Part 4C – Review Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi Airport

Mention the Maldives and images of pristine turquoise blue waters come to mind. Overwater bungalows with direct jump-in access to the water and romantic sunsets are commonplace in this island paradise.

While it’s on almost everyone’s wish list, getting there can be a challenge. Flights are often ridiculously expensive and once you DO get to the islands, a barrage of expensive hotels with overpriced meals await. Never mind the flight distance involved, those expensive factors are enough to turn some people off and have them looking for cheaper destinations.

a palm tree on a beach

Lonely Palm Tree

Getting to paradise and back doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We booked a ridiculous, normally unattainable luxury vacation valued at almost $46,000 for a grand total of $1,818… for two people!

Considering that’s usually the price of a regular coach class ticket to the Maldives, that’s one heck of a steal.

In the series of posts to follow, we’re going to walk you through all the experiences that we enjoyed on this trip. While most people would consider this once-in-a-lifetime, with just a little legwork and dedication you can have a luxury getaway to make Instagram followers drool with envy.

Besides the ridiculously comfortable seats onboard the aircraft, traveling in first class has its fringe benefits. The Etihad First Class lounge in Abu Dhabi is one of those fringe benefits, and what a spectacular benefit it is. From first class dining to workout facilities, spa treatments and more, there’s not a better place to relax in the airport!

Upon arrival you’re offered a lounge tour if you want one, but since we’d been in the lounge before, we opted to go straight for the restaurant. On the way there, you can see the ample seating (and comfortable seating at that).

a room with a large window and a couple of people sitting in chairs

Etihad Lounge Ab Dhabi Seating

There are also plenty of self serve areas for drinks…

a bar with bottles of alcohol

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Self Serve Drinks

And of course there’s a full bar in case you’d like something a little stronger.

a shelf with bottles of alcohol

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Full Bar

The breakfast buffet spreads were out, and not only looked fancy they tasted amazing as well.

a group of plates of food on a table

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Breakfast

a tray of food on a table

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Breakfast

a table with desserts and glasses of fruit

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Breakfast

I can’t even describe what some of these small portions were, but we tried a bunch and just couldn’t get enough.

It was a bit too early for drinks, but a nice Cafe Latte sounded like a good fit. We bellied up to the bar and ordered some coffee.

a coffee and cookies on a tray

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Coffee

The Spa

I almost forgot the best part! As soon as we arrived we headed to the Six Senses Spa and asked for a complementary treatment. There are a variety of 15 minute treatments available for first class passengers, free of charge. Since we wanted to make sure we got on the list we went here before heading anywhere else in the lounge.

a white paper with black text

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Spa Treatment

a page of a book

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Spa

Here’s the menu of services available. Any of the 15 minute service options are free as a First Class passenger. Ben went with the Head Massage and I went with the Face Radiance treatment.

The Restaurant

We headed back to the restaurant afterwards and decided to order off the menu. Because we were flying in First Class, there was no charge for anything on the menu. I love being able to order fresh food, I tend to like that a bit more than the buffet options that have been sitting there forever.

a menu on a table

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Breakfast Menu

a menu on a table

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Breakfast Menu

Ben, per usual, went with the eggs benedict, and I opted for an a la carte hash brown and scrambled egg.

a plate of food on a table

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Egg Hash Brown

It wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t have some freshly squeezed orange/carrot juice as well!

a table with a glass of orange juice and a bottle of water

Etihad Abu Dhabi Lounge Food

Before you knew it, the lounge experience was over. We had to head to the gate to head on to our A340-400 flight to the Maldives!

two men sitting at a table with menus

Author: Jon Nickel-D'Andrea

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1 Comment

  1. You sure are rolling out updates on this trip very slowly! Last update was 4 weeks ago.

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  1. Maldives Trip Part 4A, The House, an Etihad Lounge, London’s Heathrow | No Mas Coach! - […] Part 4c – Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi […]
  2. Maldives Luxury Vacation: Introduction and Planning | No Mas Coach! - […] Part 4c – Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi […]

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