This is the second part of my Emirates First Class review back from Cape Town to London Stansted. You can read about how I got this fare for £1500 in the first article here as well as my review of their old First class.

Chauffeur

Roving Reporter and I had stayed the night before at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi (review coming soon). The Emirates Chauffeur service covers the whole of the UAE, so it was fantastic value to get the car for the 90-minute journey back to Dubai. I was cutting it fairly fine so arrived for the chauffeur about 10 minutes early where he was already waiting.

I did have some issues with the chauffeur wanting to stop on the way for 10 minutes which he was unhappy about when I refused. His manner when we arrived at the airport left a lot to be desired as he pretty much dumped my bags in the road. I noticed that some passenger’s cars were greeted and they were given help with their luggage, but this did not happen to me.

Check-in

The check-in area at Dubai is quite frankly enormous, so it doesn’t really have much of a premium feel for First Class. Compared to Etihad’s lovely First check-in area or BA’s First Wing it is sadly lacking.

The check-in agent was lovely though and very chatty. I was given directions to the lounges as there are two large lounges one as well as one at the C gates where we were departing from.

The lounge

As we had plenty of time we decided to check out the larger first lounge by the B gates. There was a buggy service to chauffeur people from the lift if you timed it right as Dubai is a massive airport and there are not always moving walkways everywhere. After the long trek through all the shops, I arrived at the First class lounge. Again this was probably the largest first lounge I have been in.

I wasn’t a fan of the decor. It was typical Emirates style and felt a bit dated and impersonal. The scale of the lounge probably didn’t help either.

However, I did actually think that it was a decent lounge for food and service. There were a number of themed stations throughout the lounge serving different cuisines such as Mediterranean, Japanese, Middle Eastern etc.

We headed for the main dining area for breakfast which had an elegant feel to it and excellent service.

There was a small buffet as well as the main a la carte menu. There were Moet Champagne and white or red wine to help yourself to. Everything else you had to order or go up to the bar.

We both decided to have a Bucks Fizz which came made with freshly squeezed orange juice.

Here is the breakfast menu:

I went for the broken eggs which were delicious. We were also brought a basket of warm pastries. The buttery, flaky croissant was a particular highlight, and I had to restrain myself from a second, so I had room to indulge on the flight later!

The spa

I had arrived after Roving Reporter which was a shame as he had rapper 50 Cent in front of him in the queue to book an appointment!

You can get one free 15-minute treatment with a choice of:

• De-Stress Back Massage
• Reflex Therapy – Leg and Feet
• Indian Head Massage
• Thai Body Stretch
• Soothing Hand Massage

I had the reflex foot therapy. It was a good treatment, but I found the spa to be quite basic and not particularly luxurious. The massage was performed in a reclining chair in an open area with other people which was a bit odd. They also have shower spas with towels, toiletries and hairdryers.

Other lounge facilities

There are a number of other facilities in the First class lounges which we didn’t get a chance to try:

• Cigar Bar in the Concourse A Lounges,
• in-lounge duty-free shop
• Business Centre and secure charging stations
• Le Clos Wine Cellar shop
• Direct boarding from lounge for some flights

Boarding

Boarding was well organised and first class were called before other passengers. Once on board, I was shown to my suite by the cabin crew. I had deliberately booked an interior cabin to experience the virtual windows. The cabin crew member noticed that the window seat was free and asked if I wanted to move. Her name was Diana and she was from Lisbon. She really was an absolute delight and looked after both Roving Reporter and I exceptionally well!

I was offered a welcome drink for which of course I chose the Dom Perignon 2009. I was also offered Arabic coffee and dates.

Amenities

At the seat was a basket of snacks as well as mints and rehydration fizzy drink tablets. They take this away for takeoff and bring it back afterwards which seems a bit of a waste of time. Perhaps they think you may faint from hunger between leaving the lounge and take off?

As it was a daytime flight, you don’t get the pyjamas automatically, but as I had missed out on the cute felt pouch they are meant to come in last time, Diana found me a pair. These are special Hydra Active moisturising pyjamas to keep your skin hydrated. The pouch would be useful as a laptop bag.

I also got slippers and eyeshades. Already in the suite was a Byredo skincare collection found only on Emirates.

The amenity kit is in a slightly blingy goldish pouch but has some quality Bulgari contents (look out for our next give away….).

My favourite amenity was the very smart leather-bound notebook and pen. This was a lovely take away gift, and we will be giving away a few of my spares in the next TLFL competition.

The Cabin and Suite

On the B777 there are 6 fully-enclosed private suites laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration. The middle suites are slightly larger as they don’t have the curvature of the aircraft hull to compete with and have around 40 square feet of personal space. I loved the Ghaf tree motif which was used as a design highlight throughout the aircraft. The Ghaf is considered the national tree of the United Arab Emirates.

I was in the middle suite 2F.

