Swiss First Class Lounge is without one of the best lounges in Europe. It’s comfortable with day rooms, ala carte restaurant and a great observation desk. But it’s well hidden as most more exclusive lounges are. It truly lives up to the sophisticated luxury that Swiss is famous for.
Finding the lounge
I have only used the Swiss First Class Lounge at transfer or as a arrival lounge. So I cant judge the First Class check in at Zurich. But if you arrive with a schengen flight and will continue in F the lounge is a little hard to find. Its just a small door after the Senator and business lounges leading in to a corridor. If I haden’t checked it up before I would thought I was on the wrong track.
When you enter the Lounge at the Schengen area ask directly for the shuttle service to the lounge at the E-terminal. The Mercedes van driving you there looks just like a First Class seat. When you arrive the lounge assistant welcomes you with name and askes if you like a guided tour. I kindly said no, but asked for a day room.
The day room at Swiss First Class Lounge
One of the best thing with a great lounge is the ability to rest between flights. As many others who have a night flight in a premium cabin I want to be rested out enough to really enjoy the dinner. So geting a great day room is a bliss. The day rooms at Swiss First Class Lounge is morwe like a hotel room then a day room. You get a big soft double bed to sleep in and a full equipped bath room. The great thing is that you can keep the day room for al your stay in the lounge. We walked in and out of it several time mixing up rest, food and plane spooting. The day room is just a great way to make sure you have enough energy to fully enjoy the flight a head of you.
Get some great food
After resting, the food is what makes up a good lounge. And God, you will not be disappointed at Swiss First Class Lounge. The menu is extensive enough to make the biggest eater happy. But as a more humble eater I decided to try out a salmon raw beef, a cake and more cakes. Al of it was tasty and I needed to restrain my self from ordering in more. You can’t compare the food standard in a First Class Lounge with the one in business or Gold lounge. It’s like comparing the local pizzeria with a Guide Michelin restaurant. The difference is so big! Many business lounges serve food that is worse then what you get onboard. But at a First Class Lounge you get the same high standard both on ground and on board. Its just to enjoy!
The lounge area
Independent how much you love your day room and the food you also just wan’t to sit down and rest or work on the computer. At Swiss First Class Lounge you have a lot of space for that as well. Most of the lounge is split up into small social settings for you and your company to enjoy.
The good part is that the lounge is big enough to never feel crowded. It also have large window making it light and pleasant. The lounge assistants walk around and on a kind but proactive way make sure you never miss anything. They ask if you want more food, something to drink or have any other request. Their service makes you feel real spoiled and relaxed.
I also like the informal but respectful tone I get as a First Class passenger at Swiss. Both on ground and on the plane.
The bar inside Swiss First Class Lounge
I personally dont drink alcohol. But I understand that a great bar is a bliss for many. Here I don’t speak about geting as deunk as possible. Instead a good lounge bar gives you the possibility to try premium drinks that you maybe can’t afford at home. The becomes more clear for me the more I fly. I have seen a lot of intoxicated people in coach but never someone even a little to drunk in First.
Swiss don’t offer the same high premium champagne as Emirates for an example. But their bar is more then enough. If you are a whiskey lover I would recommend you to ask a lounge assistant to escort you to the business lounge where they have more then 200 different whiskey. For my self I just look if they have some good champagne for my husband before I ask for a non-alcoholic drink. The later is actually a really good test to see if the bartender is good at his work or not.
Plane spooting
Plane spooting is when you tries to see as many airplanes and airlines as possible and take photo of them. This is a field that deserve a post for it self. But I can’t write about Swiss First Class Lounge with out mention it.
Because their outdoor terrace with binoculars are made for plane spooting. Im maybe a little crazy but the position of the E-gates are made for plane spooting and I could easely spend a day here just to take photo of different planes. I just loved the terraces and the possibility to get great shots. I just need to buy a new objective before my next visit.
What I missed at Swiss First Class Lounge
Well compared to many other lounges, of course a First Class Lounge should be top of the top. But comparing it with a business lounge or Senator Lounge would be unfair. So I compare it with the Lufthansa First Class Terminal that I also visited recently. Both of them are great but I find Swiss staff a little more friendly. The food have the same high standard in both lounges so there its even. On the other hand I do miss an offer from the lounge staff to escort me to the gate. Yes I know, its not far and I would probably say no. But for someone with a lot of hand luggage or are insecure it would be a great service.
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