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| Emirates First Class Suite - © Emirates |
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| First Class Suite |
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| 777ER DUS <> DXB <> DUR |
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World Level Perfection - Society
December - 2012 |
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7
Stars & 6 Stripes
Overall - 'Service & Comfort' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| Two of the most unique Seven Star hotels and spa
resorts of the world, the
Burj Al Arab of Dubai, UAE (CLICK HERE) and the Karkloof
Spa & Wildlife Resort by Durban, SA (CLICK HERE) were on our
agenda. Since Emirates Airlines is presently the only airline servicing Dubai
through Durban internationally, we had the ideal situation to review Emirates
1st Class Suites. We booked the redeye from Düsseldorf, Germany to Dubai
with a 4-hour layover to Durban and would return after seven days taking once
again the redeye flight from Durban with a 3-night stopover in the UAE to
review the Burj Al Arab. This was an interesting production as other members of
our Seven Stars team were flying in from New York City with Emirates as well to
film the Seven Stars Travel TV Show™ in South Africa at Karkloof Spa
on-location. We also intended to use clips of the flight to South Africa in
Emirates 1st Class Suite as intro. We would like to take a moment to thank
American Express Travel for their expert services in making our agenda
happen. |
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| Our journey to Dubai began as we traveled 1st Class on
the ICE high-speed train to Düsseldorf International Airport, checked in
and entered Emirates combined First & Business Class Lounge with about two
hours to spare. The casual facilities as well as the dining areas here are
exceptionally well maintained and serviced. Although the cuisine in the lounge
really looked enticing we tried only a couple of the creative snacks to save
our appetites for a 1st Class on-board full course cuisine experience. The
boarding process for Emirates 1st Class passengers was very personalized and
quick. From the moment we stepped onboard, the gracious smiles of the crew feed
into the casual lightless of the welcome. A stewardess guided us to our suites
and asked if she could take our coats, then she offered to familiarize us with
the suites, available on all Emirates A380 and Airbus A340-500 aircrafts and
most Boeing 777s. She smiled, “A glass of Champagne?” We nodded and a
2003 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon was
perfectly pearled into our flutes. The vintage gave the still virgin air on
board a light scent of floral freshness, or did it stem from the flowers on the
walls of each one of these private suites? |
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| Emirates
First Class Suite - © Emirates |
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| Each suite has an electric sliding door, a personal
mini-bar, modifiable ambiance lighting to dim the glitter of the gold accents
and a large touch screen entertainment center with an additional wireless
control screen unit that allows adjusting seat and light functions as well. The
center aisle suites have adjustable privacy dividers, granting couples the
opportunity to dine together, or assuring individual privacy. The interiors of
these elite retreats are impeccably well-designed, completely private and
feature a nicely equipped vanity drawer with mirror and a separate wardrobe, as
well as a drawer with a writing kit with embossed stationary, pen and a leather
writing pad. We discovered ample storage space for all our personal
belongings. |
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| When we studied the
menus on each of our four Emirates 1st Class flights, we found regionally
inspired dishes prepared with local elements as well as international
specialties. As an example, on our flight from Durban to Dubai, one of the main
courses offered was Ostrich in Honey-Chili Sauce. South Africa’s ostrich
farming is one of the oldest of the leading industries in the country. There
are no set meal times for Emirates Airlines’ First Class travelers; a
timeless concept also found at Africa’s first Seven Star resort, the
Karkloof Spa & Wildlife Retreat. All meals were served on expertly ironed
and starched table linens and the napkins had a buttonhole in one corner to
prevent calamities. |
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| The cuisine was presented on stylish Royal Doulton
bone china and accompanied with exclusive cutlery by Robert Welch. When I
mentioned to a member of the crew on our Düsseldorf > Dubai flight that
I would like to try the caviar appetizer without the traditional trimmings, we
agreed on a side of Gravlax and saffron lime cream instead. Here it was
explained that all appetizers are freshly prepared to order and therefore easy
to modify. I enjoyed a flute of Veuve Cliquot Gold Label Reserve 2004, a Wine
Spectator 92 point rated beauty that the magazine describes as, “flavors
of poached apple and pear, dried cherry, bread dough and lemon zest lead to a
finish of good intensity and length” and I could not agree more. My
Gravlax was paired with an interesting combination of the expected caviar and
an unexpected diced potato saffron and herb reduction; my in-flight appetizer
excited both my eye and my palette. On the other leg of my flight I did partake
of the caviar with the traditional trimmings and a glass of Bollinger Special
Cuvée. Although equally ranked, this champagne was lighter with a more
citrus than fruit definition. Both delightful, but I must say that I preferred
the deeper complexity of the Veuve Cliquot. |
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However,
my
favorite appetizer (CLICK HERE) without a doubt was served on my
Durban > Dubai flight. Simply dubbed “Marinated Seafood,” the
Roulade of smoked salmon and dill cream cheese with Cape Malay dressing, plump
fresh prawns marinated with Cape Malay herbs, offered with vibrant sweet chili
sauce, accompanied by baby spinach leaves, Parisienne melon salad with chili
and rocket and oven-roasted cocktail tomato was superb and must stay on the
menu! Paired with a venerable Sancerre La Montagne Noir Domaine Sarry 2005, I
neither wanted the flight or the meal to end. |
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| We would be remiss not to mention the Smoked Duck Breast; the
succulent young breast was served with an Asian-style vegetable salad and a
tomato mousse. It was simply outstanding. There were two great soups, a Potato
Leak and an Oxtail, which was described as “a rich clear meaty broth,
served with sliced fresh carrots, white radish and braised oxtail.”
