Tredders

Thanks for all the comments. The promised trip report follows. Forgive me for the length of this post, but I loved pretty much every minute of the experience!: -

Concorde Room - very pleasant, very quiet (not sure if this was normal, or whether I was just lucky) and plenty of comfy places to sit. I was travelling with a colleague (WT+) so he was obviously delighted to be taken in with me. The major difference in my eyes between the First lounge and the Concord Room is the level of attentiveness from the staff. I walked in, and within about 5 seconds, was asked if I'd like a glass of champagne. We started off by having breakfast in one of the private booths in the restaurant (very good scrambled eggs and smoked salmon), and then sat on the terrace. Surprised to not be able to find a power socket to charge up phones near the comfy sofa I'd sunk into, so moved inside, and found some equally comfy armchairs with power outlets next to them. Absolutely delighted to hear that there was a 2 hour delay on our flight (genuinely, this was the only time I've ever been pleased to be delayed!) and so sat at the bar, drinking Cosmopolitans and chatting away to the bar staff, who in common with all the other staff members I spoke to, were lovely. One observation is that I actually never had to ask for anything during my entire time in the lounge - as I finished my juice or coffee with breakfast, someone appeared with a smile to ask if I needed a top up. As I was finishing a drink at the bar, the bar staff appeared with a smile and asked if I wanted the same again. PETER01, you're absolutely right - I've now been spoilt and want to go there every week when I fly!

Eventually (and somewhat reluctantly!) left the Concord room and got to the C gates. I boarded in group 1, and I was welcomed by name, and taken to my seat (1K). Cabin crew and manager came and introduced themselves to me, and they couldn't have been friendlier. Within minutes I was relaxing in my seat, and a glass of champagne and a bowl of warm nuts arrived. There were only 3 others in First, so it felt extremely exclusive, and on the recommendation of the good folk of Flyertalk, I mentioned to the cabin crew that it was my first time in First. My pyjamas, slippers and Liberty amenities kit arrived, and I then spent probably the best part of 15 minutes playing with the seat controls, lighting, window blind, foot stool etc etc. Suffice to say that even at 6' 6" tall, the seat was wide enough for me, and I didn't struggle with leg room.

I was served fresh dates and a small Arabic coffee (both delicious) and given the menu to choose my dinner. I'm sure those of you who fly F regularly take it for granted, but it's fabulous to be able to say what time you'd like to eat. At the allotted time, my dinner table was laid with precision (good linen, decent glassware & the salt & pepper pots were carefully turned so that the S & P on top were facing me!), and it was time to eat. I had a meze plate (with warm pita bread, of course!) to start, and it was very good. Following this was filet of beef in a Cafe de Paris sauce, cooked very nicely. The cabin manager kept regularly asking how I was enjoying my first First, and whether I needed anything. I never got a chance to ask for a refill of wine, or a glass of water, because it just seemed to magically appear when I wanted it, without me having to say anything!

I was asked if I wanted the cheese board (of course I did!) and the cabin manager asked if he could interest me in a Southampton to go with it. He laughed & seemed pleased when I replied that I'd love a glass of port (Southampton = Large Port, get it?!) as he said that he uses that line every flight, and nobody ever knows what it means, but this was typical of the service I enjoyed on the flight. Very efficient, but also very friendly, and staff who really did seem to love their job. Perhaps I was just lucky and got an amazing crew, but I couldn't fault them.

After all the food and wine, I reclined my seat and grabbed 30 mins sleep. As someone who is used to being uncomfortable on pretty much all modes of transport due to my height, it was so nice to have a good sized place to relax, and the flat bed meant that sleep came quickly. As I woke up, the cabin manager was there to ask if I wanted him to make my bed up for me "properly", and when I told him that I was fine, he reappeared shortly after with a cup of coffee and some warm biscuits, with a smile and a "here you go, you look as though you'd like a coffee right about now"...

When we were about 90 minutes from Dubai, afternoon tea was served. Again, the neatly laid table, and a couple of warm scones with jam and cream appeared, along with a selection of sandwiches. These were swiftly polished off, and more coffee arrived. I never usually drink coffee on board, but the Origin stuff being served was actually very good.

Shortly before landing, one of the cabin crew came over and asked if I'd like to take home one of the female Liberty amenities kits. I thanked her and said that my daughter would love one, and she returned with 2 of them, saying "you'd better take one for your wife too - I don't want to get you into trouble". Again, a small example of the level of service.

We landed, I said goodbye to the crew and thanked them for looking after me so well, and I waited for my colleague to arrive from WT+. One last nice touch - as we walked into baggage reclaim, my case was waiting on a separate trolley marked "First Class Luggage", so I was ready to go even before the main baggage carousel had started up.

So, that was my first First experience. I loved it, the F product was impressive to me (although granted my benchmark is only Club Europe). However, the stars of the show, from the moment I walked into the Concord room, to the moment I left the plane, were the staff. They made the flight memorable.