Orchid, Elephant, Turtle: Trip Planning
Thai Airways A350 Business Class SIN-BKK
Conrad Bangkok (Executive Corner)
Thai Airways Business Class BKK-USM
Conrad Koh Samui (Oceanview Pool Villa)
Thai Airways B777 Business Class USM-BKK-SIN
So it was when flying back from Ko Samui to Singapore that I started regretting doing the entire journey on Thai Airways โ since Ko Samui is located pretty much halfway between Bangkok and Singapore, having to transit at Bangkok effectively quadrupled the travel time required.
Still, an interesting experience, even if one Iโm unlikely to repeat in the future, and Iโve captured some highlights below.
Samui Airport
Being rather used to flying through air-conditioned city airports, Samui Airport was a bit of an eye-opener for me. Thereโs something quaint and charming about an airport that decides to place aquariums in the toilet to entertain you while youโฆ go.
Most of the airport was very much open, with not an air-conditioner in sight. Thereโs something about walking within the airport towards your departure gate without a roof over your head.
Iโd hate to be there when itโs raining, though.
When you finally get to the gate, there are some trams to bring you to the plane. Since we had some time to kill, we decided to check out the lounge first.
Blue Ribbon Club (Bangkok Airways Lounge) USM
The Thai Airways business ticket granted me access to the Blue Ribbon Club, which appeared to be the only lounge(s) in the airport (according to an old FlyerTalk thread, thereโre an international and domestic one, and Iโd visited the rather lacklustre international lounge).
Itโs essentially just a small room with a rather limited range of items you can order off the menu.
Thereโs also a bunch of snacks โ nothing particularly appealing, really.
I did enjoy being able to get a whole coconut while in the lounge.
All in all, a rather skippable experience. Think Iโd rather have spent more time walking around the airport!
USM-BKK (Boeing 737)
The flight back to Bangkok was on the same Boeing 737 hardware that I took from BKK.
Again, no in-flight menu was provided for the domestic trip, though the meal looked rather less offensive/bewildering to non-Asians.
Royal Silk Lounge BKK
Unfortunately, due to lack of foresight, the 1h transit time in BKK did not really offer much time in the lounge, other than to snap some quick pictures before running off to the departure gate.
All in all, it seemed like a rather serviceable place. Wish Iโd had more time to stay there!
BKK-SIN (Boeing 777)
The flight back was on a Boeing 777. Though not the swanky A350, as an international (albeit short-haul) flight the hardware was pretty decent, with a good amount of legroom.
There were in-flight menus again! After the regional flights I was getting used to life without them. I ordered the green curry with fishballs โ it was tasty enough, though nothing fantastic.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, while I enjoyed the A350 experience, the bulk of Thaiโs hardware for short-haul flights fails to impress. Unless youโre flying long-haul on newer hardware, Iโd suggest saving your miles/money for better usage!
