DRMW[Purist]
21832
TG Royal Silk PART 1: HKG
Feb 28, 2012,01:38 AM
Hello all!
Recently I had a chance to fly the
friendly skies and got to use the Thai Airways Royal Silk lounges in 3
different airports. I've tried the Delta and United lounges
but never this one so it was nice to be able to compare the difference
between the lounges. Thai Airways is part of Star Alliance
network of airlines providing many lounges in various cities.
Of the three that i experienced, the standout is the one located in
Hong Kong airport. It was easy to find, well lit, quiet, and
although upstairs it was conveniently located near the departure
gates. Let's take a look
around:
When clearing security
and customs, you head to the trams to take you out to the airline
terminals. Once you head up the 2 large escalators to Gate 40,
you will see another escalator that will take you up to the
lounges. In the left hand corner is down the hallway is the
Thai Airways Royal Orchid lounge Hong Kong.
Friendly staff at the
desk greet you and scan your pass. Some airports will scan
your ticket but this one is one of those that gives you a separate pass
to access the lounge.
There are computers with
internet access for guests to use. Great way to login to
ThePuristS and PuristSPro!!
The high ceiling and open
space with colorful seats make the lounge a relaxing escape from all
the craziness associated with flying.
Views from the Thai
Airways Royal Orchid lounge
Plenty of seating and
outlets to power up your cell, laptop, or tablet.
Views of the runway and
the rest of the terminals at Hong Kong airport.
Let's take a look at the
hor d'oeuvres and drink selection of the lounge
The rotation changes
daily depending on when you are visiting. I am here during the
late morning so I get to sample the breakfast and lunch
offerings
Since this is Hong Kong,
they offer lo-mein noodles with sprouts, flat rice noodle rolls with
hoisin sauce, and an assortment of steamed sui mei dumplings. I
like dumplings of all kinds so I ate quite a few of these
things!
A bit later they brought
out some Thai BBQ chicken and shrimp fried rice as the hot
dish. Gotta say that the chicken was tender and moist and very
flavorful!
While the lounge provided
their own wifi network, one thing that I noticed was that there was free
public internet all around Hong Kong airport, the connect was reliable
and relatively fast. It came in handy when I had a slight
issue with my flight and it was was easy to connect while at the checkin
counter to look things up on the 'net.
Lots of fresh fruit and
raw veggies at the lounge, the pineapple was very good.
Bonus! There is
a variety of desserts and a must have if you ever visit the Royal
Orchid lounge in Hong Kong is to get the coconut flavored ice cream,
absolutely delicious!
A steamed BBQ pork bun
(char siu bao) was good. A chicken and all veggie one was
offered but I did not try it. I spotted the Indonesian dish
Quai Lapis and got some along with the rainbow colored sweet rice
cake. The sweet rice cake was tasty but the quai lapis was a
little bland and dry.
-MW