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Marhaba Lounge Dubai International (DXB) Terminal 1

Florian Buechting Airports and Airlines No Comments

Marhaba Lounge Dubai DXB Terminal 1

Marhaba Lounge Dubai DXB Terminal 1
3.4

Rating

 3.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • 24 hour lounge
  • Solid catering
  • Nice three room concept - the third room is really nice
  • Good staff

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Very often very full
  • Regular buy-in is extremely high

Flying back in the Finnair Business Class from Dubai International, Terminal 1, to Helsinki Airport (HEL) has not been the first time I visited the Marhaba Lounge at this location. However, typically, the lounge had been so packed in the past that there was no chance to take some snaps of the facilities. Thus, the situation on my February 2022 early morning flight was the ideal opportunity to show you around in my lounge review. The place is sometimes also referred to as Marhaba Lounge Dubai A Gates Concourse.

 

Marhaba Lounge DXB T1 – Location & Access

Like all other lounges, e.g. the Lufthansa Lounge or the British Airways one, the Marhaba Lounge Dubai Terminal 1 is located more or less above the major duty-free shop. After you left the shopping paradise, you can take an escalator, which leads you to some restaurants to your right hand and the lounges on your left hand side. The Marhaba Lounge is more or less the first lounge, together with the British Airways one – so you definitely won’t miss it. The lounge is open 24 hours, seven days a week.

As you see on the left picture above, multiple airlines are contracted to the lounge. This was rather boosted by the fact that due to Covid-19, there were still some service limitations. For example, the British Airways Lounge was still closed and guests could use the Marhaba one. You may also use some of the major lounge passes to get inside. Marhaba is also offering hospitality services in Dubai Airport, so that you have a smoother and more comfortable departure or arrival. Some departure packages include this lounge access. You may also do a buy-in, but the fee to get into the lounge is ridiculously high (about 50 USD per two hours).

 

Marhaba Lounge DXB T1 – Atmosphere

The lounge has three sections. The first pictures are taken from the main part of the lounge, which you enter first. You see that there is comparably dense seating. There are several periods during which it will be challenging to find an appropriate seat, as the lounge is very crowded. This part also holds the sanitary facilities and an own catering area.

The smallest section is a significantly more quiet room already, which is rather small. There is a sign that only certain visitors may enter this part. However, I haven’t been controlled at all when I walked around the lounge. The biggest plus here is that this section is rather quiet. There is no catering though – so that you have to go to one of the other buffets.

My Finnair flight allowed me to access the last section, which is definitely the most beautiful and most relaxing one. There is also an own buffet (see below). The selection of dishes felt slightly upgraded. The biggest plus here was that there were more seats with power plugs and a wider range of seats, including some solo seats which even gave some nice privacy.

 

Marhaba Lounge DXB T1 – Eat & Drink

As said, there are two catering stations, the pictures below are taken from the third room. The breakfast service was actually really nice, with warm dishes on one side and cold snacks on the other hand. The loung offers a reasonable range of drinks, including alcohol. There are not too many posh options, though – which may also be to the high volume of passengers.

 

Marhaba Lounge DXB T1 – Services

During my February visit at the lounge, the staff was rather attentive. WiFi is provided by the airport and is very reliable. They felt to do a good job in re-stocking the buffets. However, I did have issues with that in the past with higher passenger volumes.

 

Marhaba Lounge DXB T1 – My View

If the lounge is not too close to its capacity, Marhaba Lounge is a pretty solid place. It is not special, but has some advantages compared to waiting in the airport terminal itself. Especially the last room is quite nice and quiet. Not just in peak times, but already under rather average attendance, this place can be really stressful. One of the best features of the lounge is the 24 hour opening time – most of the peers are rather limited in here, due to the rather short list of airlines they are serving.

 

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