Location:

Sydney International Airport Terminal 1 which is undergoing a major upgrade.

Facilities:

The main feature of the Qantas International Business Lounge, apart from some nice views of the airport and city skyline, is the wine bar which is actually a couple of them spread throughout the facility with a good selection of a bubbly on ice,  and three quality white wines and three good reds on offer. There's also a manned bar if you want to order something a little different like a beer or a cocktail.

The food selection is self-service and begins with breakfast and features a decent selection of tea, cappuccino machines, juices, toast, cereal, ham and cheese. On the morning we were there, eggs were also available. Lunch becomes more of an antipasto affair with salads and cold meats and other savoury items and dinner items sometimes include basic pasta dishes and dips.

Wireless internet is complimentary and there's also a dedicated business centre and meeting rooms are available at reasonable rates - starting from $100 for one hour.

There's also a good selection of newspapers and magazines scattered throughout the lounge and flat screen TV's with Sky News and other news channels, and the sound levels are thankfully not intrusive.

Comfortable lounge chairs are scattered throughout, and bar chairs are set up at the Wine Bars and working desks in cubicles are available in the business centre. Basically if you want to sit on your own and have some quiet time you can, and if you want to sit around a table and chat with a coffee or a drink there are options as well.

The Lowdown:

Unlike a lot of business lounges which can seem pretty crowded especially during peak times, the layout of the Qantas Business Lounge is such that it creates an atmosphere of spaciousness and calm despite the number of people using the facility. The drinks selection is pretty good, especially the wines, and there's also a dedicated barista to order specialty espresso coffees. The food selection changes through the day and there's enough variety to get you through until you get on board the flight.

One of the perks of being in the Qantas Business Lounge is the fast-track lane for international flights which gets you through immigration and security much faster than other travellers.