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

There is a large comfortable chair that can go into a variety of positions including a “zero-gravity” position inspired by NASA technology, which is supposed to give a feeling of relaxation and weightlessness. It is comfortable, but since you are almost lying down you can’t really read or watch the TV and unless you like sleeping on your back it’s not much good for that either. It would be good for relaxing listening to music perhaps.

As well as the vanity unit the front part of the cabin also housed the two mini bars which had a selection of soft drinks, a glass and some snacks too, just in case you could possibly eat any more! A variety of magazines was also provided.

The seat can be controlled in multiple ways using the iPad type controller and the buttons on the seat. There are preset positions, and you can save a particular chair setting too.

One of my highlights was the airline industry’s first virtual windows for suites in the middle aisle. The virtual windows project the view from outside the aircraft using real-time camera technology. You can still close the blinds exactly as you would with a real window, and it makes a massive difference to a middle seat.

This would actually be my preference of seat for any future flights. In the window suites, binoculars are available which I have also never seen before on an aircraft. Diana kindly invited me to sit at the window seat for landing and have a go with the binoculars.

Here is a selection of the views from the “windows”:

There was oodles of storage space with a specially designed overhead compartment and a full-length cupboard for hanging clothes. You didn’t need to lift your heavy wheelie bag either as there was a special cupboard just for that. There was a small storage area in the arm rest that would be perfect for a pair of glasses as well as a considerable amount of shelf space too.

The whole suite was a gadget geek’s paradise, and I spent lots of time playing with all the various controls! I loved the way you could customise your environment from yet another control panel. The temperature control was excellent as I usually am either too hot or too cold on aircraft.

I had fun playing with the mood lighting as well. There were even twinkly lights in the floor! The wall panel also showed whether the toilets were occupied and you could set Do Not Disturb on the panel as well. With the door shut there was a side hatch that the crew could open to place items in rather than opening the main doors.

You could also either video call or voice call the crew if you wanted something as well as pressing the call button. I gave Diana a quick call on the video call just for fun!

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Sleeping

The bedding was pretty much identical to the old first and very impressive. There was a thick (about 1″) memory foam mattress pad and high-quality duvet with a large pillow. This made an incredibly comfortable sleeping surface – as good as a real bed for me. When the seat goes fully into bed mode, it moves towards the window to give you more room to get out. Even with the full height doors, I did not feel at all claustrophobic. My only complaint was that if you had someone in the next suite with the window shades up and their door open, the louvred doors do not really do a great job at keeping the light out.

Food and drink

The food in Emirates First class is all dine-on-demand, so you need to be proactive as there are no set meals times. I was presented with a smart leather-bound menu with the choices.

Here is the food menu:

And the drinks/wine list:

I decided to split my dining into two halves. First I would have the canapes and a couple of starters. Then before landing, I would have the main and dessert.

I started with another glass of the Dom Perignon and some nuts. On our other flights, we tried the cocktails and found them hit and miss depending on the skill of the crew.

My first course was three ample sized canapes, designed to pair with Dom Perignon champagne. They were: sweet potato tartlet, houmous with lamb and smoked salmon crepe Parmentier with poached pear.

The one in the middle was not the best-looking canape I have seen, and I wasn’t totally sure about the hot lamb on the houmous, but I enjoyed the rest. I loved the elegant canape fork and napkin.

Next, the table was laid up very smartly like a fine dining restaurant complete with a napkin design. I had my own individual bread selection with good butter, olive oil and balsamic and a little dish to pour it into. They also came round with more bread including my favourite garlic bread.

To get the full first experience, I naturally had to have the caviar. It was a generous serving with all the trimming, and I liked the fluffy warm blinis it was served with.

I am a big fan of Arabic meze, so I had to sample Emirates’ version. Oh, boy was it an enormous portion – almost a meal in itself! I was happy I hadn’t ordered the main course at this point! The meze had both warm and cold elements which was good and plenty of bread for dipping! I was very full afterwards! I accompanied my starter with a wine flight of the Rhone white and the Mount Eden Chardonnay. The stand out for both of us was the Chardonnay – this retails at around £60 and had a lovely fresh lemon acidity to it.

My meal part 2:

About 2 hours before landing I had the main course.

I rarely order beef on a plane as it frequently resembles shoe leather, but I thought I would give Emirates the full acid test. And the result? Well, it was by no means rare, but it wasn’t overcooked, probably around medium. It was still tender although I found the overall dish a bit bland. A bit of mustard soon livened it up along with a glass of their excellent Château Haut Brion 1er Grand Cru Classé 2004. This retails at around £150-200 a bottle as it’s quite rare and god, did it taste great! At this point, I was hoping we would have to return to Dubai for some reason as I didn’t want to get off – ever!

I then moved onto the cheese selection. I love the fact that you can order whatever cheese you like rather than a pre-prepared choice. The Pave with truffles was absolutely superb and probably the best cheese I have ever had! Yum….

As regular readers will know I am a huge Cognac fan, so of course, I had to have one or two glasses of the outstanding Hennessy Paradis which retails at around £500-800 a bottle. This came with a small box of chocolates – the perfect accompaniment.

