Location

On the arrivals level 1 near the transfer security check. Follow the signs to the lounge, then go down to level 1 using the elevator.

Facilities

Magazines and newspapers, food and beverages, bar service, plasma TVs, showers, fully-equipped business centre with complimentary broadband.

The Lowdown

Emirates first flight out of Sydney to Dubai leaves at the rather unsociable hour of six in the morning, which means an extremely early alarm call wherever you happen to live. For this Northern Beaches travel editor, it meant leaving a very comfy bed at 3am. If you are travelling in Business or First Class, however, the pain is definitely made easier thanks to a limousine pick-up. Also, being the first flight out of the blocks that morning, checking-in and getting through immigration and customs was a breeze.
Next stop was the Emirates Lounge.

As an avid traveller, having access to an airline lounge before flying is essential for many reasons. For one, on busy days, it provides you with a quiet sanctuary to escape the crowds. But on a practical level it's also a place where you can get some work done, take a shower between long haul flights, and get something half decent to eat. And if your flight happens to be delayed for any reason, you won't have to hang around the gate watching and waiting.

That January morning, as my transit from check-in to arriving at the Emirates Lounge at Sydney airport was around 15 minutes, I still had plenty of time to kill before setting off for Dubai. The lounge combines First and Business class passengers, and elite Skywards Gold members, but from my experience it was a true First Class lounge. For one, it was spacious with lots of nicely arranged areas for sitting, watching the flat screen TVs (which where thankfully on low volume or muted), or reading magazines. The decor was also bright and elegant, with nice touches of tiled floor areas and rich-coloured wood.

Being an early morning flight the lounge catered a full breakfast, which is ideal for the traveller who wants to eat before boarding, and then sleep their way to Dubai in a lie-flat. However as the cheery member of staff on reception told me, they do cater around the clock, changing the service according to the time of day. Being so early in the morning, I didn't have the stomach for a meal, but I have to admit the aromas were tempting, and the buffet of fruits was top notch.

All in all, the hour spent waiting for the flight went by quickly, even though I was somewhat weary. I had a great selection of magazines to browse through, Sky News quietly humming on a plasma TV in the background, and decent cappuccino to sip on. Admittedly it was early, and consequently there were only a handful of people in the lounge, but I got the feeling that even if it was busy it would still be the quiet oasis which frequent travellers demand.