Arriving in Melbourne from Indonesia, where I had almost no time to sleep for a week, was a huge relief. Although, I wasn’t going home just yet. There was a short trip to Adelaide waiting for me, but at least this one was in business class, which also meant having access to the Virgin Australia Melbourne business lounge.
Virgin Australia Melbourne Lounge
– Welcome Mrs Kozmic and coffee is available at the espresso bar on your right. – a lovely lady at the reception perfectly guessed what I was after. A week of a little-to-no-sleep, red-eye flight, 4 time zones in 7 days… I looked like a zombie and had just one thing on my mind: COFFEE.
As it was only 10am there were quite a few people waiting for the coffee too. Nevertheless, with two baristas working tirelessly, my flat white was ready in less than 5 minutes. My coffee-deprived body was happy with the quality of the coffee but to judge it properly I’ll have to try it again on a regular day.
Number 2 on my agenda – showers. Not sure if showers were available in the domestic lounge, I went back to the reception. – Of course. You just need to pick up your towels here. If you need a hairdryer, please leave your boarding pass with us and you’ll get it back when you return the hairdryer. Easy. The bathroom is quite spacious and comfortable for a refreshing shower and turning tired travellers into presentable people.
Next up – food. My timing wasn’t great. It was that awkward time between breakfast and lunch, where staff already started to clean up the breakfast items but they weren’t ready to serve lunch just yet. I grabbed some cheese, ham, and a salad plus a bowl of popcorn & chips for snacking.
I also wanted some sparkling wine to make my morning more relaxing. Unfortunately, the alcohol service doesn’t start until 11am. When I walked past a staff member setting up the wine bottles and asked for a glass of bubbles, she looked at her wristwatch and said, please come back in 3 minutes. Indeed, it was 10:57 and looks like they really start serving alcohol at 11am on the dot.
As I had a few hours to kill before my flight, I set up my office by the window. Thumbs up for the great view and fast & free wi-fi.
Hot lunch (starts at 12pm) was a disappointment. It was supposed to be, according to the displayed menu, ricotta & spinach tortellini but instead, it was just a bland risotto.
My long wait for the flight was finally over. I enjoyed the lounge, especially the coffee, the view and the shower. Based only on this one experience, I think Virgin Australia should step up their food game in the lounge.
MEL – ADL flight from seat 2A
When I saw my big comfy seat I started to regret that this flight is so short. And was also curious how fast I’d have to eat and drink when the flight time is just over 1 hour.
It was a beautiful day for flying, with just some small clouds around. As soon as we were over the low hanging clouds the lovely cabin crew started serving wine, took our meal orders and came back to top up the wine soon after.
As I mentioned before, I was on almost zero sleep for a week, so I can’t remember what options there were for the light lunch. I went with crispy bread with dips (hummus, beetroot, and chickpeas). It was very good, much tastier than the food in the lounge. It was well presented, paired with a nice South Australian chardonnay & excellent view out the window. I almost forgot how tired I was.
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