Review: Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines Business Class Lounge Paro, Bhutan
Intro
In light of Drukair ordering 5 more aircraft today, I thought it was right to write up the final review I had with them of flying on the A320neo from Paro-Bangkok in Business. However, before we get into that, we first need to review the Drukair Lounge at Paro airport in Bhutan.
In conclusion, the lounge at Paro is a comfortable but minimalistic lounge in which to spend a little time. Don't expect a Polaris lounge vibe, but that's not the audience.
Let's get into it!
Location/Access
At the small little airport of Paro, there are three gates. Upon exiting security and before gate one, you will see the signs to head upstairs to the lounge.
From what I have gathered, access is restricted to those flying in Drukair Business Class and those who are above gold in the Drukair frequent flyer program titled "HappinessMiles."
So, what I didn't realize until after is that the Drukair Lounge isn't just one room, but all of the upstairs has different rooms that you can visit if you are eligible for the lounge. Here I was, sitting in the busiest room, not knowing there were wide-open rooms available.
Don't make the same mistake I did... check in with the main office and then head out to a more private room.
Seating
Inside the main lounge lie comfortable chairs for about 20-25 people. It's never too noisy due to the respectful Bhutanese culture, and with free wifi provided, everything seemed perfect.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Bhutanese decorations throughout the lounge. It gives passengers one last taste of Bhutan before having to leave this incredible country.
Magazines were plentiful, as well as a couple of newspapers at the front. Cue, the golden era of aviation.
Food & Drinks
The food selection wasn't much, but due to all flights being under about 5 hours, this isn't the end of the world. It felt very westernized with their food, much like the food throughout the Aman, to be honest. However, the Yak Carpaccio at the Aman was incredible.
I am a sucker for chicken nuggets and french fries.
Pastries were on offer as well, if that's your thing.
In terms of drinks, they had a modest selection to choose from, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic.
For non-alcoholic, there were standard soft drinks, coffee, tea, water, and tonic water (no sparkling water).
For alcoholic beverages, there was beer, rum, vodka, and whiskey, the beloved drink of Bhutan.
Toilet
The highlight in the lounge, and I had never said this before, was the toilet. On paper, it's a very simple single-stall toilet that looks like this...
However, as you go use the toilet, you have the best view I have ever seen in my life from an airport bathroom. Gosh, I honestly never wanted to leave the washroom😅.
During the two hours we had in the lounge, we sat around and played cribbage. For those that don't know this game, it's such a fun game that will entice you to never want to stop😂.
Final Thoughts
I'm not going to beat around the bush; this isn't the best business-class lounge in the world. However, for the target audience, the Drukair Business Class lounge provides comfortable seating, okay snack food, and free Wi-Fi (your US cell service won't work here). Combining that with the incredible bathroom views, I would be more than happy to visit this lounge again. Well, it is the only one in the airport, so I can't complain😂.
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