Welcome to my next trip report, which will recount my journey to three countries in the Middle East as well as to Turkey.
An Epic Middle East Adventure Many Times Over
A dear friend took an extended holiday in the Middle East in the spring. While familial and work obligations kept me from being gone for two months, I was able to go back and forth, enjoying key portions of the trip. The trip began in Dallas, where I flew the Qatar Airways A350-1000 to Doha in Qsuite business class. There, I spent five nights at the Four Seasons Doha, which was an exceptionally positive experience. I then flew home via Copenhagen, Helsinki, and London, enjoying the chance to experience a brand new Qatar Airways 787-9, Finnair A330, and British Airways 787-10, all in business class.
Next, I flew to Jordan…via Tokyo (as one does). JAL First Class from Los Angeles to Tokyo, Qatar Airways 777 Qsuite from Tokyo to Doha, then Qatar Airways A330 to Amman. Jordan was my favorite part of the trip, with time spent at the Red Sea, biblical sites, Petra, and finally Amman.
From Amman, we flew to Cairo, played tourist, and then visited Alexandria, staying at the Four Seasons in both cities. I then flew home via Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, London, Bogota, and Houston…oh yeah, I love a good mileage ticket.
Finally, I flew Turkish Airlines back to Istanbul, where I rejoined my friend before we flew home in Lufthansa First class via Frankfurt.
Here’s what you have to look forward to:
- American Airlines 787-9 Business Class Los Angeles – Dallas
- Thompson Dallas
- Four Seasons Dallas
- American Express Centurion Lounge DFW
- American Airlines Admirals Club DFW
- Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Dallas – Doha
- Four Seasons Doha
- Park Hyatt Doha
- Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge DOH
- Qatar Airways 787-9 Business Class Doha – Copenhagen
- Carlsberg Aviator Lounge CPH
- Finnair A321 Business Class Copenhagen – Helsinki
- Hotel St. George Helsinki (Marriott Design Hotels)
- Great Coffee In Helsinki
- Finnair “New” A330 Business Class Helsinki – London
- Lunch Is About The Closest I’ll Come To Cathay Pacific
- British Airways 787-10 Business Class London – Chicago
- Oneworld Lounge LAX
- JAL 777-300ER First Class Los Angeles – Tokyo
- JAL First Class Lounge Tokyo NRT
- Qatar Airways 777-300 Business Class Tokyo – Doha
- Al Safwa Lounge Doha
- Qatar Airways A330-200 Business Class Doha – Amman
- Kempinski Dead Sea
- Biblical Sites In Jordan
- Petra
- Mövenpick Petra
- A Day In Petra Outside Petra
- St. Regis Amman
- If You Fly Out Of AMM, Fly RJ
- Royal Jordanian Crown Lounge AMM
- Royal Jordanian ERJ-195 Business Class Amman – Cairo
- Four Seasons Cairo
- Going To Church In Doha And Cairo
- Pyramids
- Alexandria
- Four Seasons Alexandria
- Turkish Airlines 737-800 Business Class Alexandria – Istanbul
- IGA Lounge Istanbul
- Etihad Airways A350-1000 Business Class Istanbul – Abu Dhabi
- Al Dhabi Lounge AUH
- Gulf Air A320 Business Class Abu Dhabi – Bahrain
- Gulf Air Lounge Bahrain BAH
- A Missed Opportunity in Bahrain…
- Gulf Air 787-9 Business Class Bahrain – London
- Air Canada Lounge LHR
- United Club LHR
- Avianca 787-8 Business Class London – Bogota
- Avianca Lounge BOG
- Copa Lounge Bogota (BOG
- United Airlines 737-700 Business Class Bogota – Houston
- United Polaris Lounge LAX
- Turkish Airlines 777-300 Business Class Los Angeles – Istanbul
- Four Seasons Istanbul
- Lufthansa A321neo Business Class Istanbul – Frankfurt
- Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt
- Lufthansa 747-8 First Class Frankfurt – Chicago
I’ve got two more recent trip reports that I considered running first, but I’ve been doing that all year long, which is why this particular report is so delayed. Judging by its length, this report will take us well into the new year. I’ve teased several of these flights in the preceding months, but now look forward to offering extended reviews.
For all the clickbait on Live and Let’s Fly, I trust that regular readers will recognize the labor of love (and time, the currency of love) a trip report like this entails. It’s frankly daunting to look at the literal weeks of time, when all is said and done, this trip report will take. Yet in doing so I create not just fresh content, but preserve memories of one of the best trips of my life, which totaled 60,399 miles when all was said and done.
Thanks for reading!
I’ll be interested in your thoughts on the Thompson Dallas. I was there last month for work – by accident. I had a reservation at the Westin across the street but they were overbooked and bumped me to the Thompson. Nice hotel, confusing in some aspects, but not worth the rate ($600) they were trying to charge me for it. Odd layout in the room, but understand it given that the building the hotel is in wasnt initially built as a hotel.