Entertainment and connectivity

The TV screen a 32-inch Full HD LCD TV screen and comes with Bowers & Wilkins Active Noise Cancelling E1 headphones created exclusively for Emirates. I found these very impressive and as good as my Bose QC35s in terms of sound quality. They were also nearly as comfortable although they were heavier to wear.

There were multiple (over 2500) channels to watch with plenty of new releases and older films. It was good to see some new TV shows that had not yet been released in the UK like the new series of Modern Family which is one of my favourites. I found the tablet controller much easier to use than the old one which was quite clunky.

If you need to charge your devices, there is a multi-country socket, 2 USB ports and an HDMI port to watch your own content on the big screen.

The Wi-fi is free in business and first class if you are an Emirates Skywards member – even at the entry status level. This is an excellent perk although the speed wasn’t high. It was OK for the odd email and messaging Roving Reporter who was sat on the opposite side to me! As usual, Emirates allowed voice calls, but I wish they would stop this. This flight was no exception, and I could hear people shouting into their phone for much of the flight.

Arrival

We had booked a chauffeur to take us home, but we had to pay extra for it as we were well outside the maximum mileage (50 miles) from Stansted.

Conclusion

This was definitely my best ever flight by a long way. Although I think I prefer the separate bed and seat arrangement of Etihad’s apartment, everything else was way above the level of anything I had experienced before.

Although I am yet to try Singapore’s new suites, this was the ultimate First class product for me. The sense of privacy, the ability to customise your environment in so many ways and the fantastic wines and spirits made this an exceptional experience. I think the food could be more exciting in terms of the main courses but other than that there was little we could fault. The cabin crew were superb with Diana being attentive and friendly too. She really went out of her way to make it a unique experience. I can’t wait to do it all again!

You can find out more about Emirates new First class including a video on the dedicated Emirates page.

The post Emirates new First class suite B777-300ER in 360° – Dubai to London Stansted appeared first on Turning left for less.

For a long time, one of my flying goals has been to take a shower on a plane. I nearly achieved this when I flew the Etihad A380 First Apartment but unfortunately, the crew forgot to take my shower booking and by the time I asked there were no slots left. So near and yet so far…. Luckily I was flying back from Bangkok on Emirates A380 in business class and upgrades on miles were showing available to first. My shower experience was finally in sight!

Check-in/transfer and lounge

I was flying the second portion of my Amsterdam-Bangkok leg in first class so I had already checked in and got my boarding pass in Bangkok. Although my connection was well over an hour by the time I had gone through the transfer formalities and walked what felt like several miles, there was little time for a lounge visit. I popped into the business class lounge instead which I will cover in a later review. If you want to read about Emirates first class lounge in Dubai you can read this review.

The fare and miles

I had bought an ex Amsterdam fare to Bangkok for £1500 in business class on Emirates. You could fly cheaper with BA currently but I was keen to try Emirates’ A380. As I had gained some Emirates miles from my previous First class flights from Cape Town I started to have a look at whether I had enough to upgrade one segment. The Dubai-Amsterdam segment was fewer miles even though time-wise there was little difference from Bangkok to Dubai. I thought I may as well use up my miles and upgrade since I had enjoyed it so much the last time. Plus this was finally my chance to have that airborne shower! The upgrade cost 35,000 miles.

In terms of getting Emirates miles, you can also transfer Amex Membership Rewards into Emirates miles if you need to top up. If you collect Avios you can book many Emirates flights on a Qantas ticket as part of their codeshare agreement. This means that you get both Avios and BA tier points. Otherwise, you can also credit to several oneworld or Star Alliance airlines or even Heathrow Rewards if you only have a small amount to get rid of. I use wheretocredit to find out how to credit miles.

Boarding

Boarding was a bit odd in Dubai with a very confined boarding area but as there were only 2 people in first I was on the plane very quickly. I was shown to my seat and the cabin crew member introduced herself and had a brief chat. The customer service manager also popped by to say hello prior to take off. Throughout the flight, my cabin crew member was truly excellent – attentive but also very friendly and warm. Prior to departure, I was offered a drink so naturally, I went for the 2009 Dom Perignon champagne.

I was also presented the option of having the traditional Arabic coffee and dates. Sadly I am not a fan of Arabic coffee  – to me, it is a very acquired taste. It seems very watery and heavily spiced. I do, however, love the Emirates dates that are stuffed with a little candied orange rind. The tang of the orange is the perfect foil to the sweetness of the date.

Finally, a thick scented hot towel was delivered prior to take off.

Amenities

There are a plethora of amenities in Emirates first. A small snack basket is already in the suite when you arrive and then this is taken away for take off and brought back again later. In it is was a small bar of chocolate, trail mix, some Smints, rehydration/vitamin fizzy tablets specifically for flying and some popcorn.

