April marked my first visit to Taiwan. Check out the post here. I experienced another first last month. I visited my first airport lounge. You know. It’s the place where all the First Class passengers magically appear from at boarding time.

Airport Lounge Location

The lounge was the Plaza Premium Lounge, located inside the Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). There are four of these Plaza Premium Lounges in the airport. I stayed in the one located in Zone D of the International Departures area in Terminal 1.

The Layout

I stepped inside and immediately left the airport chaos behind. Think of relaxing at a posh hotel. A few different areas divided the space. Cubbies were directly behind the front counter . They were perfect for catching up on work. I feel like they’d be good for naps too.

To the left of the cubbies was what looked like a cozy living room. That’s where I spent the majority of my time in the lounge. Plush chairs and couches filled the area.

The Food

There was a good selection of both western and eastern choices. Below you will see rice with chicken and a couple of desserts. The desserts looked a lot like pudding. They ended up having a texture similar to really thick Jello. The food was good and seasoned well.

Accessing the Airport Lounge

My ticket was not for First or Business Class. I don’t have a credit card with lounge access. So how did I get into the lounge? Loungebuddy was the answer. I have some sad news to report though.

American Express just acquired Loungebuddy. This means you will need to be an Amex cardholder to purchase lounge access through them. I only learned this while putting this post together. Despite that, there are other ways to gain lounge access. Try booking directly through the official Plaza Premium website. Or try websites like Sleeping in Airports. They list other lounges that offer direct booking.

I recommend renting airport lounge space before your flight. It takes away a lot of the stress and allows you to relax before you flight. Many lounges, including this one, offer showers. That’s almost a miracle after getting all hot and sweaty on a long haul flight.