Sitting In The Lounge Of Luxury

I flew the non-traditional route from the United States with a stopover in Dubai for my first trip to Australia on Emirates Airline. Emirates was gracious enough to host me in each of its first/business classes lounges during layovers throughout my trip. Each way took almost two days to arrive at my destination but it was well worth it; so much so that I am already planning my second tour of the country for next year.

Dubai International is the main hub for Emirates Airline, which operates flights to and from over 150 cities in 80 countries across six continents. During my air travels, I had the opportunity to visit the exclusive Emirates Business Class Lounges in New York, Dubai, and Melbourne.

Each lounge was luxurious and with their own distinctive cultural elements that reflect that particular country or region, particularly with the culinary offerings and reading selection at hand. The signature treat found in every lounge, was a pitted Medjool date, some stuffed with a candied orange peel, coconut, or a nut variety.

If you are already familiar with the perks of airport lounges, there’s a reason why Emirates Business Class Lounge is so legendary. Reeling from its size, amenities, and the immense array of food and drink, I arrived to the airport four hours early purposely so I could tour, relax, and gain the full Emirates experience. Upon arrival to both New York and Dubai’s lounges, I went straight for the showers, which provide washcloths, hand towels, personal toiletries such as shavers, toothbrushes, and a shower cap, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and a hair dryer. Having the opportunity to shower before and or during a layover is heaven on Earth.

In New York, there is a wide selection of hot and cold breakfast dishes available buffet style, such as omelets, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, cereal, fresh fruit, breads, pastries, and so much more. Freshly brewed coffee, tea, juices, Voss water, Moët & Chandon champagne, liqueur, wine, beer, soda, and more are available to drink. I had the pleasure of enjoying a small eggs benedict, fresh fruit, water, tea, and a croissant for breakfast before my flight to Dubai.

In Dubai, when I was flying to Melbourne, the lounge in concourse A was not as busy, versus when I was flying home where there were at least quadruple the number of guests. This is where my recommendation of going straight for the showers is strongly advised. Not only will you feel immediately refreshed and relaxed, you will have the opportunity to tour the lounge and have the full experience without feeling rushed. Though drinks (opened or not) are not permitted onboard your flight, take the time to enjoy the wide variety of options available to you while in the lounge.

The cuisine is a blend of western and Middle Eastern cuisine and is all halal. For lunch and dinner, enjoy a selection of pastas, freshly prepared salads with olives and avocado, a selection of rolls, breads, muffins, cheeses, chicken and beef dishes, vegetarian and vegan options, fresh hummus and muhammara dips, fattoush, stews, sandwiches, soups, and so much more.

For dessert, enjoy a selection of miniature cheesecakes, cookies, fruit tarts, and traditional Middle Eastern pastries such as ma’amoul, baklava, basbousa, kunefe, and aish al saraya. There was even an ice cream cart with hand-scooped ice cream. I chose pistachio, one of their more traditional and popular flavors.

Can anyone flying Emirates experience their lounges? The answer is YES! To enjoy paid lounge access in Dubai, you and your guests must be traveling on the same Emirates or Qantas codeshare flights.

Follow along on all of my travel journeys with the hashtag #EastEndTasteTravels and lookout for a video to be posted on Instagram highlighting my Emirates journey. Next week, I will take you on a culinary tour of Melbourne’s Central Business District, including many of the restaurants I visited during my two-week stay.