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Extraordinary - Society
November - 2009 |
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5
Stars & 6 Stripes
Overall - 'Service & Comfort' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| Not so long ago travelling into the jungle was a thing
for professionals and adventurers who were comfortable with a tent or a simple
hut. Times have changed dramatically; luxurious jungle lodging is being offered
today all around the world to the discerning adventure traveler. Though the
volcanologists, zoologists and eco-tourist will most likely assure you that
high thread-count sheets or jungle facials are not what they came for, still it
might have influenced their destination decision. The
Tabacón
Grand Spa Thermal Resort of Costa Rica belongs on the top of that list.
There are several airlines that provide nonstop service from the US to Costa
Rica, but there is only one from Europe that flies nonstop to San Jose, Iberia
Airlines. Our experience of their Business Class PLUS service proved to
be excellent |
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| Iberia -
VIP Lounge - Entrance - Madrid |
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| We had booked Business PLUS flights with Iberia from
Düsseldorf, Germany over Madrid, Spain to San Jose Costa, Rica. We arrived
at Düsseldorf during early morning hours, which gave this international
European port an unusually calm appearance. Check in was by no means an ordeal,
but lacking a little direction. While the tourist check-in line was moving
efficiently and quickly, Business PLUS was held up due to a fellow
traveler’s calamity. Here at Düsseldorf, British Airways is sharing
its business class lounge with Iberia and other members of
oneworld®. |
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| American Airlines,
British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Canadian Airlines and Qantas Airways founded
oneworld® in 1999 and Iberia, the flag carrier of Spain, joined the
alliance in September 1999, stating that they are “providing oneworld®
customers with the best and most convenient connections between Europe and
Latin America”. The business lounge looked great, was well maintained and
provided most of what is expected. |
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| IBERIA - Business Class - Lounge - Madrid |
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| The two and a half hour, no fizz
‘hop’ to Madrid passed in no time and we landed smoothly. At the
airport some of my fellow Business PLUS travelers and I wished that immigration
would have been just that, a formality. With an hour left to my next flight I
made sure to experience as much as possible of the ground facilities. These
spacious modern halls were delightful and I almost regretted that I didn’t
have more time. |
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| Iberia - Business Class - Thorsten Buehrmann |
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From semi private
resting lounges and meeting space to delicious cuisine served on delicate bone
china and excellent shower facilities, Madrid’s VIP lounge is worth a long
layover. I boarded in no time. The crew of flight IB 6313 welcomed us warm and
graciously on board; coats and spare luggage was stored quickly. I can say that
over the next 10 hours I got to experience and appreciate the ‘PLUS’
added to Iberia’s Business class. It definitely belongs there. |
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| About the on-board cuisine, Iberia’s innovative
Spanish style menu is said to carry the signature of Chef Sergi Arola; his
cuisine made my flight! After the menus and wine lists were presented and
appropriate time allowed the diner to read about their choices in English and
Spanish, a cuisine cart was pulled that showcased the food choices. ‘Early
diners’ were given a chance for faster service to catch more sleep on the
‘red eye’. Trained hands with serving tools were safely reaching into
the warm breadbasket and the main courses were served either appropriately hot
or chilled. (The bread tongs were entirely missing on my return
flight.) |
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| Iberia -
Business Class - Cuisine |
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| Mini bottles of organic extra virgin olive oil for
dipping and other condiments were part of the table setting of elegant china
and solid silverware. The bowl of veal consommé was un-regrettably
delicious (I had it all); the Mesclun salad crisp and the beef tenderloin with
chestnuts, shallots and pear, in a sweet wine sauce, simply out of this world.
I had the cake by Paco Torreblanca for dessert; flamboyantly gourmet! Speaking
of which, Paco Torreblanca is regarded as one of the best pastry chef in the
world. |
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| The charming stewardess
who had been designated to our section was professional, delightfully personal,
caring and accommodating. Realizing that I didn’t seem to be too keen
about the after dinner coffee, she offered me an espresso instead, which one
may order at any time during the flight. - But back to the creator of
Iberia’s board cuisine Sergi Arola; he is considered one of the
Spain’s highly regarded chefs. It is written that his first love was
music, but that cooking had become his calling. I don’t know about his
music, but his on-board menu was a well-orchestrated potpourri. Arola was
trained in Ferrán Adrià’s kitchen in Barcelona where he
worked alongside ‘one of the most creative chefs of the world’ for 8
years. Gourmet magazine referred to Ferrán Adrià as ‘the
Salvador Dali of the kitchen’. |
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| Iberia - Business Class - Sleeping |
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| Trust me, a flatbed is essential to accommodate
today’s global business traveler on a long distance flight but it is the
little bite-seized things, which make all the difference. I chose a couple of
really good Spanish wines for my meal, daring not to ask for any other origin.
And sure enough another star discovered, Custodio L. Zamarra, Sommelier of the
celebrated Zalacaín restaurant and Chairman of the Sommelier Association
of Madrid, had chosen on behalf of Iberia, Spanish wines that he likes and
feels will retain their quality at 30.000 feet. |
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| Iberia -
Business Class - Sleeping |
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| After my culinary adventure above the clouds I made
myself more comfortable to watch a movie. The entertainment center, though
rather small, was sufficient - if you are fluent in English and/or Spanish. The
most comfortable position to watch a movie in my airbed was the ‘Z’
position. Later on I took advantage of an easy accessible connection for my
laptop and was able to answer some emails before settled in to catch up on some
sleep. Iberia allows its PLUS passengers between meals access to a snack bar
with pre-packed sandwiches, fruits, snacks, sweets and drinks. I slept soundly
for a few hours and woke up right in time for the last on-board meal before
landing. There are plenty of different recipes to prepare a terrine of duck
liver with cured duck magret Chef Arola’s version convinced me to visit
his restaurant the next time I am in Madrid. |
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by Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2010 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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