Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)

During my long journey to Abu Dhabi, I had the chance to check out several lounges at Hong Kong Airport, including both of Cathay Pacific’s first class lounges. In this installment I wanted to review Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge, and then in a separate installment I’ll review Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge. I also reviewed Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Business Class Lounge.

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is among my favorite first class lounges, and it’s my favorite oneworld Emerald lounge. There’s simply so much to love about this lounge, from the elegant and cozy decor, to the amazing restaurant-quality dining, to the complimentary spa treatments, to the day suites where you can doze off or plane spot.

Using this lounge is consistently such a treat, and the opportunity to visit this lounge whenever flying a oneworld carrier out of the airport is enough to make me want to maintain my oneworld Emerald status. Let’s get into the review…

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong location

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is located in Hong Kong Airport Terminal 1, near gate 63. The Hong Kong Airport airside terminal is in a “Y” shape. The terminal is first one long hall with gates on both sides, and then you can either go left or right.

To get to The Pier First Class Lounge, you’ll need to go all the way down the main part of the terminal (you can walk with the moving sidewalks, or take the train — personally, I like to walk).

Then when you get to the end, turn right in the direction of gates 60-80.

Then walk a short distance, and on the left near gate 63, you’ll see an escalator leading down to The Pier First Class Lounge.

When you get to the lower level where the lounge is located, you’ll be welcomed by a representative, who will scan you in with a portable device.

It’s worth noting that The Pier First Class Lounge has a more remote location than The Wing — The Wing is located immediately past immigration and the central security checkpoint, while The Pier will require quite a bit of backtracking if you’re leaving from one of the lower gate numbers (particularly gates 1-12). As a result, I find that The Pier is consistently less busy than The Wing.

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong hours

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is currently open daily from 5:30AM until 12:30AM, so that covers virtually all oneworld departures from the terminal.

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong entry requirements

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is a standard oneworld Emerald and oneworld first class lounge. In line with oneworld lounge access policies:

• The lounge can be accessed by oneworld Emerald members traveling in any cabin on a oneworld flight
• The lounge can be accessed by any same day oneworld international first class passenger, not only on Cathay Pacific, but also on airline partners

It’s such a treat how oneworld Emerald members get access to Cathay Pacific’s incredible first class lounges, because these are so lovely to visit.

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong layout & seating

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is 2,061 square meters (~20,000 square feet), and can accommodate 231 guests at the same time. This lounge has my favorite design of any lounge in the world, as it feels so elegant yet comfortable, approachable, and warm. It kind of feels like you’re in someone’s gorgeously interior designed home, rather than in an airport lounge.

The different parts of the lounge are connected via one very long corridor, which gives you a great first impression of what you can expect from the design.

When you enter the lounge and turn left, you’ll find yourself in the bar area. The centerpiece of this room is a beautiful “U” shaped bar with high-top seating. There’s plenty of comfortable seating around that, with chairs, loungers, couches, and more.

That leads into another room, which has equally nice seating, arranged in a variety of clusters. There are servers roaming throughout this part of the lounge, should you want to order a drink.

Also in this area is a selection of reading materials, including magazines and newspapers.

Down the hall from the main bar and lounging area are half a dozen semi-private workstations. I appreciate this, because so many of the world’s top first class lounges don’t have any good places to work. These workstations contain iMacs, but there’s also plenty of room so you can use your own laptop.

Also in this area is the pantry, which is intended to be an area where you can grab some light bites throughout the day. More on that in a bit, when I talk about the food and beverage offerings in the lounge.

At the very far end of the lounge is the most popular amenity you’ll find here, which is the restaurant. When you’re here, you don’t feel like you’re eating in an airport lounge, but rather feel like you’re in a proper restaurant, in terms of design, ambiance, and food quality.

The restaurant has yet another bar, should you prefer to sit there.

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong food & drinks

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge has a very strong food and beverage game, with different options depending on how hungry you are. As mentioned above, the pantry is near the main lounge area, and is intended for those who just want a nibble. The Pier is supposed to feel very residential, and I suspect this area being named “the pantry” is quite intentional — it’s supposed to feel like walking into your own (very nice) kitchen.

The food selection here varies throughout the day. In the mornings, there are pastries, croissants, bread, cereal, and several kinds of cake.

