Plaza Premium First Lounge – Hong Kong

Plaza Premium First Lounge – Hong Kong

by | Oct 16, 2019 | Hong Kong, Trip Reports & Reviews

Plaza Premium First lounge was opened in 2018 at Hong Kong International Airport so is a relatively new addition to the lounge choices in Hong Kong. I received access with Qatar flying in business class but paid access is available at a rate of HK$880 for 3 hours.

Entrance & Layout

The lounge itself is visually impressing. It features curated art by Beijing Poly Art company and has some truly interesting pieces scattered around the lounge that give it an added air of sophistication. When I visited the queue for the regular Plaza Premium lounge was quite literally out the door and around the corrner so it was a nice relief to walk in here and see plenty of space.

Revelation Sculpture by Fan Xiaoyan
The lounge itself is tastfully furnished and is similar to the regular lounge in that it features a central bar with seating to the left then the dining area at the back with an open kitchen but that’s where the similarities end.

It’s quiet!
It’s nice to be in a lounge where the staff are welcoming and you don’t have to hunt for a place to sit. This was the case here, with plenty of seating, both lounge chairs and tables to work at with plenty of power points. At the back of the lounge there are some recliner chairs to get some rest but the area isn’t really darkly lit or would be much quieter than the main part of the lounge if busy

The Bar

The AeroBar has the biggest whisky collection in the airport apparently and it did look like a lot of booze! I’m a gin tonc drinker so was delighted to see Moneky 47 as a choice but unfortunately this is a paid option, the one downside I found in the lounge. I can see where they are coming from that they want to offer more premium spirits than a regular first class lounge but if you’re paying for it the admittance isn’t cheap and charging extra for some drinks would grate.


They have TWG tea and Lavazza coffee and a nice selection of mini cakes at the bar.

Food – Primo

The lounge has an a la carte restaurant called Primo at the back. I was warmly welcome when I entered and shown a table then presented with the menus. I was asked what I would like to drink and was brought a drink from the main bar. Overall I found the menu pretty well thought out for a lounge with breakfast options all day, so if you’re jet lagged and fancy eggs benedict this is the place!

I had the hummus to start which was served with warm bread and delicious followed by the Beyond Meat Burger. I have to admit to being a beyond meat virgin but I was blown away by how much it tasted like beef. In terms of how it was presented they served it with sweet potato fries which were OK, not so many and a bit too fatty with the burger coming with pineapple and cheese and a warm bun, very nicely done!

Other Facilties

They also offer a ten minute head and shoulder massage complimentary which I didn’t take advantage of and have shower facilties.

Overall this is a good addition to the airport and if you’re trying to decide when flying Qatar whether to use your invitation here or visit a OneWorld lounge I would say definitely here. Comparing Plaza First to Cathay or Qantas business lounges in Hong Kong it’s quieter by far with table service and a decent menu to suit most tastes. If you prefer self service though then it will need to be another lounge as the only food is table service.

 

Beyond Meat Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Beyond Meat Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Primo A La Carte Dining

Primo A La Carte Dining

TWG Tea Selection

TWG Tea Selection

AeroBar

AeroBar

Plaza Premium First Lounge

Plaza Premium First Lounge

Revelation Sculpture by Fan Xiaoyan

Revelation Sculpture by Fan Xiaoyan

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Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow Terminal Four

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow Terminal Four

by | Oct 22, 2018 | Trip Reports & Reviews, UK

Plaza Premium lounge is located above the Qatar lounge at Heathrow terminal four close to gate 1 and covers 8500 square feet!

It’s nice to see an independent option available more and more at Heathrow; the relatively new Plaza Premium lounge give this option now in terminal four. It’s my favorite refuge at Heathrow as Qatar sees fit to ignore oneworld status passengers and not let them use it’s lounge below!

The lounge has several sections with a large dining area to the right of reception with plenty of seating and good views of the runway as well as some booths to work or relax in. To the left of reception are the showers and toilets which were both clean and spacious, perfect for a shower before a long haul flights. Also to the left is the bar area which is suitably dark and relaxing. There’s also some darkened relaxation chairs to put your feet up before the flight. There are also three private resting suites if you prefer something a bit more private.

Food

I’ve visited the lounge both at breakfast and also in the evening and found the range of food to be between good and excellent. There’s a good selection of fruit, cold cuts and yoghurts in the chiller in the morning then salads in the evening. There’s always a range of hot items, with English breakfast available and cooked to order eggs as well as a variety of hot cuisine available at other times. What I particularly like is that there’s always a meal available, unlike some airline lounges which ration food to a meal time; looking at you BA. It’s a particularly good choice if you fancy a cooked English breakfast before departure, though when we visited we did have to prompt the chef to replace the bacon and sausages.

Power & Wifi

There’s plenty of power sockets in the lounge as well as it’s own Wifi network independent of the airport. No excuse not to download a movie for the flight or get some work done!

Cost

The lounge is included in many credit card programs and priority pass. If you aren’t entitled to a free visit then a 2 hours visit will cost you $49.

Overall

In summary this is a smart, clean nice to have lounge option in terminal 4. The only criticism I would have after a few visits is that the staff are not particularly friendly or welcoming. A minor criticism which won’t spoil your visit.

Buffet

Buffet

Cold Drinks

Cold Drinks

Counter with charging points

Counter with charging points

English Breakfast

English Breakfast

Seating pod with desk and power

Seating pod with desk and power

Cooked to order eggs

Cooked to order eggs

Cold breakfast selection

Cold breakfast selection

Plaza Premium Lounge Seating Heathrow

Plaza Premium Lounge Seating Heathrow

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Heathrow T4

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Heathrow T4

by | Oct 15, 2018 | Airlines, Trip Reports & Reviews, UK

First off, respect to Malaysia Airlines for having their own lounge at Heathrow T4 which is open to Oneworld status cardholders unlike Qatar which limits access to only those in business  & first class. That being said, how does it stack up?

Location

The lounge is located on the third floor with the entrance just before Pret A Manger, if you walk past Pret you’ve gone too far (like I did)

First impressions

The first impression is good with a large Malaysian themed reception area, with toilets off to the left, a baggage storage area next to the elevators and a door to first class to the right. After entering the buffet is right in front of you, then you walk through to the lounge with the bar to your right and views across the apron.

Design

The lounge is a decent size, though it does get busy before departures with plenty of natural light. However unlike my recent review of the Asiana lounge at Incheon I felt here they haven’t put any effort into zoning the lounge. Seating is arranged pretty much in rows with no thought to create some quieter corners or rest areas. This is probably partly due to lack of space and trying to fit in the maximum number of seats. However, there’s also a serious lack of power, I couldn’t spot any at any table seeing several people walk around looking lost trying to find power before they took up the work space PCs and charged their devices there.

Also it’s one of the strangest set ups for a first class area I’ve seen, with the bar literally cut in two to share half of it with the first class lounge which is separate by a glass wall. I don’t know how long this has been like this but bearing in mind the lack of quieter sections I’m surprised Malaysian hasn’t taken the decision like other airlines to merge the lounges and create one superior space. It felt like this isn’t a good or prestige solution for either first or business class passengers. I say ditch the fish bowl and merge the lounges!

Food

I was looking forward to a hot English breakfast before travelling and have to admit after taking one look at the buffet went straight over to Plaza Premium (review here). The best word to describe the buffet is “rationed”. It just didn’t look particularly inviting.

First, one of the hot warmers in the photo below had four small dishes of egg, croquette potatoes, tomato and baked beans with both the egg and beans having been left for a while and having a slight crust on top. In fairness the Malaysian options looked better, but what would be better is maybe having English options to order if the demand isn’t there. There was fruit, cheese and sandwiches and wraps also available but only one of each had been displayed. It just gave a feeling that limited food had been put out.

The rest

There’s a good children’s play area to the left of the reception desk in its own room; so perfect if you want to enjoy a drink while the children play and the rest of the lounge guests will no doubt thank you as well!

I’ve already mentioned the total lack of power options. There’s wifi as you’d expect which was fine with no problems.

Overall

In summary a decent lounge with a weird set up and shape. MH should really consider merging the two lounges which wouldn’t be hard; there’s just a glass wall separating them and creating one better space for everyone. I’d say food options were OK, but it’s going to depend what you want, I do think the presentation could be much better. However, if you do need to get work done and need power this isn’t the lounge for you. It’s totally lacking in power outlets or even anywhere private/secluded to get some work done. If you need to work then consider visiting the Plaza Premium lounge if you have access which has plenty of power and corners to work in.

Malaysia Airlines Lounge Heathrow Terminal Four

Malaysia Airlines Lounge Heathrow Terminal Four

Partition between business and first class

Partition between business and first class

Split in two bar

Split in two bar

Seating with no power

Seating with no power

Buffet Station Breakfast

Buffet Station Breakfast

Buffet Breakfast

Buffet Breakfast

Food station and seating

Food station and seating

Lounge Seating

Lounge Seating

Malaysia Airlines – A Tale of Two Lounges

Malaysia Airlines – A Tale of Two Lounges

by | Oct 8, 2018 | Airlines, Malaysia, Trip Reports & Reviews

On a recent stopover in Kuala Lumpur I had the opportunity to visit any of the OneWorld lounges at KIA so made the most of the time and checked out the two lounges you can use if leaving from the satellite terminal; the Malaysian Golden Lounge or the Cathay Pacific Lounge.

First up the Golden Lounge

Firstly the Lounge is huge, think Qatar huge, so not finding a seat won’t be an issue. It’s one long room so is nicely laid out with a large central food service station. Off to the side is a cafe set up that serves laksa and noodles.

Food
The food is difficult to describe. I visited twice in the same night thanks to a flight delay and it grew on me the second time. The first visit I had the impression the food selection was cheap mass market stuff, think tomato pasta, tubs of rice etc. But when I did a second visit I noticed they had panini cooked to order and an espresso bar. There was also a waffle station. There’s not a huge variety, think one type of waffle, a salad bar of 4-5 items and limited choice of sandwiches but for the size of the Lounge and traffic it does the job. I have to admit to being spoilt by the CX Lounge I visited in between the dual Golden Lounge visits. 7/10

Drinks
Now this is where Malaysia fails dismally. Now I get that Malaysia is a Muslim country, however they want the foreign connecting traveller so get a decent bar. The bar is off to the side as you walk in and is dark and worn. There’s a significant difference between the bar and the main lounge, I’m guessing one was renovated and the other wasn’t. There’s nothing on the shelves behind the bar or in the fridge, just a few bottles hidden below the bar and no menu. I ordered a vodka soda and not only was the soda flat but could hardly taste the vodka. I wiped the table with a napkin as it looked wet and ended up with a black tissue. Not pleasant. The drink was so bad as well as the environment I abandoned it and went to the CX Lounge for a proper drink. 2/10

Environment
The lounge itself is fine, it’s a bit cavernous but then you’re not going to have an issue finding a seat. There’s plenty of charging points as well as flight information screens. It doesn’t feel particularly intimate and more suits a quick 30 minute grab and go I think rather than somewhere to relax. 6/10

The Cathay Lounge

I have to admit I wasn’t planning on lounge hopping but after the disaster with the bar I wanted a proper gin and tonic, so decamped to the Cathay lounge to see what was on offer.

Food
The food selection was significantly better in the CX lounge. It wasn’t that there was more choices but that there was a feeling of more quality ingredients being used in the food. The MH lounge had a feeling that they were catering to the masses. CX had hot dishes such as potato dauphinoise (really good), Japanese chicken curry (excellent) as well as some delcious mini quiches and an assortment of cheese and salad. CX wins on food quality here, hands down. 8/10

Drinks
No complaints here, self serve drinks! There wasn’t much selection with just whiskey, gin, vodka, rum and a red and white wine but they were all branded spirits and free pour so you could make your own drink the way you want it. Simple but works. 9/10

Environment
In fairness to MH, CX has a much smaller lounge which is understandable at KIA. It’s also not a “refreshed” lounge like Bangkok and others with the CX change to noodle bars and wood paneling. It is however clean, comfortable and when I visited quite quiet though your mileage may vary. In fairness to MH they have a lot more passengers to accommodate in their lounge so the size and slight cavern feel is partially understandable. Given similar levels of traffic though I think most would prefer the smaller quieter lounge with less walk to food and drinks. 8/10

Summary
In summary the CX lounge definitely wins here, though the reasoning is more complex. It’s not that the MH offering is bad, but the word that sums it up is “budget”. The food quality is not as good and they are definitely catering to mass traffic. Why they have so many people needing lounge access is another issue. Then there’s the issue with the bar which is quite honestly awful. Either you’re a full service airline and want international non-muslim passengers or you don’t. Decide. There are definitely worse lounges around but if you’re expecting luxury and a more relaxed intimate experience this isn’t it. It has more of a dining hall/commissary feel than a business class lounge.

MG Golden Lounge at KIA Satellite

MG Golden Lounge at KIA Satellite

Golden Lounge Satellite Sign

Golden Lounge Satellite Sign

Walkway into Golden Lounge at KIA Satellite

Walkway into Golden Lounge at KIA Satellite

Macaroni & Tomato Pasta

Macaroni & Tomato Pasta

Fruit and Salad Bar

Fruit and Salad Bar

Roast Chicken & Rice

Roast Chicken & Rice

Waffles To Order

Waffles To Order

Main food service station in the MH Lounge

Main food service station in the MH Lounge

Noodle Bar

Noodle Bar

CX Food Service Station

CX Food Service Station

CX Hot dishes

CX Hot dishes

CX Food

CX Food

CX Desserts

CX Desserts

CX Sandwiches & Croissant

CX Sandwiches & Croissant

CX Japanese Chicken Curry & Rice

CX Japanese Chicken Curry & Rice

CX Hot Snacks - Quiche & Sesame Balls

CX Hot Snacks – Quiche & Sesame Balls

CX Salad Bar and Cheese

CX Salad Bar and Cheese

CX Self Pour Drinks

CX Self Pour Drinks

Cathay Pacific KIA Satellite Lounge

Cathay Pacific KIA Satellite Lounge

CX Work Area

CX Work Area

Asiana Lounge Seoul

Asiana Lounge Seoul

by | Sep 26, 2018 | Airlines, Korea

The Asiana business lounge is located just after passport control on a mezzanine level overlooking the concourse. Initial impressions are good with a marble reception desk with friendly staff. If you enter to the right you will enter the new expanded wing.

The lounge itself is full of natural light in the daytime and at night when we visited had a nice intimate feeling despite being busy and a large lounge. Even though it was one big space, it had been cleverly sectioned with plenty of table seating to eat as well as relaxation areas, with even a grand piano in the center of the space. Think plenty of dark wood, earth colors and dark furniture to give the lounge a library kind of feel.

So with an impressive lounge environment we were looking forward to visiting the buffet, unfortunately here is where it went downhill. The selection of both food and drinks was very limited, with a selection more appropriate to a regional lounge rather than a flagship lounge in an airport and with an airline serving long haul routes.

They bizarrely had toast available for this late evening departure with what can best be described as a few snacks and nibbles, nothing substantial. Apparently there is more food available at main meal times but what is a main meal time? Airlines seem to be using this as an excuse to cut costs in lounges. Newsflash, meal time is whatever time zone your high paying passenger is on! Alcohol was also limited with a basic selection of 2-3 spirits and a couple of bottles of wine.

In summary, impressive design and well thought out but let down by the food and drink options!

Entrance to Asiana Business Lounge Seoul

Entrance to Asiana Business Lounge Seoul

Asiana Business Lounge Seoul

Asiana Business Lounge Seoul

Food Selection

Food Selection