Review: Qantas First Class Lounge Auckland

Usually it pays to do your research before you travel and in this case it would have been good had I done some beforehand. During my last transit through Auckland, I used the Qantas Club lounge which I was far from impressed with.

This time the lounge agent directed me to a door marked “By Invitation” and it turns out Qantas operate a separate first class lounge in this city. Expecting to be in the dowdy and busy Qantas Club, instead I entered an oasis of calm, a room filled with pleasant furniture and a decent array of food options.

Auckland First Class Lounge Decor

Seating is low and comfortable, flanked with partitions to separate the room into more private spaces. There are plenty of table lamps along with a couple of vases and some nice pictures hanging on the walls to add a splash of colour.

At one end in an alcove is a television which is set at what I call lounge volume. You can hear it when you’re directly in front of it but the sound does not intrude to any other area of the space. Seating is quite comfortable and there are places to charge devices at power points located along the window line.

Business Centre

There is a small business centre immediately to your left when you walk through the door. It features a number of cubicles for undisturbed work.

You can also do some printing if you need to get something done for that presentation straight off the flight. One person was using this when I was there so it does get used. Just down the corridor is a literature wall filled with reading material and beside that is a wardrobe. I have never seen a wardrobe used in a lounge but there usually is one somewhere.

Nicely Appointed Throne Room

The men’s room in the Auckland lounge features dual sinks, dual cubicles and a single urinal for those quick dashes inside. Products are from Aspar but these are the black label range as opposed to the white ones in business class.

Mandarin and Sandalwood Hand Wash anyone? Perhaps the Patchouli and Shea Hand and Body cream is more your thing? They smell very nice and I now know that patchouli is some kind of herb which is an anti everything. Cool!

Drinks, Anyone?

Drinks are self service and there is a dual fridge beside the buffet which contains all the refrigerated items. These are stocked with standards like soft drink water and juice, as well as more adult friendly beverages such as beer, wine and Champagne.

A selection of spirits and red wine is also available. A sign announces that children under the age of 18 should not approach the bar. How they police this, I do not know since the bar is beside the buffet, but the age for alcoholic consumption in Auckland is the same as in many places in the world.

Our Food Selection Today

Hot and cold items are offered for the hungry Auckland traveller. A lovely tomato and chives soup was on offer when I was there. A bain-marie featured a sign announcing Mustard and Pepper Crust Sirloin Steak served with Garlic Roast Potatoes and Herb Hollandaise.

Unannounced were the mini pies and mini quiches inside. I tried these and they were perfect hot bites. A selection of sandwiches, salads, meats and a decent amount of cheese are also available. When I expressed to a staff member how tasty the sandwiches are, I was advised they are made on site. They’re really good! Cupcakes, fruit, gluten free bread, condiments, coffee and ice cream are also featured here. The cupcakes and ice cream were also great!

First Class Shower

There are showers available for those coming off long flights or wanting to freshen up beforehand. This is like a mini version of the toilets only with the addition of a shower.

I rather wish I had known about this on my last visit as it may have avoided the showers of doom that I experienced in the business class lounge in Auckland.

Overall Thoughts

I found the Qantas Auckland first class lounge to be very pleasant, partly because I was expecting to go into the Qantas Club next door and partly because there were only two or three people in there the whole time. I like the design and layout and the food quality was very good. Boarding is also announced in the lounge so you don’t need to check the screens all the time.

Wireless internet is definitely fast and I found all the people clearing up or restocking to be quite friendly and pleasant. Nothing is left waiting around for a long time and I even saw someone turning the meat in the bain-marie. Attention to details like this mean things are being done right.

Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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