My review of Alaska Lounge, Los Angeles Terminal 6
I need to fly to Seattle from Los Angeles, and my original plan was to spend my United Travelbank credit. However, I spotted redemption availability on ba.com for Alaska Air, and it’s really difficult to say no to its attractive price (9,000 Avios + £5).
Travelling on Alaska Air also opens up great opportunities for me to try out the Oneworld lounges at Los Angeles airport, thanks to my British Airways Gold status. From what I understand the following three are the best options:
- American Airlines Flagship Lounge
- Oneworld Business Lounge
- Qantas First Lounge
I didn’t get to visit the Flagship Lounge this time but managed the other two, which are both truly impressive. However, as I’m flying Alaska I decided to give their lounge a chance too.
Alaska uses Terminal 6 of the Los Angeles airport, and the Alaska Lounge is next to Gate 64B which happens to be where my boarding is.
You need to take the lift up to enter the lounge.
Similar to most other (if not all) US airlines, travelling on Alaska Air’s First class or being their elite member doesn’t necessitate lounge access. However, if you hold Emerald or Sapphire status with any other program than Alaska and American (in my case British Airways), then you can access the Alaska Lounge as long as you are travelling on an Oneworld flight.
The lounge is quite small. In fact upon entering I can almost see its entirety.
There are some long sofas as well as semi-private padded seats. They all feature a small table.
A couple of long standing desks suitable as a temporary workstation.
And also a bar.
It’s 10am in the morning. Oatmeal, scrambled eggs and some other breakfast snacks are served.
There’s a pancake machine which from what I heard is a signature of Alaska Air’s lounges.
The lounge is quite busy and I didn’t stay long before moving on. It’s not a terrible place let me be clear, however as long as you have enough time you should definitely use the Oneworld Business Lounge instead which is a totally different level.
TAP Portugal sale: London to Cancun and Brazil for £1,100
TAP Portugal’s sale has returned, which includes some bargains if you are looking to travel to Cancun or Brazil.
The offer page for UK departure is here. There are similar deals for departures from Portugal, Spain and France etc, so if you are based in those countries you may want to check it out too.
The most attractive deals listed on the page are (ex-London or -Manchester, business class return):
- Cancun £1,262
- Rio de Janeiro £1,333
- Sao Paolo £1,334
Cancun is wide open from April, however for Brazil in order to get the cheap fare you have to depart in October and beyond. Here are a couple of examples:
London – Cancun April 18 – 22
London – Sao Paolo November 17 – 26
Remember, you can always add a stopover in Lisbon / Porto for over 24 hours, which helps you escape from UK’s ridiculous APD. You can expect to save about £150:
Ticket is refundable at a penalty of €165. From what I can see travel agencies are only slightly cheaper than TAP Portugal, so I recommend booking direct, which makes your life much easier if there’s a flight schedule change or you want to cancel your flight.
The booking class is J, and you will earn between 125% and 200% with TAP Portugal’s partners.
My review of Qantas First Lounge, Los Angeles
My Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold) is expiring in a month’s time, and I’m glad to check off another Oneworld first lounge before then. After cruising in the LAX Oneworld Business Lounge, I’m trying out thr Qantas First Lounge which is just about 20 meters away.
As long as your Oneworld Emerald status is not from American or Alaska, you can access the lounge before your flight with any Oneworld airline.
Unlike the business lounge, the first lounge is one big block that’s square-shaped with no apparent segregation between different function areas. There are a few “sunloungers” on the left facing the interior of the building.
On the right-hand side there are arrays of one-seat sofas.
The lounge is fully open-plan, and I feel intimacy and cosiness are missing.
There are a few self-service stations for alcohol. It’s too early to drink so I didn’t pay attention to the wine choices.
The bar, dining zone and kitchen are at the end of the lounge.
Unlike in the business lounge, there’s no buffet here and you order from a menu instead.
I don’t find the menu appealing, and only ordered a pancake. They served it to my adjacent seat by mistake and I didn’t realise until half an hour later…
Lunch is available from 12pm, but my flight won’t wait for me. I searched online for the lunch menu afterwards, and it doesn’t look especially good either.
In contrast with the business lounge, I find the first lounge uninspiring and lacking in its own soul. Unless you really desire a proper dining experience with a menu to order from, I think the business lounge is a better option.
