REVIEW: Qantas Business Lounge – Melbourne (Domestic T1)

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After a slightly embarrassing detour, where we accidentally followed a gentleman into a black walled lounge, through a door marked “PRIVATE” I was kindly pointed across the hallway to the Qantas club. The room we had wandered into is the super exclusive Chairman’s Lounge which you can read about in this very interesting article over on Australian Business Traveller. Our lounge was perfectly serviceable but not quite on the same level! The Qantas Club (Sapphire) and Business Lounge (Emerald) share an entrance and much like TPR in Singapore, on lounge is actually nested within the other. …and then through the sliding glass door into the Business Lounge. The business lounge is bright and spacious feeling, despite the low ceiling. The centrepiece is the main buffet station. As with most Qantas lounges I’ve visited, there was a wide selection of food including a variety of healthy choices. Personally I always prefer to save unhealthy eating for special meals that really deserve it, when I’m in a lounge I’m happy if I can grab some salad, fruit and protein. This can be so hard on other airlines but Qantas always deliver! Similarly, as a big time coffee drinker I feel that having a barista in the lounge is a huge upgrade over having a DIY bean to cup machine. I can forgive  a lot else in a lounge as long as the coffee is better than what is available at Starbuck in the main terminal… The lounge is broken up into a series of different seating areas, broadly divided into: relaxing, working and socialising spaces. However, the clear standout for me was the row of seats adjacent to the windows. These provide an abundance of natural light as well as beautiful views of green rolling hills, blue sky and of course: fantastic plane spotting opportunities!  

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Conclusion

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With barista made coffee, plenty of sunlight, beautiful views and varied healthy eating options this lounge really ticks a lot of boxes. It isn’t in the same league as the top tier of international business lounges like the Star Alliance Lounge in LA  but for a domestic terminal it is pretty hard to beat.

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