient sound. Happy to report though, that I survived

I was still full from my "breakfast" which was really the supper service but did end up nibbling on some yogurt and fruit. If we had eaten breakfast on the previous flight, I wonder if we basically would have been offered the same exact food again on the continuation. The continuation was even emptier than the first leg, and I estimate that business class was only about a 10% load - I can see why these MLE routes aren't profitable to the airlines but hope that KE, CX, and SQ continue to offer them.

We landed just shortly after 7am in MLE and were able to catch some great sunrise shots from the plane. Overall, another fantastic experience with Korean Air.

Ariya Lounge at CMB






Sun rising as we take off from CMB




About to land at MLE on a gloomy day
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Back to the Islands: Eating our way through Seoul + Park Hyatt Seoul

1. Introduction
2. Korean Air First Class SFO-ICN, British Airways lounge at SFO
3. Eating our way through Seoul + Park Hyatt Seoul
4. Korean Air First Class ICN-CMB-MLE, Korean Air First Class Lounge at ICN
5. Back to the Islands: Cocoa Island by COMO
6. Cathay Pacific Business Class MLE-HKG-SFO, CX lounges at HKG
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After landing we were out of the airport terminal in just 15-20 minutes since there wasn't much a line at immigration and we had carried-on our luggage. I had done some research beforehand on how to best get to the Park Hyatt. There are three main options which are to take a cab (approx. ~$75 flat rate), take the subway, or to take either the Korean Air or CALT airport limousine buses.

The subway requires a few transfers which isn't ideal if you have luggage with you, so we decided on the airport bus which is very reasonably priced at ~$16 per person and takes about an hour depending on traffic. If you take the CALT bus they drop you off at the CALT bus terminal which is in walking distance to the hotel if you know where you're going. Alternatively, you can take a cab for the short ride and the hotel will pick up the fare.

We ended up using the bus and would highly recommend it. They have buses leaving every 15 minutes and the seats are really comfortable. If you decide on this option for your return, you can buy tickets through the concierge charged to your room (more points!), and they will drop you off at the CALT terminal in the house car. If you're flying Korean Air, you can even check-in your bags and receive boarding passes at the terminal.

CALT airport bus




For our 2 night stay in Seoul I had been noodling between the Park Hyatt and the Conrad. I had heard the PH isn't in as good a location as the Conrad, and as a Hyatt Platinum I wouldn't be receiving free breakfast as I would as a HH Gold. But with no better use in mind for a Chase Anniversary night later this year I ultimately decided on the PH, and used 15,000 points for the 2nd night. Overall, great value as rooms were pricing out at $400+ during that time.

We arrived at the hotel around 7pm and headed up to the 24th floor reception to check-in. I had done some homework and knew to expect this - guest floors can only be accessed through this floor so you have to go up to go back down. It's a minor inconvenience but we got used to it by the end of our stay.

The hotel is located at the corner of a busy intersection in Gangnam and has an interesting layout to say the least. As a lowly Platinum I didn't receive any upgrades and was assigned to room 1501. The front desk clerk that checked us in showed us to the room, and because I'm a very light sleeper I was concerned with the proximity to the elevators. In fact, the room is positioned in a weird way such that your head while sleeping is basically pressed up against the wall where the elevators are located just a few feet away.

Well, they must have some serious insulation because across the two days we did not hear the elevators at all or even talking/chatter from people at the elevators once. There are only about 10 rooms per floor, so it helps that there isn't a lot of foot traffic. If anything, there is some noise coming from the street through the windows, and I asked for ear plugs for this which they were happy to provide.

The room layout is also...interesting. The shape of the building is very angular so inside there are a lot of edges, which makes for some nooks and crannies especially near the shower/tub area. The room is indeed very modern and sleek in the traditional Park Hyatt design, features a lot of natural light when the blinds are lifted (but also not much privacy with office buildings surrounding, so make sure you're dressed), Asian-style toilet with heated seat, and blazing fast internet. Service at the hotel was really fantastic across all of our interactions with the staff members.

Park Hyatt Seoul hotel entrance


Bedroom, wall is adjacent to the elevator bank


Sink/vanity


Tub/shower area


View from the room


Welcome letter


Neither of us had slept much on the flight so we were ready to pass out - but it was only about 8pm and we knew that sleeping now would mean prolonging the jet lag. We needed go out for a bit to fight the jet lag, and what better way to do that than by stuffing our faces with beef. We had done some research on places that we wanted to try, and Mapo Sutbul Galbi was one of them. It's located just a 10-minute cab ride from the hotel in the Apujeong neighborhood, and we confirmed our choice with the staff at the hotel who gave the thumbs up from the local perspective.

We're used to taking public transport or walking places, but everyone kept telling us to just take a cab which we did. It was only a $5 ride so pretty reasonably priced, and as we would find out over the next couple days the subway stations are huge, so for short distances cabs make a lot of sense since so much time is spent just getting in/out of the subway stations.

