Holbox + Cathay Pacific at The Grove

Holbox

plus Cathay Pacific

Arrived right at 11:00am.

Mercado La Paloma isn't too busy. Yet.

Menu at Holbox.

Shrimp aguachile.

Komal for drinks.

Ceviche mixto is popular.

Everyone photographs food.

Tuna tartare tostada was good, but again, there are better options.

Kanpachi and uni tostada. Good but there are better options.

Smoked kanpachi (amberjack) taco. Just okay.

Round two, vermillion rockfish ceviche was very good.

Blood clams were meh.

Uni and scallop was excellent.

Rebecca is happy she went with the uni.

Cathay Pacific pop-up at The Grove.

We did not win.

Cathay Pacific new premium economy.

45W USB-C is good but not quite state of the art.

Good recline, tray table is adequate.

Leg rests and footrests installed on these Recaro R4.

The grass smelled like it'd just been fertilized.

Cathay x Samsonite.

Airplane models and fancy water bottles all part of the retail collection.

Luggage tags part of the retail collection, too.

Tote bags and more part of retail collection.

Collins Aerospace Elements seat with sliding door.

AC outlet, 60W USB-C outlet, storage is more than okay.

Collins Aerospace Elements seat with sliding door.

Luggage tags.

Stuffed animals.

Glenfarclas x Cathay whisky, Cathay x Perfume Trees gin.

Keychain bears too.

Crossbody bag, trading cards, keychain.

1962-1969 flight attendant uniforms.

Physical seat controls.

Shoulder room looks tight, inherent drawback of herringbone/reverse-herringbone layouts.

Storage cubby has a mirror. Headphone jacks inside the cubby.

Better view of the seat.

Space is okay for a herringbone, 24 inch 4K OLED.

Footwell a bit small, but reports say it's not really an issue.

Holbox was popular before, and has only gotten more so since they've gotten a Michelin star. Their aquachiles are good, but their ceviches definitely are the star. We skipped the shrimp/seafood cocktails in favor of the tosadads and tacos, the tostadas are (mostly) too close to the ceviches-- go fo the ceviche instead if that is the choice. Tacos are more mixed, some are very good, some are a bit more of a miss, such as the smoked kanpachi.

Pro-tip: if you want more food, just order from the server. No need to wait in line a second time like we did (!). And definitely order the uni + scallop if you like uni. So good.

Next stop was Cathay Pacific's pop-up at The Grove. Not sure why they had a pop-up over Friday and Saturday (and not Sunday), but sure. Was actually quite well done, not too large, showcasing a ton of their swag that's available online, a drawing for swag to take home, and of course, the opportunity sit in both their new premium economy and their new business class seats.

Their premium economy seat is the Recaro R4, with a lovely 4K screen, 45 watt USB-C charging, both adjustable foot and adjustable legrests, and, unlike the big US carriers, a pretty good amount of recline, none of the skimpy 6 inches of crap that United gives you. Have yet to try this product but it seems very promising if business class is not in your budget.

The Collins Aerospace Element seat that is the new Aria Suite is more generic for a modern reverse herringbone; no wireless charging, but plenty of power outlets (including 60 watt USB-C) and a decent amount of storage. The poor employees (looked like five pursers/senior pursers) working the event looked exhausted with the constant crowds and unfortunately could not answer many basic questions about the seats-- but checking afterwards, looks like the bed length is 78 inches, so pretty good, and the footwells, while looking small, by all reports, actually are not an issue. The 24 inch screens at every seat also are impressive, even if the rest of the seat is no longer quite state-of-the-art compared to some of their very latest competitors.