Emirates Offers Door-to-Door Luxury

Emirates' business-class seats are six and a half feet long.

PHOTO: Courtesy Emirates

Route taken: New York to Hamburg

What it costs: $4,300, round-trip (business class); $9,000, first class.

What you get: A six-and-a-half foot bed and a high-end version of “magic fingers,” with business seats that recline fully flat and a multi-zone massage device, along with a 600-channel entertainment console at each seat. Tall wooden privacy dividers keep you from getting too cozy with your neighbors. First-class private suites, meanwhile, have sliding doors to block out the rest of the cabin entirely: it’s the closest you’ll come to private-jet travel without your own pilot. A dining table, built-in vanity with a mirror, personal mini bar and a 23” widescreen TV round off the amenities.

What you don’t get: Although no personal chef is onboard, dine-in room service can be ordered at any time.

Make yourself comfortable: Down pillows, European-style comforter covers and cotton-lined blankets lull passengers to sleep. During quiet time, the cabin ceiling slowly illuminates subdued shades of blue, green and purple, with reflective lights sparkling like stars in the skies of an Arabian night. It’s color therapy in the sky.

What’s on the menu: After sipping a glass of 1998 Cuvée Dom Perignon, a seven-course meal is served from the trolley. On a recent flight, Emirates offered Sevruga caviar, goose liver and smoked duck, filet of lamb loin with saffron couscous and a German-style käsekuchen mit datteln (cheesecake soufflé with dates). Emirates’ wine lists read like a must-try list from The Wine Advocate, featuring the best vintages from France, California, South Africa, Australia and Germany.

What wowed us: Complimentary chauffeur service is provided at departure and destination cities. Once at the airport, Emirates lounges are calming escapes from the hubbub. Burled-wood furniture, marble countertops and floors and gold-plated Rolex wall clocks from Geneva provide an elegant setting for a round-the-clock buffet prepared by on-site chefs. Shower facilities and leather massage chairs make it easy to continue your trip refreshed and relaxed. In Dubai, the first-class lounge has private bedrooms with a bath.

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