Premium Traveller Lounge Review - Paris Orly Airport

Before departing for my flight from Paris to Mallorca, I had some time to check out the Premium Traveller Lounge at Paris Orly Airport. The lounge accepts several memberships (including Dragonpass if you’re Canadian). As you enter the airside section of the Terminal 1, turn left right after security, and follow the signs. The lounge is easy to miss. It is located downstairs near Gates A1-A5.

The lounge entrance is right by the Gates (pictured above). Before entering, please note that this lounge has no washrooms/toilets. When I arrived, there was no one at the front desk. I rang the doorbell and the attendant showed up. I used my Dragonpass to enter the lounge by scanning the QR code in the app.

Hot Tip: make sure you display the QR directly in the app as screenshots won’t work since the codes expire.

The lounge was pretty empty on this Saturday afternoon. There was a view of the tarmac on one side where travellers can observe the planes at ground level.

I sat close to the windows to watch the planes coming in to park

Food and Drinks

The lounge had a basic buffet at the back. 

There were some meager options for food including a few cold cuts/deli meats and some bread rolls. Next to the buffet was a selection of hard liquor along with red and white wine.

I had a bite of this quiche and some nuts which prevented me from getting too hungry during my layover but the food was very disappointing. There was a sign as a reminder that we were not allowed to take any food or drinks outside of the lounge.

Charging stations or rest areas were nonexistent. After about an hour, I left to go board my flight. My lounge experience was abysmal and while I did enjoy the peace and quiet, I got lucky that the lounge was not crowded at this time. Air France’s lounges offer a far better and more premium experience. I didn’t really have any other lounge options with my lounge pass but if you are thinking about visiting this lounge, make sure that your visit is covered by membership, airline status, or a premium cabin ticket as this lounge is definitely not worth paying for, you’d be better off spending that money on a meal from a restaurant.

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Air Mauritius A350 Business Class Review

During my last trip to Mauritius for my sister's wedding, I had the pleasure of flying Air Mauritius' Business Class. I have flown Air Mauritius several times before but only in economy so I was excited to try their business class. My experience with Air Mauritius was generally positive before Covid but since then I’ve felt that the airline had deteriorated so I wasn't sure what to expect on this flight.

Air Mauritius flies out of London from Gatwick Airport which unfortunately means it's hard to find international connections from North America. In my case, I flew from Montreal to London Heathrow in Air Canada Business Class, and then had to catch the Gatwick shuttle during my layover.

Check-In

Once I arrived at Gatwick Airport, I headed upstairs to the Air Mauritius counters located to the left of the terminal. The check-in and luggage drop off counters are situated at the far end, across from the Emirates counters. The business class line was not too long, but there were a lot of passengers checking in copious amounts of luggage which did take some time. The economy line was more chaotic. After dropping off my suitcase, I headed through security, which is located across from the Starbucks inside the Terminal. Business class passengers benefit from access to the priority security line which was fast and had no wait time.

The Air Mauritius check-in counters at London Gatwick Airport

Lounge

Once Airside, I headed over to the Clubroom No1 Lounge where Air Mauritius business class passengers are offered complimentary access before their flight. You can read my review of the lounge here.

Clubroom No1 Lounge

Read Review

Hot Tip: now would be a good time to fill out the Mauritius health traveller declaration form online and ensure that you receive the QR code on your phone as you will need it on arrival. Otherwise you will have to wait in line and fill it out in person which is way more inconvenient. The form is available here.

Now is also the perfect time to purchase an eSIM an install it ahead of time on the Airalo App so you're connected as soon as you land and can use WhatsApp and Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3/€3 off your first eSIM purchase! There is a Telecom shop at the Terminal in Mauritius as well but depending on your arrival time, they may not be open. WiFi is available for free inside the Terminal but not after you exit.

If you are flying out of Mauritius, you will have access to the gorgeous Amédée Maingard Lounge instead.

Boarding and Cabin

Once the Flight Info Display indicated that my flight had started boarding, I left the lounge and made my way to the gate. To my surprise, the gate was empty and all passengers had already boarded. It took no time at all to make it on board.

As soon as I stepped on board, a courteous flight attendant greeted me then peeked at the seat number on my boarding pass and whisked me to my seat. My flight today was aboard the gorgeous Airbus A350. The aircraft felt new and spacious. 

Air Mauritius’ Airbus A350 Business Class Cabin

Seats

I chose the window seat which felt private and separated from the aisle and other passengers. The seats were very comfortable with decent size personal TVs.

I had a double window view out the right side of the airplane

Plenty of legroom

This counter to my left was great for storing my personal devices

Seat Controls

The seat functions could be controlled by a set of buttons to the left. There was a phone-sized remote control which could be used to control the entertainment screen. The device was reminiscent of the old HTC android phones and even seemed to have the camera port in the back

The flight attendant came by while I was settling in and offered me a choice of champagne, juice or water as a welcome drink.

 The seatbelt had an extra over-shoulder strap

Amenity Kit

At my seat was a gorgeous turquoise amenity kit that included several personal care products like a lip balm, hand cream, as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Also at my seat were complementary noise cancelling headphones which I never use because I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones. I tested them out and they were on-ear rather than over-the-ear and did not block out much of the cabin noise. I highly suggest bringing your own. I wrote a review of my Sony XM3/4 here in case you are looking for a great set of travel headphones (I highly recommend them!).

A pillow was also included

Menus were handed out prior to takeoff and so I had plenty of time to peruse the menu (more on that below). We took off shortly after to this view of the sun setting above London.

Food and Dining

Soon after takeoff,  I received a hot towel with which to freshen up. Dinner service started shortly after.

The dinner service started with a cocktail and a bowl of mixed nuts and dried fruit.

For the starter, I had the chicken salad followed by a king prawn masala curry for dinner which was indulgent. Air Mauritius serves their meal with real silverware and even includes a metal napkin ring to wrap the utensils in.

I was already full by this time so I did not eat anything else and just had the light mousse cake for dessert.

Apero

Appetizer: Chicken Salad

Main Course: Masala King Prawn

My utensils came bound by this metal napkin ring

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse Cake

Bedtime (Lie-Flat Seats)

After dinner, I went to the bathroom and the flight attendant seized this opportunity to lay out my mattress pad. Upon my return, I just had to press a button to turn my seat into a lie-flat bed for the night.

The provided blanket was blue, symbolic of the azure waters that surround Mauritius and it was adorned with an outline of Mauritius' national bird; the Paille-en-queue (the red-tailed tropicbird). The bed was comfortable and I dozed off for several hours and woke up as we were nearing the end of our journey.

Air Mauritius' lie-flat seats/beds

Breakfast

As the morning light lit up the cabin, we were served some special cocktails that included a punchy and refreshing kiwi ginger smoothie. I freshened up while breakfast service started with some french jam, flakey croissants and a cheese omelette paired with sausage. Also included was a cold fruit bowl and yogurt.

Breakfast

After breakfast, the rest of the flight was uneventful and we arrived in Mauritius as scheduled. Pick a seat on the right side of the plane for a view of Le Morne mountain as you land.

I can already feel the island vibe

Although I’ve heard of Air Mauritius facing some issues lately related to cancelled or delayed flights and my previous flight in economy was sub-par, I had a great time on this flight and look forward to flying with Air Mauritius again.

If you are planning to go to Mauritius, I’ve added some photos below for your inspiration. Consider visiting the northern islands by catamaran, having a coconut at Flic-en-Flac beach while watching the sunset, eating the delicious street food and just let the island win you over with its tropical charm.

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