This Review of Cathay Pacific's First and Business Class Lounge in Vancouver Airport YVR is from our 2019 visit prior to a Cathay Pacific First Class flight from Vancouver to NYC JFK.
Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge Vancouver Airport Location, Access and Hours
The Cathay Pacific Vancouver Lounge is located airside, past security, by Gate 67. The lounge is open daily from 10:30am-3pm for Cathay's morning flights, and from 8pm-2am for its evening flights.
The following passengers have lounge access:
- Marco Polo Club Diamond: passenger + 2 guests (departing on Cathay Pacific or oneworld flights only)
- Cathay Pacific First Class Passenger: passenger + 1 guest
- oneworld First Class Passenger: passenger + 1 guest
- Marco Polo Club Gold: passenger + 1 guest (departing on Cathay Pacific or oneworld flights only)
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Passenger: passenger only
- oneworld Business Class Passenger: passenger only
- Marco Polo Club Silver: passenger only (departing on Cathay Pacific or oneworld flights only)
Cathay Pacific Vancouver Lounge Amenities
Cathay Pacific's Vancouver Lounge opened in 2016, so it still looks quite fresh, with plenty of seating in its 5500 square feet, designed by London design firm Studioilse. Some of the high backed chairs even have individual reading lights and coat hooks.
If you don't immediately see a power outlet, you may just need to slide open a drawer underneath some of the side tables–look for the plug icon.
The WiFi worked quite well during my time in the lounge, although was slower than my high speed internet at home when it came to uploading files.
In addition to the PressReader service, there are English language and Chinese newspapers available, including the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal.
There's also a Business Center in one corner overlooking the tarmac, with several Apple computer work stations.
I was happy to be able to use one of the two available shower rooms to refresh prior to the flight. You'll need to check with one of the lounge staff to have it unlocked for you.
There's a beautiful rain shower, complete with Aesop bath shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. I have to say, Cathay Pacific has chosen one of my favorite brands, Aesop, when it comes to its amenity kits and shower room bath products.
Cathay Pacific Vancouver Lounge Food
The lounge offers a modest cold buffet of salads, chilled sandwiches and wraps, and whole fresh fruit such as apples and oranges
In the chilled case, where the sandwiches were, I was also happy to see some yogurt, which is what my son wanted.
There's an espresso machine, and tea, which was just Twinings, nothing special.
The highlight is really The Noodle Bar area, where you can enjoy dim sum, won ton soup, and even Western pasta cooked to order.
Here's The Noodle Bar menu:
You're given a buzzer that light up when your food is ready.
I ordered a won ton soup, har gau (shrimp dumplings) and shu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings). I enjoyed all the dumplings and the Chinese vegetable in the soup, although could have done without so many noodles in the soup.
As in Cathay's Hong Kong Lounges, there are a variety of chili sauce condiments for the dumplings:
The Verdict
The Cathay Pacific First and Business Class Lounge in Vancouver is quite good for a North American Airport Lounge, with plenty of seating, good WiFi, and ample food on offer. My favorite aspect was the Noodle Bar, as the won ton soup and dim sum were exactly the comfort foods I felt like prior to our late night flight. I was also glad to find some yogurt for my son, since that's what he felt like, before taking a nap on one of the lounge chairs, since our departure was later than his usual bed-time.
The lounge could have used more day beds given the number of passengers trying to nap a bit before the late night flight, and also more than two shower rooms, since there are just two of them, and even though there weren't a lot of passengers in the lounge for our late night flight, another guest seemed irate to not be able to be accommodated right away, as both shower rooms were occupied. I imagine that during busier times the lounge staff has to turn away quite a few guests who would like to have showered.
If you've visited the Cathay Pacific Vancouver Lounge recently, what was your experience?
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