Part 2: Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi
The big advantage of Topbonus' Platinum status for me was having all the Oneworld AND Etihad Partner benefits at the same time (kinda like best-of-both worlds). This way, the hell that is Abu Dhabi Airport suddenly becomes quite enjoyable as you had access to Etihad's new First Class Lounge.
The entrance is directly on the left after security:
After checking into the lounge at the desk on the ground floor, an elevator takes you upstairs to the actual lounge area.
After the endless bus tour from the plane to the airport, I took a quick shower in Etihad's excellent shower cabins.
Super refreshing, and the First Class showers are really elegant as well (just lack some additional space to put away your bags and clothes). I passed through the gym (no thank you)...
...through the long corridor that connects all the different lounge areas...
...and headed to the lounge restaurant. On the way there I was offered the free Spa services, e.g. a massage (sorry, no time) or a haircut (sorry, no hair). Etihad's First Class lounge offers a full a-la-carte restaurant, so I sat down at the window and studied the menu:
I started out with the scallops appetizer which was great:
Followed by the Angus Triple Beef Burgers (super juicy and nice buns):
All that was accompanied by some champagne (again) and followed by a nice dessert from the buffet. Sadly my time in the lounge was very limited (so no time for the cigar lounge), but at least I wanted to explore the rest of the lounge. In the very back of the lounge is the infamous relax room with the incredible video wall:
I then spent the last 15 minutes at the bar, drinking a whiskey on the rocks and chatting with the barkeeper about rock, metal and the infamous German Wacken festival (highly recommended). I have the slight suspicion that Etihad only gets their best barkeepers to work in the First Class Lounge – during all my visits they were super interesting to chat with.
Afterwards I had to leave Etihad's „oasis in the desert“ again and head towards the gate. My next flight was from AUH to SIN and I definitely didn't want to miss my sweet bus ride across the airport again. I've uploaded some more photos of
Etihad's First Class Lounge here if you're interested.
The next leg with the 787 was quite uneventful, as I've mostly used the lie flat seat to compensate for my lack of sleep. After another glass of champagne I slept for a few hours and chose to have my dinner 1:30h before landing. Catering was really good again, a juicy chicken breast with a tasty crust:
After sunrise, a beautiful rainbow welcomed us during our final approach into Singapore:
Coming up next: Cathay's A350 C from Singapore to Bangkok
