The Residence Lounge is exclusive only to guest who travels in the A380 Residence on Etihad.
It is located inside the First Class Lounge of Etihad Airways at Abu Dhabi.
Upon entering the lounge, it really took my breath away.....
It is luxury, private, spacious and please to the eye. The lounge has the right size, not too large or small.
The lounge design is in the same contemporary luxury style that underpinns Etihad lounge design.
Apart from a generous lounging area, it offers private dining up to 4 passengers at the sametime.
It also has a own bar setup on the side table with coffee machine.
My personal lounge butler gave me a tour of the Residence Lounge, it has its own private bathroom include shower.
It also feature a private prayer room with cleaning area.
After the tour, before I ask anything. My personal butler Mr Salah already have the champagne open and ready to pour....The hospitality was so wonderful.
Bollinger La Grande Année 2005
What an amazing book on the table!
My butler Mr Salah is French-Algerian, he is incredibly friendly and humble. We have a good connection from the beginning!
After some lounging, it is time for lunch in the private setting of the Residence Lounge.
The dining ware is designed by Vera Wang specially for The Residence.
The canapes is Abu Dhabi farmed Caviar.
I have my share of doubt about this before trying, but it was surprisingly good and creamy.
I love how the Caviar is presented, with 3 set of silver spoon and a pearl spoon!
I enjoyed talking with my butler, Salah a lot, he has incredible knowledge about all the lounge offering.
We found out we have a few common friends at Etihad and we shared our love of France, of course.
My butler insist I should try some of the signature cocktails the lounge offers. He asked me what kind of flavour and strength I like.
Based on my answer, he recommended me; Melbourne (Etihad name all the signature cocktails after its destination)
Later we moved on to try "Los Angeles" with a cloud on top of the Pacific! How creative!
The Executive Sous Chef of Etihad, Steve personally came to deliver me the first course and every course after.
What an honour to dine like this!
Starter: Chicken Liver Pate, beautifully plated.
Interval: Lemon Sorbet
Main Course: Grill Duck Breast
I think Etihad probably have the best plating I've seen in any airline fine dining.
Dessert: Mille Feuille
The food taste fine despite the ongoing challenge to get the fresh produce and ingredients in the Middle East.
I love the presentation even more than the taste! On a personal level, I still think Air France Salon La Premiere offer the best food but Etihad have certainly tried very hard here and deserve good recognition.
After a full lunch, Salah suggest we walk over to the Cigar Lounge to try some of the fine cigar it has on offer.
Residence passenger are entitled to try any cigar free of charge.
Salah has incredible knowledge on Cigar, he patiently explained every Cigar on offer.
I eventually settled on Hoyo de Monte.
Etihad have 8 A380 in the fleet now. The A380 flies three times daily to London, daily to New York, Sydney, Melbourne and Mumbai.
The departure time to Sydney, Melbourne in the evening are very close. Also in the early morning London and New York departs within an hour of each other. So what if we have 2 Residence guest from 2 flights came at the same time?
The answer is Etihad have a 2nd private Residence Lounge!
The 2nd Residence Lounge is a little smaller in size, but offer all the luxury amenity like the first lounge. I have the opportunity to see it and took some pictures.
Well, I have too much fun and time is my enemy. I ran out of time quickly while I was enjoying everything it has on offer...
In case you have more time, there are many more facilities you can enjoy in the First Class Lounge.
Bottom Line
The Residence Lounge is almost like a 2nd home but in a great luxury way. I feel totally relaxed with unmatched attention, care, privacy and luxury. The butler is at my service anytime. I strongly recommend to arrive the airport at least 4 hours or more prior to your flight departure time to enjoy the excellent facilities and benefit associated with your Residence Flight. Residence guest are entitled for complimentary Spa and shave/style. Also not to mention the fine cigar and a glass of cognac!
Sam’s Travel Hacks
