RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 10 – Hong Kong (HKG) to Denpasar (DPS)

By Nige on January 27, 2026 at 4:51 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: Cathay Pacific | Denpasar | DPS | Hilton | HKG | Hong Kong | Skycity

After a decent sleep at the Regal Skycity Hotel, I woke at around 5am, ready for my last flight before having a day off!

It was Day 10 and I had loved every day, although I had to accept it had been tiring.

I needed caffeine! The local Starbucks appeared to be through a security checkpoint linked to taking a ferry heading to Hong Kong.

It didn’t look feasible for me to get there, so the next easiest opportunity was at the airport.

So, I decided I may as well get myself up and head back to the airport sooner rather than later.

The first Airport Express Line train looked like it didn’t run until 6am, so I thought I would try the free hotel shuttle bus service.

When I got down to Hotel Reception to check out, they advised the shuttle bus was about to leave, so I jumped on board the coach and took advantage of the front row seat for a fast exit when we arrived.

The coach left promptly but we appeared to drive all over the place, without really going that far.

However, I could only conclude that he knew where he was going since we arrived into a bus station, at which point everyone got off.

It didn’t say it was Terminal 1, but I made the assumption it must have been. I soon picked up signs for Terminal 1 and I was on my way.

Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 1 was the biggest terminal I had ever travelled through. I had been here a couple of times before, both times on a Tier Point Run to Jakarta many years ago.

I found my way into the main security queue, which took about 10 mins to get through. They had the full 3D scanning systems installed, so there was no need to take out liquids and laptops etc.

From there, I had to try and locate Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge (near to Gate 65) and the nearest Starbucks.

The latter was more difficult because there were a number of stores, but the Starbucks app didn’t tell me when they opened!

In the end, the team at the First Class Lounge helped me. The Starbucks closest to The Pier (near to Gate 60) opened at 7am. But a little further away (near to Gate 44), there was a Starbucks which opened at 6am.

I sat in the bar area of the First Class Lounge, which I recognised from the last time I was here. I dumped my stuff and immediately headed out to pick up Starbucks number 1 from Gate 44.

After catching up with my blogging efforts, I took advantage of the food on offer. The buffet looked quite a decent spread, although I kept it simple with some toast.

I managed to sneak in a second Starbucks from the store close to Gate 60, before heading to my only flight of the day to Denpasar, which is the capital city and main hub of the Indonesian province of Bali.

My flight was due to leave from Gate 70, which wasn’t that far away. I left the lounge about an hour before scheduled departure time.

Those that know me, know that I’m not one for turning up at a gate at the last minute.

Boarding started about 30 mins prior to departure time, with wheelchairs and those needing additional time 5 mins prior to that.

This was an A330-300, for which the business class configuration was 1-2-1. For a 5 hour flight, that’s good.

For BA and AA, that would normally suggest a narrow body, so it was great to find myself in some space on a wide body aircraft.

The seat wasnt the latest, but it was still decent. Much nicer than the old BA herringbone Club World seat, which should have a health warning plastered all over it.

On into seat 18K, which was on the last row of the forward business class cabin. I quite liked being at the back.

I could see everything that was going on in front, and I don’t feel overlooked from behind.

The captain advised that they had some paperwork issues, which would mean a delay to our departure.

A short taxi to the runway and a 4hr 30min flight might help minimise the delay in arrival. Although, the hold up wasn’t going cause me any problems.

After take off, I enjoyed what was turning out to be my go-to drink: a bucks fizz. I also started watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller. I so relate to that movie.

Starters arrived. The menu was a bit too fish oriented for me, but for some reason I ended up with another marinated prawn starter, which was quite nice.

For main course, there was a fish curry, which caused me some challenges in ordering, but the word curry allowed me to overcome those concerns.

Whenever I see fish on a menu it conjures up images of fish eyes. No such worries with my fish curry, which was amazing.

It was hot, tasty, the fish was quite meaty and the dish included peppers, onions and tomatoes. What an inspired choice.

For dessert, the cabin crew push a sweet trolley down the aisles. Options included a plate of cheese and biscuits, ice cream and fruit. I went for the strawberry ice cream and the plate of cheese. Nice.

We arrived into Gate 3 at the International Terminal of Denpasar and the immigration challenge began!

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026