Trip Report & Review – Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge – Hong Kong…Cabanas, Tubs, & Ironing!

by Enoch

Cabanas, luxurious tubs, amazing showers, great food, and ironing service…wow! My return flight from Hong Kong to New York was on New Year’s Eve of 2014 and I arrived at Hong Kong International Airport 4 hours prior to my flight, giving me plenty of time to check out the ground services that Cathay Pacific offers. We have previously reviewed Cathay Pacific’s The Wing Lounge in Hong Kong before its renovation, below is our take on the updates. This trip report is part 5 of a series, see also:

Cathay Pacific has a dedicated check-in area for First Class passengers in Hong Kong located all the way to the left of the terminal. Specialized check-in desks have monitors that face both ways and the one that faces the passenger shows flight details and destination information…quite handy.

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Hong Kong International Airport does not have any type of priority security line, instead every traveler goes through the same line at either the East or West departure checkpoint. This is a bit frustrating and according to a friend who works for Cathay Pacific, they have tried for many years to get one to no avail. In the airport’s defense, the wait is never too bad. In my many years of flying out of Hong Kong, I have never had to wait more than 10 – 15 minutes (hey, that’s faster than Heathrow’s Fast Track!)

After security and immigration, most travelers take the escalator down to the main departure hall—however, that’s not where The Wing is. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

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Right after security and immigration, Cathay Pacific’s The Wing Lounge is directly to the left.

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There were three lounge attendants working at the check-in desk andthey quickly scanned my boarding pass and invited me into the lounge.

Perhaps it was the time of day (late afternoon) or the fact that it was New Year’s Eve, but despite the lounge being accessible to all OneWorld Emerald members, it was fairly empty. I had no problem getting an entire seating area to myself. There was also a surprisingly high number (yes…5 is a high number) of people taking naps in the couch area…with blankets! I don’t know whether they traveled with their blankets or if the lounge provided blankets to them, but it was quite a scene.

There was a variety of seating areas, including comfortable couches, signature Cathay Pacific working “cubicles,” and lounge chairs that line the side wall.

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There were also a few work stations with iMacs and an extensive selection of international newspapers and magazines.

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I like the fact that the lounge is located a level above the main departure level and the open-air design allows you to plane spot and people watch at the same time.

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Arguably, one of the best amenities of The Wing are their cabanas which are essentially incredibly spacious showers with a daybed.

Though the lounge was pretty empty, there was a bit of a wait for a cabana. When I checked in with a shower attendant, I received a buzzer similar to those used by restaurants. From my experience, some lounges (e.g. United Club at Newark) require you to check back in with the shower attendants, while in some lounges (e.g. the American Express Centurion Lounge at Las Vegas), the shower attendant comes to get you when the shower is ready. For a lounge this size, I thought the buzzer made sense.

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I got a cabana in about 20 minutes, and wow was it worth the wait!

The cabanas feature a private toilet with four levels of lighting (which took me a while to figure out).

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Opposite to the toilet was a generously sized closet where the bathrobe and slippers were available. There was also a button for requesting ironing service, though I didn’t take advantage of that.

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There was a long dressing table along the left wall,which featured a huge mirror.

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At the end of the cabana room was a nicely sized bathtub semi-connected to an open rain shower. The bathtub filled up fast, and the water pressure for the shower was fantastic.

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Separating the toilet and the bathtub were a daybed and vanity. The daybed was firm but comfortable and I especially liked the fact that it’s covered with a water-resistant material, which just felt so much more hygienic than say a cloth-covered couch.

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The vanity was accompanied by some standard amenities including a dental set and cotton swabs.

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I spent an hour in the cabana room and didn’t even realize it—it was that relaxing.  The color and material of the room were calming, the lighting was soothing, and the light spa music that played in the background created a great ambiance.

After my shower, I ventured into the champagne corner. Cathay Pacific offers three different mid-range champagnes at The Wing.

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Throughout my time in the lounge, there were attendants circulating taking drink orders and offering refills, though if you’d prefer, there is also a dedicated bar area with a good selection of beverages.

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A little deeper into the lounge, there is a dining room separated from the main seating area, and it is catered by The Peninsula Hotels. The decorations were nice and tables were well spread out.

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Guests have the option to select from an a la carte menu or from a buffet in the back. For New Year’s Eve, The Wing had a special set menu on offer and the items sounded great…so I didn’t end up sampling anything from the buffet or the a la carte menu.

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I was told I couldn’t order single items from the set New Year’s Eve menu, which I found a bit odd, but I ended up liking everything on the menu a lot so it worked out.

I started with a roasted parsnip and apple cream soup with parma ham, truffle oil, and ciabatta garlic butter toast. The rich flavors and the truffle oil and sweetness of apples and parsnips complemented each other surprisingly well.

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Next up was the smoked salmon and crabmeat roulade, served with horseradish lime dip. This appetizer gets high marks for presentation; the salmon had good flavor, but the crabmeat tasted a bit dull.

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The main course was a pan fried beef tenderloin with duck foie gras, accompanied by a port wine sauce. The tenderloin was sumptuous and sizzled to perfection, the foie gras smooth and buttery, and the sauce richly pleasing.

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For dessert, the feuillantine with berries compote and cherry brandy cream cheese tasted like a fancy but lighter Kinder Bueno (and if you have never had a Kinder Bueno, you need to try it…like now.) It was a great finish to the meal.

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To finish, I ordered the only real Hong Kong cocktail, a Gunner. I figure, I encounter plenty of  gunners in my daily lives already, what’s one more?

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Overall, I was really impressed with Cathay Pacific’s The Wing lounge in Hong Kong. While some may dock points in the exclusivity category and deem it not a true First Class offering, the lounge has great food, great service, and most importantly, a truly great shower. It’s hard not to love The Wing.

Next up, the final installment of my trip to Hong Kong—Cathay Pacific First Class Hong Kong to New York JFK!

Need helping planning your next award trip? Consider Juicy Miles for all your award booking needs, Enoch (author of this post) and the rest of the team stand ready to assist!

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