Inside the vanity unit is a small selection of Byredo toiletries that are exclusively made for Emirates. This consists of a cleansing wipe, eye cream, facial toner mist, pillow mist and sleep oil. Next to this was my favourite collectable – a very smart black leather Emirates notebook and pen.

As if that wasn’t enough you also get a Bulgari amenity kit (photo from B777 but contents the same) with Bulgari amenities.

This was a daytime flight so I wasn’t offered pyjamas but you can ask for them if you wish. The PJs are pretty nice too with special active moisturising fabric to keep your body hydrated in the dry atmosphere. Instead, I was given slippers and eye shades. The eye shades are quite disappointing – the BA ones are much better. These were like the standard business class ones that you get with just a flat eye mask and no extra padding.

The suite and cabin

The first thing that hit me as I walked into the cabin was the full-on bling. The A380 first is definitely the worst for this out of the cabins that I have flown so far. There is a lot of gold, fake wood, lights plus reflective surfaces everywhere. Emirates have made a conscious decision to move away from this style now with their current designs although these still have a wow factor – if slightly more subdued.

As I mentioned there were only two of us in first so the space felt very private with the other occupied seat on the other side of the aircraft. As I couldn’t see anyone if felt like I had the cabin to myself! I had picked the window seat 2A as being in the middle of the cabin for the quietest location but also having a window.

The suites are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration and feature doors although they are not full height like the new suites which I reviewed here. There are 14 suites in the first cabin but with just two passengers there was a calm atmosphere apart from when someone starts shouting into their phone! I do wish the Middle East airlines would ban this like BA and many others do.

The suite was very similar to the B777 one. There are no overhead lockers which is good and instead of a space with seat belts to secure your carry-on case is tucked in the corner. I do wonder on the safety aspects though of other items that you can’t secure being loose and able to potentially be hurled across the cabin.

The suite had a lit vanity unit, table lamp and even individual air vents which I liked (although naturally there were gold!). The ubiquitous Emirates mini bar was also present which I enjoy pushing a button to raise up from the side table or stow back down again (simple things…). The drinks aren’t chilled which does detract from it slightly but I do like having a couple of bottles of still and sparkling water to grab without having to get someone’s attention.

The seat can be controlled either by the tablet-style controller or preset positions in the more traditional controls on the armrest. You can also close the doors from here. I didn’t find the doors at all claustrophobic as there was a decent amount of space in the suite. They were a little pointless in this case in terms of privacy as there was no one else within my line of sight! I did like that there was a privacy sign on the outside of the suite so that if you wanted to sleep you would not be disturbed.

I find the Emirates first seats very comfortable for both sitting and sleeping. The fact that the position is fully customisable in about 7 different ways should make it easy to find the perfect lounging position for everyone. The only thing I could criticise is that the table at the front is a long way away from the chair and yet they always place your drinks on here.

I did have a quick lie down for an hour or two even though it was a day flight since I had already travelled from Bangkok early in the morning. The bedding in Emirates first is also a highlight. The best part is the wonderfully thick memory foam mattress topper that makes the seat the most comfortable first bed in the sky for me. There is also a large pillow and duvet in crisp white cotton covers. The crew, of course, will make your bed up if you wish, though I tend to do it myself since it’s pretty simple.

Here is a shot from a previous flight of the bed made up:

Food and drink

Emirates particularly shines for me in first with their very premium wines and spirits and generally good food too. You can eat whenever you wish on board. Here is the wine list:

I opted to eat straight away on this flight. Here is the menu:

The service begins with a drinks round served with warm nuts and canapes. I decided to try a cocktail before switching back to champagne for my starter. Here is the list of cocktails which are also available in business class.

This is probably one of the most comprehensive ranges of cocktails I have seen on board an aircraft. I do find that they are somewhat inconsistent even though they are made to a set recipe. This Aperol Spritz was one of the better ones though some I have had on board have been very unbalanced and bitter.

This came with 3 canapes: Grilled venison, smoked salmon and blue cheese. They were all delicious bite-size morsels but the warm venison was the highlight for me being perfectly seasoned and offset by sweet and sharp cranberries.

The table was then laid up with a smart white table cloth and a beautifully folded napkin. It does really feel like you are in a restaurant. You are given an individual basket of bread with both olive oil and balsamic as well as butter. They also bring round a further selection of warm breads including garlic bread (BA – why can’t you provide this??)

Naturally, I had to get my money’s worth and order the caviar as a starter. Out of Dubai, it is always well executed and comes with a good range of traditional accompaniments.

Sadly my main course was something of a disaster zone. To be fair I deliberately choose the beef wellington as a test. It’s hard enough to get right on the ground, let along on a plane. The beef itself wasn’t too bad and not completely cremated. It was at least tender as well. However, the pastry was horrid – soggy and claggy – so I left that completely.