I’ll also be interested in your Four Seasons Doha. I’m going to Doha in March to see a friend and I’m between the Four Seasons or the St Regis. As of now planning on St Regis as it’s about $200 a night less, but interested in this review.
Having just returned from the World Cup, I’m curious to learn why anybody would spend five whole days in Doha without a compelling reason. As a fellow football fan who made a side-trip to Dubai eloquently put it: “Having now been both places, holding the World Cup in Qatar instead of the UAE would be like playing the Super Bowl in Reno instead of Vegas.”
I didn’t leave the hotel except to go to church on Friday…as far as resorts go, this one was great.
I look forward to the year 2042, when commercial aviation has been replaced by teleportation and Matthew finishes writing this trip report.
🙂
Loving the Giza camel photo. I had a similar taken but on an Arabian horse. (camels can be cranky) Stayed at the Mena house in Giza full of history but no Four Seasons!
Who’s that???
I am interested about your Jordan trip, it’s on our wish list.
What a trip, can’t wait for this one!
Looking forward to reading this! Always have a mix of fascination and confusion over how various people define the ‘Middle East’- to my mind, if a country is on the Mediterranean it cannot be Middle Eastern, as then there wouldn’t be a ‘Near East’.
Which country do you mean? I do not classify Turkey as Middle East, which is why I listed it separately. Or do you mean Egypt and Jordan?
Egypt and Jordan (and Lebanon, Syria, and Israel I suppose). I have seen others lump Turkey in too!
That’s because the countries you listed *are considered* part of the Middle East. Egypt is also part of Africa, but that’s another discussion. The term “Near East” is archaic and has been for a while now. Also, Turkey is sometimes listed as either in Europe or the Middle East, but in terms of geography, culture, religion, it’s solidly in the latter.
‘Are considered’ by whom, and why? In terms of history and culture, Turkey and Lebanon have at least as much, and probably a bit more, in common with Greece and Cyprus (and I haven’t seen anyone claiming that those two are part of the Middle East) than with the likes of Oman or the nomad ancestors of the residents of today’s Saudi Arabia. The same applies to landscape and climate. Syria is the only country which really does straddle both sides.
Of course, there’s still room to legitimately ponder and debate what exactly is and what’s not ‘Middle’ East, but surely there can’t be much logic to having a Middle without a Near and a Far. To take the idea further, in the USA and a few other places there are quite a few people who use the term ‘Asia’ to refer to the Far East, ignoring that the continent includes pretty much everything east of Edirne/Nizhny Novgorod. When it comes to something like that, I see no reason to cater to the lowest common denominator and their lazy thinking.
That’s some crazy routes. I look forward to seeing how Bogota fits into all this.
Please don’t use animals as entertainment.
Just for food?
You need food. You don’t need to be entertained by animals that are mistreated.
I rode across the sand with it for about 5km – in this case it was more functional than entertainment.
Travel for pleasure is entertainment.
The camels & horses live well. They provide an income for locals. Much like models they are adored and cared for. And don’t get me started on the darn Egyptian cats. All over me, all the time & I am allergic. But they are cute. Please PETA actually understand what you’re trashing. Humans & animals have served each other well through time. And if I’ve witnessed any abuse I’d be the first to speak up.
I’m so sorry. Because YOU haven’t seen it, abuse doesn’t happen. In reality there are numerous reports of camels and horses being treated horribly around the pyramids. I can only imagine what happens when the sun goes down and tourists go back to their hotels. And the fact that animals give people an income does not justify participating in a horrible activity.
Can you please post reputable links? I’m always trying to be a better traveler and a human being by traveling responsibly on all levels. Thanks.
I stayed there for six weeks. Almost every morning I was out there. In my lifetime I’ve cared for many animals worldwide. So tell me please of your experiences. Please tell me of your observation in Egypt or elsewhere. Simply regurgitation of PETA propaganda is not acceptable. Thank you
Matthew weren’t you going to publish a post on the Algerian visa process? Would be most useful
https://liveandletsfly.com/algeria-visa/
thanks! not sure how i missed it.
We’re finalizing plans for a late Feb trip to Saudi to visit expat family, most likely several days in Egypt and then we’re deciding between Israel and Jordan, I’m looking forward to reading your reports
Can’t wait for this review, Matthew. All of the places you are going to look amazing. But, I only see one Hyatt on the list.
Indeed, it has been one of those years. I’ll squeak by with Globalist…barely.
It goes without saying that we’re going to love all these reviews. I’m excited. That’s a lot of Four Seasons stays, though. I hope Ford is getting you travel advisor rates or your import/export business is taking off again.
How do you book such a ticket? Specifically Cairo->LAX via Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, London, Bogota, and Houston.
BOG-IAH-LAX was a UA ticket.
But HBE-IST-AUH-BAH-LHR-BOG was a single Aeroplan ticket.
What a trip. I wondered where you’ve been. I look forward to their respective reviews.
can you share the redemption and FFPbdetails that you used to purchase these trips
Also how come youbtravel so much in LH F .. where did you get all these stash of points
Yes, I will as I review each segment.