
Get exclusive money-saving offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
Updated
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
The current Emirates Lounge in Melbourne Tullamarine Airport has been open since early 2016 and is a boldly styled, spacious lounge. It's a popular choice not only for Emirates business class and first class passengers, but also Qantas business class passengers.
Emirates opened this newer and larger lounge to cope with increased demand from its Airbus A380 flights, which have a larger number of business and first class passengers compared to its Boeing 777 flights. The lounge is spacious and has lots of seating to cater to this, and on my visit at approximately 3pm on a Sunday it wasn't very busy.
This lounge had a large variety of buffet food options, with both cold and hot selections. Hot meals when I visited included grilled salmon, cannelloni, gourmet-style meat pies, curry dishes, steaks and vegetarian dishes. Cold dishes included options like duck breast on a bed of vegetables and a large selection of cheeses. This lounge also had a kids' menu which is great for families who are travelling.
As is to be expected in an Emirates lounge, there were also Bateel dates on offer.
The Emirates Melbourne Lounge has two self-service bars where you can help yourself to a drink. There are also attendants who can help prepare you a drink, although unfortunately there are no cocktails.
Premium spirits and champagne like Moët and Veuve were available, which is good to see as many lounges no longer offer these.
The lounge is very welcoming, mostly because of the colour palette and open-plan design. It's a comfortable lounge to sit in, with plenty of windows and natural light, which is a stark contrast to some of the other lounges in Melbourne Airport such as the Qantas International Business Lounge and the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge.
Emirates is well known for its bold styling, and this lounge is no different. It has Italian marble floors and leather sofas, Rolex wall clocks and beautiful timber work.
This lounge also has a water feature, which is nice to sit by and adds to the ambience.
The shower facilities in this lounge were immaculate, and a nice change from some of the disappointing shower facilities you see in some other lounges.
Shower packs were readily available, with all the amenities you'd need to freshen up before your flight.
The business area in this lounge wasn't very private. If you need to make a sensitive business call of do some banking you'll be surrounded by other guests which isn't ideal.
Other lounges in the Emirates network still have a private room for business, which I think this lounge could benefit from.
It would've been nice to see an à la carte menu in this lounge, even if it was a small menu with 2-3 dishes. Many lounges are now offering this and it adds to the experience for passengers.
An a la carte menu would be great, but the existing food options are still excellent. Image: Mehron M/Finder
Business and first class passengers share this lounge. This isn't a huge issue for business class travellers, but if you're travelling in first class, you might be better off visiting the Qantas International First Lounge where the food and drink better reflects the first class price tag.
It would've been nice to see this lounge offer even a small cocktail menu to add to the experience.
However, as mentioned above, this lounge does have two self-service bars with some premium spirits and champagne so it's not all bad in this department.
THE FINDER LOUNGE REVIEW PROMISE: Our lounge reviews are based on a visit to the actual lounge during normal operation. We offer an honest and open critique from one of our frequent flyer experts and update with any relevant news as it comes to hand. Being in a lounge should always be more pleasant than just being stuck with waiting at the gate, but we won't shy away from highlighting issues. Learn more about how our scoring works.
Get to this lounge early to enjoy it before it gets crowded. Also, if you're an Emirates first class passenger, remember you can visit the Qantas International First Lounge.
Also note that the Emirates Lounge offers paid entry. This costs US$130, or if you're an Emirates Skywards member, US$100.
Health screenings, added time at the airport, digital hotel check-ins and restaurant ordering are just a few things to expect when travelling during COVID-19.
A bright and open lounge layout coupled with possibly the most luxurious airport cabana.
An average business lounge in need of a major makeover.
We test out Cathay's First Class product on its second-longest route.
From an aviation enthusiast's perspective, staying in TWA Hotel is a dream come true.
Fantastic service and a smooth and easy journey is what I received on the inaugural Gold Coast–Seoul flight.
We visit what is undoubtedly one of the best business class lounges out there.
The best new features and what it means for all our frequent flyer futures.
A mediocre hard product, coupled with a much improved dining experience and genial service.
A big, bright and bustling lounge now showing its age.
Compare the latest and biggest bonus points deals.
Learn how to get maximum value from your stash.
Qantas, Velocity, flybuys, Wooolworths Rewards and more.
Save when you travel with the freshest bargain flights.