London Adventure with Virgin Atlantic

As you know, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity join a couple of my blogger girlfriends for a quick trip to London as a guest of Virgin Atlantic. The trip was in celebration of their awesome direct San Francisco to London flights.

We flew Upper Class, which (obviously) was incredible! We were picked up by Virgin Atlantic’s chauffeur car service and whisked off to the airport. Check in at SFO in San Francisco couldn’t have been smoother.   The ladies at the counter were absolutely lovely. When I asked if I could take a picture, they even filed out from behind the counter and posed for me. How cute do they look!? The customer service definitely made Virgin Atlantic stand out – everyone from the ladies behind the counter to the flight attendants.

We checked in early enough to check out the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at SFO. The bartender was mixing cocktails and we got to sample a few cocktails off their new menu, a collab with local SF bar Bourbon and Branch. They partner frequently with local SF businesses, with food and drinks from Whitechapel coming up next.

The Clubhouse also has a full menu from ramen to burgers. It was hard not to eat one of everything, but I knew I had to save room for all the food we would get on the flight! The Clubhouse’s executive chef, Gianpaulo Ruiz, came out to say hi. He even happily gave me a ‘chef pose’ when I asked him to. 🙂

Once we boarded, it was time for PJs and checking out the Upper Class amenities. The seats actually fold out into beds, which was perfect for the ten hour flight. Real pillows, a thick comforter and a little amenities pouch with a sleep mask and earplugs meant we arrived in London well-rested.

Wifi on the flight even meant we got a bit of work done. Or Snapchatting. Mostly Snapchatting.

How I feel about flying first class.

Dinner was served in courses, with several selections to choose from. Well, unless you’re a food blogger (ahem, Cyn). Then you ask for them to specially be served all at once for a better photo op. And spend more time arranging them perfectly than it takes for everyone else to eat all three courses.

I slept so well that I didn’t wake up for breakfast. Luckily there was still time for coffee and granola right before the plane landed!

On the way home to San Francisco, I also made a quick stop in the Upper Class Lounge at London Heathrow. It’s beyond amazing, with everything from a full breakfast bar to a spa where you can get massages and hair touch ups! I got a mini facial, which left me feeling moisturized and refreshed for the long flight home. It made me wish I had a full day in London just to hang out in their lounge!

I can’t say enough thanks to Virgin Atlantic for making this trip a reality. You can see more of our adventures by checking out the hashtag #SFOtoLHR. I’ll be sharing more about our time in London here on A Side of Sweet soon! You can also see more photos from the trip on Ally’s blog.

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