The vegetables were well cooked though. This is something that Emirates do consistently well compared to many other airlines where the vegetables appear to have been boiled for several hours into a “guess what the sludgy green mush is”! The other reason to have the beef was to enjoy one of Emirates excellent red wines. I had the Chateau Haut Bion Graves 2004 which is an absolute pleasure to drink. This comes from their rare vintage collection and retails at around £300 so Emirates are spending some serious money. The wine paired perfectly with the steak being medium bodied with light tannins and a hint of blackcurrant.

The dessert selection was rather disappointing as they were both chocolate which not being a fan of chocolate desserts only left the fruit.

I could have also had the fresh fruit but I decided to have something far more interesting and have a glass of the Hennessy Paradis. This is one of the best cognacs money can buy and was recently described as “liquified caramelised angels” by a friend in the wine trade! This came with a small box of chocolates as the perfect way to end the meal.

If I had wanted more there was also a snack menu if you needed something light before landing.

The bar

I thought that the newly designed bar on Emirates which actually extremely attractive and not far off my favourite onboard bar, Qatar.

As well as all the onboard drinks they also serve a range of snacks including sandwiches and slices of cake which is attractively displayed on a cake stand.

Entertainment

Emirates ICE system is impressive. The suite had a very large high definition TV that could be controlled with the touchscreen tablet or a smaller handheld remote. I found the tablet not that easy to use as it was often slow and awkward to use for the entertainment. It worked well for everything else though. There was a huge selection of films with plenty of new releases as well as the usual TV shows, music and games. It was impressive that there were episodes of shows not yet shown in the UK and I enjoyed a few new episodes of one of my favourite TV shows, Modern Family.

There were ample ways to charge your devices with 2 USB ports and a multi-country socket. Sadly there was no HDMI interface unlike on some of Emirates B777s. Headphones were provided by Bowers and Wilkens which are made especially for Emirates. Despite looking a bit old fashioned there are a classy product which are actually very comfortable and have excellent sound quality.

If you are an Emirates Skywards member you get free Wi-Fi in first or business class for the entire flight which is impressive. I found it a little slow, you certainly couldn’t stream anything but it was good enough for messaging, social media and general internet browsing.

The icing on the cake – showering on a plane

Unlike on Etihad where I assume they forgot, I was asked whether I wished to reserve a slot for the ‘Shower Spa’. I decided to go for a slot about 90 minutes from landing which was the latest time. I didn’t really need a shower as I was going straight to my hotel at Amsterdam airport (The fairly new Renaissance hotel which I recommend) but it had to be done!

I was told that I would have 5 minutes worth of water for my 25 minute spa session but that I could stop and start the water as much as I wanted. I was shown to the shower and the controls explained to me. Seeing that I had taken a change of clothes with me, the crew member brought back a cloth Emirates bag for me to take them back to the seat.

The bathroom felt huge for a plane although they are always large in the nose of the A380. I thought Emirates had really put a lot of thought into the experience. The entire wall had a mural of the Dubai skyline. There was a large sink area with one very large lit mirror as well as a smaller magnifying mirror. A huge selection of toiletries were provided that were by Voya whose products I like. This included shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, shaving kits, toothbrush and paste, nail kit, cotton wool pads and buds, hairbrush and shower caps. (Roving Reporter would have been in kleptomania heaven)

Another nice touch was the orchids in both the shower itself as well as in the bathroom. Thick fluffy towels and a bath mat were already laid out for me. So, how was the shower? Surprisingly good. The water pressure was decent – I have had hotel rooms with far worse. The five minutes seemed to go quite quickly but then I only paused the shower once which probably didn’t help. The controls were very user-friendly. There was a constant electronic display of how much time you had left so you didn’t get caught out all soapy as the water turns off!

After I had finished in the bathroom I emerged to find that the cabin crew had prepared some tea and fresh fruit just to finish off the spa-like experience.

Chauffeur

As I was staying overnight in Amsterdam I booked the free Emirates chauffeur to take me to my hotel even though it was only 10 minutes away. It took me a while to locate the chauffeur as I turned the wrong way out of customs and completely missed them all standing there. The chauffeur was very friendly and I had an enjoyable ride to my hotel in a smart Mercedes E class.

Conclusion

This was another excellent flight with Emirates. For me, Etihad still has the best space and size of the bed in first class with their A380 Apartment which has a separate chair and bed. However, I think the bed is more comfortable on Emirates even though it is smaller. The food was a little hit and miss on this flight but perhaps they just need to accept the limitations of cooking on a plane. I really enjoyed the wine and cognacs and it has to be one of the best wine and drinks offerings in first class.

The service was excellent and the shower experience was something pretty special. Emirates didn’t really need to do much other than have a shower on board but I feel that they have really pulled out all the stops to make it the best possible experience.

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This is the first in a series of reviews of Emirates First and business class flights. This flight was in the old First Class cabins but we also tried the new B777 cabin on the same trip which I will review later.

Unbelievably this was the first time that I had flown Emirates. I had always been put off their business class by the inconsistency of their seating from 1-2-1 arrangements to 2-3-2. Pricing for Emirates also tends to be pretty high. However flying Emirates First had been on my aviation bucket list for a while. When a great fare came up that Roving Reporter had managed to snag very nicely for his upcoming Cape Town trip, it didn’t take much to persuade me to join him!

