Bali-hi has called me in 3 pictures

Full reports to come, but here is our trip and arrival on three pictures.

Made it into the Skyteam lounge due to a status match with Qantas Gold status through Alitalia’s frequent flyer program. Probably not actually going to fly with Alitalia, so glad I got this benefit before the card outdates in early 2017.  Also discovered that the Skyteam Lounge at Sydney International is also a Priority Pass lounge. Oh, and they have updated the plantings now, so it actually looks lush.

I am lucky enough through a combination of good fortune, hard work, money, and good frequent flyer points acquisition to usually fly in something other than economy on medium to long haul international. Not this time. Slightly less than six hours on a daytime flight should be do-able right? Well it is. But as I age, the space restrictions, sheer numbers of people, plus my increasing lack of physical flexabilty, make economy less comfortable.  Still, Garuda and their staff do pretty well.

And – hey, there is a pot-of-gold at the end of the rainbow – an upgrade to a villa with a pool at the 4 Seasons at Sayan near Ubud, Bali – for a week.

Upgraded to a Villa with plunge pool, as per booking, but lucked out on King bed. We were offered alternatives, but they either involved a downgrade, no pool, or a room move after 5 nights. We picked the queen beds x 2 option.

OK so we didn’t get a King bed, but we did get a pool. Still no complaints.

Look forward to some more detailed reviews over the coming fortnight. We have 7 NIGHTS here!