Introduction
ANA Business Class Chicago to Tokyo
United Club – Tokyo Narita
Thai Airways Business Class Tokyo to Bangkok
One Night in Bangkok
Thai Airways Business Class Bangkok to Bali
D’Wina Villa Kuta and Exploring Bali (Part 1)
Exploring Bali (Part 2)
Exploring Bali (Part 3)
Ethiopian Airlines Bangkok to Addis Ababa
Ethiopian Airlines Cloud Nine Lounge and Addis Ababa to Seychelles
Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Exploring the Seychelles (Part 1)
Exploring the Seychelles (Part 2)
Exploring the Seychelles (Part 3)
Ethiopian Airlines Seychelles to Addis Ababa and Back to the US

We got up around 6:15 am on Tuesday morning (after exploring the area around our hotel until about 1:30 am) so that we could grab a quick breakfast before taking the 7:00 am shuttle back to the Bangkok airport.  Both breakfast and the shuttle were complimentary at our hotel, the Mariya Boutique Residence, which was a short 7 minute drive from the airport.  Bangkok is very well situated for a quick overnight layover – there are literally dozens of hotels within 10 minutes of the airport that are $75/night or less.  There is one hotel, the Novotel, connected to the airport via an underground walkway, but rates there are consistently $140+ per night, so it just didn’t make sense to pay twice the price to stay slightly closer.  Plus, we were able to see a little bit of culture with walking around near the hotel, which wouldn’t have happened if we had stayed at the Novotel.

Since our stay in Bangkok was less than 24 hours, it was simply considered a long layover.  As a result, since we had each checked a suitcase in Greensboro, those bags were checked all the way through to Bali and stayed at the airport overnight.  Taking advantage of a <24 hour layover can be a convenient way to see a city quickly on a trip, but it does take a little extra planning.  Since our main suitcases stayed at the airport during the “layover,” we had to make sure to bring toiletries, pajamas, and change of clothes for the next day in our carry-on bags.  On a domestic trip, layovers can’t be any longer than 4 hours, but layovers on an international trip can be up to 24 hours, so keep that in mind for your next international trip.

As we pulled up to the Thai Airways departure terminal, there was a separate drop off zone for Business Class (Royal Silk) passengers.  There were plenty of check-in counters, with comfortable leather seats at each desk.  Orchids are everywhere in Thailand, as evidenced by the check-in area:

Check in was prompt, although this brings up an interesting point about Thailand and the <24 hour layover.  Normally, if you book a trip to Thailand, included in the price of the ticket is a Departure Tax of 700 Thai Baht (~$25 USD).  If you are only connecting in Thailand, however, this tax is not included in your ticket.  So, if you have a long layover like we did, and choose to exit security (as opposed to staying airside during a normal, short layover), you will need to pay the tax upon departure.  So, since we did exit security the night before and went into the city, we were asked to pay the departure tax at check-in.  It was relatively painless, and soon enough, we were on our way.

At the end of the Business Class check in counters, a hallway leads to security and immigration completely separate from the rest of the airport.  There was 1 person in front of us, so from the time we walked into the terminal to the time we had cleared security and were airside in the airport, it took about 15 minutes total.  As we walked through the terminal, we found lots of interesting artwork, statues, and sculptures:

Thai Airways has several lounges in Bangkok, and we stopped briefly by the Royal Orchid lounge in Terminal D.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures in the lounge, but there was plenty of seating, hot and cold food options, and plenty of drinks.  After catching up on a few emails, we headed to our gate for our flight to Bali.  Our flight would be leaving from a remote stand, meaning that we had to take a bus to the remote area of the tarmac where our plane was parked.  This can be a bit of a hassle at times, but fortunately it was relatively well organized (hint: stay tuned for one of our upcoming flights that literally had people laughing out loud at how disorganized it was).  The advantage to a remote stand at an airport like Bangkok is that you usually get to see a fascinating number of airlines from all corners of the earth…such as Turkmenistan Airlines and Uzbekistan Airways:

Finally, we pulled up to our Thai Airways 777, which would be taking us to Bali:

The front airstairs were dedicated for Royal Silk (Business Class) passengers, and we made our way to seats 15A and 15B.  Flight attendants brought around hot towels and offered champagne, along with water and orange juice.  A few minutes later, menus were distributed:

The first course was delicious:

I had the Chilean Sea Bass, which was ok, but a little dry.  Lauren had the stir-fried chicken, which did taste better.  Even the butter was stamped with the Thai logo:

After the meal, we watched a few shows on the on the on-demand entertainment and before we knew it, we were getting close to landing in Bali.  Service was again top-notch.  Before landing, the flight attendants brought around a fresh orchid to each woman in Business Class:

Bali is definitely not an easy place to get to, but it was worth it once we got there!  11,585 miles down and 16,794 to go…but we’d be staying in Bali for about 6 days, so we had plenty of time to relax and get settled.

Continue to Part 7: D’Wina Villa Kuta and Exploring Bali (Part 1)