An Oasis Inside of Istanbul’s Airport
- ziastravelblog
- Dec 29, 2018
- 2 min read
People from all sides of the world travel through and to Istanbul Atatürk Airport; using it as a gateway to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia because of its ideal geographic location. As I walked through the endless hallway, busily with people and countless shops, I was overwhelmed by the amount of energy. I had flown from San Francisco leaving at 6pm on a Wednesday and landed in Istanbul exactly 24 hours later at 6pm on Thursday. Considering time zones, the flight was an exhausting 13 hours and I still had a 4-hour layover along with a second 3-hour flight to my final destination-Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Turkish Airline Lounge inside of the Istanbul Airport is a traveler’s sanctuary. Walking through the huge glass doors, my breath was taken away. The lounge was massive, spanning over two floors, beautifully decorated in a mix of modern and Turkish design. They offered Wi-Fi, showers, sleeping suites, massages, a golf simulator and a movie theater, all of which were complimentary. The food and drinks served by the staff were endless and also free of charge. There were multiple buffets serving European food, a corner that specialized in Asian food and four open bar carts. To celebrate Turkish culture the lounge also offered a variety of traditional Turkish food such as flatbread, ravioli, Turkish tea, coffee and wine, an olive bar, Turkish delight and baklava. To get into the lounge you can either have a Turkish Airline business class boarding ticket or be a 1k member with Star Alliance. If you have the opportunity to go inside the Turkish Airline lounge you won’t mind a long layover to enjoy this relaxing and rejuvenating oasis. It is truly magnificent.
I've been here several times, and it is always a great experience with good food and massages!