Los Angeles to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Economy and Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
August 15, 2016 (Monday)
We tried to avoid traveling during the hot summer as much as possible since I retired from teaching five years ago, especially to places where we would have to deal with high humidity on top of scorching heat. It's just not fun walking around under the hot sun in sticky and sweaty bodies. Last summer we were cruising around Japan but fortunately half of that trip was in Hokkaido with cooler weather which made the trip a little bearable. This summer, MOR had to attend a week-long conference in Taipei. Dates were set and there was nothing we could do about that. To make the trip more worthwhile and enjoyable, we planned a visit to Hong Kong before the conference, then to Taiwan, and ended it with an 8-day budget land tour to Szechuan, China before coming home.
With the multiple stops on this trip, we did not redeem miles from our AA accounts since they eliminated the possibilities of having stop-overs using mileage redemption. Instead, we just booked our flights on Cathay Pacific and its affiliated Dragon Air, in economy. As Marco Polo members, we were able to choose our seats ahead of time and we were set to go.
Traffic to LAX was crazy on our departure day. Our plane was to leave around 12:55pm, we thought by leaving the house at 8:30 that will give us plenty of time to get there. We were quite taken by surprise as we inched along near the airport and finally decided to be dropped off at the arrival level instead of the departure level of Tom Bradley Terminal. Thank goodness that we were able to check-in at the special line for Marco Polo members which did not have anyone waiting. A quick check-in then upstairs for security. There was this super long line for security but we were told that we did not have to take anything out for the x-ray belt and just walk through without the dreadful body scan. What a pleasant surprise that was! By the time we were air-side it was just around 11:15, we found out that TC and JoC, who kindly transported us to the airport, were still stuck in the horrendous airport traffic.
Food court at Tom Bradley terminal, air-side.
Chances for last minute shopping.
Plenty of places to relax or spend a few dollars before boarding.
CX 885 LAX to HKG
We would be spending the next 15 hours on this Boeing 777-300ER jet for the 7247 miles across the Pacific Ocean. To make it a little bearable, we picked the bulkhead seats (39H, 39G, 40J) right behind their premium economy section for the extra leg room. One disadvantage about these seats is that there is no storage space under the seats so it is very important that we have enough space for all our carry-on in the overhead bins. With the Marco Polo membership we had priority boarding right after first and business class, which took care of the problem. The extra leg room was nice but we soon found out that some people actually figured that the space in front of us was a walkway which turned out to be quite annoying when that space became a public path. With the 3-3-3 configuration, it is better to take the bulkhead seats on either side instead of the ones in the middle. But then, that's where the baby bassinets are at also, on the sides. We had one little baby on the left of us and fortunately, she was a good, quiet baby throughout the flight.
Plenty of leg room for these bulkhead seats.
Other than our flight being delayed for half an hour, everything went well except the flight crew was not attentive and appeared absent minded. Not that I want to complain but they ignored getting our requested drinks both before and after our meals.
Food was fine, nothing to write home about. We both had the beef and it was hot and tasty. The roll was hard and dried to the point of inedible.
Without fail, the ice cream came out hard as rock again. It took a while for it to melt a little before we could even dig into it.
Tried to watch a movie but soon fell asleep.
Second meal was served about mid flight and this time I had the chicken and MOR had the pork and rice.
After the second meal, it was sleeping time for the rest of the flight until we reached HKG.
We arrived Hong Kong on time, caught up with the half hour delay. I was using my Hong Kong ID card, which was replaced when we were there in 2012, to enter HK for the very first time. There was absolutely no line and I went through in less than a minute. It would be nice if we have that system in the US! While MOR and son were in the visitors line, I was at the baggage claim area waiting for our bags.
Before exiting the arrival hall, we purchased our Airport Express tickets and stopped by the Hong Kong Tourist Board information stand to pick up some maps. They have discounts for groups of two or more for the Airport Express, so make sure you ask for the discounts. We also received clear directions of which shuttle bus to take when we arrive Hong Kong station. It was all very easy.
Airport Express station at HKG.
Inside the Airport Express
Sign showing the train route.
After getting off at the Hong Kong station, we took the H2 shuttle for Grand Hyatt. The driver did not help with our luggage. This bus driver had a terrible attitude, I have to say. When we arrived at the first hotel stop, a couple got up a little early and he scolded them and told them to sit back down. When the bus arrived at Grand Hyatt I wasn't sure if he was ready for us to get off because he just stopped at a street corner and I couldn't see the hotel entrance. With that few seconds delay, he started to move and I had to yell and tell him that we needed to get off. Then he blamed us for not getting up earlier. I think he realized how bad his behavior was and then suddenly changed his tone. He then said, "It is raining and you will get wet if you walk from there to the hotel entrance. I will take you to the stop at the Conference Center and you can get off there. It's all indoor." What a ....
Hyatt does have an entrance at the Conference Center, and that was where he dropped us off, but it has no elevator/escalator, so we had to drag our luggage up the stairs and find our ways to the lobby. Not fun!
Staff at Hyatt was courteous and helpful but we did not get a harbor-view room as we were using our free nights. We were upgraded to a room on the 26th floor facing the garden and pool area. After the long flight and the bus ordeal, we were exhausted and looking forward to a restful night in a comfortable bed.
So far, Grand Hyatt Singapore gave us the best upgrade out of the three Grand Hyatt we have stayed at.
Hallway
Our room for two nights.
It was a little tight with a rollaway bed but it worked for us.
Nice, spacious bathroom.
With a separate shower.
Fresh fruits on arrival
The coffee machine was an added plus!
MOR and I decided to go out and get some dinner for medication purpose but ChC declined. We ended up taking a 10-minute walk and found a porridge place called Ocean Empire (http://www.oceanempire.com.hk/) for some delicious porridge. It was very crowded even though it was close to 10pm. Then we bought some chicken pies and rolls for breakfast from the famous Honolulu Cafe on the way back. Honolulu Cafe is famous for their egg tarts but they were sold out already. While talking to the sales lady, she gave us suggestions on where to go during our days here. Such a sweet, friendly gesture! So, we had the good (this lady) and the bad (the shuttle bus driver) representing Hong Kong all in one evening. Let's hope that we will see more 'good' in the next few days!
