I mean a great deal! Fortunately, sometimes I am able to bring my family with me, which makes my travel so much more of a wonderful event.
Look, from my perspective, travel is meant to be a rich experience, a means of engaging with culture, cuisine and pleasure. In the last decade, cities around the world have helped this along by building exceptionally designed, clean, well-functioning airports.
Along with them have come
equally stunning airport lounges, and the super-luxe first-class areas
in international hubs around the world are a testament to a new age of
luxury.
Instead of feeling like
they're on the wrong side of a quarantine -- and serving decidedly
lack-luster food (everyone's had a run-in with those dreaded airport
"panini") -- these lounges are oases offering first-rate amenities,
privacy and calm. It's all so good, in fact, you might even want to get
to the airport early.
Airports are gateways to
the world, and these 10 airport lounges cater to global travelers who
want the journey to be as memorable as the destination.
Virgin Atlantic JFK Clubhouse, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
The feeling that half of
Manhattan has joined you at your gate at JFK is over. This March, Virgin
Atlantic premiered its new Clubhouse with an Austin Powers-meets-uptown
mod cocktail lounge at its heart, complete with a red leather sofa and
purple lighting.
But it's the Clubhouse
Spa, featuring Dr. Hauschka products and treatments, that really makes
the JFK Clubhouse a standout layover option.
In the end, just like
the $17 million flagship at Heathrow airport, this lounge offers
everything you need (massages, facials, foot treatments), everything you
didn't know you needed (a Bumble and Bumble salon) and several things
that you don't really need at all but are certainly nice to have (anyone
for a game of pool?).
Beyond TSA checkpoint in A Concourse, above boarding gates A4 and A5; virgin-atlantic.com.
British Airways Concorde Room, Heathrow Airport
The decidedly
unfashionable herringbone print, velvets and crystal chandeliers of the
Concorde Room at Heathrow recall a well-to-do British gentleman's study
in all its relaxed, un-modern glory.
Quite simply, this is a
retreat -- albeit one with full waiter service, complimentary wines and
Champagne and private, hotel-style cabanas with day beds and en-suite
bathrooms. If retreating isn't your habit, book a theater ticket with
the concierge, then head to the terrace for a drink from the fabulous
Concorde Bar and views of the runway.
Terminal 5; britishairways.com.
Etihad's Diamond First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi International Airport
To enter Etihad's
first-class lounge is a dangerous game of choose-your-own-indulgence.
Leave the kids at the door. Staff nannies keep little ones busy in the
kids' retreat among colorful beanbags and toys; parents head to the Six
Senses Spa for a complimentary treatment.
Then the real
decision-making begins. Will it be the Champagne bar for the finest
wines and bubbly or the cigar lounge? À la carte dining in a fine-dining
atmosphere or dinner at the chef's table? Just don't forget the kids.
Terminal 3; etihadairways.com.
Finnair Lounge, Helsinki Airport
From felt walls that
swallow outside noise to Marimekko tableware to the wireless, mobile
phone-charging system PowerKiss (wireless!), the simplicity and
thoughtfulness of the Finnair Lounge make it exceptional. A buffet is
always on, and in addition to the views, the elegant Finnish and Nordic
furniture designs provide their own easy pleasure. For those on the way
to Asia, the midnight buffet is particularly elaborate.
Travelers in need of a
spa will need to have patience -- the Finnair Spa (complete with
traditional Finnish saunas) will reopen this winter, but in the meantime
there are showers at the lounge.
Terminal T2 between Gates 36 and 37; finnair.com.
Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa's First Class
Terminal offers its own passport control and security checkpoints, so
travelers get personal attention all the way until they walk down the
gangplank to the airplane. (Behind security in Departure Area B, there
is also a smaller but no less elegant first class lounge for
non-Schengen flights.)
Creatively done lighting
radiates from behind a black glass wall and from the tops of marble
partitions in the restaurant. Everything, from the size of the tables to
the marble and oak bar to the monsoon showerheads, is presented
generously and thoughtfully.
Next to Terminal 1; lufthansa.com.
The Pier, Hong Kong International Airport
The seasoned traveler
will be forgiven for any long-standing preconceptions about eating (or,
sadly, not eating) in airports. Thankfully, not far from Gate 62 at Hong
Kong International, those expectations will be overturned.
At The Pier — Cathay
Pacific's glass-enclosed first- and business-class break area — you'll
find freshly made Japanese noodles at the Noodle Bar and proper fine
dining and modern decor at the first-class Haven restaurant. (There are
also two more fully stocked café/bars.)
In addition to the
business centers, the WiFi, the leather armchairs and the pebbled
showers, a glass of Champagne also goes a long way to ease travel
stress.
Gates 62-66, Northwest Concourse; cathaypacific.com.
Qantas First Lounge, Sydney Airport
Modernity, with polished
surfaces, clear glass and stainless steel, is the norm of airport
luxury today, give or take a Dutch modern knock-off table or two and a
leather armchair. Which is why we're thrilled with the 98-foot,
8,400-plant vertical garden that greets passengers at the Qantas First
Lounge at Sydney Airport.
It leaves the air in the
atrium feeling cleaner and lighter. Better yet, part of the garden is
incorporated into each of the Payot Paris day spa treatment rooms, so
you can forget, for the moment, that you're in transit.
The upper floor of the
lounge, designed by Marc Newson and replete with recliners and sofas (in
addition to those leather armchairs), also includes an open kitchen
restaurant serving food by Australian chef Neil Perry.
International Terminal; qantas.com.au.
Qatar Airways Premium Terminal, Doha International Airport
Doha airport knows how
to do things on a massive scale better than anyone, which is why Qatar
Airways worked with it to create this first- and business-class terminal
cum mall cum hotel.
It includes a handful of
worthwhile airport elements (duty-free, fine boutiques) and complements
them with the fundamentals of a fine lounge (a full-service Elemis spa,
including Jacuzzi and sauna; several restaurants, cafés and bars;
private meeting rooms and business centers).
Hotel-style bedroom suites and child entertainment round out the offerings, and the result is truly over the top.
Near main Departures building; qatarairways.com.
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounges, Singapore Changi International Airport
At Singapore Changi
International, as throngs of travelers roll handcarts piled high with
suitcases to overflowing check-in lines, Passenger Relations Officers
greet first-class passengers of Singapore Airlines curbside, taking
their bags, guiding them to an armchair in the first-class check-in
lounge and checking them in personally.
Next it's off to the
first-class SilverKris Lounges, where, depending on their mood, guests
can choose from meeting rooms, café/bars or 13 Italian-leather
slumberettes. Don't worry -- the staff will wake you before your flight.
Terminal 2 on Level 3 (North Wing); Terminal 3 on Level 3; singaporeair.com.
Swiss Lounge, EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg
Guests of the Swiss
Lounge can sun themselves under an enormous glass dome, surrounded by
bright, simple materials -- like chrome and wood -- rather than some of
the richer, upholstered surfaces found in other first class lounges. The
architecture is open, the greenery is plentiful and the staff at the
welcome desk is attentive.
Expect warm and cold
buffets, leather recliners facing the panoramic windows, a proper
European bar and a Japanese bridge in an atrium surrounded by palm
trees. Somehow, it all works together impeccably -- Priority Pass just
voted it the best airport lounge of 2012.
