Tried & Tested

Lounge review: Hong Kong Airlines Club Bauhinia

1 Aug 2017 by Valerian Ho
Hong Kong Airlines lounge

Background

Hong Kong Airlines opened the current incarnation of its Club Bauhinia lounge in June 2014, replacing its previous lounge at Hong Kong International Airport with a larger 506 sqm facility.

Where is it?

Located near Gate 23 of Terminal 1, the Club Bauhinia lounge is about a ten-minute walk from immigration and can be reached by going down one floor from the gate level either by stairs or by lift.

Hong Kong Airlines lounge area

What's it like?

I arrived at the lounge at 6.30pm ahead of my flight at 2120, therefore I had a lot of time to explore the facility. The entrance has a digital board showing which other airlines can use the lounge, as well as flight models of the partnering airlines lining the shelf. The lounge is spacious and uses warm and earthy colours, which help give the space a homey feel – made all the better by the fact the lounge was not crowded at the time I visited.

Hong Kong Airlines buffet

Photos featuring signature day and night views of the city’s Victoria Harbour decorate the walls of the lounge. There is also a big, red heritage-style weighing scale located in the middle of the lounge. It is one of the last five such scales in Hong Kong, and surprisingly it is still working.

Hong Kong Airlines lounge Weighing Machine

There are plenty seats, which are enough to accommodate 120 people. In addition to the dining area, you can enjoy the view of the airport apron when relaxing on the large chairs in front of the windows.

 

Hong Kong Airlines lounge airport view

Every guest is given a free wifi password, and access is easy and the connection speed fast.

Hong Kong Airlines lounge cart noodle

Food and drink

Food choices are quite broad, ranging from salad to dim sum to other local Hong Kong dishes. It was a delight to see the lounge offering made-to-order local food options, including a cha chaan teng tea restaurant-style traditional breakfast set (eggs served with noodle soup), as well as egg puffs, minced dace fish with Chinese lettuce in soup, and rice noodle with wonton. I ordered a “cart noodle”, which is served with a range of ingredients in one bowl, including a chicken wing, vegetables, fish balls, turnip, sausage and fried bean curd. It didn’t take long to prepare, and within five minutes the staff had provided me with a bowl of good quality and tasty noodles. There is also a beverage corner offering a wide range of drinks, from juice and water to beer and wine.

Although I’d opted not to take any of the drinks, instead heading to the window to enjoy the view of the airport, an attentive member of staff kindly brought me a cup of honey ginger tea. Both the service and the tea made me feel incredibly warm!

Other facilities

There are five Apple Mac computers located next to the dining area and four other Windows computers placed further in the lounge. A magazine and a newspaper rack is also located next to the computer station. While the lounge doesn’t have boarding announcements, it does have a monitor hanging in the middle of the lounge that clearly displays the flight schedules.

Hong Kong Airlines lounge flight schedule

I really enjoyed the quiet zone, where I took a comfortable half-hour nap after my meal (despite the nearby snoring of another patron). The lighting was pleasantly dim and the space is decorated in a deep brown colour. This space does only have four chaise longue chairs, but I was lucky to find one.

Hong Kong Airlines lounge sleeping zone

Who can access?

Hong Kong Airlines business class passengers, and Fortune Wings Club Platinum, Gold and Silver members travelling on Hong Kong Airlines. Platinum members can invite two companions on the same flight, while Gold members are permitted to invite one companion on the same flight. Premium passengers travelling on the following airlines are also welcome to use the lounge: Air Explore, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Ethiopian Airways, Etihad, Fiji Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Orient Thai, Palau Pacific Airways, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines and S7 Airlines.

Verdict

A really unique lounge at the airport offering a Hong Kong-themed experience for guests. It is a good opportunity to try some last-minute traditional and tasty Hong Kong delicacies before leaving the city. If you want to have a bit of a rest before your flight, the quiet zone is a top pick.

Opening hours

Daily 0600 – 0130

Contact

hongkongairlines.com

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