My review of Oneworld Business Lounge, Los Angeles
In my last post I briefly reviewed the Alaska Air Lounge, which as I had suspected had nothing to write home about. In just three minutes I started making my way to the Oneworld Business Lounge, and I’m really excited!
The Oneworld Business Lounge is located inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal. It’s connected to all other terminals airside though so it’s possible to visit it no matter which terminal you fly from. But from Terminal 2 or 3 you need to take a shuttle.
Alaska is based in Terminal 6, and it took me, a fast-walker a good ten minutes to reach the lounge. Terminal 4 is right next to Tom Bradley but all other terminals require a long connection.
It’s the first time I see a lounge named after the Oneworld alliance. You can see the names of Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways inscribed on the wall which presumably are the main sponsors of the lounge. I’m surprised that American Airlines isn’t one of them.
As a reminder, you cannot access the lounge by being an elite member or flying business / first class with American or Alaska, with the exception of select long-haul flights. However, if you are a Sapphire or Emerald member with any other Oneworld airlines (in my case BA), you can enter the lounge as long as you are on a Oneworld flight.
A very long sofa is behind the entrance. On the left-hand side there’s a business area, with armchairs, hot desks and a printer.
The bar shares the same design with the one in Qantas Lounge at Heathrow. You can help yourself to the wines and beers, but champagne is not offered.
A nice, warm circular bar lounge is further down the aisle.
In the dining area there are many dining tables and buffet counters.
It’s about 10am so breakfast is served. In addition to the traditional English breakfast there are some unusual options such as noodles with cheese, red bean curry and ratatouille.
The biggest impression on me is how huge the lounge is. There are a lot of atrium-facing seats available if you fancy more light.
The best Oneworld airline lounge I’ve visited is the Al Mourjan Lounge at Doha, without any doubt. The Oneworld Business Lounge at LAX is probably the (not-so-close) second, beating Cathay’s The Wing at HKG and BA’s Galleries First at LHR.
If you depart from LAX and have sufficient time, skip the Alaska Lounge and Admirals Club and come straight to the Qantas lounge, as it’s at a totally different level!
My review of W Hollywood
After a one-night transition at Courtyard Santa Monica I’m continuing my journey at the W Hollywood hotel. Although my friends recommend me to stay at the Beverley Hills / West Hollywood area, hotel rates there are extortionate and it’s hard to find reward availability, so I’m taking a compromise.
The W is very conveniently located on the Walk of Fame, and about 20 minutes walk to the Chinese Theatre. It’s built above a metro station, and with public transport you could visit places of interest like LACMA, Griffith Observatory and Beverley Hills rather easily.
If you arrive in car you’ll enter the hotel through its car park and back door. The logo is as flamboyant as the W brand usually implicates. The reception and lobby bar look very nice too.
My suite night award was declined… again! I’m upgraded to a corner room with Hollywood Hills view instead. However my room key suggests it’s located on the fourth floor, and I doubt I could anticipate any view from that height.
The room is just white and cold. I’m not saying it’s bad, but it’s totally the opposite of the standard W vibe which should be radiating passion and lust from every corner of the room.
The bed is unusually low, and comfortable enough. There is another… bed? on the windowsill which I assume is for kids.
As I suspected the room hardly has any view to sell, although higher floors (the hotel has 12 in total) should have a better chance of seeing the hill. The room doesn’t proof sound very well, but most of the time there aren’t many noises.
There’s no bathroom. The shower’s knob was stuck and I had to get someone to fix it.
They don’t have the most attentive cleaning team either. I had a coffee from the espresso machine, and neither was the paper cup replaced or capsule refilled the next day.
The rooftop pool and viewing deck is named WET.
Facilities are great – there are chaise lounges, cabanas and even beds, take your pick! You need to pre-book (not sure if for free) in peak seasons, but it’s getting cold in November already so not a lot of guests are around.
View is awesome. To my disappoint they don’t have a jacuzzi – I should have enjoyed my time back in the Courtyard!
By the way, the hotel charges a $29 daily destination fee, a notorious U.S. custom that you have to put up with. It includes $29 credit to spend at the WET bar so feel free to order a drink here. Other potentially useful perks include tickets for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Big Bus (red line only).
Titanium members get breakfast vouchers to use at the Daphne restaurant.
According to the voucher you must choose from a certain set menu. However you could also order anything from the “normal” menu instead, and have a $30 credit per person.
