MY VIRGIN EXPERIENCE BY FUNKE BABS-KUFEJI
30,000 feet in the air with a glass of champagne in my hand, on a seat that reclines into a flat bed I couldn’t help but think Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class is a slice of heaven in the sky. It was the experience of a lifetime, so of course, it only seems fair to let you in on all the details about my virgin Atlantic experience. LAGOS - LONDON
You see I have had my fair share of first class travel but as I approached the Virgin Atlantic upper class check-in counter that morning and the ground staff greeted me warmly with a smile I knew this trip was going to be different from any I had ever taken. My luggage and passport were swiftly taken from me and it took all of 10 to 15 minutes to check in and clear immigration. As I sat at the lounge waiting for others in the team to arrive, a waiter approached and offered me selection of continental breakfast with a twist of Nigerian cuisines - the food was hot and fresh, just what I needed after waking up so early to beat the Lagos traffic in order to make the airport on time. As everyone arrived and grabbed something to eat, we familiarized ourselves as travel partners before our flight was announced.
Typically, when I travel upper class it’s always work related and I never take time to enjoy all the services available; but on this day I was in for the long hall. I stowed my bag and sat in my assigned seat and was immediately handed a hot towel to wipe off all the grime of walking through the airport and a glass of champagne to cool down before the aircraft takes off for the 6-hour trip. I took in my environment inbetween sips from my champagne glass.
The upper class cabin was lit with ambient purple light to relax you; it had big oversized seats and ottomans, which recline to become a full bed. My personal little pod came complete with a fluffy pillow, a plump duvet and a slim but luxurious padded mattress that transformed my seat into the perfect place for a snooze.
The flight to London was smooth, on board I had an entrée of spicy suya served with warm bread rolls, a main of salmon and creamy mash, and finished with a sweet dessert of raspberry cake. Dead tired and stuffed, I passed on the trillion of movies and TV series on my personal entertainment system but I was trilled to hook up to Wi-Fi which should have cost me about £2.99 but because I was flying curtsey of the airline, it was free. This gave me a chance to catch up on Instagram and chat and share fabulous real time pictures with friends and loved ones on my ‘chop life’ flight to London. All, through the flight there was a vast menu of food and variety of drinks… which, if you wanted, you could retire to the bar with friends. I couldn’t help but think, I was over 30,000 feet in the air and I could eat, sleep ’comfortably’, chat on WhatsApp, catch up on Instagram, watch a movie, listen to music and more. Isn’t that something?
LONDON
Touched down in London clearing passport control was quite breezy - just one of the many perks of flying Upper Class; you get to use the fast track lane to get through and we were met by a limousine service, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic. This service is available to all upper class travellers and before I forget to mention the limousine came with free Wi-Fi. As we drove through London traffic I relaxed into the soft leather seats and fell asleep. I woke up just as we approached our hotel in Covent Garden, Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel. It looked modest from the outside but inside the lobby was modern and cozy with a reception, concierge desk and a waiting area with contemporary furniture. We were greeted by two receptionists with a bright white smile and handed the keys to our rooms.
STANDARD ROOM AT THE RADISSON
BREAKFAST My room was warm and inviting, just what my body needed for the cold winter evening; the bed was perfectly laid with snow-white sheet and a thick soft duvet; the bathroom had a shower and bath to soak in and the best part of it all, breakfast was on the house. Lets just say this was home away from home and I was beginning to like the look of things.
As a typical Nigerian, being touristic has never been a thing for me in London but Virgin had this trip planned, and I was not about to miss out on any of the fun. First up was a trip to Cake Boy, a luxurious but relaxed cake boutique set on the river
in South West London. There we learnt to make the Virgin Atlantic bespoke High Tea with Eric Lanlard. Hot chocolates and Marshmallow, savoury scones, financier, scones and champagne were the order of the day. Being a baker myself I was in my elements mixing, kneading, piping till high tea was set to be devoured.
Later that same evening we visited the Lyrics Theatre where we watched ‘Thriller’, a show devoted to the music of Michael Jackson. Let’s just say I have added more of the pop legend music to my iTunes playlist. The show starts with songs from the Jackson 5 era and gradually moves through MJ’s career, his biggest hits and more.
The next two days were just as eventful, a trip to the British museum to see the ‘I am Ashurbanipal’ exhibition, the King of Assyria who ruled the Assyrian Empire from 669BC until his death somewhere around 631BC. It was amazing to see the display of ancient history in a modern way in this exhibition offering insight about an empire. Perfume profiling at Miller Harris, a walking tour of Covent Garden to see the magnificent Christmas street lights and exclusive stores draped in grand decorations and window displays donned in their festive finest. We even got the chance to tour central London on the hop off, hop on, Big Bus. In these three days I toured London far more than I had ever done in my many years of visiting the city and I had great fun. The day flew by so fast I almost didn’t want it to end.
LONDON TO LAGOS
Our return home was just as good, chauffeurdriven through the Virgin Atlantic upper class private check-in lounge, a quick stop at duty free for some retail therapy and straight to the Virgin Atlantic Club House where we ate and relaxed before our flight. It’s worth mentioning that the Virgin Atlantic Club House at Heathrow
is one of the best in the world. The lounge is a carefully thought of haven for travelers to relax. The food menu is extensive yet exquisite, with comfortable chair and recliners to relax in. It’s an endless buffet of food and drinks, spa services and more but there is never enough time when you are having fun. Our flight was called and we all headed to board the plane back home but all hope wasn’t lost as the thought of my full flat bed, Wi-Fi, the endless array of champagne, food, drinks and an endless sucking up free Wi-Fi.