Then in the afternoons and evenings, it turns into more of an afternoon tea vibe, with all kinds of cakes and other sweets, as well as finger sandwiches, cheese, and more.

The pantry also has a selection of drinks all day, including soft drinks, beer, fresh juices, water, coffee, tea, and more.

I wouldn’t recommend getting a coffee from the pantry, though, since you can get a barista-made espresso drink from the bar. For example, I had a delicious cappuccino during my visit.

For those looking to have a proper meal, head over to the dining room in The Pier, where you’re in for a treat. The dining room exclusively offers a la carte options.

You can find the standard breakfast menu below (available until 11AM).

You can find the standard lunch and dinner menu below (available starting at 11AM).

And you can find the standard beverage list below.

Below is a selection of the wine that was available at the bar in the restaurant.

The Pier is currently collaborating with the Rosewood Hong Kong on a special Italian-inspired menu, which you can find below.

I figured it was my duty to indulge in the special menu… purely for research purposes, of course. 😉

The meal started with the signature Paloma Amara cocktail, which was as tasty as it was pretty.

The first course consisted of an Italian chickpea velouté, along with some delicious warm focaccia.

For the main course, I ordered the gnocchetti with broccoli and buffalo cheese, with was exceptional.

Lastly, for dessert I had the mascarpone mousse with red berries, almond crumble, and mint.

I finished off the meal with an americano.

I appreciated how the portion was manageable, as you can always order more off the menu, but I hate wasting. I’m sad I didn’t have the chance to try any of the Asian specialties, though I enjoyed some of those in the other lounges I visited — stay tuned!

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong day suites

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge has day suites, which are essentially private cocoons where you can relax. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each “reservation” is for 90 minutes, though if there’s not anyone waiting to use these, it shouldn’t be an issue to extend (and I’ve never seen a waiting list for these, but maybe I’ve been lucky).

All the day suites are located down one hall, with each having curtains for full privacy.

Each day suite is a combo of a loveseat and a daybed, and it’s easy to get cozy here.

In addition to space to store luggage, there are also charging ports and lighting controls in each suite.

Personally I love these day suites for plane spotting, as you have a great view of the apron from here, and it’s nice to take off your shoes, put your feet up, and relax.

The one thing to be aware of with these day suites is that they’re incredibly quiet, so you could hear a pin drop. I almost wish they had some spa-style music, or something, as I find that to be better than silence. But that’s just me.

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong spa treatments

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge offers complimentary 15-minute spa treatments to guests. There’s typically a wait for these given the demand, and in my experience they usually book out about one to two hours in advance.

There are four spa treatments you can choose from, including foot reflexology, a head massage, a neck & shoulders massage, and an eye revitalizer.

When it’s your turn for the treatment, there are three “booths” where the services take place, though in my experience there are typically two people working. I selected the neck & shoulders massage.

It’s always a treat when you can get a complimentary spa treatment in an airport lounge. Definitely manage your expectations — the spa treatment won’t be life changing — but it’s still a great service.

Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong bathrooms & showers

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge even has gorgeous bathrooms… that’s pretty rare for an airport lounge! The main bathroom area is huge, with the men’s room having a handful of sinks, and several urinals and stalls.

Nowadays Cathay Pacific partners with Bamford on its toiletries. While these are perfectly nice, I do miss the Aesop days, personally!

The lounge also has 14 shower suites, which is an impressive number, so there should never be a wait to use them.

Each shower suite is spacious, and features a sink, a toilet, a walk-in shower, and a luggage storage rack.

There are also a variety of toiletries and bath products.

I found the ventilation in the shower rooms to be really good, which isn’t the case in many airport shower suites. However, if you have the time, I’d definitely head over to Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First Class Lounge, where you’ll find the world’s best airport shower suites.

Bottom line

Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge is one of my favorite lounges in the world, and certainly my favorite oneworld Emerald lounge. The Pier has my favorite decor of any airport lounge, and it also has very nice ambiance, an amazing restaurant and bar, day suites, a spa, proper workstations, and luxurious showers.

As much as I try to get off of the elite status hamster wheel, lounge visits like this sure do make me value my oneworld Emerald status.

What’s your take on Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge?