After my Cathay Pacific Business Class Flight from TPE to HKG, I had a 4 hour layover in Hong Kong International Airport before my final HKG-LAX segment in Cathay Pacific First Class. My goal was to take full advantage of these 4 hours and review both the The Wing First Class Lounge and The Pier First Class Lounge.
The Wing First Class Lounge is famous for its renowned Cabanas and I had heard that due to its popularity, you may have to wait for one to become available. I didn’t want to run out of time and risk missing out on the Cabanas so I deliberately went out of my way to go to the Wing before The Pier. It would have been more efficient to go to The Pier first since it was literally next to the gate I landed in, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Well, in hindsight this ended up being a mistake since there was no wait at the Cabanas and I wasted 30 minutes walking back and forth across the airport terminal. I severely underestimated how large Hong Kong International Airport is and just how far away from each other these lounges were.
It took 15 minutes of brisk walking to get between each lounge so I ended up wasting 30 minutes just walking from lounge to lounge but hey gotta get those steps in right? So while 4 hours initially may seem like a lot of time it ended up feeling quite short and a little bit rushed.
Lounge Info
- Location: Terminal 1 Level 7, near gates 1 to 4
- Hours: 5:30 AM until last departure
- Eligibility: OneWorld first class passengers, OneWorld Emerald passengers on a OneWorld flight, or Cathay Pacific members with eligible status. Full eligibility rules here.
Layout and Atmosphere
When you reach the gate 3 area, you’ll find the entrance to The Wing tucked away into the side wall away from the gates. On the marble wall, you’ll see big letters mentioning THE WING but this sign is deceiving since it only mentions “Business Class Lounge”. However, you can rest assured that this is the entrance to The Wing First Class Lounge as well.
When entering, one of the attendants will take your lounge invitation pass, stamp it and hand it back to you. This stamp allows you to go in between the different Cathay Pacific lounges like The Pier First Class Lounge and The Deck.
After walking past the front desk, you’ll be met with a set of stairs that takes you up to the actual lounge. The top of the stairs has a fork where turning left takes you into the business class lounge and turning right takes you into the first class lounge.
I didn’t spend much time in the business class lounge but I could immediately tell that it was way more crowded than the first class lounge. The aesthetics of the business class lounge were similar but the seating felt more congested than its first class counterpart. I only stayed in the initial section of the business class lounge but there are more areas and seating if you walk to the end.
The name “The Wing” is actually quite fitting since it accurately depicts the whole layout of the lounge. The lounge consists of a long hallway on the upper level of the terminal that spans several gates and overlooks the rest of the terminal. There are divider walls throughout the lounge that divide the hallway into sections with different types of amenities and furniture.
Each of the subsections of the lounge is large and offers a good deal of space for guests. This coupled with the majority of lounge having no true ceiling helped give the space a feeling of openness and grandeur.
However, despite having a simple layout, the design and aesthetics of the lounge were still top notch. This lounge does an excellent job at showcasing Hong Kong luxury and you can see that in all of the fancy furniture and countless drinks and glassware throughout the lounge.
You can also tell that a lot of thought was put into the details of the lounge. The white marble walls provide a stark contrast to the polished black granite floors and both of these color schemes really accent the different furniture pieces.
The best part about all of this is that there was so much space but such few people. This made the whole lounge extremely quiet and some sections of the lounge literally had 0 people. It wasn’t hard to find an area that you could claim for yourself with no one around.
Aside from the decor, one of my favorite things about this lounge was the views it offers. If you’re into plane watching, the views from the lounge are spectacular. Through the floor to ceiling windows, you get a clear, direct view of the runways and can see tons of planes parked at terminal gates or taking off.
Overall, the lounge felt like something you would find in a high end hotel from the very sleek and classy interior as well as all of the fancy furniture throughout the lounge.
Seating
The great thing about this lounge is that there’s TONS of seating. Like I mentioned earlier, the lounge can be divided into different sections but the really cool thing is that each of the subsections was different from the other in terms of design.
Right when you enter the first class lounge area, you’ll come across the largest seating section of the lounge. This area is another smaller dining area with multiple island tables that come preset with table mats and napkins. The alternative is to sit along the long counter that faces towards the terminal windows and stretches the entire length of this section.
This area had magazines you could choose to read from, the arrivals/departure screen, and a barista you could order coffee drinks from.
As you walk towards the end of the lounge, you’ll notice that the subsections get smaller but also more private. The first new section you’ll come across has a modern theme and features sleek, gray furniture sitting on top of dark striped carpet. The seating options are pretty standard and include couches, seats with privacy barriers, and lounge chairs.
There are dim vertical lights throughout this section that help give this area a posh and private ambience. This was my favorite seating area in the lounge because of how empty and private it was.
The next set of sections have some old fashioned furniture that reminded me of a classic Victorian house. The furniture here is a bright red color but the pictures here don’t do it justice since I had some bad lighting. The other pictures do a better job of accurately showcasing what the color of these seats really looks like.
These areas were unique in that right in the center was an island with champagne and champagne glasses. This really helped to give guests the feeling that they were in a high end establishment.
Overall, I liked the various amounts of seating there were and how different they were from each other. All these options give guests the freedom and flexibility to pick the seating that suits them best.
Dining
I would say that The Wing First Class Lounge has two main dining areas. The first and more interesting one is a sit down restaurant named The Haven.
It’s located right in the middle of the lounge’s long walkway and I was super impressed with its interior. It had high ceilings and elegant lighting that really complemented the marble walls well. The inside of the restaurant didn’t feel cramped at all and had lots of seating that ranged from tables of 2 to booths that could sit larger parties.
