I’m finally heading back to London after spending two nights by the airport at Dubai, and I’m really looking forward to the First Class Suite experience with Emirates!
Emirates owns the Terminal 3 of Dubai airport. There is a dedicated entrance for Business and First Class passengers, with totally separated facilities too – it feels like a VIP terminal within Terminal 3.
The moment I stepped out of the car, a porter came around to help me with my bags and accompanied me to the check-in desk. He stayed with me until I finished checking in.
Check-in area for First Class and Platinum passengers:
Check-in area for Business Class and Gold passengers:
With so many counters available I can’t imagine a queue is necessary at any given time.
After checking in, passing the security check and passport control should be a breeze – if they hadn’t somehow messed up my entry record and took half an hour to fix it…
Emirates has seven lounges at Terminal 3, three Business three First and one mixed. In terms of the First Class lounges, there is one at each concourse, and Concourse A has the most famous and largest one. You can even board from the lounge itself, as it occupies an entire floor of the terminal!
I didn’t do any homework however, and just headed to the nearest lounge I could find, which turns out to be the one at Concourse B.
I’m told about another lounge closer to my boarding gate (Concourse C), but advised to stay here as that one is a lot smaller. Terminal 3 is huge though, so be mindful of the time when it’s nearer boarding.
First Class passengers and Emirates Platinum members are invited to use the First Class Lounge. All Emirates members can also pay a discounted $250 rate (pre-tax) to enjoy it. There are also the Business Class Lounges and Marhaba Lounges (for Priority Pass and Dragonpass) which are decent enough.
The entrance reminds me the of Centurion Lounge at Hong Kong. There’s a small fountain behind the entrance.
It might be “small” compared to the Concourse A lounge, but it’s still huge by any other standard. It takes me more than 10 minutes to just walk around the lounge. You can see how many facilities they have here from the signpost.
A few more pictures as demonstration.
Many airlines, such as British Airways have been downgrading their lounge experience by removing the Spa service. Emirates have kept it instead.
The 15-minute complimentary message menu:
Quiet Room for relax and recharge.
The kids club is next door.
Bathroom:
Showers:
A nice wine display room:
The dining room is a must-visit. It is larger than many restaurants or airport lounges itself.
You can help yourself to the hot food buffet or desserts.
Hot food options are:
- Stir Fieds Bibimbap with Chicken
- Foul medames
- French toast
- Plain paratha
- Aloo mutter
Plus the traditional English breakfast. I tried some Bibimbap and wasn’t impressed.
A Japanese sushi counter:
If you’ve got time, don’t miss the full a-la-carte dining experience and the menu is here. Breakfast menu is extensive, and you can even order some All Day Lunch items such as a Wagyu burger!
I’m not sure my stomach can handle a burger or steak at 7am, so opt for the eggs benedict and sushi instead.
As you may have guessed from the presentation, they aren’t very tasty. The cappuccino I ordered isn’t barista-made either. Well I probably should have got Wagyu…
In summary, the lounge is huge and contains all sorts of facilities, so I would recommend to arrive early for a free massage and the dining experience. But aesthetically it doesn’t impress me – nothing really Wows me unlike the Al Mourjan Lounge at Doha.
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