Our Moms Trip was over. We went to Colmar, Berlin, and Copenhagen. Most importantly, we had some great bonding time with our moms. We made memories we will never forget. After a disappointing flight in British Airways Economy, it was time for the real fun to begin. Thanks to the Iberia 90,000 Avios Promotion, we were flying back home in first class. Because we were flying in first class, we got access to all of the One World Alliance Lounges in London Heathrow. First stop, the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge.
Location/Hours
While our flight landed at terminal five, the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge is in Terminal 3 (near gate 11). Heathrow Terminal 5 is a little weird. As soon as you clear security and enter into the departure area, you are flagged ready to fly and cannot leave the terminal. So upon landing, we immediately went to Terminal 3. The lounge itself is open from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm Monday through Saturday and 7:30 am to 10:30 pm on Sunday.
Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge
Cathay Pacific’s First Class Lounge is the epitome of comfort. Whatever it is you could possibly they have it and then some. Despite its dated decor, the lounge itself still has a class and elegant feel to it.
Cathay Pacific First Class Dining
On of my favorite aspects of the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge is the restaurant style dining they offer. Even for breakfast, the lounge offers an extremely extensive menu. Including both Asian and Western Favorites.
I decided to go all out. I not only ordered the Chinese Set consisting of chicken and mushroom congee, fried vegetable noodles, and a selection of dim sum, but I also ordered a bowl of their won ton noodles in soup. Given that it is was all free, I am surprised I stopped myself from ordering one of everything.
Stephanie who has much more self-control than I do and knew it would be a heavy food day simply ordered the western set.
All of the food was absolutely fantastic. What stood out the most was the congee. Congee is a rice porridge which can be flavored with various meats and/or other flavorings and up until this point I have never tried it in my life. Wow was it good. No wonder congee is one of the most popular breakfast foods in many Asian nations. This chicken and shiitake was full of flavor and had a texture that I found fascinating.
Of course a meal like this would not be complete without drinks. For breakfast they offer an extremely wide assortment of teas, coffees, smoothies, juices, and of course booze. With wine, champagne, and a handful of cocktails offered you will absolutely find what you want. However, with the lounge having a full bar if you want to off menu I am certain they would be more than happy to oblige. We decided to start our morning of luxury off right… mimosas!
Other Dining Options
If you are at the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge your only dining options are not the a la cart menu. In the general lounge area have there was a small pantry that Cathay stocked with fresh pastries, yogurts, cold cuts, and juices. There was also wide selection of self serve, beers, wines, champagnes, and liquors.
However if it is a quick bite you are after, I would suggest heading to the business class portion of the lounge. The Business class lounge has a similar selection of pastries, but also has a full bar, a small buffet of hot breakfast dishes, and most importantly Cathay’s famous noodle bar. Where they can whip you up an amazing fresh Chinese noodle dish in a matter of minutes. Yum! At the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge there is no shortage of tasty options.
Shower Rooms
Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of any lounge is the shower room. BLASPHEMY!!!! Right? I mentioned free high quality food, free champagne, and liquor yet my favorite aspect is a shower. Yes. There is literally nothing better during a long day of traveling than a nice shower. It will turn you from a Zombie back to a human being, and when the lounge shower room is particularly nice, it can literally turn an entire day around. Also just having a private bathroom can be a godsend for something like me who has a sensitive stomach (Yes, I am talking about having a private place to poop).
The Cathay Pacific shower rooms were bar none the best shower room I have seen to date. The room itself grand. It was massive and complete with high end stone finishes and a rainfall shower head.
OHHHEMMMSQUEEE (Yes I did just say that), the lounge’s shower was the BEST shower in the world. This rainfall shower head was a dream. You could basically set it anywhere from a slight drizzle to a freaking torrential downpour.
In addition to being a fantastic shower/bathroom, the lounge’s shower room was stocked with every amenity you could possibility want. They provided your essentials like shampoo and soap, but also provided things like razors, toothbrushes, tooth paste, shower caps, combs, and more. If you could possibly need it in a bathroom it was there.
While I could have spent all day in that bathroom, I had to check out 2 more lounges before my flight. I did rant and rave about its amazingness to Stephanie enough that she had to check it out herself. She was able to verify that my hype was not at all hyperbole.
I still dream about that shower.
Seating/Size
The Cathay Pacific First class lounge is a bit small, but that can be attributed to the exclusivity. Given that access to the lounge is limited to those who are flying on One World First Class or have the highest One World Status, a huge lounge is not needed as it likely won’t be full. It is, however, full of ridiculously comfy chairs.
While Stephanie showered, I planted myself on one of their plush leather chair put my feet up and just watched the planes come and go.
Overall
The Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge is all luxury. Between the amazing food, the champagne, and the heavenly shower, I was living the good life.
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