The fare

This was a rather strange fare as it originated in Cape Town or Johannesburg to London Stanstead (which has the new first cabin). The return was in economy from Istanbul. This gave a very reasonable fare of around £1550. I positioned out to Johannesburg using Virgin Atlantic miles and then flew with British Airways (Comair) down to Cape Town.

Chauffeur and Check-in

The trip did not get off to a good start as the chauffeur was late. There was no way of contacting the office as it was closed at weekends so I was beginning to get a little worried. Fortunately, he turned up after about 20 minutes and apologised. He had gone to a similarly named place as he hadn’t looked at the address, only the name of the guest house. The car was a BMW 3 series and nice enough.

Check-in at Cape Town was pretty unremarkable, which is understandable for a small outstation. There was a separate First queue but that was as far as the VIP treatment went – no red carpets here! The check-in agent was friendly and explained where the lounge was.

The lounge

There is a dedicated combined First and Business class Emirates lounge at Cape Town. The staff here were very friendly when I arrived and took the time to explain where everything was and how the lounge worked. Downstairs was the main seating area which had help-yourself alcohol and soft drinks. There was also a small work area with some PCs plus showers.

The bathroom was a bit odd as there was only one female toilet which seemed a bit odd for a large lounge area.

The decor felt quite dated but it is the standard Emirates lounge decor that you find everywhere. More importantly, though there was a decent selection of alcohol including two champagnes – Veuve Cliquot and Moet. There were also high-quality wines and the usual choice of spirits.

RR and I decided to try a glass of the Veuve Cliquot Champagne. It’s funny as this has been a favourite of ours in the past but neither of us had drunk it for ages. Both of us were left wondering why we had liked it so much – was it the lounge champagne maybe? Having tried it since I can say that either Verve has got worse or our tastes have got more expensive!

After the fizz, I ventured upstairs to look at the food. Having had a lovely picnic at Boschendal vineyard (which I recommend) and planning to eat onboard, we didn’t try any of the food.

It did look very impressive though with a wide selection of hot and cold. The dining area was light and airy and felt premium rather than canteen like which some lounges do.

Boarding

Boarding started with First class. Roving Reporter was getting the flight after me and he had quite a different experience. I will add in his comments as I go along.  At the door, I was greeted by the crew and shown to my seat. I had chosen a window seat 1 K as there was little to choose between them on a day flight. Unfortunately, at the gate I got the non-magic beep and was told my seat was inoperable and I had been moved to a middle seat – 1F which was not the best start.

I was keen to see the views on take off so I asked the crew if it was possible to sit there just for take off. There ensued a load of confusion with the crew telling me the seat was working even after they apparently checked. After I had moved back to the window seat the purser appeared and said that the footrest wasn’t working if I wanted to go back to 1F. It was like a game of musical chairs! I was slightly concerned that the didn’t seem to know whether there was something wrong or not.

Here is the cabin layout:

One of the things I like about Emirates is that you can look at a 3D display on their website and app of the seats. It is pretty realistic and gives you a good idea if you are choosing a decent seat or not.

Once in my seat, I sat for quite a while without being acknowledged. Eventually, one of the crew came up and introduced herself as the one that would be looking after me. She was not exactly what I would call friendly and her manner was quite brusque. There was no offer to show me how the seat worked and no offer of a welcome drink despite the fact that I could see everyone else had one. As she turned and walked away I decided to be direct and ask for a glass of champagne which was brought fairly quickly. She presented the bottle of Dom Perignon 2009 (retails at about £130) and poured me a glass.

Newspapers, magazines, Arabic coffee and dates were also all offered before take off.

Amenities

At the seat, there was already a basket of snacks such as salted caramel chocolates, Smints and some special flying version of a rehydration/vitamin type fizzy tablet. This was removed before take-off and then brought back for the remainder of the flight.

I was asked if I wanted pyjamas (watch out for the next TLFL giveaway) and then given them along with slippers and eyeshades all in plastic cases which seemed a little odd for first. It turns out they should have been in a rather nice felt sleeve as I found out on my next flight when RR thoughtfully got the crew to find some for me even on a day flight. I was presented with a rather garish gold coloured drawstring amenity kit too. It was full of  Bulgari toiletries. Here are the contents:

I am not generally a fan of the amenity kits that are based around a fragrance as if you don’t like the scent then you will not want to smother yourself in it. The drawstring bag contained a bottle of perfume. Fortunately, Emirates also provide a very nice Byredo skin care kit which is in the vanity area rather than in a kit. These are very high-quality products and I did love the smell of the pillow spray through which I am still using at home and on my travels. It seems odd that you only get the amenity kit on night flights although there were toothbrush and toothpaste in the toilets as well as mini tubes of Voya hand cream.

