When visited: October 2018
Time of day: Late Afternoon / Early Evening (16.15 to 18.05 pm)

Rating: 5+ / 5

Note: This review is revised to also now captures my visit on 29 October which added a massage treatment, dessert and use of the pantry room.

ACCESS RULES
– Flying either First or Business class on a Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon or Oneworld partner airline flight later that day.
– Diamond members of The Marco Polo Club flying an international flight later that day on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, Cathay partner airline or Oneworld partner airline
– Oneworld Emerald or Sapphire members whose next onward flight that day carries a Oneworld flight number
– Individuals under 18 must be accompanied by an adult given this is a licensed area.

I had access to this lounge as a Qantas Platinum member (which equates to Oneworld Emerald).

LOUNGE LOCATION
The Cathay Hong Kong “The Pier” First Class Lounge is located in terminal 1 on level five near Gate 64 on West Concourse. You catch escalator down from level six. Just pass the First Class entrance is the Business Class entrance.

LOUNGE AREA
The first class lounge area stretches along the tarmac for some distance. On available turning left gets you to the Bar, various sitting areas and The Pantry, turning right gets you to Day Suites, Relaxation Zone, Showers, and to the Dining Room.

There are many different styles of seating in the divided areas. This lounge has more subdued lighting and appears to use a lot of natural materials and planet life. Relaxation seems to be the main theme.

FOOD AND DRINKS

There is one main dinning area the ‘Dining Room’. This is restaurant offers a la carte menu with 6 starters, 5 mains, 2 signature noodles, 2 chef inspirations and 6 sweets. I only had time for Wagyu beef cheese burger (beef cooked to medium done) which was very tasty.

There is also a very classy looking bar area which due to time constraints I didn’t get to try out.

There is also The Pantry which offers small buffet options.

FACILITIES AND SERVICES
The main features of this lounge is the Day Suites and Relaxation Zone. I didn’t get a chance to organise a spa treatment in the Relaxation Zone the first visit (I did for the second visit), on the first visit I did book a private Day Suite.

This private Day Suite looks out onto the tarmac and features a comfortable couch to lay back on an recharge. You can close the window view for more privacy if desired. I used the room for approximately 1 hour (you can use for up to 1.5 hours) and there is definite value in getting away from everyone before a flight.

For the second visit I booked a Spa treatment: A reinvigorating neck, shoulder and scalp massage. Getting an appointment is difficult so ask for one immediately on arrival and they will give you a pager. I had to wait just over 2.5 hours to get called back. This treatment felt amazing and I felt relaxed for the rest of my Hong Kong Airport stay, it also went well with the bath I had at The Wing’s Private Cabana later. The area is setup to have three clients at a time who are not separated from each other.

The lounge also offers several magazines and newspapers near the entry.

The bathrooms are immaculate.

There are various workstations but I couldn’t spot a printer.

The wifi service provided fast speeds. You will need the password to access the secure network, the password displayed throughout the lounge. There were power outlets everywhere, seemingly next to most seats even if some of them are hidden (you need to open draws).

WHAT’S GOOD
The ‘Dining Room’ which offers a lot of tasty options, the ‘Day Suites’, lots of power outlets to charge devices. Fast internet.

WHAT’S NOT SO GOOD
Not a lot of natural light compare to Cathay’s other First Class Lounge ‘The Wing’. This lounge is more remote than The Wing so if your gate isn’t nearby it might not be a good option.

SUMMARY
This is another outstanding First Class Lounge, this one is more about the dinning experience and the first class seating and relaxation. I’d probably pick The Wing if only time to choose one First Class Lounge but nothing wrong with this lounge as it beats most first class lounges.