The galbi at the restaurant was amazing - they do all of the cooking for you which involves constantly changing the metal cooking rack I presume to make sure it doesn't get too hot and overcook the meat. At home we're used to eating Korean BBQ with huge bowls of rice, but here it's a bit lighter and just wrapped in lettuce. They also don't salt or season the meat at all, so my first piece left me a bit appalled at how plain albeit delicious and fatty the meat was. But I soon realized that was why they had given us each a bowl of salt to season each piece individually. I also ordered naengmyon (cold noodles) which were very refreshing.

First meal, Korean BBQ


Cooking the galbi


Naengmyon cold noodles


The next day we woke up for a full day of sightseeing. It was actually a funny feeling not having breakfast available for free at the hotel - I joked to my wife that it was the first time in years that I could remember that being the case. Happy to report that we survived - grabbing ramen for breakfast one day at Coex Mall, and the other day by eating at Paris Baguette which we have here in the Bay Area, but was even better over in Seoul.

We took the subway over to the palace which took about an hour with the transfers. There was a Korean ginseng soup place that we wanted to try that was apparently near the palace, but we had a hard time navigating our way there. In general, Korea isn't quite as English-friendly as a place like Hong Kong, which led to multiple instances of getting lost.

Well we lucked out in that we stumbled on a really long line filled with locals - and when in doubt, just get in the long line outside a restaurant because chances are that they serve really good food. We followed this mantra a couple times during the trip and it never failed us.

If you go, don't be intimated by the line as we started out at the very back with literally 100+ people ahead of us, and were inside eating within 20 minutes. There's only a couple choices so food is prepared very quickly and there are a lot ot seats inside so things move fast. The ginseng soup was fantastic - I remember i had it for the 1st time in my life when i went to Korea several years back and really liked it. There were huge chunks of ginseng inside and they even have an option of with black chicken.

Taking the subway over to the palace


Korean gingseng soup (sorry but don't have a phonetic spelling of the name, help!)


When in doubt, just get in line




Ginseng soup with black chicken


After lunch we headed over to the palace, and we had timed it to arrive for the 1:30pm free tour. Warning: this place is huge, and CROWDED. During the tour, my wife actually got separated from the group, which led me to have a mild freaking out session and went to look for her, which was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. This was unfortunately the week before watching Louis CK's subway rules episode, or I would have known better and stayed in one place and instead did the opposite by leaving to look for her

So many people, don't get lost!




Scene from some Korean drama that my wife made me re-enact with her




Blue house = Korean white house


After our dose of culture, it was time to reward ourselves with some shopping and eating. We headed over to Myong Dong which is one of the main tourist areas - it's an open air market with many shops and street food carts. My wife spent the next few hours visiting every store, and I spent the next few hours visiting every food cart.

Fried egg on butter toast


Hot dogs and toppoki


So good, but so spicy!


Fried potato chip covered in cheezy dust


Sausage on a stick


Bingsu at Pascucci coffee shop


We had grand intentions to party the night away in Gangnam, but jet leg and food coma hit us like a ton of bricks and we were in bed by 10pm. We managed to sleep in until around 8am, and headed out to Coex mall to check things out. We had read that you could spend an entire day at Coex, but that's probably true only if you visit the aquarium and catch a movie as we were in/out in about an hour.

Coex underground mall


Breakfast of champions


Coex Aquiarium


Hobby store with various airplane models for those collectors out there




Afterwards we finished packing up back at the hotel, then checked out and left our bags at the concierge since our flight wasn't until 11pm. I also confirmed the purchase of our return bus tickets at the front desk which was good since it took care of our transportation back to the airport, and it gave me a good sense for how much cash I had left to spend.

We then headed over to Dongdaemun and the wife did some hardcore shopping at Doota tower. We grabbed more street food and then walked around briefly at Namdaemun market.

Walking around Dongdaemun


Also known as the Justin Bieber collection


Doota tower


Walking along the stream


Can't stop eating


Corn dog covered in fried potatoes


Red bean (I think?) sweet pancake


At this point, we were absolutely exhausted and decide to take a break by checking out out the Gourmet 494 food court at the Galleria mall in Apujeong since we had read good things about it. There are a ton of international options here - everything from pizza to Korean to Mexican to even Cheesecake Factory. We love bingsu (korean shaved ice) and wanted one last fix before leaving town.

Gourmet 494 food court at the Galleria mall


Cakes


One last bingsu fix


Ironically, despite all of our research we somehow missed the fact that one of the best bingsu's in town is actually at the Park Hyatt and had been under our noses the entire time! We had even gone back to the hotel to get our bags and could have eaten there, but didn't realize this until we were already at the airport, ah well. Overall, a great short trip to Seoul and very comfortable stay at the Park Hyatt.