Review: Swissport Lounge – Larnaca (Cyprus)

The Swissport lounge at Cyprus’ Larnaca airport sits on the first floor above the duty free area of the airport. As one of only two lounges at Larnaca airport the Swissport lounge acts as the executive lounge for a lot of airlines…some of which I have never even heard of!

As well as being an airline lounge, the Swissport Lounge is part of the Priority Pass and Lounge Club networks as well….which probably goes a long way to explaining why the lounge is so busy most evenings that I pass through.

As you walk into the lounge you’re faced with a reception desk where you check-in (either with your boarding pass, your lounge invitation card or with your lounge membership card):

Behind the reception desk are the various seating areas:

If the lounge looks empty it’s because it was…but only because I arrived at the airport just as the British Airways check-in desks were opening. About 20 minutes after these pictures were taken the lounge was beginning to fill up and 20 minutes after that it was very full indeed.

Most of the seating areas are open to each other but, if you want a bit of piece and quiet (and if you get to the lounge early enough) there is a single corner area when you can hide away from the masses 🙂

There are a reasonable number of power sockets dotted around the lounge (UK specification – so bring an adapter if you’re not from the UK) but most are situated in-between the sections of benches (see photo above) so they’re not ideal for anyone wanting to sit at a table and charge their laptop while working.

While one half of the lounge is dedicated to seating of the more relaxed nature (see the photos above) the other half of the lounge has more chair/table combos for those who’d like to work or who want something to eat:

It’s at this end of the lounge where you’ll find the food and drink selection. It’s not exactly gourmet but, for a Mediterranean vacation destination airport, it isn’t all that bad.

The hot selection is probably the least healthy with the usual fare being small pieces of pizza, something resembling chicken nuggets and mini meatballs (of the Cypriot variety) – this last item isn’t too bad.

If you get there early enough the mini-sandwiches are ok…but they can dry out pretty quickly and the salads on offer aren’t bad at all – the Cypriot potato salad is probably the best option of the lot (IMO).

Drinks-wise there’s a coffee machine, a pot of filter coffee, hot water and tea bags of various kinds….

….the two refrigerators at the very end of the lounge contain water, various sodas/soft drinks. and a couple of types of beer (try the local KEO Beer if you get a chance, it’s better than most of the better known brands):

There are also a few bottles of local white wine secreted next to the juices…..

If red wine is more your thing than you’ll find that on the side nearby….

…just don’t expect it to be a fine Claret!

Lastly (as far as food and drinks go) are the spirits….

….and while the Johnnie Walker, Gordons & Smirnoff offerings are all very well known, they do have a few oddities in their selection. This vodka for example:

The last two areas of the lounge that I haven’t yet mentioned are the quiet room (which I never knew existed until this visit….and I’ve visited quite a few times!):

Not exactly enticingly luxurious is it? For anyone wondering, this is found on the right hand side as soon as you walk through the doors of the lounge.

Immediately behind the lounge’s reception desk is where the small work area is to be found:

I counted four PC stations and, while there are printing facilities, I believe you have to request access to the printer from the staff at the front desk.

Overall

Ok, clearly this is never going to rank highly amongst the lounges of the world but, if you compare it to a very large number of US domestic lounges, it isn’t that bad at all.

As a place to sit and relax before a flight it beats being at the gate. And with two different wifi networks to choose from (the temperamental Swissport network or the airport’s free wifi) you’re always going to get online.

The food is acceptable if you haven’t paid to get in but it’s probably a bit disappointing if you have.

The biggest issue with this lounge can be the parents that refuse to control their offspring. As an airport that predominantly caters to vacationers you’ll find a lot of families passing thorough the lounge and quite a few of them seem to think that it’s actually a giant creche where they can abdicate all responsibility (I’m not sure to whom).

That aside, however, I’ve visited a lot worse lounges in much bigger airports so I’m not going to have too much of a downer on the Swissport Lounge at Larnaca. If you’re a frequent visitor to Cyprus it may be worth looking into a Priority Pass membership if you don’t have the airline status to get you in, but I’d only seriously consider it if there’s a Priority Pass lounge at your home airport too.