The items I loved the most were the leather notebook and pen in the drawer. These were a lovely memento to keep, and the pen was excellent quality for writing notes. (look out for some in the next TLFL giveaway).

The seat and cabin

I had chosen 1K/F as there really wasn’t much to chose between the seats. 2F/K may have been slightly quieter being further away from the galley, but I didn’t really hear much from the crew.

My first impression was – ‘Blingtastic’. The suite is as over the top in person as it looks in pictures. You can’t fault the wow factor though! I’m actually not that bothered by the bling – for me the comfort, food, drink and service as far more important. I did rather like the mini bar which rose up and down at the touch of a button (very James Bond!). Yes, the drinks aren’t chilled, but it is handy being able to just grab a bottle of water when you want. The vanity area mirror was useful with the lighting when I woke up in the morning and wanted to ensure I wasn’t going to scare small children before I went to the loo!

There was strangely not really a specific space for hand luggage as you put it under the main shelf. I wasn’t totally convinced on the safety of this even though there was a seat belt o strap in any large carry-ons. I did enjoy not having to lift my stuff into an overhead bin though and it also kept the noise down in the cabin.

The seat was comfortable although a little hard to control. There were several ways to control it including preset positions. The tablet type controller was somewhat temperamental, and the seat would continue moving long after you had gently pressed the button. Eventually, I managed to get it into a good position. It was certainly a very adjustable seat with many different areas you could control.

The seats are arranged in 1-2-1, and the middle seats have a large divider which when put up makes a very private cabin if you are travelling solo. Other than the lack of view I was quite happy with my seat. There was a do not disturb sign to illuminate on your suite which was useful.

Both RR and I loved the twinkling ceiling lights that were like stars.

We both found the placement of drinks on the front shelf strange as it was very difficult to reach and seemed odd given that there was a shelf next to you for drinks. I can only assume it was to stop the crew from having to lean over you.

Here is a 360° view of the suite:

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Sleeping

This strategy was a highlight for me. Continuing on the theme of the somewhat half-hearted service there was no offer to make up the bed. This is especially strange given that it was a night flight and having just flown Emirates in business class they offered to make the bed up for me on both flights. Fortunately, it was straightforward. I have to say that hands down this is the most comfortable seat EVER for sleeping. I actually think it may have been better than the new seat by a tiny margin. The mattress topper is about an inch thick of memory foam and combined with a large fluffy pillow and crisp white cotton covered duvet I slept until 40 minutes before landing. Having the doors shut also meant plenty of privacy even if they weren’t full height like the new first. With only two rows of seats, there was little foot traffic in the cabin.

Food and drink

The full menu is dine on demand but I had decided to eat straight away as I wanted to try and get some sleep. The cabin crew serving me came to take my order in a somewhat unusual and what I thought rather a rude way – she gestured at the menu and said ‘you want something?’ I wasn’t quite sure I had heard her correctly, so I had to ask her to repeat it!

I was also offered a drink to start, so I decided to stick with another glass of the champagne. I am a big Krug fan and despite this being vintage I still prefer the normal Krug although I did enjoy it anyway. The drinks and wine list were highly impressive and had a lot of very premium and expensive items.

The champagne was brought with some warm nuts followed by some canapes (you may need to request these from the menu). RR went for a Negroni and found it rather on the strong side!

Here is the food menu:

The wines, spirits and cocktails were very impressive:

My table was laid up in full restaurant style and a basket of bread with butter, olive oil and balsamic presented. They also came round with additional bread choices including my favourite garlic bread.

Of course, I had to go with the caviar to start. It was good caviar with all the trimming although the chunks of onion were huge and way too big to serve with caviar. Still, that is very much a first world problem when you are sipping vintage champagne and eating caviar!

Next, I went for the seafood trio which was also a starter. Wine was not offered or top ups so I just asked for everything as I needed it and rang the call bell if I had to. The seafood was tiny and a bit disappointing as it was literally just plain seafood with no sauce which made it a bit dull. The seafood was all perfectly cooked though. I tried a couple of the white wines and particularly loved the Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc.

RR was provided with a wine flight, and his crew took the trouble to explain that the top two wines on the list were exclusive to first while the others were also served in business class. He thought his crew were very much there for whatever he needed at any point in the flight. I did not get the same impression except when the Purser was around.

I found the main course choice a little underwhelming so I thought I would try something different and went for the ostrich. I was slightly wary as ostrich really needs to be fairly rare to stop it being tough. Even though it was slightly overdone it was still very tender and the spicing on the dish was immaculate – it was an incredibly tasty dish and well worthy of a restaurant table.

Despite bursting at the seams by now, I had to try the cheese which was good quality but I would have liked a chutney with it and some more exciting crackers.

I finished with a glass of cognac which even RR tried on his flight despite not being a cognac lover. Hennessy Paradis is a stunning cognac that retails at around £500 a bottle. I can honestly say I savoured every drop of it! It was presented with a box of two chocolates which was a nice touch.

