The Al Dhabi Lounge in Abu Dhabi Terminal 1, formerly a Plaza Premium Lounge, served as a comfortable and productive work space ahead of my Gulf Air flight to Bahrain.
Al Dhabi Lounge Abu Dhabi Review (AUH)
It is is not clear to me why Plaza Premium no longer manages this lounge, though it is now managed by the airport. In addition to being a Priority Pass lounge, it also serves as a premium cabin lounge for a number of airlines that operate from T1.
The lounge is open 24/7 and located on the first floor. If you are transiting from another terminal or just completed passport control, you will go up one level, past the “hotel” entrance and to a separate lounge entrance.
Once checked in, you’ll find a daily spacious lounge with several rooms offering seating including the signature honeycomb-like chairs I see in so many Plaza Premium lounges.
At 9:00 pm the lounge was not crowded, though by 10:30 pm it filled up quite a bit.
In the center of the lounge is a dining area with self-serve, buffet-style food and drink, including a salad bar and several hot dishes, with Western (pasta, chicken medallions) and Asian (Indian food plus noodles) choices. There’s a dining area adjacent to the buffet.
A bar was empty (it was Ramadan), and alcoholic drinks were not even available “hidden” below the counter. This is a dry lounge during Ramadan.
In the rear of the lounge there was a roped-off area that looked like it was an Etihad Airways lounge.
For smokers, a small room offered an indoor area to smoke.
Shower rooms were not available and the massage area appeared to be closed (no longer in operation). Restrooms were clean, though all the urinals showed “out of order.”
CONCLUSION
While this lounge does not have a lot of character, I certainly appreciated waiting here for 90 minutes instead of in the terminal. This is a respectable Priority Pass lounge and you will find comfortable seating and a decent spread of food if you find yourself with a layover in AUH.
Yes I’ve used this lounge many times and definitely prefer this of the two public lounges at Abu Dhabi.
One point, if you come into Terminal 1 then it is indeed just after transit security or passport control; but if you checked in or arrive at Terminal 3 then it is fairly long walk from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, all the way to the end of the corridor and past the walkway to the gates. But if you plan to be there for a while, it’s worth the walk.
The mezzeh items on the buffet are usually excellent, if a little chilled!