I flew on Thai Airways from Sydney to Narita via Bangkok using Continental miles (120,000 miles I think). The flight had a schedule change, so I actually had seven hours in Bangkok–not a bad airport to have such a long layover when in your own living room in the lounge (great mussaman curry!) and can take advantage of the spa and an hour-long massage.

Sydney to Bangkok was on an A340 and from Bangkok to Narita only two of us were in first class (Boeing 777). I was pretty much asleep takeoff to touchdown, but I did enjoy a couple of glasses of champagne during boarding and taxiing.

After landing in Japan at 6am ready to face a full day, I took the Narita Express to Shibya and then the Shinkansen on to Kyoto to stay at the Hyatt with points. This is a great hotel for it since the nightly rate is on the high side. I used the train and bus to explore the markets, shopping, castle, shrines and temples of Kyoto.

Back in Tokyo, I stayed at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The hotel itself is nice, although not the greatest location–but the staff make it amazing. I used points for the first night and was in a regular room. The second and third nights I used my two free nights from the Hyatt Chase card and was given a Park Twin Suite–a massive corner room with incredible views of the city.

On the return trip, the plane had been changed and the new A345 didn’t have first class. I chose business class instead of waiting a day to fly out on first class and was compensated with 15,000 baht. That was a great deal for me since the difference for that leg from first to business cost me 15,000 points and they gave me $480+. The experience was definitely a downgrade, but I survived–especially since I was asleep for all but about 90 minutes.

All in all, Tokyo remains one of my favorite places–especially when you can fly in first class and stay in great hotels, all on miles and points!

Name:
Amanda (ajb on Milepoint)

FFP miles spent:
120,000 Continental OnePass miles

Hotel points spent:
40,000 Gold Passport points (plus two free nights from the Hyatt Chase credit card)

Approximate fees:
$120

Airline(s) / Routing:
SYD-BKK-NRT-BKK-SYD

How booked:
Over the phone

Type of award(s):
First class

Hotel(s):
Park Hyatt Tokyo, Hyatt Kyoto

Month/year of trip:
November 2011