Barbados
Ticking the first new country of the year off the list with a visit to Barbados. Started things off right with some surprisingly affordable cash upgrades to first class not too far out from the trip and was able to get a good night's nap in a bulkhead seat on 787-9 (too short to be a proper sleep) on a 9pm redeye from LAX to EWR (Newark, New Jersey). Had randomly chosen the slightly 787-9 departure over the later 777-200ER departure, but ended up with a pretty long early morning layover as a result.
Being the very first customer into the massive United Club by gate C123 was kind of cool, although that meant no hot food for a bit. Didn't mind too much as it was an excuse to grab a donut, then time to relax and do some plane spotting before the crowd rolled in. Even before the crowd had fully rolled in, decided to walk from Terminal C to Terminal A because I had so much time. It's fairly pleassant, well-marked 1.5 mile (2.4km) walk between the two terminals so early in the morning, although best to make sure you're on the lower (arrivals) level when walking as the upper level of the old Terminal A is closed to pedestrian traffic.
The not quite 18-month-old Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport is a beautiful replacement for the old Terminal A, at least once you get past the unassuming access road frontage and properly inside. Not sure I'd wax quite as lyrical about it as the press has, but it's a huge step up from the decidedly dated facilites that United usually uses. The United Club in particular has nice floor to ceiling views of the exterior windows, almost enough to make you forget that despite being brand-new, the 15,00 square foot new club already feels too small, particularly the undersized buffet area.
The flight from EWR to Barbados (Grantley Adams International Airport, aka BGI) was aboard a fairly young Boeing 737-900ER (N64844 was just over 9 years old) complete with United's latest in-flight entertainment (IFE), and the just over 4 hour flight (2,275 miles actual, 2,100 miles great circle) was almost comfortable. Captain Phil was proud of his 12 years of service in the US Navy and 20+ years at United, and was one of the few captains I'd seen lately to come out of the cockpit and give a little welcoming speech to his passengers and say goodbye to them at the end of the flight.
Sadly the flight itself was not all that comfortable-- crammed to the gills to the point where even the bulkhead seats were not all that comfortable. At least the arrival in Barbados was smooth, the weather was perfect, and got to walk on the tarmac to the terminal, which is always fun for airplane geeks. Immigration had a bit of a wait but was otherwise efficient enough, and the little of both civilization and countryside on the way to the hotel left a good if modest impression. The Courtyard by Marriott Bridgetown in Barbados may be one of the "fanciest" hotels there, but in all respects it was typical of a very early 2010's Courtyard, just with more palm trees and the beach across the road.