• Introduction
• Check-in: British Airways Galleries Lounge, Mumbai
• Check-in: Clipper Lounge First Class, Mumbai
• Airborne: Flight CX 750 (BOM-BKK), Cathay Pacific, Economy
• Millennium Hilton Hotel, Bangkok
• Around Bangkok
• Hilton Hotel, Pattaya
• Around Pattaya
• Radisson Suites, Bangkok
• Check-in: Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge, Bangkok
• Check-in: British Airways/Qantas First Class Lounge, Bangkok
• Check-in: Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge, Bangkok
• Airborne: Flight CX 709 (BKK-BOM), Cathay Pacific, Economy
• Conclusion

---

Thailand has been a case of so close yet so far for me. I know of a zillion (exaggerating!) Indians who frequent Thailand as if it in were their backyard, some for shopping, and others for a quick vacation. However, for me it just remained an occasional transit airport (BKK) when travelling across to Japan, etc.

This year, when it came to planning a vacation with the family, I decided I will try to break the jinx and at least get myself into Thailand for a quick trip. I further pushed my agenda when I saw domestic airfares were going through the roof, and a return ticket for Srinagar (SXR) from Mumbai (BOM) was going to cost way more than a return ticket to Bangkok (BKK). Considering I was paying for four tickets, you can do the maths yourself about why Bangkok looked more appealing to everyone all of a sudden.

Because I had my parents along, and they like doing the touristy stuff, while I like to relax on my vacations, I figured the best of both worlds would come together if we stay in a good hotel and not go to more than a couple of cities while there for a week. So, Bangkok was obviously there on the list because how can you leave it out, and we decided to head over to nearby Pattaya for the weekend we were spending in the country, rather than wander off far away to an island 1.5 hours of flying.

Keeping it simple, me and my brother were going to fly in from Mumbai (BOM) while the parents were going to come over from Delhi (DEL). There were some excellent fares from Mumbai on Cathay Pacific, so I went about booking those for ourselves. I booked my parents on a Thai Airways flight since that seemed the only reasonable full-service option, and had a wide-body service from Delhi, while old favourite Jet Airways wanted a premium price of upto 25-30% more than other carriers, for flying them on a narrow body Boeing 737 plane into BKK. Cathay Pacific also fitted my personal flying patterns fully since I was going to be eligible for all oneworld Emerald status benefits on these flights.

(Map courtesy: gcmap.com)

The vacation also came at a wonderful time, since the Club Carlson Giveaway was on, and it gave me the opportunity to check into some Club Carlson properties and get as many Club Carlson points in as possible.

I admit, I haven’t been on my best speed on trip reports but I promise to try for the better!

Live From A Lounge is also present on Facebook, Twitter and available via RSS.