Double Wedding Holiday: Hong Kong to Haneda (Cathay Pacific First Class)

• Quick Introduction and DFW to LHR (AA Business)
• LHR layover
• LHR to SIN (BA Business)
• Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur
• Penang to Hong Kong (Malaysia First Class)
• Hong Kong to Haneda (Cathay Pacific First Class)
• Tokyo to Los Angeles (JAL First Class)

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I was personally super excited about our three hour layover in Hong Kong since this would be our first time trying out the famous Cathay lounges in their home base of Hong Kong. It was a bit of a walk from our arrival gate to the security re-screen but thankfully the lines were short. Since we were around gate 23, we first stopped by "The Cabin" lounge which is one of the newer Cathay lounges even though it did not have a first class section.

The lounge was relatively good for a business class lounge. We didn't spend too much time in it and just did a walk about and grabbed some of the healthy juices on offer.

The Cabin

Next up was "The Wing" lounge which was a pretty good walk away from where we were. Kinda wish they were trains to zip us from one end of the terminal to the other. The First Class section of the Wing was renovated about a year ago and it still felt new. The furnishings were similar to the Cabin but there was definitely less people and much easier to find a place to sit. Since we were still full from our flight from Hong Kong, I caught up on some work while enjoying a glass of champagne of course.

The Wing

Even though we really didn't need the food, we had to make a visit to "the Haven" which is the first class dining area that's catered by the Peninsula hotel. They had a buffet in addition to several ala carte  options. The food was pretty good and I rank it on par with the food in the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Singapore Airlines Private Room and Thai's First Class Lounge. The service however was somewhat lackluster as it we were having a hard time flagging the server down for more orders and top up of our drinks.

 

Our last stop was the cabana for a much needed relaxing dip in the tub and shower. The cabana was top notch and a great way to relax or freshen up between flights.

With all the fun we were having in The Wing, the couple of hours just flew by and it was time to get on the 747 to Haneda. I was again particularly excited about this flight as this was our first time flying first on Cathay and probably the last time on the 747 since Cathay has started retiring the 747.

I was really impressed with the first class seat in the nose of the 747. Sure it doesn't have the bling of Emirates but the seats were angled in such a way in the nose that it gave the right amount of privacy and spaciousness. I could see why now many people praising this first class product.

My only minor complaint was that there really isn't a good couple seat but the ability to dine together makes up for it. Cathay also provides a table extension to give more room when two people dine together.  I'll say again that nothing beats sharing a wonderful meal with your loved on 30,000 feet above ground and enjoying the view of the sun set.

Dinner was served about an hour after take-off. I opted for the Japanese Kyo Kaseikei meal while Lydia stuck with the "safer" Chinese options. Both options ended to be really excellent! I particularly enjoyed the Japanese sake that was paired with the sashimi course so much so that I just stuck to that for the rest of the meal.

Japanese Meal

Chinese Meal

Dinner ended with a pot of good jasmine tea and some pralines that I enjoyed while watching some Hong Kong movies. Gotta get my dose of non-Hollywood movies when I get the chance. Overall, we truly enjoyed our first time in first class on Cathay Pacific and we look forward to flying them again.