Absolutely superior! A dessert standout was the Raspberry tartlet, encrusted in
a light pastry case and served with a natural raspberry sauce. It was sinful to
the last bite. I was torn as to what wine to order with the eclectic and
generous cheese board, but my consternation was quelled when on the heels of
its arrival appeared a flight of four wines from which to taste and choose. The
Emirates’ wine and champagne menu is unrivaled among airlines and,
frankly, would put some Manhattan restaurant lists to shame. This Bacchus
homage touch enhances every course beyond expectation and is any traveling
oenophile’s dream, especially on a multi-continent flight. |
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| My favorite dessert port
was the Graham's 1969 Single Harvest Tawny Port. A very rare bottling,
Graham’s chose the six best casks of their 1969 vintage and bottled the
port unblended, creating a single cask Tawny Port that will never be
replicated. A top choice on any collector’s wish list, yet, here I sat at
40,000 feet enjoying the perfect finish to a perfect meal. After a slow glass
of Hennessey Paradis and some great conversation it was really time for us to
catch up on some sleep. I hung my slacks and jacket up in my private wardrobe
and since Emirates First Class service provides slippers and pajamas I decided
to try them on. |
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| Graham's Port - 1969 |
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| While I was using the facilities and getting myself
ready for the night, the flight attendant converted my seat to a flat bed and
applied an additional mattress for comfort. Although extremely comfortable, we
must note that the flat bed concept is marginally compromised by footrests that
tilt slightly downwards. The overnight First Class leather amenity kits are
generously stuffed with all that any traveler could possible need to get ready
for the next day, with the exception of shower facilities on this particular
flight. The bedding was comfortable and sufficient, and the high star-lit
ceiling, sans storage compartment, was very impressive. Emirates Airlines has
been effusively critiqued in more periodicals than one can count, but no
written accolades can possibly describe the exceptional personal service and
culinary excellence that separates this air carrier from most of the pack. It
does not end in the air, as on our way back to Europe from South Africa we
spend three nights in the UAE to
review the Burj Al Arab (CLICK HERE). Emirates First Class includes complimentary town car service to and from the airport in 55 cities worldwide, but in Dubai a special fleet of Mercedes town cars has been commissioned for their customers’ convenience. |
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| Emirates
Airlines - First Class - Lounge - © Emirates |
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| On the last leg of our flight we arrived early at the
dedicated First & Business Class car drop-off at Terminal 3 in Dubai. After
commenting on the stylishness of our Rimowa luggage, our Emirates porter
unloaded our bags from the trunk of our limousine and we were shortly
thereafter welcomed at Emirates 1st Class Lounge. The lounge and dining areas
were truly inviting and the welcome smiles were genuine. The white hues of the
Arabian style dividers, table linens and stylish china were nicely offset with
single red roses on the tables. We decided to check out Emirates Airlines first
class shower facilities and were surprised that the bath sinks for shaving and
brushing teeth were not part of the private shower cabins. In addition, if one
needed to use the restroom, one had to step out of the private shower into the
semi-public bath facilities and walk through a hallway. Don’t get me
wrong, all was very nicely done, but the privacy that we experienced at other
airline first class lounges is here a little compromised. The cuisine
selections offered at Emirates Airlines homeport were consistently excellent.
What Emirates presented as their home base breakfast and
cheese
buffet (CLICK HERE) alone, was beyond belief. The international
delicacies were chosen to please the taste of the world, with a couple of
regional dishes signifying its home base status. We are looking forward to
reviewing Emirates’ First Class flight with onboard bar and shower
facilities. |
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by Thorsten & Edmund Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid Lemme &
Douglas MacKaye Harrington
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2012 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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