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| A drink with a view at The Long Bar |
There's a problem with the Hong Kong airport, a big one. That would be that there's simply too many great lounge options for the discerning Oneworld traveler. I've been several times, and never make it to as many as I'd like, simply because I get sidetracked into not wanting to leave and waste time hiking through the terminal.
A note on HKG departures generally if you're planning on coming to the airport especially early- check ahead to make sure your departure airline's desk is open. American doesn't open until 3 hrs prior to first departure, and many other airlines are similar. If this will be an issue, remember that you can check in at the Central or Kowloon airport express stations!! This will save you time, and they're open early!
The full list of lounges includes: The Cabin, The Bridge, The Pier & The Wing, as well as the Qantas Lounge, which opened last year.
First thing's first, let's talk about the first lounge you're likely to stumble upon after getting through passport control- The Wing.
Getting there and getting in: The Wing is Cathay’s flagship lounge at
HKG. It’s located in the main
international terminal, just through the left side passport control. After clearing, make a hard left down the hallway, before the
food court and you can’t miss it. If in
doubt, just look for the life size cutout of a Cathay agent by the door.
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| Amenities at The Wing |
Once you’re in, where to go: The Wing has two sides,
business and first. These are open to passengers flying same day in these respective cabins, as well as Oneworld elites. Oneworld Sapphire travelers may access the business class side, and Oneworld Emerald my use the first class side. Oneworld elites are also allowed one guest. Both are worth a
visit, but if you have access to the first class side, it’s REALLY worth a
visit, possibly a long one.
There are a few parts of this lounge that set it apart. Possibly the most notorious, are the
luxurious private “cabanas” that can be reserved on a first come first served
basis. The Cabanas are private rooms to
relax and get refreshed before your flight.
They are the size of an average W Hotel room, and include a daybed, desk/vanity, bathroom, and most importantly, a
waterfall shower and soaking tub. The
rooms are stocked with all the necessities- tolietires, towels, hair drier,
etc.
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| Soaking tub |
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| Waterfall shower- the cure for any jetlag |
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| Daybed area |
If all the cabanas are taken when you arrive, they will put you on the list for the next available one, and give you a pager to take with you. If you don't have time to wait, they also have very nice shower rooms that I've generally never had to wait for.
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| Shower room |
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| Amenities |
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| Rainfall shower |
The Wing on the first class side also includes a full
service complimentary restaurant, named ‘The Haven." The Haven has both table service, with a full menu, and a buffet if you'd rather take a sampling. I really appreciate when lounges have this option, because you may not have time for a full service on a layover, or may simply want to enjoy other parts of the lounge as well.
I'd just like to say that I love breakfast in Hong Kong? It's one of the only places in the world where you can have congee (a Chinese rice porridge) and dim sum, next to sausage, baked beans, and toast.
Of course, after your tea, eggs, and congee, you'll naturally have to top it off with a visit to the swanky champagne bar.
The bar features several nice bottles on ice all day, accompanied by plush red leather couches. The drinks are self-pour, but there's generally also a server there to take care of you.
There are a couple other features worth a visit if you have the time. The additional benefit of the layout of this lounge is that the business and first sides are just connected by a hallway/gap with a welcome desk, so you can walk freely between them if you have access to both. Just have you boarding pass or Oneworld elite card with you in case anyone asks.
On the business class side, there's a noodle bar that serves made to order soups, as well as 'The Long Bar" that is arguably the best place to sit and watch airport ops. It solves my one complaint about this lounge, which is that the views of the ramp are somewhat obstructed by the opaque railing
along the edge of the lounge when you're in most of the seating.
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| First Class Lounge Seating |
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| Semi-private seating/workstations |
The lounge can be high traffic at times as well, so it's nice to have plenty of options throughout the space for seating. You can also grab your food and drink from the first class side, and take them over to the Long Bar for the best of both worlds.
In any case, you can (and should) easily enjoy several hours here before or between flights. Check ahead to see where your departure gate will be, since some may require taking the train connection. Even though HKG is a very large airport, it's well laid out and easy to navigate. The agents at the lounge are always very helpful, and will make sure you know where you're going next!
Enjoy your visit,
~CruisingAltitude
Also, I'm very excited about our new blog project- The Baby Flyer Blog ! With the new addition to our traveling family, we've been learning the ins and outs of travel with young children, and want to use what we've learned to help others travel more smoothly, so please have a visit and let us know what you think!
This post is part of
Budget Traveler's Sandbox' Travel Photo Thursday. Make sure to pay them a visit for some inspiring travel stories and ideas!
Also in this review series, check out
Lounge Destinations: The Red Suite
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