Short week-end in France

Just back from our weekend in London, I have to go to France to visit my family.

This itinerary, booked some 4 weeks before my trip, will was complicated to plan.

Flights and transportation

For flights, I did a little benchmark between Boston and New York for the departure cities. And the result is edifying: the price difference in Business ranges from 1 to 3, with a round-trip fare of $2,500 from New York versus $7,000 from Boston, with equivalent load factors. That wass well worth a Domestic First feeder flight for just under $400 round-trip in self-connect.

For my travels in France, I naturally took the TGV to Nancy with my co-author and best friend Bertrand, in first class on the outward journey and in second class on the return.

For Caen, I tooktaking the TER Nomad on the outward journey and flew on Air France via Lyon on the return, positioning myself at Charles-de-Gaulle on the way back.

Lodging

For the hotel, since my Marriott Ambassador requalification was assured at the time of my trip, I decided to maximize the use of my IHG points and chose theIntercontinental Paris Le Grand for my stay in the French capital, and the newly opened Holiday Inn Express at Charles-de-Gaulle around Roissypole.

For Caen, I stayed at the 5-star Ivan Vautier, associated with the eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant renowned in the Normandy capital.

Final itinerary

Finally, here is the itinerary followed:

#	Type	Post
1	Diary	Short week-end in France
2	Lounge	American Airlines Admirals Club, Boston Logan (unreported)
3	Flight	American Airlines Domestic First, Boston Logan – New-York JFK, Embraer 175 (unreported)
4	Lounge	American Airlines & British Airways Chelsea Lounge, New-York JFK T8 (unreported)
5	Flight	British Airways First Suite, New-York JFK – London Heathrow, Boeing 777-300ER
6	Lounge	British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow T5
7	Flight	British Airways Club Europe, London Heathrow – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A320
8	Hotel	Intercontinental Paris Le Grand
9	Lounge	Grand Voyageur Lounge, Paris Est
10	Train	TGV InOui First Class, Paris Est – Nancy
11	Restaurant	L’impromptu, Nancy
12	Train	TGV InOui Second Class, Nancy – Paris Est
13	Train	SNCF TER Nomad First Class, Paris Saint-Lazare – Caen
14	Hotel	Ivan Vautier, Caen
15	Flight	Air France Economy (operated by HOP), Caen Carpiquet – Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Embraer E170
16	Lounge	Confluence lounge, Lyon Saint-Exupéry
17	Flight	Air France Business, Lyon Saint-Exupéry – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A321
18	Hotel	Holiday Inn Express, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Roissypôle
19	Lounge	Extime Lounge, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle 2BD
20	Flight	British Airways Club Europe, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – London Heathrow, Airbus A320
21	Lounge	British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow
22	Flight	British Airways Club World Suite, London Heathrow – New-York JFK, Boeing 777-300ER
23	Lounge	American Airlines & British Airways Chelsea Lounge, New-York JFK T8 (unreported)
24	Flight	American Airlines Domestic First, New-York JFK – Boston Logan, Embraer 175 (not reported)