That time we flew First Class

Being the savvy (and I use that term loosely) credit card hoarders that we are, it only took a few years for us to amass 1,000,000 frequent flyer points. We had been seduced by collecting points years earlier and the notion of long haul economy flights with a toddler was no notion at all.

Some simple math for this trip showed that we had enough points to fly Business Class, and juuuuust enough to snag one leg in First Class... something we would never ever pay for. Maybe never, who knows. You can never be sure. Never say never. Maybe we would.

Sydney to Dubai, First Class, with Emirates. Wow.

The adventure starts with the chauffeur pick up from home on the day of departure, a quick check-in, almost too quick, it would have been nicer to have been seen by more people really. And straight to the Qantas First Class lounge.

A few champagnes to settle the nerves and some dinner off the menu, and wait for the boarding call ... sadly the First Class Day Spa was closed at that time of night - first world problem, I suppose.

On board, it is as impressive as you'd expect. The seat is actually a "suite" meaning there are floor to ceiling doors that close off your personal space from the rest of the cabin (you know those other 13 passengers up front) and it is huge!

Of course, then comes the round of French champagne and nibblies while we wait for the folk up the back to get into their seats, and then the goody bags arrive - full size tote bags, stocked with swanky pyjamas (still wearing them!), slippers, Bulgari toiletries and perfume.

The iPad that pops up from the arm rest isn't actually the TV screen, that's just the remote control for all the gadgets. The TV is bigger than my one at home. There's the personal mini-bar, the makeup table complete with little lights and even a writing desk - who doesn't want to pen a few letters on their flight!

Elliot had his own suite. That's right, our little 2 year old had an entire first class suite, with a fully flat bed bigger than his cot. Sadly, mini-bars were played with then emptied, buttons pressed, TVs switched off and doors left open as 14 hours with a 2 year old sort of suppresses the experience a little. 

First task, get Elliot off to sleep, then enjoy a few of the finer things ... Dom Perignon and caviar were the highlights from a ridiculously good menu and wine list.

Let's be honest here, no-one was getting a good night's sleep, but at least we had a million things to play with during those middle of the night wake ups ... only 14 hours of my life! And look at the space ... it's ridiculous really. We could have all fitted in one of these suites, I would have happily slept on the floor, it was that spacious! 

But wait. There's more. There is a Shower Spa! A very fabulous hot shower at 30,000 feet. Would you believe they have two fully dedicated "shower attendants" who will book you in for a shower time slot before landing, and during the flight they actually clean the rooms after every single use. For the germaphobe in me, this is worth my million points. They are huge and stocked full of fluffy towels, and luxury toiletries. You're limited to five minutes of water, but it is heaven! 

If you too collect points and wonder if your points are better spent on electrical appliances the answer is NO. I mean, we could have walked away with 8 two-slice De'Longhi toasters if we wanted... but it feels as though the right decision was made.

A xx