ginia.org

We had such a lovely time going to Europe by way of Asia in 2019 that I decided we should do it again in September 2023. I had points parked at ANA that were going to expire if I didn’t so something with them and ANA had a fabulous deal if you can piece together a Round-the-World ticket. The best resource I’ve found for this deal is over at Frequent Miler, which inspired this trip.

Our goal was to go to Portugal: we’d never been there, so many friends loved visiting there, there are many features in Portugal that’s totally up our alley (food, wine, culture, architecture). But using these ANA points for just Portugal seemed less than ideal: ORD-LIS-ORD was about 90k per person, plus taxes and fees. But a ticket to go around the world could cost about the same be so much more fun! (The “cost about the same” part ended up not being true, but we did have so much fun.)

The tough part: finding partner availability for business class flights that worked for us. We wanted to get to Seoul to visit my dad and then to Portugal. Here’s what I found for 90k ANA points, plus $317.48, per person:

• BR55, ORD-TPE, business class
• OZ712, ORD-ICN, business class
• TP1331, LGW-OPO, business class
• TP243, LIS-ORD, business class

You might notice a HUGE gap in this itinerary: getting from Seoul to London. To close that gap, I got us business class seats on Qatar for 80k Qatar Avios (plus about $200 in taxes and fees) with a connection in Doha. One leg was in Q-Suites, the other on an A380. Fantastic!

Going there, first flight: EVA Air, Chicago to Taipei, in business class. We even got lucky and flew in the Hello Kitty plane!

In Taipei, we stayed in the Grand Hyatt. Sadly, I was only Explorist, but we booked it through Hyatt Privé, so we got some lovely perks anyway!

Going there, second flight: Asiana, Taipei to Seoul, in business class. I find Asiana to be fine, but not fabulous.

In Seoul, we stayed at RYSE, a Marriott-affiliated property, which is near my father and now our go-to hotel in Seoul. I was platinum with Marriott and we paid for this stay, so the main perk here was free breakfasts. Maybe a minor upgrade too? I don’t recall now.

Going there, third and fourth flights: Qatar, Seoul to Doha in Q-Suites and Doha to London Heathrow in Business on an A380. Not surprisingly, we LOVED the Q-Suites. What’s not to love? We got the “double bed” together, enjoyed some fabulous food, and some of the best airline service I’ve ever experienced. Even departing the plane in Doha was something special: the jet bridge was air conditioned and pristine! The lounge experience in Doha was okay: perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt it was overcrowded.

in London, I took advantage of Hyatt’s relationship with Small Luxury Hotels (sadly, no longer in effect) to book us at the Academy Hotel for 20k Hyatt points per night. We stayed there many years ago and it was fun to return!

Going there, fifth flight: TAP Portugal, London Gatwick to Porto. This was our first time at Gatwick and it was… fine, I guess? I don’t even remember if there was a lounge for us to visit. Intra-European flights, even in business class, are rarely remarkable and this flight was not an exception. I really don’t remember a thing about this flight experience.

Our time in Portugal was spent in Porto, the Duoro Valley, and Lisbon. In Porto, we stayed in another SLH hotel, Hotel Infante Sagres, for 17k Hyatt points per night. In the Duoro Valley, we stayed at the Vintage House Hotel, which I booked through Aadvantage Hotels to net 3200 LP. Finally, we stayed at the Intercontinental Lisbon on a combination of points and free night certificates.

Getting home, sixth flight: TAP Portugal, Lisbon to Chicago. I’ve heard horror stories about this airline, but I remember thinking the flight experience itself was fine. Nothing stood out to me, which is a good thing. We had a direct flight home, in a comfortable seat, and got some last glasses of delicious Portuguese wines. Not bad at all!