REVIEW: Cathay Pacific – The Wing First Class Lounge, Hong Kong

We spent the morning walking around Hong Kong, making sure to stop into Bee Cheng Hiang for some Ba Kwa.

I love taking the Star Ferry; it is my second favourite boat ride in the world, right after the Sydney – Manly ferry.

We took the MTR from Kowloon, where there are a series of check-in counters available. Seems like a good idea, it helps you to avoid lines at the airport and means you don’t have to drag your bags all the way to the airport.

Kamara and I were travelling light though and really wanted to use the proper F check-in at HKG.

Not sure if this is a regular occurrence but this happened on the way to the check-in counters.

The F check-in experience at HKG is not particularly impressive. You do get checked in quickly but this just takes place at standing counter in the middle of the terminal. Quite a contrast with the superlative check-in experience provided by Thai Airways in Bangkok.

It is worth noting that there is no fast track at HKG for F or J passengers. It wasn’t a problem at this time of day (late morning) but something worth bearing in mind if you’re departing at a peak time.

Cathay Pacific – The Wing First Class Lounge

The Wing is located immediately to the left of immigration.

After passing the reception area, the first room you see is the champagne bar.

The decor is beautiful but the champagne selection isn’t great. Nothing that would ever be served in an F cabin, just some basic Moet and Veuve.

After this there is a large sitting area, filled with couches and signature CX Solus chairs.

And if you turn around here, behind you is the bar.

It has to be said, the selection of spirits is excellent. The service however leaves a lot to be desired.

If you ask for scotch you’ll be served the JWB not the Chivas Royal salute. You have to specify if you don’t want the cheap stuff.

The two barmen had a very limited knowledge of cocktails and were not really amenable to requests.

They were really just there to pour a single bottle at a time and shove the glass towards you without saying anything. What a contrast with the phenomenal service in the bar at the NRT JAL Business Class lounge.

Still, they did have a lovely selection of Easter treats available.

After our drinks we moved on to the Haven. The Wing’s F restaurant, with catering provided by the Peninsula hotel.

The Haven was really busy the whole time we were there and service was definitely on the slow side.

Thankfully there was a good selection of hot and cold food, so you could help yourself to a starter whilst you waited for the a la carte service.

After our lunch we decided to check out one of the famous cabanas. There was no wait at all and we were directed straight through.

It felt a bit like we were headed to the core to turn off HAL

The cabanas are beautifully decorated and would make for an ideal place to relax in, particularly given the bed sized, waterproof sofa.

Suitably relaxed and with 2 hours until take-off, Kamara and I ventured over to the Business Class section of the Wing.