Hello from Hong Kong! I’m in the middle of my wild review trip, and just finished up some lounge hopping. While I’ll eventually have reviews of several lounges in Hong Kong, I wanted to briefly sum up just how much I love Cathay Pacific’s first class lounges, and how nice it is to be able to visit these with oneworld Emerald status. I hadn’t visited them in several years, so I almost felt like I was discovering them all over again.
Cathay Pacific’s two Hong Kong first class lounges
Cathay Pacific has two first class lounges in Hong Kong — The Pier and The Wing — and they each have things that make them special. Personally I far prefer The Pier, and rank it among the best first class lounges in world. However, there are a couple of reasons you may want to visit The Wing as well.
Back in the day, I’d pass through these lounges multiple times per year. However, prior to this trip, I hadn’t been to Hong Kong since before the pandemic, and boy was it a pleasure to get back to these lounges. They’re every bit as good as I remember, and maybe even better?
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is in my opinion the most gorgeously designed lounge in the world. Cathay Pacific has done a phenomenal job with its product design in recent years, and this lounge is the prime example of that, perhaps the carrier’s greatest masterpiece.
What’s amazing about the design is that it’s not just elegant and warm, but it also feels so cozy and residential. It’s not just a lounge you want to look at, but rather it’s one you want to hang out in, as it’s so easy to get comfortable and feel at home.
But even beyond the great design, there’s a lot to love about this lounge. There’s a stunning bar area with everything from cocktails to barista coffee, and there’s even a proper restaurant, with a la carte dining.
The food in the restaurant is better than I remember. For example, the restaurant is currently partnering with the Rosewood Hong Kong on an Italian-inspired set menu, which is absolutely delicious.
If you’re just feeling a bit peckish, there’s a pantry area, where you can grab anything from some afternoon tea treats, to freshly squeezed juice.
If you’re feeling a bit tired between flights, there’s an area with semi-private rooms with daybeds, which have curtains. They even have views of the apron, so you can plane spot (though the views don’t compare to Hong Kong’s Sky Bridge).
The lounge also features complimentary spa treatments, with the choice of 15 minute foot reflexology, a head massage, a neck & shoulder massage, or an eye revitalizer.
I could easily spend all day in this lounge… actually, I basically did!
Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge is the other first class lounge at the airport. It’s right by the main security and immigration checkpoint, so it tends to get a bit busier than The Pier. It has a completely different design than The Pier — as a matter of fact, not a whole lot has changed since I first visited this lounge over 15 years ago, though it still does feel fresh.
The lounge has a champagne bar, a restaurant with both a buffet and a la carte dining, and a cafe area.
However, there’s one feature that really sets this lounge apart, and I’m talking about the shower suites, known as cabanas. It’s always nice to freshen up in an airport shower room between flights, but there’s not a single other lounge in the world with showers like this.
This is a full-on suite with a huge shower, a bathtub, a couch on which you can lounge, a table with a chair, a separate toilet, and more. Heck, I’d gladly just spend my whole layover in one of these cabanas, if only there weren’t a recommended limit on how long you can stay in them.
These lounges make me love oneworld Emerald status
What makes these Cathay Pacific lounges even more of a treat is how easy they are to access. Unlike most of the other top first class lounges, you don’t need to buy a super expensive long haul first class ticket to access these. Instead, oneworld Emerald members have access to many oneworld first class lounges.
It doesn’t matter what class of service you’re traveling in, as long as you’re flying a oneworld carrier the same day. In a different life, if I lived in Hong Kong and didn’t enjoy being home as much as I do nowadays, you can bet that I’d be jetting off on a short flight somewhere every weekend on Cathay Pacific, spending endless hours in these lounges.
Best of all, I got the impression that these lounges might just be quieter than pre-pandemic, which you can’t say about many lounges in the world. I suspect that comes down to a few factors:
- Cathay Pacific hasn’t brought back as much first class capacity as pre-pandemic, and also hasn’t fully restored its capacity in general
- Business travel in Hong Kong is way down compared to pre-pandemic
- American no longer flies to Hong Kong, and US airlines tend to have a disproportionate number of elite members
Honestly, at times I question why I bother going for American AAdvantage Executive Platinum status, as the perks are limited. Near the very top of my list of reasons is the joy of oneworld Emerald status, and those peak times I get to visit lounges like this.
Bottom line
I finally had the chance to visit Cathay Pacific’s first class lounges in Hong Kong for the first time in years, and they’re as good as ever. The Pier is definitely my preferred of the two lounges, though The Wing’s shower suites have to be experienced at least once as well.
While I think airline status as such isn’t nearly as valuable as it used to be, oneworld Emerald status continues to delight when flying on oneworld’s better carriers, as it gets you access to some top notch lounges.
Anyone else love Cathay Pacific’s first class lounges and oneworld Emerald as much as I do?
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