Cathay Lounges in Hong Kong: A Review

At Hong Kong's home base of Chek Lap Kok, Cathay Pacific offers business class travelers a choice of five lounges. Access is available to First and Business Class passengers, as well as Marco Polo Club members (Silver Card and above) and frequent flyers of oneworld alliance members (Sapphire status and above). Our author Christian Euler took a look around the Cathay Lounges ..

The flagship is the redesigned "The Pier" at Gate 65, which reopened in June after almost a year of renovation work. At around 3300 square meters, it is a whopping 1000 square meters larger than before and can accommodate 550 travelers. Highlights include the Food Hall with a cooked-made-to-order station, the traditional Noodle Bar and the Tea House. The motto "Life Well Travelled" is the program here.

Cathay Lounges: "The Cabin" with sophisticated seats

"The Cabin" was designed by London-based architecture firm Foster + Partners using wood, bamboo, white marble and dark granite and is divided into five areas: Reception, IT Zone, Deli, Health Bar and Relaxing Zone. While freshly prepared hot sandwiches, antipasti and salads are available in the Deli, freshly squeezed juices and hot and cold Chinese herbal teas are prepared in the Health Bar. The ingenious "Cathay Solus Chair" can be used universally for working, eating or just relaxing.

The third of the Cathay lounges is called "The Bridge" and is located not far from Gate 35. It consists of a north and a south wing. The ambience, which is based on a residential house, is a wonderful place to relax. Freshly baked goods and a variety of barista-quality coffees sweeten the wait for the next flight in the coffee loft, while in the lounge's north wing, time literally flies by at the Long Bar and in the TV lounge.

Designer lounge and arrival lounge

The designer lounge "The Wing" offers a veritable cocktail bar including champagne and fine wines. Canapes and freshly prepared tapas quickly make you forget the stress of traveling. A Noodle Bar with Asian specialties such as Dan Dan noodles, Char Siu dumplings and 23 shower cabins that are as clean as they are spacious round off the luxurious offer.

Those arriving at the former British crown colony can help themselves to a rather narrow buffet and draw coffee from a Jura machine in the "Arrival Lounge" between the two terminals 1 and 2. Alternatively, there is an "A la carte menu", which, however, only offers various egg dishes.

The eight fully-equipped showers are usually busy, so travelers thirsting for freshness have to be patient. Compared to the departure lounges, the comparatively small arrival lounge is not convincing. The lounge is too small for the number of visitors. Last but not least, the stuffy air makes for a rather short length of stay.

Cathay Lounges: Conclusion and a tip

Conclusion: With its various lounge concepts in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific not only offers business travelers tailor-made solutions for a wide range of needs.

Tip: Economy and Premium Economy Class passengers traveling to Australia, New Zealand, Cebu and Nadi with a layover of at least six hours have access to the Plaza Premium Lounge in Terminal 1 in Hong Kong.