1. Introduction
   
2. Positioning flights to San Francisco, Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, and Some Dim Sum for the Day
   
3. Cathay’s New San Francisco Lounge
   
4. Cathay Pacific First Class, San Francisco – Hong Kong
   
5. The Wing and Cathay Pacific First Class, Hong Kong – Singapore
   
6. A Grand Suite at the Grand Hyatt Singapore
   
7. Eating in Singapore
   
8. Dinner at Waku Ghin, Marina Bay Sands
   
9. Singapore Airlines Business Class: Singapore – Male
   
10. Transfer to the Park Hyatt Hadahaa, Maldives
    
11. Park Hyatt Maldives – Part I
    
12. Park Hyatt Maldives – Part II
    
13. Park Hyatt Maldives – Part III
    
14. Maldivian, Kaadehdhoo – Male
    
15. Singapore Airlines Business Class, Male – Singapore
    
16. Cathay Pacific Business Class, Singapore – Hong Kong
    
17. Conrad Hong Kong
    
18. Cathay Pacific First Class, Hong Kong – Chicago
    
19. American’s Chicago Flagship Lounge and the Final Journey Home

I had originally booked a 65 minute connection in Hong Kong, since that flight meant onward travel in first class instead of business, but as the flight an hour later switched aircraft to offer a first class cabin as well I decided a few weeks out to give myself a two hour connection instead. That would allow me a quick visit to the lounge and a shower, and since it would have been about 36 hours since I had one… I saw that as a humanitarian act, for my fellow Singapore-bound passengers.

My connection to Singapore was posted as departing from gate 3 so I made the trek over to the Wing, where I’d try to grab a cabana. There can at peak morning times be a wait for those, but fortunately there was one available. The rooms are showing their wear but they remain one of the best shower room options at any airport, in any lounge (I suppose my first preference goes to the showers in the Thai Airways spa in Bangkok, but then that’s probably because those shower rooms come with massages!).

There’s a tub, a shower, a toilet room, and a bit of an ‘outdoor’ seating area inside the lounge. A deck, as it were. Plenty of space, and plenty of relaxation, though I really only had a short time to shower and get changed. I was there to freshen up, so I had a coffee in the lounge, didn’t visit the dining area (which I’m not a fan of, it’s an interior room with a buffet and there was a line about 8 people deep for a table, I’d have just gone to the buffet and brought a plate back to the lounge seating areas to eat rather than waiting, but I wasn’t hungry in any case — fortunately I understand that with the pending renovation to the first class side of the Wing there’ll be a change in dining concept offering better food and service).

Freshened up, I made my way to gate 3 only to find that it wasn’t the Singapore flight…. whoa, I suppose I should have checked the monitors before leaving the lounge but I had burned my time over coffee and shower and didn’t take the time to verify my gate. The flight was already boarding, and had been for a few minutes, I realized that I’d have to schlepp all the way down past the gate 16 lounge. There were a couple of Cathay employees along the way with signage due to the gate change, I made it down finally as about the last to board, and quickly found my first class seat on the 777 to Singapore.

I just wanted some water as a pre-departure beverage.

We were quickly on our way, this foggy morning.

Breakfast was served, I skipped most of the courses having already eaten a few hours prior and simply had the dim sum (again).

They brought me a bottle of water, I flipped to a movie, and promptly closed my eyes…

I woke up shortly before landing in Singapore. We disembarked and were to immigration quickly, where there was about a 10 minute wait for foreign visitors, but that meant our bags were on the carousel waiting for us. We walked through customs and into the arrivals hall where there was a representative from the Grand Hyatt waiting for us, he walked us outside and brought around the car for our ~ 30 minute ride (with a bit of traffic) to the hotel.