Qantas' First Class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport is a relatively small but classy space, even if it's not quite up to the 'first class' standard.

In common with its siblings in Los Angeles and Singapore, it'll be getting a Marc Newson-esque make-over later this year so that its furniture and decor will match that of Qantas' flagship First Class Lounge at Sydney International Airport.

Not that it's in urgent need of renovation: compared to Singapore's Qantas First Class Lounge, which of course is the stopover for Kanagroo Route flights between Australia and London, the Hong Kong lounge is in superb condition (which is as you'd expect, seeing as it was already refurbished in late 2009).

The Qantas lounges at Hong Kong Airport are adjacent to Gate 15, which is mostly used by Qantas, and located close to the airport’s northern security checkpoint (this is the checkpoint at the far right of the arrivals hall).

The Business lounge is downstairs, on level 6, while the First lounge is above on Level 7.

If you’re entering from the airport’s north gate, turn sharp right once you’re through the checkpoint right and down the corridor.

If you happen to enter from the south gate the Qantas lounge is only five minutes’ walk away, although the route can be a bit circuitous as you wind your way through through the upper level food court and shops.

The easy way is when you come through south gate checkpoint, turn right at the Hong Kong Disneyland store and head down the narrow walkway on the left side of the atrium.  You’ll come out into the food court – stick to your right and follow the shops around until you get to Shanghai Tang.

You’ll spy Giordano off to the left, and the rear of the north checkpoint to the right – the lounge is at the end of the narrow between these.

Once in the lounge you can appreciate how the 'balcony level' design makes good use of Hong Kong Airport's arched ceiling, which bounds gazelle-like overhead.

The lounge itself is one long open space, apart from an annexe shooting off in the middle, with capacity for 130 travellers to scatter around in comfortable lounge chairs.

The design and decor is uncluttered and understated with several restrained nods to Chinese art and culture.

Like other Qantas First Class lounges, this one is open to all passengers flying first class on Qantas, and its oneworld partners such as British Airways.

(As of the end of March BA will take over the HK-London leg for all Qantas flights, with Qantas retaining only Australia-HK services).

Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum cardholders, and those with the equivalent oneworld Emerald status, can also enjoy the lounge regardless of which class they’re flying in.

The First Class lounge is open from 5am-10am and then 4pm-midnight, however the Business Class lounge downstairs is open 5am to midnight.

Unlike Qantas’ flagship First Class lounge in Sydney there’s no formal dining area or table service, just two self-serve buffet stations (although this might change as part of the make-over).

One, for light refreshments (including a little indulgence in the shape of  Häagen- Dazs ice cream), is in the main area of the lounge.

For more substantial meals, including hot dishes, plus a pleasing mix of Asian and western food, a second servery is located in the small annex off to the right of the lounge (just turn right after the stone horse.)

Some hot dishes can be made to order, such as wonton soup with egg noodles.

Snacks include rice paper rolls with Vietnamese dipping sauce, alaska crab salad and Parma ham and melon.

There are all the drinks you’d expect from a first class lounge including the components of many a DIY effort – a task made easier if you keep a bartender app on your smartphone.

WiFi floats through the lounge, although as it’s password-protected you’ll want to grab the password card from the front desk. At 2Mbps it’s not lightning-fast but it’s sufficient for typical in-transit uses such as web browsing and email.

Eight workstation cubicles with desktop PCs are located in the lounge’s annexe, across from the main buffet – four have Windows PCs and four more run iMacs.

There are also four of what look like old-fashioned telephone booths, although they contain what was once cutting-edge technology:  a combo payphone/payfax.

These booths can be useful if you want to hold a private conversation over your mobile phone or Skype, but we’re expecting them to disappear after the renovation.

At least AC oulets are plentiful: the entire lounge is dotted with lamp-bearing tables, each of which sports two AC sockets.

However, as these use native HK/UK sockets you'll want to keep that adaptor socket handy in your carry-on bag.

With a lounge as small as this one, the only concessions made to the relax-recharge mode are five showers a pre-flight or mid-trip refresh.

A reading rack halfway along the lounge sports a selection of magazines and newspapers. As this lounge is shared with BA you can browse a selection of UK papers such as The Financial Times, The Times, The Daily Mail and The Independent.

There’s no dedicated quiet zone, unless you head to the lounge area at the far end of the annexe (past the main eatery) and wind down the volume on the telly.

We’re unsure why so many airlines feel obliged to place a TV set within view and earshot from almost every seat in the lounge.

One downside to the lounge’s location and its open gallery-style design is that one of Hong Kong Airport’s “kid’ zones” is situated almost directly below. This has a large TV turned to Cartoon Network day and night, and on a quiet afternoon the sound floats up and flows into the main area of the lounge.

Again, your best bet at sanctuary is the lounge at the end of the annexe.

Summary

For a quick stay or a short transit betweeen Qantas flights, this is where Qantas Platinums (and oneworld Emeralds) should plant themselves.

But if time permits, we'd suggest the 10 minute stroll towards Gate 1 check out Cathay Pacific's The Wing: either the First Class section (which will begin a phased renovation this month) or the newly-opened Business Class Lounge.