Ok…the photo has no bearing whatsoever with what I want to write about. The photo was taken in flight onboard Turkish Airlines as we were approaching Istanbul. It is the first leg of my journey home to Malaysia for my last trimester. Oh..and clouds always remind me of my sis. Whenever is see beautiful clouds I always think of her. She loves clouds! And I love her!!
I want to sing praises for Turkish Airlines’ amazing business class lounge! It is not my first time here but it was my last experience here that made me choose to transit here instead of somewhere else. Plus the fact that it is cheaper and I still get points cause they are a Star Alliance partner! 3x score!!
In this amazing lounge, which I get to access because of my SQ gold card and this time cause I flew business, they have thought of everything! And I mean everything! Free wifi for one. You can say that most lounges have that…true but they have more. A little library corner with a pool table. Cinema area with reclined lounge chairs complete with a popcorn machine in a corner. Bet the others don’t have that!
Then, they go further by having an area dedicated to children! My absolute favourite is their food buffet stations! They have a dedicate coffee and tea area separately. At the coffee area there is a barista that makes your coffee fresh! Whether it is an espresso or a cappucino or a Turkish coffee! I love it! Can’t go near it at the moment. I used up my daily quota for coffee this morning. 😦 sucks! I know…
They have other stations too. Dessert lovers rejoice. There is a whole station dedicated to that sweet sin! An area for salads, another for bread that at different times you can see them baking or making fresh bread. The lounge smells heavenly! Aaahhh…bliss! Then there is he hot food section where the chefs are in full view preparing the buffet. For breakfast, there is even a station for the eggs or omelets like any respectable hotel 4 or 5 star hotel. And just like in the supermarkets, you can find the drinks area on either side of the lounge where you can choose your drink. Be it just water, sparkling or still, coca cola, juice or beer and etc. How can you not love this lounge?
We just discovered that there is also a massage service. Haven’t gotten round to find out the rates but a treat for the weary traveller! There is also shower and prayer rooms and computers. The restrooms are also very chic! They also have an area where you can keep your luggage or other small items. Fully transparent cubicles locked by your own 4 digit pin code so that you don’t have to worry about your things being unsupervised while you grab some food or drink or some shut eye. I am truly bowled over by this lounge even if my layover is about 5 hours I think I will still choose to transit here.
It is comfy, it has everything and I love their design and decor. Whats not to like? Has anyone else tried their lounge? I am a frequent traveller and this lounge had me at “hello”!
Oh, and their inflight service and seats has improved leaps and bounds since I first flew with them 6 years ago. I am glad they took this step forward and even more that they added Genoa as a destination which lets me fly from my home city instead of making the 2 hour car journey to Milan for my flight home. Either way I still transit but how can I pass transiting here in Istanbul? Their lounge ROCKS!!!
I leave you with another shot of their interior.