Review of the Emirates Business Lounge, Melbourne Airport
Over the last couple of months we redeemed some Qantas Frequent Flyer points on a couple of Emirates flights out of Melbourne to experience what this much talked about airline has to offer. We had not previously flown with Emirates, so we were looking forward to seeing if they lived up to all the hype. We were lucky enough to have enough points to fly Business Class on both flights, giving us the chance to try out the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Melbourne twice.
The Emirates Lounge at Melbourne International Airport is located upstairs at terminal 2. Upon entry to the lounge you are greeted by a very helpful staff member who fills you in on any information you need to know regarding your flight. As you then walk through the lounge, the first thing you notice is the wonderful expansive views across the airport. This was a nice change from the Qantas International Business Lounge which is lacking any sort of view.
On our first time to the Emirates Lounge we were catching an early morning flight to Auckland. We arrived at the lounge around 5.30am and the breakfast dishes were all set up and ready to go in the dining room. There are plenty of dining room seats available if you do not feel like sitting in the lounge chairs to eat. Staff here in the dining area are outstanding, constantly replenishing food and drinks and they will happily pour your drinks for you.
Even at 5.30am it is not too early for a bit of champagne and it was a very hard decision to choose between the Moet & Chandon or the Veuve Clicquot. The beauty of course is that you can have both! There was a coffee machine though, which some people might prefer at that time of day. For those in the Emirates Lounge at a later hour, there is a good choice of beer – Crown Lager, Corona, James Boag Light, Peroni and Heineken. There is also a good selection of wine and spirits available as well.
The selection of the food was extensive and the quality was first-rate in this Emirates Lounge. The breakfast hot food choices consisted of omelettes, cooked mushrooms, quiche lorraines with chicken, salmon kedgeree, eggs florentine, grilled turkey rashes, lemon ricotta pancakes, hash browns, cooked cherry tomatoes and baked beans. There was also a good choice of breads and pastries including croissants, muffins, danishes and raisin almond cherry wheels. Then there was the cold food island which had yoghurts, fruit platters, fruit pieces, cereals and juices.
On our next visit to the Emirates Lounge we were on a 6.00pm flight to Singapore so we were there in time for a late afternoon dinner service. The choices of hot meals were lamb provencal, chicken curry, arancini balls, tempura of cod, vegetarian curry, rice, seasonal vegetables mashed potatoes and even hot chips. There was also a selection of salads, cold meats, seafood salads, dips, cheeses, fruits and a couple of cake choices available was well for dessert.
There is a business centre in the Emirates Lounge if you need to get some work done while waiting for your flight. On our first time in the lounge, there was also a massage chair in the business centre but on our next visit it wasn’t, so we are not sure if it has been removed for good or if it was just removed for maintenance.
The Emirates Lounge also has plenty of amenities available in the bathrooms from cotton buds, toothbrushes, shaving kits, nail files, combs and if travelling with babies there are even disposable nappies.
We rate the Melbourne Emirates Business Lounge very highly and can’t wait to hopefully take some more Emirates flights in the future to compare it with other Emirates Lounges around the world.
You can read our blog about our Emirates Business Class flights here.
For more information on Emirates Lounges go to www.emirates.com
