Yada Yada
Established Member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2004
- Posts
- 1,875
I tried out The Lounge today for the first time in both SYD and MEL and thought I would share a few comments.
SYD - The Lounge here is located airside to the left after you come down the escalators from the security screening point. It is nicely decorated with a servery area, a dining area, a lounge area, and a separate business/computer area. It is small compared with the SYD QP so I wonder how they will handle growth. Nonetheless it is very nice.
I was there for breakfast and found similar fare to that offered in the QP - a selection of cereals, a selection of breads and a toaster, spreads, yoghurt and fruit. There were two types of juices, chilled water, filter coffee, and tea.
There was also a barista on hand to make real coffee. And let me tell you it was bloody good! Best coffee I have tasted in T2. There were plasma screens tuned to Sky News, lots of papers and magazines, etc.
In short, aside from the smaller size, it was the equal of the QP although the coffee was far superior. The other notable thing is that the staff are great - they are friendly and actually talk to you. I have no complaint with the QP staff but they seem to have been trained to be background workers and rarely say a word.
MEL - as posted previously, this is a large lounge, I'd guess with almost as much floor space as the QP. It has lots of glass looking out between the two piers at the DJ end of the terminal. It is located down the escalators after check-in and to the left but is landside, so when called for your flight you must go through security (which is right next to it so no big deal).
The food available mid-afternoon included bread and bread rolls (the toaster was still out), two types of cold meat, cheese, tomato and other salad items, a selection of sauces/mustards/etc, and nibblies (chips, cookies, etc). There was a selection of wines - two types of white wine, not sure how many reds, a number of types of beers, soft drinks, juices and chilled water.
Again, there was someone behind the counter at all times making espresso coffee and serving the alcohol. The coffee was fantastic, again, and the service was great. The staff are personable and engaging.
It seems that wireless internet is not yet available (my PC did not detect any network) but dotted around the lounge were network access points. I parked myself at one of the low-slung workdesks where they had power points and network access points built into the table under a hinged flap. Internet access was free, a nice difference to the QP where I must pay for access via Telstra.
There is a Sony Wega theatre at one end, a section of lounges with plasma TV screens tuned to different channels, a nice sized pool table(!) and stacks of papers and magazines. The restrooms seemed new and were nicely done, and they also have showers.
One other nice difference is that it relatively quiet. I have had trouble lately finding somewhere to sit in the QP during peak times, so I really appreciated the quieter ambience and ease with which I could find somewhere to work.
All in all, Virgin Blue have done a great job with their new lounges. It is wonderful to have competition at last, and at the present time I feel The Lounge has an advantage over QP's by virtue of their great staff, the food, and the relative quiet. Oh, and the coffee.
SYD - The Lounge here is located airside to the left after you come down the escalators from the security screening point. It is nicely decorated with a servery area, a dining area, a lounge area, and a separate business/computer area. It is small compared with the SYD QP so I wonder how they will handle growth. Nonetheless it is very nice.
I was there for breakfast and found similar fare to that offered in the QP - a selection of cereals, a selection of breads and a toaster, spreads, yoghurt and fruit. There were two types of juices, chilled water, filter coffee, and tea.
There was also a barista on hand to make real coffee. And let me tell you it was bloody good! Best coffee I have tasted in T2. There were plasma screens tuned to Sky News, lots of papers and magazines, etc.
In short, aside from the smaller size, it was the equal of the QP although the coffee was far superior. The other notable thing is that the staff are great - they are friendly and actually talk to you. I have no complaint with the QP staff but they seem to have been trained to be background workers and rarely say a word.
MEL - as posted previously, this is a large lounge, I'd guess with almost as much floor space as the QP. It has lots of glass looking out between the two piers at the DJ end of the terminal. It is located down the escalators after check-in and to the left but is landside, so when called for your flight you must go through security (which is right next to it so no big deal).
The food available mid-afternoon included bread and bread rolls (the toaster was still out), two types of cold meat, cheese, tomato and other salad items, a selection of sauces/mustards/etc, and nibblies (chips, cookies, etc). There was a selection of wines - two types of white wine, not sure how many reds, a number of types of beers, soft drinks, juices and chilled water.
Again, there was someone behind the counter at all times making espresso coffee and serving the alcohol. The coffee was fantastic, again, and the service was great. The staff are personable and engaging.
It seems that wireless internet is not yet available (my PC did not detect any network) but dotted around the lounge were network access points. I parked myself at one of the low-slung workdesks where they had power points and network access points built into the table under a hinged flap. Internet access was free, a nice difference to the QP where I must pay for access via Telstra.
There is a Sony Wega theatre at one end, a section of lounges with plasma TV screens tuned to different channels, a nice sized pool table(!) and stacks of papers and magazines. The restrooms seemed new and were nicely done, and they also have showers.
One other nice difference is that it relatively quiet. I have had trouble lately finding somewhere to sit in the QP during peak times, so I really appreciated the quieter ambience and ease with which I could find somewhere to work.
All in all, Virgin Blue have done a great job with their new lounges. It is wonderful to have competition at last, and at the present time I feel The Lounge has an advantage over QP's by virtue of their great staff, the food, and the relative quiet. Oh, and the coffee.
