Traveling with Claude has always been a nice way to treat myself to luxury travel. It’s not a thing I can afford or do often. However, Claude is not a budget traveler, so whenever he can, he attempts to travel in business class, dine in some of the nice lounges, and try luxe cuisine from around the globe. Needless to say, our mode of travel is vastly different from one another. But on this trip to Asia, my partner Claude wanted to celebrate his birthday in Hong Kong with a few side trips to other Asian destinations.

Qantas Lounging

Because Claude has a high status in all major alliances, he gets into the fanciest of lounges. He also travels far more than I do and is more or less on the go at all times of the year. So if you think I travel a lot, I really don’t.

I save my pennies for Berlin, Madrid, Paris, and, well, Puerto Vallarta, but I kind of live in PV, part of the year. So maybe let’s not count that.

Our trip began with a nice treat to the Qantas Lounge, where we ate a nice dinner before boarding our long 12-hour flight to HKG (Hong Kong International Airport).

The Qantas Lounge is big and nicely decorated. It feels more like a restaurant than a lounge. That’s because they have a sit-down service where a waiter seats you and takes your order. And since it’s dinner time, we quickly get seated and decide on what we’ll have for dinner.

The Food

I’m not really a drinker, but sometimes I can’t help but want a Bloody Mary, and usually, I take a sip, hate it, and leave it alone. But the Qantas Lounge makes the perfect, semi-spicy Bloody Mary’s. It was scrumptious.

I got a tuna tartar that came on toast with avocado and a Japanese pork dish.

Both dishes were good, although I found the tuna tartar to be a little messy.

It seemed like you could eat it with your hands, but the bread wasn’t strong enough to hold anything, and it folden on itself each time I picked it up.

So I attempted to use a fork and knife, but the bread was too thick to cut into, and I felt like an idiot using a lot of strength to cut it, which made the entire table shake. I guess I have to give it up and look like a fool eating it either way. As long as it’s tasty, I suppose.

LAX to HKG

Business class tickets were about $4,000 round trip, so we opted to purchase a coach ticket and upgrade with points to premium economy on Cathay Pacific.

I’ve heard good things about premium economy on Cathay, but if I’m being honest, I don’t really have a lot of opinions about it.

Boarding was quick. It felt a little chaotic, but nothing over the top.

LAX workers were rude as usual, yelling at people to get out of their way. No surprise there.

Once we were airborne, we were given a meal, and I fell asleep for 10 of the 12 hours we were in the air. Mind you, it was supposed to be a 14-hour flight, but we arrived early.

It was a great way to spend the time, I have to say. I’m not a great plane sleeper. So, it surprised me.

Day Sleepers

Upon arriving at HKG around 6am, we rented a day room inside the airport to rest and have a place to stay before the typical 3 pm hotel check-in at The Rennaisance in Wan Chai.

I’ve stayed at that hotel before and, oh my god, I love it. So, I couldn’t wait to get there.

We ventured to the nearest 711, grabbed some snacks, got some more shut-eye, and eventually ventured to the hotel we stayed in for the remainder of our time in Hong Kong.

I’m Excited

The last time we were in Hong Kong was in July of 2019, as the protests started. I took my parents to HK and Macau, which they loved. But then, the pandemic happened, and the world worried about what would happen to Hong Kong. So, this was a good way to see what changes, if any, have happened due to China reclaiming its territory and the drawbacks of covid. Is Hong Kong a ghost town? Is there no more English spoken in the city? Does it feel repressive towards Western foreigners like I read online? Are the gay bars still there? I guess the only way to learn the answers to these questions is to see for ourselves.