We had a magical time in Hong Kong over Christmas. It really was beautiful. This was taken on Christmas Day after we'd spent most of the day at Big Wave Beach in the Southern District.
And on Boxing Day, this is where you now join us. Heading to the Metro station.
We boarded at Kowloon and headed directly to the airport on the MTR Airport Express line.
The journey was comfortable but coming in at around £12.00 per person, it's not that much cheaper than a direct taxi. We'd paid £28 the day earlier for a taxi from Hong Kong International to Mong Kok, where we were staying.
HKG was certainly in the Christmas spirit with decorations, baubles, tinsel and trees galore!
Check-in was very easy. We did it through the app but there were plenty of self-service kiosk and Cathay Pacific representatives on hand to assist if we so needed.
With a business class ticket comes lounge access and you have the choice of three at HKG. The Pier, The Wing and The Deck. We went to The Pier, arguably the best.
You descend one level down into this oasis of calm. It really is a beautifully designed lounge.
There's so much space and various different seating areas. It really does feel like a home away from home.
There's this beautiful bar with an array of spirits, wines, champagne, cocktails and more on offer.
There were also four seasonal Christmas drinks available too.
My next stop: the Noodle Bar. A famous feature of most CX lounges around the world. It really is a brilliant feature.
Lots to choose from too, you can't beat the delicious wonton soup with noodles and chilli oil, though!
Next stop: the JING Tea House. This is beautiful. Dark, dimly lit and really cosy. A great place to unwind and relax.
And lots of really interesting and rare teas to choose from too.
Even the husband got stuck in to a pot of tea whilst reading the China Daily newspaper!
The Pier lounge is also brilliant for planespotting, with really clear views of the apron and up close encounters with an array of narrow and widebody aircraft. It's great to just sit back, relax and spot for a while.
My breakfast of the wonton noodle soup with extra spring onion and chilli oil.
And the drink of choice? A negroni. Got to get my five a day in!
Here's something you don't see everyday, certainly back home in Europe anyway, an Aeroflot Airbus A330.
Then it was time to head to Gate 46 to board our aircraft.
We were flying on this 14 year old Boeing 777-300ER series aircraft. It amazes me that CX portion so much of their widebody fleet to such short Asian hops like this. It's brilliant!
The cabin is in a 1/2/1 herringbone configuration. It's not the Aria Suite but certainly a welcome upgrade from their Domestic 2/2/2 business class configuration.
And here's my seat for this quick hop over to Taiwan. I was in 23A.
No cramp here, the legroom is exceptionally good.
A hot towel was served just moments after I sat in my seat.
And this was shortly followed by a pre-departure drink of my choice and a menu. I opted for the Cathay Delight smoothie drink. It was great and features a blend of kiwi juice, coconut milk, milk, and fresh mint.
And with that, we soared out of HKG on our way over to Taipei.
There was just enough time to test out the lie-flat mode on the seat. It's really comfortable, quite wide and very spacious. Not their latest product, but certainly a comfortable one for sure.
Hey!
Even the husband who comes in at 6 foot 3 inches was comfortable! That's a rarity…
And the entire seating area is so large you can even comfortable accommodate a guest!
The menu was really extensive for a flight not much longer than 60 minutes. I was really impressed with Cathay's offering on this route. Back home you'd be lucky to get a shortbread biscuit!
Lunch was served quite quickly. I suspect the CX crew started cooking on the ground to expedite service.
I went for the grilled prime Australian beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, carrots, beans and mushrooms. This was served with bread, butter, a fruit salad and the strawberry mousse dessert. I also had a glass of still water and a glass of their Chateau d'Arche Blanc, a Bordeaux white wine from 2023.
The husband went for the steamed halibut with Chinese gooseberry sauce and pickled young ginger. His drink of a choice: a Manhattan cocktail.
And with that, as the plates were cleared, we had started our descent into TPE.
The business class toilets are about double in size to those in economy and very spacious. They were spotlessly clean, too.
They're also stocked with Bamford toiletries.
Nice and thundery on approach. This was a particularly bumpy landing!
And that was it, a blissful 70 minute hop over to Taipei with warm Asian hospitality and that signature Cathay Pacific smile. A wonderful journey that I wouldn't hesitate to book again. Thanks, as always, for reading and watching! See you next week…
