Review: Caribbean Airlines Business Class Club Lounge Port of Spain (Piarco) Airport
Intro
Following a tremendous flight on Caribbean Airlines in Business Class onboard their 737 Max 8 from Georgetown, Guyana, I had the opportunity to check out the business class lounge that Caribbean Airlines has at their hub airport. Supposedly, this lounge has recently opened, and the airline only has one lounge, which is the one at Piarco Airport in Port of Spain.
The Caribbean Club Lounge is honestly quite a nice place. The lounge is on the smaller side and doesn't have beautiful views, but does it feature a quaint space with plenty of food offerings and good drink choices? If your flight doesn't leave around the bank of departures to the continental US, you will have a nice time here.
Location+Access
To get to the Caribbean Airline Club Lounge, you first have to get through the airport and countless signs about rum (fair enough since I love rum). Once clearing all the kerfuffle, such as immigration and security, head over to Gate 14, and you will find the entrance to the Caribbean Club. An agent will be waiting to grant you access or deny you😅.
There are multiple ways to access the lounge, and all of them follow right along the lines of what any access would entail into a US Club. These are as follows:
Caribbean Club members (1 guest included)
Caribbean Club day pass holders (cannot find how much it is)
Business Class ticket holders (no guests from what I read)
Connecting passengers with inbound leg in Business Class
Access is only granted within 3 hours of scheduled departure time, and seems to be quite strict.
Seating
The first thing that stood out to me about this lounge is how small it is. At just over 3500 square feet, it felt more like a restaurant (size-wise) than a lounge. However, seeing as Caribbean Airlines doesn't serve that many markets, it does make sense. In addition, what Caribbean Airlines has done with the space is remarkable, with countless different elegant designs for seating and booths for families if needed. The main room, located to the right is where you find all of the nicer areas to sit...
Right in the middle of the lounge are single seats with power outlets located underneath every seat.
However, on the left, when you walk in, is the "dining room" area. There are about 10 tables to choose from, and it is located right next to the buffet, as one would imagine😉.
Food+Drink
For a lounge, and considering it was breakfast, I found the food that Caribbean Airlines provided wasn't too bad at all. Located in the back of the lounge lay 4 hot options to choose from. After the previous flight I wasn't too hungry, but it was nice to see everything kept neat and tidy.
I also appreciated the individual ketchup packets and butter (looking at you, Polaris lounge, cough cough).
Another aspect where Caribbean Airlines really shined brightly was the drinks offerings. Whether it be fresh juices you are after, sparkling wine, red wine, white wine, local rum, local beer, or even sodas, they have it all. Freshly brewed coffee was also available to take when needed... aka CHAMPOFFEE TIME!
It's a sad day to see a Caribbean Airlines lounge offer more alcohol selection than the Malaysian Airlines Flagship Lounge...
Other Amenities
As I mentioned, the lounge is quite small. However, it also features toilets for both males and females, along with free and fast wifi. The one thing I didn't see was any showers, and I do not believe that they have any.
Additionally, it was nice to have an agent at the front who makes private announcements when it is time for flights to board. Thankfully, my gate was right across the hall at Gate 14...
Final Thoughts
The Caribbean Airlines Club Lounge (Business Class Lounge) at Port of Spain is quite a nice place to relax and catch up on some emails. As long as you miss the busy bank of international departures, which is up until about 9:30 am, it is relatively quiet from my experience (9:30 am-midday is empty). If you don't need a shower, this is a lounge I could recommend spending a couple of hours in, with a decent selection of food and drink, along with comfortable seating.
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