Escape Edinburgh airport to lounge around
Sometimes you want to escape from the airport before you escape from Scotland to go on holiday. And now you can with the launch of Escape Lounges who have opened their first Scottish location at Edinburgh Airport this summer.
Located next to Gate 4 and the British Airways Lounge the space is designed to offer a premium, stress free experience for all travellers, regardless of airline or ticket class. We can vouch for this as we were flying to Malaga with Ryanair rather than to the Maldives with a luxury airline, and some of our fellow lounge-users were on the same flight as we saw them in the lengthy Ryanair queue for boarding later.
Perhaps this is one of the key reasons to book a lounge slot. As air travel has become universally available something of the glamour of travelling by plane has become lost, with terminals resembling bus or train stations, rather than luxury outposts on the way to your vacation.
Open daily from 4am until 10pm, the key aim is for passengers to be able to relax ahead of their flight, and on this the lounge delivers. There are different spaces with areas zoned for dining, working and relaxing, either solo or in groups. There’s natural light, with views over one of the airport’s many car parks, but still.
Food is a buffet set up with breakfast followed by all-day dining menus. On the day we visited there was a good selection of salads and cold cuts as well as hot dishes including chicken drumsticks served in a tomato-based sauce and rice. Wine, beer and spirits are on hand in the bar area, which also boasts two prosecco taps, providing fizz of a regular and pink variety. There are coffee machines and a selection of doughnuts and shortbread for that authentic Edinburgh touch.
On the tech side there are plenty of power outlets, high-speed Wi-Fi, and real-time flight information on electronic boards, but crucially without the endless tannoy announcements so you have to remember to keep checking the screen. The digital library is comprised of complimentary access to more than 7,000 global publications via PressReader.
It’s a restful place to await your flight, especially if yours is delayed, as ours was. The design uses deep greens to evoke Edinburgh’s lush parks and gardens and sandy tones mirror its historic stone buildings.
“Our mission is to transform the airport experience, and we’re thrilled to be opening our newest Escape Lounge at Edinburgh Airport,” says Rob Hassard, Head of Growth, Experiences for CAVU, the parent company of Escape Lounges.
Bookings from £39.99 at escapelounges.com, with walk-in access also available on the day for £49. Escape Lounges also offers complimentary access to numerous cardholder members, including Priority Pass and DragonPass.