A Finnish Midsummer Dream -Trip Planning
Qatar QSuites (Oh how lovely it is!)
A series of (not unfortunate) events led to this great trip. Finland? That was the initial thought when my wife mentioned this during June this year. My immediate association: midsummer! And given the good husband in me, it became a good reason (or rather excuse) to journey back to Scandinavia! After a 3 year hiatus (it was a very memorable trip btw).
And so begins the trip planning…..
A Finnish Midsummer Dream - Trip Planning
HEL-SIN (Finnair New Premium Economy Class)
A Finnish Midsummer Dream - Route Map
Flights
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My journey started from Phuket, where I booked a positioning Economy Class flight from Singapore. It was also my second time in the B737-8 MAX (first time was in Business Class, review coming up soon).
From Phuket, the real fun part started. In this award ticket, I got to try 2 of the (arguably) best Qatar Airways Business Class products. And I also got to review the world-renowned Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge!
Al Mourjan Business Lounge (beautiful exterior!)
From Amsterdam, I was initially booked on a Finnair Economy flight to Helsinki, but the flight was abruptly cancelled (just before landing, more on that on a separate post), but credit to the Finnair Customer Service, I was promptly rebooked to this flight. Although the new schedule was super rushed, on a positive note I got to review 2 different airlines, and a superb view of London.
For the return flight, I booked the both of us Premium Economy Class revenue tickets (because my wife is on a business trip), and this is the most cost effective pricing for this period (guess everyone is travelling to experience the midsummer too!). This ticket is part of a round trip ticket for me, and I have already requested a seat upgrade using 20,000 Finnair Points for the trip back to Helsinki (more on that in a future article!).
Finnair New Premium Economy Class Seats
Finnair flights to Asia operate on the new Airbus A350, which has both the new Premium Economy and Business Class seats which earned positive reviews. On a 13 hour flight, I guess the price was worth the seat upgrade!
Hotels
With my newly minted Hilton Diamond status, I booked 5 nights at Hilton Helsinki Strand. As my wife is flying off first, I hope to be able to upgrade to their King Suite for my wife to enjoy, while having executive lounge access and saving on the meals (complimentary breakfast is available for all Hilton Gold to Diamond members).
Well, let’s just say that I did manage to try both room types, but the King Suite only on the last day.
Hilton Helsinki Strand (King Suite with Canal View)
With the revamped GHA Discovery Program, I decided to hatch up a plan to reach closer to GHA Titanium, with my second brand (I had already stayed with Parkroyal this year).
GLO Hotels seem to be unique only to Finland, and on this trip, it would be interesting to try out this band and see how it is like. Among the GLO branded hotels, Kluuvi seems to have the best location, and with reasonable prices (202.50 EUR), it would be a great way to end this trip, within touching distance to the main shopping district and attractions that I can enjoy with the missus.
GLO Hotel Kluuvi (GLO Luxe Room)
Lounges
Not many lounges to try out in this trip, but the main highlight will be the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Doha Airport! The 8 hours 40 mins layover will give me more than enough time to experience the whole lounge, and this alone was worth the miles and multiple layovers.
I also got to try out the Coral Executive Lounge at Phuket Airport, which of course could not compare to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge experience.
Travel Insurance
I continued to use my annual Travel Insurance Prestige Plan during April 2022 from Singlife for S$309. That said, I was glad that I bought it, due to some mishaps during the trip back (more on that in a later post).
Miscallaneous
In terms of cellular coverage, I continued to use Airalo, which I found it very convenient to use during my overseas trip, and very affordable. I took a 1GB local data plan with 7 days validity, which cost only US$4.50, and was more than enough for me. The only negative is that SMS is not covered, but it does the job for me.
I bought myself a 3-day Helsinki Card for S$113.26, which included free public transport for the Helsinki region (including the ferries!), and heavily discounted fares to certain attractions.
Helsinki, as per most Scandinavian cities, is convenient in that cashless payments are widely accepted. Alternatively, you can download the local transportation app, HSL and buy route tickets or even day tickets, and is what I would recommend if you dont plan to go to much of the attractions.
Conclusion
After 3 years, we were definitely looking forward to this trip back to Scandinavia, and my 2nd trip to Europe this year.
