Rhys’ travel highlights of 2023

I didn’t think I’d beat 2022’s bumper year of travel but here we are at the end of 2023 and I’ve travelled (slightly) further and to more (I think) destinations. I’ve certainly spent more time in hotels!

Even more impressive is the fact that I squeezed it all into 11 months, after deciding to spend December in the UK. Sometimes it’s good to spend time in one place – by the end of November, at the end of a long run of trips, I was quite glad to turn my back on the airport. (Albeit not before doing a quick sightseeing tour of the new No1 Lounge at Luton – article to follow.)

In numbers, I spent just over 332 hours flying – about 40 hours more than in 2022 – traversing 141,000 miles. I’ve also stayed at 42 hotels – an increase of about 16%. You can see more of my flight stats on My FlightRadar24.

Of my 64 flights, a small majority were business (31) – whilst 28 were in economy, primarily short haul. I had two in First (British Airways) and three in Premium Economy (including United Airlines, reviewed here and Air Transat, reviewed here.)

Out of Africa

My first long haul trip of the year was with Ethiopian Airlines, now the largest airline in Africa. The timing couldn’t have been better, with the airline celebrating 50 years of flying to the UK, comemorated by a lovely event in Syon Park.

After trying the new fifth freedom Manchester-Geneva route with Ethiopian in 2022 it was good to experience the full long haul service they offer down to Addis Ababa before connecting onwards to Zanzibar. It was a particular treat to try the Ethiopian specialities that are available on board.

Lounging around

This year I’ve made it to a few lounges outside our core network. In February, I was invited to see the new ‘Extime’ concept that Aeroport de Paris is rolling out at Charles de Gaulle.

It’s a very impressive upgrade with improvements to all parts of the passenger experience, including luxury shopping, the gate areas and lounges. In fact, some of the gate areas are now so pleasant I think I’d sometimes prefer them to the lounge.

I returned to Charles de Gaulle later in the year for the opening of the new Star Alliance Lounge in Terminal 1. This is another impressive and world-class facility that has been thoughtfully designed. It is a major upgrade to the Star Alliance experience from Paris.

For a look at how independent airport lounges can be world-class facilities, look no further than the Vienna Lounge in (you guessed it) Vienna. This airport-run facility blew me away and softened the pain of my four hour flight delay.

The cream of the crop, however, was undoubtedly my visit to Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge. In my review I called it ‘the best lounge I’ve ever visited’ and I stand by that. Tranquil and luxurious, this is what all airlines should be aiming for. It’s now one of the few lounges to offer free spa treatments, too.

Homes away from home

This year I’ve spent more time at hotels than ever, spending 62 nights away from home. Early on in the year I did a number of staycations, reviewing six hotels in London including four from Hilton’s Curio Collection. (Only one is left, which I hope to do next year ….)

The highlight was undoubtedly Hotel Cafe Royal with its large, Asian-inspired suites and impressive spa right under Piccadilly Circus. Hotel Cafe Royal is part of The Set Collection and a member of Global Hotel Alliance.

My favourite hotels this year were not in London but, as you might expect, abroad.

The Conrad Riviera Maya, just north of Tulum, was an unexpected surprise. The brand new resort is nestled into the jungle but what blew me away was the polished service and excellent food – not always guaranteed on this stretch of the coast.

Closer to home, Six Senses Rome – one of the brand’s first city hotels – offered a unique aesthetic in the heart of the ancient city, image above.

Meanwhile, The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong offered spectacular views and undoubtedly one of the best outdoor viewing terraces in the world.

Two of my top hotel stays were in Indonesia. The new St Regis Jakarta, which re-opened following a full refurbishment from its previous life as a Four Seasons – is absolutely stunning with impeccable service.

On the other hand Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, offered the same excellent service but from a completely different setting perched above a meandering river.

From sea plane to super jumbo

I managed to tick off a bucket-list item this year, with a trip to the Maldives to celebrate the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s direct flights.

For pure novelty value, it’s hard to beat the inter-island sea plane experience offered by Trans Maldivian Airways, the largest sea plane operator in the world. I had to duck when standing inside but what a thrill to take off and land from the ocean itself, particularly when your captain is bare foot!

In contrast, my flight on Etihad’s behemoth A380 was the complete opposite. Smooth, quiet and totally gigantic, I still love flying the A380 wherever I can and it was a pleasure to be on board Etihad’s first A380 service since before the pandemic. I was blown away by the crew and food which were top notch.

Other flight reviews this year include:

• Air Transat Club Class (premium) review
• Cathay Pacific business class review
• Etihad A380 Business Studio review
• Luxair’s first flight from London City Airport
• Turkish Airlines short haul business class on an A321neo
• Turkish Airlines Boeing 787-9 business class
• United Polaris review
• United Premium Plus review

Give me a shout if you work at an airline and would like some coverage next year.

Sustainably sexy

Arguably my most important trip of the year, however, was Virgin Atlantic’s Flight100. With the support of the Department for Transport, Rolls Royce, Boeing and many more partners, Virgin Atlantic operated the world’s first transatlantic flight with 100% sustainable aviation fuel on a large commercial jet.`

Not only did it prove that the fuel (which was derived from waste cooking oils) worked, it also highlighted the industry’s oft-overlooked work to decarbonise and exerted pressure on the Government to increase the volume of production with further industrial support.

Ironically, though, it felt just like any other flight on board.

Conclusion

Looking back at my writing this past year I’m proud of the breadth of our coverage. There’s so much I haven’t included in this article, including interviews with airline CEOs, going behind-the-scenes at an airplane scrap yard and an in-depth look at how Lufthansa will be the first airline to have personally heated and cooled seats.

I’m already looking forward to 2024. After a ~6 week break from travel, I’ll be heading to Amsterdam and Bogota – the latter to review Iberia’s new A350 business class cabin.

To read Rob’s highlights and lowlights from 2023, including many which were never reviewed on the site because they were family trips, click here.