Airline lounges aim to offer an escape for travelers from the stresses of flying. However, not all airlines lounges are created equal. Our goal is to visit as many as possible to keep you informed on your next trip. Today we will be reviewing the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3 before going over all the ways you could find yourself enjoying this lounge on your next trip.
For a quick summary on our visit scroll to the very bottom of the post.
Location
We found ourselves at London Heathrow Terminal 3 during an unusually long layover on British Airways while transiting to our final destination in Europe. Since we had about 7 hours to kill before our next flight we made the decision to visit multiple Oneworld business class lounges — courtesy of our Oneworld Sapphire status — to determine which one was our favorite.
Large Cathay Pacific logo near the elevator to the lounge entrance
The entrance to the Cathay Pacific Lounge is located near gate 11, and if you meet the criteria, the first class lounge is also accessed by using this elevator. Once you make it to the right spot of the terminal the lounge is easy to spot with the help of the large Cathay Pacific Logo. Incase you are looking for the signs in the terminal it is also referred to as lounge C, with its operating hours being 5:30am until the final Cathay Pacific departure of the day on Monday thru Saturday. Then on Sunday it opens at 7:30am and also closes after the final departure of the day.
Excellent view of the tarmac from the Cathay Pacific lounge
I am always excited when a lounge requires an elevator ride and this time lived up to the expectations. Since we were above the concourse the lounge provided excellent views of the tarmac and we were able to watch plenty of planes take off while simply lounging around and having a drink.
Seating
As soon as we entered I noticed the lounge had a great flow between all of the areas and the different seating options had their own designed purpose. All of the seats I tried were comfortable but I did find some to be more desirable than others.
Private seats with a unique business class feel
This area above was in the far end of the lounge and looked like it was designed for people traveling on their own who wanted to either read or work on their computers. All of the chairs faced a large floor to ceiling window with slightly obstructed tarmac views and had additional reading lights attached to them. They were comfortable — I liked how they matched the standard Cathay Pacific colors — and they certainly would’ve provided some additional privacy had that been what I was looking for.
A nice area to relax and watch some television before a flight
Then right behind the row of private chairs they had the above sitting area. It was full of decorative lighting and sectioned off to accommodate larger groups or couples traveling together. Then right near this area there was a small bar with a selection of tea.
Our favorite seats in the lounge were found along the large windows
The majority of the seating spaces in the lounge were designed into small sections with the above area being right near the bar. Then what we both found to be our favorite spot in the entire lounge was the row of recliner chairs and footrests lined up in front of the floor to ceiling windows with a view of the tarmac. It’s an especially great spot for anyone looking to take a quick nap during their layover, just don’t forget to set an alarm cause we wouldn’t want anybody missing their flight!
A fantastic area for sitting and eating a made to order pre-flight meal
The food in the lounge was excellent, which we will get to in a second, but they had an amazing area dedicated to seating for eating a pre-departure meal. As shown in the photo above they had multiple booths near the noodle bar. We were there at a great time since a Cathay flight had recently departed and the next one wasn’t scheduled for a few more hours, giving us free range of the lounge to try out the different seating options.
Food & Drink
One of the major highlights of this lounge is the food and drink selections. We had just come from the British Airways lounge, where we had picked through a rather disappointing breakfast spread, so all of the food options for lunch looked amazing.
View from the far end of the create your own noodle bar
We started off by ordering a selection of noodles, accompanied with chicken and vegetables, then a side of freshly steamed dumplings. They had a menu for us to choose from and after ordering they handed me a beeper, saying to come back up when it went off. They made the food rather quickly and provided us with a choice of chopsticks or silverware. All of the food we tried from the noodle bar was delicious — we took a lot of pictures — except the phone we used for them broke during the trip so they unfortunately can’t be included in this post 😦 But if you can take our word for it, the food tasted great, was aesthetically pleasing, and they had plenty of options to choose from.
A self-serve tap with ice-cold Carlsberg beer
Fully stocked premium bar with a selection of spirits, wine, and beer
Section of the self-serve buffet around the corner from the noodle bar
Long table with benches located right in the area next to the buffet
Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate available for anyone looking to knock out jet lag
Self-serve fridge stocked with soft drinks
Between the made-to-order noodle bar, self-serve buffet with multiple options — chicken, fish, soup, fruits, pasta salad — a full service premium bar, self-serve beer tap, and options for coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, you would be hard pressed to find something you couldn’t eat or drink during your time in the Cathay Pacific lounge. Two thumbs up!
Amenities & Lounge Staff
Shortly after stepping off the elevators into the lounge we were greeted with a warm smile from the front desk before handing over our boarding pass showing our Oneworld Sapphire status. We were asked if we had ever been in the lounge before and after saying no received a quick overview before being pointed in the direction of the business class lounge. The first class lounge looked like it would’ve been great so hopefully that will be experienced another time 😉
Hallway leading to the business class lounge and the massage area
The lounge has a long hallway with the bathrooms to the left, massage room and showers straight ahead, and the rest of the lounge to the right. I didn’t actually get a massage or take a shower in the lounge, since I had just taken one at a previous lounge, but based on the rest of the decor, and things I have heard, they had to be top-notch.
Plenty of nice sinks in the large bathroom
Then the bathrooms were large with plenty of toilets and sinks brought together with an extremely chic design. Each sink had its own moisturizer along with the hand soap pump. This bathroom was certainly a step above the bathrooms in the British Airways Terraces lounge.
The Cathay Pacific Lounge also had free wi-fi for guests to use and we didn’t run into any problems with it. The speed was easily fast enough to stream videos, send emails, and use the iMessage feature with no issues whatsoever. They also had plenty of magazines out for anyone to peruse.
How can you get in the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge?
The London Heathrow T3 Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge offers a few ways to gain entry:
- Flying in either Business Class or First Class internationally on your itinerary with Cathay Pacific or another Oneworld carrier
- Flying internationally in any class of service on your Oneworld itinerary as a Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald member
- Flying with anyone who has one of the above as they can bring in a guest free of charge
Pros
- Amazing selection of food options throughout the lounge
- Plenty of comfortable seating options
- Extremely nice bathroom for use before or after a long flight
- Separate lounge for first class passengers
Cons
- Can really only be used if departing on a flight out of Terminal 3
- While it wasn’t crowded while we were there, I could see it getting rather crowded during the time leading up to a Cathay departure
Final Thoughts
This was easily our favorite lounge among the four we visited in T3 and look forward to returning in the future. The food was good, the decor was stylish, the staff was nice and attentive, the bar was well stocked, and the wi-fi was fast. Our biggest disappointment was that we hadn’t gone straight there as soon as we arrived. Despite the fact that we were only right above the concourse, the lounge truly felt like a relaxing haven away from the hustle and bustle of London Heathrow. I would have no qualms recommending this lounge to anyone transiting through Heathrow T3 and hopefully you can find yourself enjoying this lounge sometime soon. If anyone has been here we would be curious to hear if your experience was similar to ours? Until next time!
Window Seat Weekends 