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Air France Lounge CDG, Paris Review. One of the best

The Air France Lounge CDG in Paris, 2E is terrific – one of the best business class lounges in Europe. The is a true destination lounge with a touch of French flair - It is worth arriving 2-3 hours before your flight to enjoy it fully.

This lounge is Air France’s flagship business lounge, worldwide. It has free flowing champagne, complementary spa treatments and great airplane reviews.

I made sure to take loads of photos. Each photo can be clicked, to open the slideshow.

What I liked

  • The lounge is huge, and bathed in natural light
  • Free 20 minute spa treatment for all visitors
  • High quality buffet with fresh food
  • Laurent Perrier champagne served
  • Excellent runway views
  • The lounge is well designed and the furniture is high quality

What could be improved

  • Limited buffet options for such a large lounge

Air France Lounges at CDG, Paris

This is one of a number of Air France lounges in CDG – 7 business lounges according to their website. The lounge I visited was in Terminal 2E, Hall M. Although the naming is rather confusing, the main takeaway is that this lounge is very very big. There is a good chance you will end up here, if you are flying with Skyteam through Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris. 

The Lounge

This lounge was huge. Longer than a football (soccer?!) field, and about 2/3 as wide. There were 5 seating areas of a similar size, as shown in the photos above. In reality, most of areas were very similar, except for different types of seating. The seating included daybeds, cushioned chairs and restaurant style tables and chairs too.

What is clear is that the airline have spent a lot of money to furnish this lounge and the furniture quality is very high. This, in combination with the complimentary spa treatment and champagne, provides a feeling of luxury when you are in the lounge.

The Air France Lounge CDG was bathed in natural light, and had terrific runway views. One side of the lounge had floor to ceiling windows. I had a terrific view as planes came by – check the slideshow above for a couple of images I took.

There was a main buffet with hot food at one end, and a smaller buffet at the other end. There were local and international newspaper dotted around the lounge.

The slideshow above has a few photos, which give a feel for what the lounge will be like when you visit.

The food. Main Buffet

The main buffet was at one end of the lounge. I arrived at the tail end of the breakfast service – lunch was due to be served at 11am. The buffet consisted of

  • Eggs
  • Bacon
  • Sausages
  • Yoghurts
  • Fruit
  • Cold cuts


I thought there was a lack of variety. Given that the lounge has a similar capacity to a small French town, I see no reason why they did not offer more dishes. In terms of the quality of the food, I found it to be perfectly edible.

There was coffee available from a machine, and wide selection of teas available. I appreciate the tea selection, given that the French are not known for their tea.

I had an Americano with milk, which I found to be ok, but no better. To be honest, I have very rarely had good coffee in an airline lounge. The notable exception is the Oman Air Lounge in Muscat, where they had a huge Nespresso machine (picture in slideshow above)!

The food. Smaller Buffet

There was a 2nd, smaller buffet at the other end of the lounge. It did not have any hot food, just some snacks, hot drinks, soft drinks and a limited alcohol selection. 

The Drinks

There was a self service champagne, wine and spirits area

  • They served Laurent Perrier Brut 1812, which retails at around $40
  • Red and white wines
  • A small selection of premium spirits


I really commend Air France for offering champagne in their Business Class Lounges. Most airlines do not offer champagne on the ground, as they need to pay taxes (while they don’t have to in the air).

I had a glass of the Laurent Perrier Brut. Even though I don't like champagne all that much, when it's offered, I feel obliged to take it. I am sure that I'll grow out of this someday. Was it good? It was ok. But it was complimentary, so who cares?!

The French do love their champagne! I stayed at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand. Review here. I got a free drink as an IHG Platinum. Most hotels give a beer or house wine. The Intercontinental Paris gave complimentary champagne to me and why wife!

Paris is famous for its wine. But you need a hotel to sleep at, when you pass out drunk! I wrote a complete guide to Marriott Hotels in Paris. I cover each hotel and explain how to get the best deal. I also give some great strategies to get free Marriott Bonvoy Points. 

The Spa

One of the best features of the Air France Lounge CDG, is the free 20 minute spa treatment for all passengers. I arrived with my wife at 10.20am. My wife got an appointment straight away. I booked at 10.40am. I had a dry skin treatment and my wife had a revitalise treatment.

I enjoyed the treatment. In addition to an oil massage of my face, the masseuse massaged my neck and head. It was not as good as a treatment that you pay for, but is the best treatment I have had at a business class lounge.

What impressed me most was that myself and my wife got seen straight away. So when you arrive in the lounge, I suggest you go to the spa straight away and book a treatment.

Conclusion

The Air France Lounge CDG is an example of a business class lounge done right. It does everything that it's meant to. Decent buffet, premium alcohol, runway views and a complimentary spa treatment. Sure, the coffee wasn’t great and the buffet was a little limited. But overall, I thought the lounge was excellent.

I’m a massive fan of Air France. I’ve only had good experiences. I flew their short haul business class. Review here. The food was absolutely fabulous and the champagne was on tap. The crew were also very friendly.

Air France long haul business class is excellent too. Review here. The seat was large and spacious. As always, the food and drinks were top notch. My wife also loved the amenity kit bags!

The Holiday Inn Express, CDG Airport comes highly recommended. Review here. The hotel is on the site of CDG airport in Paris. It’s also very good value.
 

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