Each of the tables is already preset with sauces, utensils, and a napkin and there there is various staff walking around ready to attend to any needs.
I have to say that this restaurant sure lived up to its hefty name. It truly felt like a fine dining restaurant from start to finish. Right when you approach the entrance to the Haven a waiter will greet you and ask for your party size before escorting you to your table.
Once at the table, the food menu and drink menu are brought to your seat and the waiter will inform you that you’re free to grab food from the buffet as well. I really appreciated the little details like how the physical menu comes attached to a wooden menu holder. It added to the whole elegance of the experience and I much preferred that to the QR code ordering system that some other lounges use.
I wasn’t that hungry so I only wanted to order one dish. I decided on the Cantonese braised Australian Angus beef short rib and the Orange dream, which is one of Cathay Pacific’s signature drinks.
The serving plate is similar to the one used in the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge at Taoyuan Airport so I assume that it is universally used across all of Cathay Pacific’s lounges. The presentation of the dish was simple yet attractive and I found the ribs to be juicy, tender, and flavorful. I really enjoyed this dish and would recommend giving it a try if its offered. However, The Haven changes its menu monthly so there’s no guarantee that this particular dish is available for order.
The Orange dream was really underwhelming. I found that the orange flavor was too watered down and I wouldn’t recommend ordering it.
At the end of The Haven is the buffet where one side you can find some hot dishes in some metal pots. On the other side there is an extensive selection of breads, cheeses, desserts, and juices. I really liked the fresh mango juice and would recommend it if you’re into sweet fruit juices.
When I was there, the hot dishes included a duck curry and a mushroom and tofu stir fry. Both of them were pretty solid but didn’t blow me away.
The second dining area is found just outside of the Haven and features a long counter with ready-to-go boxes of various salads, fruits, and desserts. I didn’t end up taking any of these but I was really impressed with just how many food options there were.
Drinks
About three quarters into the lounge, you’ll find a section that features a dedicated bar along with some bar stools. There wasn’t any one working the bar when I was there but I assume you can help yourself to whatever alcohol options they had on display.
The Cabanas
As mentioned earlier, The Wing First Class Lounge is home to The Cabanas, which is a set of private bath suites that any lounge guest can use. There are 5 Cabanas in total and they are reserved on a first come first serve basis. During your time in the Cabanas or shower suites you can also request for your clothes to be ironed, which is pretty awesome!
The Cabanas are located a little past The Haven and there is a mini corridor that you must walk down to get to them. At the end of the corridor, you’ll find an attendant there who will let you know if there is availability. If there is, they will inform you which cabana room you’re in and tell you that you can spend 90 minutes in there.
As soon as I entered the cabana, my jaw dropped and I legitimately said WOW out loud.
I couldn’t believe that this whole space was mine to relax in for the next hour and a half. It’s so wild to me that an airport lounge could be this luxurious and offer you your own private bath suite. This was by far my favorite part of the whole lounge.
The cabana itself is nicer than some hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. It’s HUGE for lounge standards and comes complete with your own tub, shower, day bed, sink, working desk, and bathroom. You could live in here in royal comfort if they let you.
It’s a little hard to see from the picture above, but next to the day bed is also a working desk and chair with a large mirror in front. There is a charging port where you can plug a laptop or hair dryer into as well.
The cabana itself sits lows to the ground and has a set of soaps and towels within reaching distance. I liked how the platform holding the soaps is large and that you’re able to place other items like drinks or snacks there.
My only complaint was that the cabana did take awhile to fill up. I didn’t time it but it felt like maybe 10 minutes? However, once it’s full, man what a feeling it is to step in and soak in that tub. I was too excited to get here that I forgot to bring in a glass of champagne haha.
In the middle of the Cabana room is your own personal sink with more soaps and lotions. The is a large mirror that spans the length of the sink and a little shelf built into the bottom of the sink that holds the hair dryer and additional hand cloths.
Even the bathroom looked super modern and fancy.
There is also a large leather day bed next to the Cabana for you to relax in after you’re done soaking and a mini drink table for added convenience.
The shower area next to the Cabana is spacious and very modern. It features a rain shower head and a detachable shower faucet that are both controlled by knobs built into the wall. There are built in shelves that hold the towels and soaps.
The Cabana is truly an oasis that provides an unforgettable, relaxing escape from the outside world. I highly, highly recommend checking it out if you ever get the opportunity.
Amenities
It says online that there is a business center with monitors, printers, and phones but I didn’t find that area when I was in the lounge. If I had to guess, it would be at the very end of the lounge when walking down the lounge’s long, singular hallway.
There is free Wifi available and there are numerous signs throughout the lounge with instructions on how to connect. The wifi speed was good and I had no issues browsing and texting.
Bathroom and Showers
In addition to the Cabanas, this lounge does feature shower suites but honestly there’s no reason to use them when you can use The Cabanas instead for a much better experience.
Conclusion
The Wing First Class Lounge is hands down my favorite lounge so far. The whole experience is just so wild and over the top and really highlights Hong Kong luxury. You can feel the elegance of the lounge from the marble finishings, fancy furniture, private restaurant, and endless champagne throughout the lounge.
The Haven and The Cabanas are incredible spaces that really make you forget that you’re in an airport and I’ve never been so blown away by a lounge like that before. If you ever get a chance to visit The Wing First Class Lounge it is absolutely worth going out of your way for.