The eggs benedict and croissant are very good quality.
The hotel is located conveniently in Hollywood for tourists, and has a beautiful lobby, bar and swimming pool. The guest room may let you down though, but in general I keep my expectations low when staying at U.S. hotels.
My review of Courtyard Santa Monica
My US trip begins with Los Angeles and I’m gonna stay here for three nights. I’ve chosen Courtyard Santa Monica to spend my first night, reasons being:
- Santa Monica is an area recommended by my friends
- My flight arrives late, and Santa Monica is relatively close to the airport
- As it’s just a short transition before I head into the city, I don’t need a full-service hotel
It’s a quick 20-minute’s drive from the LAX-IT ride pick-up site. The hotel isn’t at the forefront of the waterside, but is only about 15 minutes to the beach and it’s easy to navigate on foot. Bus and metro can bring you to downtown LA and Beverley Hills easily.
The hotel has got a pretty big lobby and a business centre for browsing the Internet and printing.
I didn’t receive an upgrade this time. I could have used my suite night upgrade voucher for the Partial Sea View Suite, but redeeming it at a Courtyard seems to be a waste.
The room is simple but spacious. The corner sofa is a nice touch.
A Rest and Recharge kit is provided, containing a tea bag and some earplugs.
The Hampton Inn across the street appears to be a nicer property, as the exterior looks smarter and many rooms feature a balcony.
There is an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. I didn’t get to try them out but they look decent enough.
Also a small gym.
There is a small Starbucks outlet inside the hotel which serves breakfast. I chose $10 as my welcome amenity and paid $13 in addition for this:
How stupid I am! I should have just accepted the points instead…
My 4pm late checkout was granted when I checked in, however the cleaner and manager still came to knock on my door twice knowing when I was going to depart. Anyway, if you are looking for just a room in Santa Monica, this hotel does its job.
TAP Portugal business class sale: UK to Brazil / Mexico / US from £1200
TAP Portugal has brought back its attractive business class (Executive) sale to the Americas. The price isn’t as good as the last time but it’s still a decent deal.
You can check out the offer page here. Here’s a summary:
- Book by October 2
- Travel between September 19 and June 30, 2023
- Christmas / New York / Easter periods are excluded
- Depart from London or Manchester
The deal is valid for departures from mainland Europe as well, for example Spain, France and Germany. Spain had some very cheap fares (€999) in the last promotion, but I didn’t see anything particularly attractive this time.
These are the headline fares:
- From £1249 – Cancun
- From £1249 – Brazil (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia etc)
- From £1359 – US and Canada
There are two kinds of business class fares – Executive and Top Executive. The latter is more expensive, but flexible and accumulates more miles.
Here are some examples:
London – Cancun October 2 – October 8 (link)
London – Rio de Janeiro January 19 – January 29 (link)
London – Toronto December 8 – December 12 (link)
You can add a stopover in Lisbon or Porto, which will affect the final price. Buying from an online agency is usually slighter cheaper than from TAP Portugal directly, but that would potentially lead to a headache if the flight schedule changes, so it’s your call.
Book Virgin Chauffeur service for 17,500 points
Like many other airlines that wanted to impress their premium passengers onboard and off the plane, Virgin Atlantic used to offer free chauffeur service to Upper Class customers. The service has died down over the years though, and they no longer offer it in-house, but have partnered with a third-party provider and it is not to free to anyone anymore.
However, it is still possible to book the chauffeur service with Virgin points. It has a very limited audience though: only Upper Class reward tickets (booking class G) are eligible, although upgrade from paid Premium tickets are booked in the same class so I believe they qualify too.
You can read about the benefit here.
- It’s available at UK and US airports
- You pay 17,500 points per way
- It covers a 75-mile radius from the airport
- In the US it’s possible to pay $3.5 per mile if your travel distance exceeds 75 miles
I live near Heathrow, so Uber or Bolt costs me only £30 therefore the benefit doesn’t really apply. However, if you live further away it might start to make sense.
As you can see, the 75-mile radius covers almost the entire Southeast, as well as many other counties around London (I never realised England was so small).
If you already have a Virgin ticket, you could make a dummy chauffeur booking online to see what kind of car and service to expect. If I remember correctly their partner is Tristar, which was acquired by Addison Lee in 2020.
17,500 points isn’t cheap, but if you travel from far and especially with many bags, it may be a great redemption choice.