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Smoked salmon and salad to start off breakfast
on the A380 to London yesterday, living a #Travelife… |
A very early good morning from London, still with a bit of jet lag, but always living a #Travelife.
Yesterday, we flew into London on a slightly cloudy day. It was a just under seven hours of flying time from the Middle East on a A380 plane, and as usual I was so lucky.
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I got the window seat and we literally flew right past London, swooping low enough as we were approaching Heathrow so that I had the most amazing view from the air of central London with all its famous landmarks.
What a wonderful way to arrive, living a #Travelife.
I had a complete view of the Thames River and all the famous landmarks around it, including the London Eye and Westminster Abbey nearby.
The City, which has been the financial district of London since time immemorial, was also very visible with St. Paul’s Cathedral and its iconic buildings.
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| Yesterday, we walked from Mayfair to Regent Street, on a beautiful afternoon in London, living a #Travelife… |
More on this later and about this lovely hotel I’m staying in, which hit all the right notes.
It’s the first time I’m staying at this hotel, and it’s luxurious, historical and yet ultra-modern, but not one of these skyscraper hotels.
Think state-of-the-art lighting, the latest Bang & Olufsen giant flatscreen TV, and a Japanese-style rock bathtub in my suite, and yet it’s in one of the most historical buildings in London.
It’s also in the most perfect location for someone like me who wants to just walk all over London on a nice day.
I think I might make this my base on my trips to London from now on, as when I stay over in Knightsbridge or Kensington, I often find it really tedious to get to the Covent Garden area so I end up just staying in that other side of Hyde Park.
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| The other side of Hyde Park… |
But first, about the A380 flight to London.
This is perhaps the biggest airplane in regular service now and First and Business Class occupy practically the entire second floor, with their own boarding gate and walkways. So if you’re riding in these classes, you don’t have to deal with the crowds or the lines.
It’s a dedicated walkway straight to the entrance on the second floor of the plane.
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| Pasta for lunch onboard the A380 to London, living a #Travelife… |
Premium Economy also has a small section at the back of the second floor of the A380, but they use the first floor economy class entrances and then climb the stairs to reach the second floor.
I had a peek at Premium Economy and I think it’s great value on the A380 because it’s way cheaper than Business or First Class, and yet you have lots of privacy and your own dedicated team and section for a very small number of seats.
No flat beds, though, of course, as that’s what cost an arm and a leg in First and Business Class.
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| http://issuu.com/travelifemag
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The A380 I rode yesterday didn’t have these high-profile suites in First Class — just bigger seats than business, of course — so for me, the best option is Business Class.
Business Class occupies the main bulk of the second floor, with four bathrooms for this section. The bathrooms on the A380 are nicely outfitted, but frankly, I prefer the bathrooms on the Dreamliner as these are way more spacious.
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| Watching the new Ridley Scott movie while enjoying Laduree desserts onboard the A380 to London yesterday, living a #Travelife… |
The A380 business class seats are almost like the business class seats on the Dreamliner. No significant difference to me in terms of the monitor and the seat.
And just like with the Dreamliner, when you’re ready to sleep, the staff actually make you up a proper bed with a thin mattress and a duvet.
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| That’s the bar for First and Business class passengers on the A380 to London |
The best part about the business class section of the A380 is its bar at the end of the section, just before Premium Economy.
It’s a really respectable size for a lounge with lots of seating area and a massive bar that will serve any kind of drink. If you’re claustrophobic on a plane, this is certainly the one you should be taking.
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Interestingly, when we went over just to try the bar out, there were a couple of other Filipinos in the bar — part of an entire family traveling on the same plane on their way to Scotland for a university graduation.
So you might say that the A380 to London yesterday was pretty much like being at a bar in Makati on a Saturday night, living a never-endingly eventful #Travelife.
