This arrivals lounge operated by Plaza Premium is located between terminals 1 and 2 at Hong Kong International. It is land side, meaning you have to have cleared customs before arriving at it.
As it says on the website
“The lounge is designed to cater to arriving travellers who may need a place to refresh ahead of going into the city. This is also ideal for guests who arrive early and cannot check in to their hotel or guests who require a space to work.”
When you arrive you have to produce a boarding card for the flight you have arrived on, so I suppose that is one way they ensure people don’t just use it as a place to hang out.
To find the lounge, if you arrive into Terminal 1, clear customs and head for Terminal 2, you can then follow the signs. Go down the escalator (or take the lift) and you’ll see it on the left hand side. You can pay to enter (prices at the end of this review) and there are various options in terms of time and services – including showers and even massages.
I arrived at about 0720 on a Monday morning after an overnight flight from London, so the showers were busy with an estimated 45-minute wait.
There were plenty of places to sit, work and eat, though, so I just plugged in my laptop, caught up on emails and had some breakfast and plenty of coffee.
The choice of food included salads (above) along with pastries and a wide choice of soft drinks plus alcohol from the bar, though it was a little early for that. There were also plenty of snack options, including sweets.
It’s a dimly lit place, but with a bit of atmosphere and was quiet, which was a good way of decompressing after the flight.
There are magazines and that morning’s newspapers, and of course with wifi you can easily entertain yourself with an ipad or phone.
The staff were very capable and willing to help. I wanted a place to sit with a plug so I could keep my laptop charged while I worked and the manager found me one without any fuss. I believe that Plaza Premium now run all of the Cathay Pacific lounges at Hong Kong Airport.
Cathay appoints Plaza Premium as sole lounge operator in Hong Kong
As it happened, the wait for the showers was much shorter – around 25 minutes, and I was walked to the cubicle which was a decent size – though if you have a large bag you’d be better off unpacking your change of clothing and just taking that in with you, since with the wash basin, toilet and shower cubicle, there wouldn’t be room to unpack a large bag. There were some items such as tooth brush and toothpaste, but no razors, though these may be available on request. A sign in the shower requested that you keep your time in there to 20 minutes.
After having my shower I did a bit more work, then left the lounge and took the Airport Express train into Hong Kong to start the day.
Verdict
An excellent lounge if you need to do some work, shower and prepare for a day’s work or if your hotel isn’t expecting you until the afternoon.
Location
Level 3 (Arrival level), Terminal 2, Hong Kong International Airport (below Airport Express platform)
It is open 24 hours a day,
Contact: [email protected]; +852 3559 1108
Lounge Use Package (all prices in HK$)
2 hours $480 / 5 hours $680 / 10 hours$800
