Ok. I’m going to put it out there. United Arab Emirates is ridiculous. Less is more does not apply to this Arabian country. Extravagance, enormous, and excessive best describes this nation. And the brand new flagship Etihad First Class Lounge & Spa is no different.
Ahem. Airlines, take notes please, this is how you make a proper airport lounge.
After getting dropped off by Etihad’s chauffeur service, you enter into this oasis in Abu Dhabi International Airport. Upon check-in, two staffs personally greet you at the entrance. One to take care of your coats and carry ons, the other to give you the grand tour of the lounge.
“Would you like to first book a complimentary massage at our spa?”
“Uh… YES” (Seriously, has anyone ever said no?)
While I’m getting pampered by the spa, Miki & Paul decides to eat an à la carte meal at the lounge. The lounge is enormously spacious. There are various dining areas. This is what the restaurant looks like at 7:00pm. Yes, everything is free.
Care for some cognac & cocktails? Head to their open bar. This place is a liquor connoisseur’s dream. Some of these drinks will cost you well over $100 USD if you order at an actual fancy restaurant. A little bummed that they were out of the Hennessy Paradis Rare Cognac (retail value: $700+ USD per bottle!).
Careful not to have too much though! Still have a flight to catch.
Gentlemen, let’s pair our expensive drinks with something. Etihad’s got an idea. How about a complimentary cigar lounge. What?! That’s right, there’s a room solely to enjoy Cuban cigars. Now, Paul is a noob. Amusingly, the lounge staffs personally showed him how to properly prepare one.
Food coma? You have the option to go to their nap room, which features illuminated screensaver of their Etihad Airway’s routes.
That nap room is not that comfortable for me, so I chose to nap/chill in the kid’s room. What?!?! That’s right! They have a family room exclusively for kids to play in. Hey, there’s no age limit in this room, so why not chill here for a little bit. Can you find me? (Hint: do you want to build a snowman?)
If the meal is far too heavy for you. You have the option to burn it off in their gym. What?!?!?!?! Yes, there’s a place to workout here. It’s like a mini-version of Equinox Irvine.
Here comes the crazy part, if you don’t want a spa session, you can opt on a salon treatment instead. This time, Miki’s in the mood for a cosmetic beauty manicure treatment. What?!?!?!?!?! A friendly reminder, all complimentary. Ask for Michelle. She’s a meticulous manicurist. A perfect job on Miki’s nails.
Gentlemen, didn’t do a treatment yet? How does a haircut or shave sound. Isn’t this just too ridiculous? I can’t believe this. Now I’m regretting not coming to this lounge earlier to take advantage of all this luxury.
WOW. No wonder this lounge took years to develop. Everything is just too insane here. UAE is infamous for traditionally setting the standard for everything. And Etihad’s First Class Lounge & Spa has raised the bar significantly for what an airport lounge is suppose to be to dizzying new heights.
For a second, you want to miss your flight because this lounge is just too over the top. Nevertheless, luxury doesn’t stop here. Everyone has a First Class flight to catch!
Coming soon! Our very 1st time on the Etihad A380 First Apartment Class.
Spoilers: it is ridiculously beartastic-ly amazing
Chai Bear World 