I didn’t bother with breakfast as I woke so late although I was very surprised that when I woke up and even stood in the galley that none of the crew acknowledged me or offered me anything. On most airlines even in business class, I would have been offered a drink if nothing else before landing. Again I think this was just an unfortunately bad crew. RR had an omelette which was tasty if a little rubbery. Other than the purser who was very friendly and popped by a couple of times, I found the rest of the crew miserable, uninterested and unfriendly. I did try to see if they would warm up if I was super charming and tried to chat with them a bit but it didn’t work either, so I gave up at that point!

Connectivity and entertainment

Emirates have wi-fi on board, but they are not great at informing you about this as RR didn’t even realise he had wi-fi on board let alone that it was free. Wi-Fi is free in first and business class if you are an Emirates Skywards member. Make sure you join before you board and can remember your password as you will need to sign in. I found the wi-fi OK speed wise although it was quite slow to download pictures from what’s app etc. For free though I couldn’t really complain. You can also use your phone on board, and unfortunately, this meant voice calls. It wasn’t so bad on this flight, but on the next flight, I could hear people shouting into their phones for much of the flight. I really wish airlines wouldn’t allow this.

RR’s controller failed and had to be reset four times although it did work eventually.

If you wanted to charge your devices, there were plenty of options with a multi-country socket, USB port and even an HDMI port if you wanted to play your own content. I still haven’t got round to trying this, but I will report back on my next flight as I have my cable ready to go!

Emirates ICE system is very impressive, and regarding content, I think the best that I have experienced. There was an overwhelming choice of material and I didn’t really know where to start. Funnily enough both RR and I settled on a rather charming tale called Patrick about a non-dog lover whose life is transformed when she is left a pug in a relative’s will. If you are a dog lover, you must see this film. So many of the parts of the film showing coming home to a sheepish dog and a scene of destruction rang a bell! I wasn’t keen on the tablet controller as it was a bit fiddly to use, but there was also a more usual handheld remote which worked fine.

We were given the new Emirates headphones by Bowers and Wilkins in a nice case. Although they looked a bit old-fashioned I was impressed with the quality of these headphones. They were good enough to use for the entire flight both in terms of quality and comfort, so I didn’t even bother with my own Bose QC35 which is very unusual for me.

Chauffeur and arrival

Both RR and I had a remote stand, but a very fancy first bus was provided which softened the blow!

Chauffeur service is included within certain limits, but within the UAE I could travel to Abu Dhabi which is around 90 minutes from Dubai, so I got my money’s worth. The chauffeur service seemed somewhat chaotic for both RR and I. I was told there were no first cars available unless I wanted to wait, so I agreed to a business class car. In fact, when I went outside to the chauffeur, I got an E class Mercedes First class chauffeur anyway. It was a comfortable way to travel. I was handed two bottles of chilled water on my way out of the chauffeur lounge.

Conclusion

What I loved: Despite the unfriendly and sometimes inefficient service, I still enjoyed the flight. The seat was great even with all the bling and I loved all the little features like the vanity kit and mini bar. For sleeping, it was amazingly comfortable, and the entertainment system was top notch. In terms of wine and spirits, this was one of the best selections I have seen with very high-quality wines and champagnes.

What I didn’t:

Not much really – if the service had been on par with all my other Emirates flights it would have been an amazing experience.  I wasn’t keen on the tablet controller that felt clunky and a bit old fashioned now, but there were multiple ways to do most things so I could find different ways to do what I needed to do. The other niggles were incredibly minor – not liking the Bulgari fragrance and big chunks of onion is about all I can think of.

Emirates customer service

As I was disappointed with the service and I had also had a further more serious issue with one of their chauffeurs I decided to write to Emirates to see what they would say. I was impressed that they replied very speedily in only a few days and gave me 20,000 miles which I thought was very generous. Here is their response:

Our Cabin Crew are trained to provide outstanding customer care at all times, it is disappointing to learn that you felt the service provided to you as a First Class passenger, fell below our standards.

As part of our Cabin Crew’s extensive training program, 12 days of this course are dedicated solely on customer care and providing world-class service, which is where much of our success lies. Our Cabin Crew represent and are the face Emirates, it is therefore very disheartening to learn of your experience on flight EK033.

We are a service oriented organisation, and we take it seriously when our passengers do not experience the best that we have to offer. I would like to reiterate, that there is no excuse for rude or impolite behaviour, and assure you that the matter has been forwarded to the relevant Management for their internal review to be raised with the staff member in question, and in accordance with internal procedures, the appropriate remedial actions taken.

I have now flown four sectors with Emirates (2 first and two business class) in the last few weeks, and along with Roving Reporters flights, they have all had excellent service apart from the Cape Town one. This would lead me to be able to recommend Emirates as I do believe I was just unlucky. Even though many of love to moan about how inconsistent BA are, in my experience if you fly enough with any airline you will get the same issues. The TLFL team have had two bad flights with Qatar, and I have also had poor service on Etihad, Virgin and Oman Air.

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