Thanks to Malaysia Airlines, the long journey was a smooth one.
Getting from Kamala Beach to Phuket International Airport was easy and straightforward via taxi for 700THB. In future though I would recommend pre-booking a metered taxi, and you would probably save 100THB.
The airport at Phuket is small and busy, and I highly recommend checking in online if you are flying Malaysian Airlines. The queue to collect the boarding pass was a lot shorter than the queue to check in!
Also, please eat if you can before coming to the airport – it was 150THB (AUD$5.60) for a small, dodgy coffee (which I refused to buy) and 140THB for a small almond croissant (ouch!) which I did buy. #hungry
The flight was 50 minutes delayed, but the staff were trying to keep us as up-to-date as possible, which was good, so I didn’t mind.
Back in Kuala Lumpur
If you are looking for an airport close to the airport, I can definitely recommend the Concorde Inn.
I have stayed here before and I like it for many reasons:
- It seems to be a more affordable option
- They have a free shuttle bus from Level 1 of KLIA
- They have a pool!
Flight to London
It was great getting the boarding pass for the London flight in Phuket, because it meant going straight through to Customs and Departures which made life a lot easier.
My original plan to eat dinner at KLIA was thwarted a bit, by the limited choice of places to eat a light, meat-free meal before flying. I am surprised to admit that I had to go to McDonald’s. Not for a burger or anything gross like that, but for a Mushroom and Potato Soup. And I have to admit, I liked it.
Immigration and Security was super fast (no queues) and I always find I’m impressed at Malaysian Airports with the high level of service and friendliness.
The flight left on time, on a double-decker plane, and for the 13 hours, it was a mostly smooth flight.
Hello London
Arrival was easy, and immigration was fast. They ask the standard 50 questions. Then it was through the exit (yay I love Carry On Only) to the Underground – The Tube.
Oyster cards are now GBP5 + credit, but I was happy my Oyster card from 7 years ago worked fine and the credit was still valid.
The tube into central London was GBP3.10. It’s one of the things I like about London, they know how to make it affordable for travelers to get around.
Breakfast at Green Park
It was surreal being back on the streets of London, after being away for so long. The main difference I noticed were funky smooth looking red buses.
It will be interesting to visit London on a budget. Let’s see what happens.