Lounge check: The Strata Lounge, Auckland International Airport

Lifestyle and Travel Editor, Premium·NZ Herald·

20 Aug, 2018 08:00 PM3 mins to read

The Strata Lounge at Auckland Internatioanl Airport.

Stephanie Holmes enters the Strata Lounge, at Auckland International Airport.

The greeting: Pleasant enough, from a slightly bored-looking member of staff.

First impression: The Strata Lounge — formerly known as the Emperor Lounge — is in the old Koru Club area, upstairs on the same level as the Qantas and Emirates' lounges. This one is slightly more egalitarian — anyone can enter, provided they pay $49 for the privilege (book online up to 24 hours in advance; price covers a maximum stay of up to three hours. If you need longer, it will cost $75). I quickly realised it was well worth the investment.

What's there: The lounge is large and well thought-out, with dedicated areas, like a quiet zone, kids' play zone in a glass-walled room, and a business centre. Food was plentiful.

Who's there: On my visit, hardly anybody. A young Asian couple spooning on a lounge chair built for one; a few British couples; some solo travellers catching up on work; and one boisterous, noisy, unruly child.

Anything for the kids? The kids' room had a TV but it was displaying a "signal loss" message. There were also toys and beanbags. I wish the noisy child's mother had given up "shhhing" her daughter and just deposited her into the kids' room instead.

Tech stuff: Not a huge number of power points. But the free Wi-Fi was fast and unlimited.

Reading material: There are copies of the NZ Woman's Weekly, Woman's Day, NZ Listener, a big stack of NZ Herald's, and some Chinese language magazines.

The view: A whole wall of windows looked down to the new departures lounge and duty-free shops, which also seemed quiet on this Friday afternoon. There was also a peep of natural light from the windows on the other side of the building.

Eating and drinking: Food and drink selection was great, with a range of wines, beers, premium spirits and soft drinks. There was no bottled water, which is a good thing for minimising plastic waste. A tap of chilled filtered water was useful for filling up reusable water bottles. I tucked into some light snacks — a flavourful club sandwich, some huge pimento-stuffed olives, sundried tomatoes, grapes and some top-notch blue cheese with crisp, salty crackers. There were also half a dozen hot meal options on offer, including curry, lamb casserole and Chinese stir-fries.

The bathrooms: There are two unisex toilets. The one I used was in need of a clean.

The lounge atmosphere: Mostly peaceful, apart from that child and the faint strains of Celine Dion drifting from the kitchen. It seemed like it was the same song on repeat.