Where Diego fails to take full advantage of CX’s slick flagship lounge. (Can’t blame the chap though; he was really sleepy at the time.)

Overview

Seating

First of all, my apologies to the readership: I won’t be able to give as detailed a description of The Wing as I’d like. My inbound flight from MNL arrived at HKG some time after 2000, approaching my usual bedtime (yes, I’m an early sleeper). This meant that by the time I managed to drag myself all the way across HKG’s massive terminal building from the transfer area to the lounge door (which, as luck would have it, were almost on opposite ends of the monster), my mind was just about ready to call it quits for the night. The end result: a quick shower, a few bites to eat, several failed attempts at getting some rest, and lots of lounge acreage left insufficiently explored.

All right, excuses over. Let’s make the best of what we have.

The lounge has several seating areas, each with a distinctive type of service (one with a coffee bar, another with a noodle bar, yet another with a liquor bar, etc.). After a quick shower – more on that later – I found myself a berth in an area on the second floor close to the famed Long Bar, within striking distance of a decent Western-style buffet.

I found myself an unoccupied specimen of Cathay’s Solus chairs and promptly ensconced myself therein, with a cup of hot chamomile tea, a bottle of water, and a small plate of snacks close to hand.

This neat little booth came packed with conveniences: a small shelf for refreshments, a coat hook, a comfy seat with armrests (the bulges on either side), even a power outlet for those who couldn’t stand to be parted from their gadgetry.

There were other types of seating sprinkled here and there, but this one really stood out for me. (That, and the fact that I was completely exhausted and in no mood to chair-hop from one end of the room to the other.)

Catering

I wish I could write more about the excellent options on offer for patrons of The Wing, but alas . . . well, we’ve just been through why. Suffice it to say that there were self-serve buffets in almost every seating area I looked at, with a couple of counters where made-to-order food and beverages were available.

One area I managed to try out was the Noodle Bar, on the second floor.

Nice modern Oriental theme, but we’re not here for the decor – we’re here for the food. Walk up to the counter, choose an item from the menu, and wait for the staff to dish out a piping-hot, freshly made bowl of noodles just for you.

Facilities

A feature of The Wing that I was eager to try out were its shower suites. There were 24 of them on the lower level of the lounge, free for any patron to use – I simply asked an attendant and she led me to a vacant room.

“Suite” was right: this wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill gym-style booth. Apart from a glass-walled shower stall, the travertine-clad room had a private toilet, a fully-equipped dresser table, and a wide range of amenities.

In addition to the shower suites, a business area on the same level featured several booths with internet-ready PCs and printers. (I even vaguely recall seeing a copying machine or something of that kind somewhere in the area.)

Overall Impression

Forget about waiting for a flight – this lounge is almost a destination in itself. Too bad I failed to make good use of the place, but anyone with a long layover (and in more of a wakeful state than I was) will appreciate being able to unwind, or even get some work done, in between flights.

Beware of the crowds, though. I was waiting for an early morning bird and the place was still quite packed; one can only imagine what conditions might be like during peak daytime hours.