Wineshark UK Trip 2024 - Day 1

With more and more of my best friends moving to UK, I decide to plan a trip before the summer holidays, for vacation and to visit them. My last visit to London was already 20 years ago, so this trip I aim to spend a bit more time to ‘re-explore’ the city, as well as going to Tamworth and Edinburgh.

Taking advantage of the popular Cathay Pacific Vantage Pass program, I purchase the round-trip business class tickets to London at $38,130 (also including another round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo). It is a very good deal and no wonder the allotment had sold out very quickly.

Coming to the airport in the morning, it is very busy with lots of travellers. Fortunately, I got upgraded to Diamond tier this year so can enjoy a speedy check-in process at First counter and much shorter queue through security, leveraging the courtesy channel.

We then go to The Wing, Cathay’s First-Class Lounge, conveniently located just beside the immigration hall. In The Haven, the restaurant, there is buffet and a la carte menu available, where I go for the Chinese breakfast, featuring dim sum, congee, and noodles.

Taking a short rest at the comfortable sofa in the lounge before moving to the gate, it is a smooth process, before we board our flight CX239. We have reserved the middle seats 14D and 14G on the A350-900 plane.

The plane takes off relatively on-time. A full 5-course lunch is served soon afterwards, with two appetizers, a soup, a main course, and dessert (plus cheese if required). My chosen main course of pork belly is a collaboration with Michelin-starred Louise, surprisingly delicious in fact.

Apart from the main course, another highlight of the meal is the choice of wine. On this flight they have a red wine from China Ningxia, which I found rich with good complexity, much in contrast to the usual subpar experience from other wines served in business class.

I have watched two movies on the flight and slept a few hours as well. Breakfast is served before landing. I have picked seafood fried noodles, but it is not as good compared with the lunch earlier. After an uneventful 14 hours the plane lands at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3.

Hearing there were some industrial actions by the airport staff a couple of weeks ago, we have concerns whether it will take a long time through immigration and customs. But it is relatively smooth and we only spend 45 minutes before leaving the airport.

Already at 7pm the sky is still bright, with a comfortably cool temperature. We take taxi to go to the hotel for the first part of our stay, Sea Containers London, located on South Bank, close to many tourist destinations. The ride takes about one hour, costing £108.

Sea Containers London is a chic hotel with a design reminiscent of a 1920s transatlantic cruise liner, with contemporary features and cutting-edge modern designs by Tom Dixon. The large blue art piece outside the entrance looks to me like a chain anchoring the hotel to South Bank.

The staff at the reception is friendly and helpful, sharing with us the locations of restaurant and the different bars in the hotel, including the famous Lyaness, the flagship cocktail bar by Ryan Chetiyawardana (a.k.a. Mr. Lyan), awarded World’s Best Bars No. 54 this year.

There is also a gym which opens to hotel guests 24 hours a day, a spa called Agua to unwind during the stay, and most interestingly, a mini cinema called Curzon which has 56 seats, opening every Friday evenings to Sunday.

Having to spend five nights here, we have booked the larger Studio, about 50 sqm in size. Our room (Room 340) is also wheelchair accessible, enjoying an even bigger space, with double bed, a large sofa, writing desk and chair, two walk-in closets, and a toilet with showers and bathtub.

The room is comfortable, clean, and neat. However, I think the lighting can be improved, as it is too dark even with the curtains fully opened. Also, the windows are looking out to the adjacent building so there is no river view. Cost per night is £404 including breakfast for two.

As it is already quite late, we have dinner inside the hotel, at Sea Containers Restaurant located on the ground floor, having also an outdoor terrace looking out to River Thames. It is an all-day dining restaurant, with an American-British menu designed for sharing.

The restaurant is busy, and I am not sure we will have a table without reservation. Seated beside the windows, looking out to the buildings on the opposite bank under the dimming sky, it is relaxing with an inclusive environment, and nice music playing in the background.

We order the Maryland Crab Cake and Bibb Lettuce to share as starters, followed by our individual main course. I pick Suffolk Pork Chop with Fries on the side, while Ivy opts for Cornish Bone-In Lemon Sole. The food is generally quite good, just a bit salty.

Because I have joined the loyalty program of the hotel, there is a 10% discount on consumptions in the hotel. Together with bottled water, a mocktail and a glass of sparkling wine, the bill is £126. Feeling tired from the travel, we go back to the room to take an early rest.