Strata Lounge — Attraction in Māngere-Ōtāhuhu

Let's start off with the good stuff. The staff was really good. The guy that was cleaning the dishes came and cleared our dish, making sure all the tables were wiped and cleaned for people that were coming in. Infact he was really well mannered and would say thanks for moving the glass so he could wipe the table. The place is quiet and not noisy so you can actually relax. The toilets and amenities are quite good. It's clean. But.. I.. I didn't think the food was worth $75. The food wasn't really nice. The Danish was quite hard to bite and a little cold. If you've been to french bakeries you know the pastry is soft and fluffy oppose to hard and cold in the strata lounge. The fried tofu was cold and dry inside. They brought out a new batch but the tofu again was cold and dry. You have the usual small sandwiches, brownies, one dish of pasta, vermicelli salad, soup, salami, ham, apple/custard slices and some fruits like bananas and apples. The coffee machine was nice as i felt it had to perfect ration in making the hot mocha. The cauliflower/cumin soup was overpowering with cumin that you could only taste cumin There's no desserts like ice cream. There are only about five sets of tables and chairs that has access to charging. There's two power points and four usb ports on each of the set of tables and they are all in one side of the lounge . What's so disappointing is that people are now moving to usb c cables and there isn't any in this lounge. You can bring a usb c charging adaptor though as an option. Just a hassle as I have to take it out of my hand luggage. Only one side has charging so if there are more than five families you will then you may need to try your luck to find a power point on the two tables near the alcoholic area. I think I would probabaly pay $35-45 for this not $75. If you have spare cash, have time and want a quiet place to relax with some food then I guess try it out but you're not missing much if your friends...

The Strata Lounge is a pay per entry lounge inside the International Terminal of Auckland Airport. In addition to paying, entry is complimentary for business class passengers of selected airlines. I visited early morning at 5.30 ahead of a 8am flight. I was greeted with a smile from the person behind the counter, who also informed me that they make announcements for my airline, which was quite helpful. In addition the lounge has a limited number of screens with flight information. The lounge was unsurprisingly empty when I arrived and I noticed the food was being topped up. Food options for breakfast include the usual cereal options, chia pots etc. Hot options include eggs, mushrooms, sausages, bacon etc. Self serve drinks, including alcohol was available, however I did think it was unusual that the mixers and juices were separate to the alcohol bar area, meaning you need to walk your cup of alcohol over to add a mixer if that is what you want. There were plenty of different spaces to sit and the chairs all looked to be in good condition. There wasn't much of a view from the lounge, the windows look down into the main airport pedestrian thoroughfare which was mostly retail shops. I note that on the Strata website, large groups are admitted at the discretion of the lounge. This was nice to see as large groups are notorious for being loud and disruptive. It is good to see the Strata lounge take measures to keep the lounge a calm and enjoyable place. Overall the Strata lounge is a great space for some peace and quiet and somewhere to grab food ahead of a flight. I would happily recommend this for solo...

The Strata Lounge was relatively easy to find after I went through the security check.

Upon entering, I was warmly welcomed by the front desk staff. It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon around 3pm, so the lounge was not crowded at all. After settling into a comfortable spot, I explored the buffet stations. There was a nice selection of drinks, including hot and cold water, tea, soda, and a coffee machine. The food offerings were quite good, and I found the tofu lasagna to be a unique and interesting choice.

I was a bit taken aback to find there was no bar staff present, which meant guests had to pour their own drinks. There were plenty of options to choose from, from hard liquor to beer, but it felt a little unusual to handle that aspect independently.

What truly impressed me were the restroom facilities. The five individual rooms connected to a spacious walk-in shower, a large counter, a hair dryer, and a toilet, all of which were remarkably clean and well-maintained.

However, I noticed that the service was quite minimal during my visit. There was a lady who passed by several times, but she unfortunately didn't notice my empty dish on the table. Given the limited space, I eventually felt the need to approach her and place my dirty dish in the cart she was pushing. It seemed like she was having a tough time maneuvering, and I felt a mixture of empathy and concern for her.

Overall, despite some challenges, the lounge had its comforting elements that made the...