The Pier is essentially comprised of two lounges with separate Business and First offerings. To access the First Class lounge you’ll need to either be travelling in First with Cathay Pacific or another oneworld carrie. Alternatively, you can gain access if you hold oneworld Emerald status.

Having heard many good things about their lounge offering in Hong Kong, we were excited to try out the Cathay Pacific Pier Lounge. We’ve previously reviewed their impressive First Class lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3. As such, we had high expectations of their home hub lounges. Cathay has two dedicated First Class lounges – The Wing and The Pier. This review will focus on the Pier, but we also tried out The Wing and were impressed too. 

Cathay Pacific also have four other lounges in Hong Kong. These can be accessed by oneworld Sapphire members, or passengers travelling in business class with a oneworld airline. 

Location

The Cathay Pacific Pier lounge is located by Gate 63. This means it’s a fair walk from the security and check-in. There is a transit train you can use to make the journey a little quicker. 

The Space

Initial impressions were excellent. After being checked in you’re greeted by a large lobby corridor. At the end of one side is an open lounge space with bar, and at the end of other is an à la carte dining area. You’ll also find the spa area and bathrooms along the main lobby corridor.



We headed to the lounge area first which features multiple seating areas depending on mood. As standard at Cathay Lounges, plenty of seating is provided near the windows, so if you’re into plane spotting, this isn’t a bad place to spend a few hours.

The size of the lounge is plentiful. During our stay of 2 hours or so,  the lounge, despite being far from empty, never felt crowded. This made it a relaxing place to wind-down before the flight.

Connectivity was very good, I was working during my stay and the internet was more than adequate for this, as well as streaming videos. Plenty of power plugs are located throughout the lounge, and as such charging devices proved to be no problem.

Overall, Cathay have managed to create a space similar to an upscale bar, but with a relaxed feel. The ample, spaced out seating areas ensured the lounge remained quiet and peaceful throughout. The lounge also features a dedicated work area, This included apple mac’s, although I didn’t see anyone using these during my visit.

Food and Drink

The drinks selection was predictably, extensive. There were two champagnes to choose from, as well as a rosé champagne (see menu below). The cocktail menu was particularly good and the service excellent.

‘The Pantry’ is located just before the main lounge and bar. This features an impressive finger food selection – including cheeses, smoked salmon, sandwiches and desserts. The extensive range of options were great, especially if you were short on time and weren’t able to try out the restaurant before boarding. Here you’ll also find an excellent selection of self-serve soft drinks, including high-quality fruit juices.

The highlight of the lounge is no doubt the restaurant, which features an extensive menu. The service was excellent, and the food couldn’t be faulted. We weren’t sure how long to allow for dining at the restaurant.  Service times are suitably swift though, with short waits between ordering and receiving food. As such, if you only had 45 minutes or so to spend at the lounge, you’d be fine heading straight to the restaurant to eat.

We opted for three courses, and were impressed by the quality of each, as well as the menu options (menu below).

Additional Facilities

Cathay also offers massage treatments, but it’s worth trying to reserve one of these as soon as you get to the lounge. We did this, and were lucky to secure an appointment twenty minutes before our scheduled boarding time. We opted for the shoulder and back massage. It was a great way to relax before the flight, and a nice added perk.

Conclusions

Cathay have successfully created a relaxed and enticing place to chill-out before your flight. Whether you’re wanting to relax with a drink, or sample a three course meal, the space successfully adapts to your needs and mood.  Cathay’s signature decor has created an upscale interior environment, whilst the views out onto the airport are perfect for a bit of pre-flight plane spotting.

The food and drink selection were particular highlights, and couldn’t be faulted. The choices were impressive. Whether you’re in the mood to dine before boarding, or have a small pre-flight snack, it’s covered. The wines and champagnes were of a good quality, and the cocktail menu was a nice bonus for something a bit different.

As a side note, Cathay’s signature scent, used in all their lounges, features highly on my wish list. 😉

Airline lounges are rarely a destination in themselves, but upon leaving I couldn’t help but wonder what excuse I could create in the future to return. The Cathay Pacific Pier lounge is doubtlessly an impressive space.