Exceptional: Plaza Premium Lounge, (International Terminal 2) Cebu Review
There are few times when a non-airline lounge is hugely impressive. Almost all the best lounges in the world are operated by airlines, whether that’s Air France’s Salon La Premiere, Cathay Pacific’s The Wing First or Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.
While the Plaza Premium Lounge at Cebu Mactan International Airport in the Philippines isn’t quite to the level of these spaces, yet it really impressed me. Here’s my review and verdict of the lounge.
Location and access
The lounge can be access by heading towards Gate 20 at Terminal 2, which is currently dedicated to international flights only. I accessed the lounge by using my American Express Platinum Credit Card but can also be accessed using Priority Pass. It is the ‘go to’ lounge for almost all airlines with Business Class or status passengers including Korean Air and Qatar Airways.
Entry was quick and easy, though I would probably not recommend this awkwardly placed table and chair area that could probably be better used than this.
Design first experience
While the design is similar to almost all other Plaza Premium lounges I’ve visited, the execution felt superior to the others at airports including Taipei and Heathrow. The lounge has doubled down on an industrial chic design with heavy use of cold greys contrasting with warm brown. Together with the large floor to ceiling windows, this lounge feels open and welcoming for visitors.
Extensive varieties of seating can be found from groups of comfortable chairs through to private working cubes that cocoon you from the rest of the lounge reducing sound. If you’re looking for slightly more interesting views, you can grab one of these solo chairs near the window to do some plane spotting.
Fitting for an international terminals, there were power outlets at seats across the lounge which can take different types of international outlets as well as USB-A ports. Internet speeds were average at around 10mbps which is enough for most activities when working remotely.
Food and drink
Elsewhere in the lounge there is a serviced bar with alcoholic drinks available, including wine, as well as barista-made coffee. The latter was excellent and some of the nicer coffee you’ll find at a lounge, closer to craft coffee than your average chain on the high street.
A large self-serve buffet and dining area can be found close to the entrance. Despite there being little sunlight reaching this part of the lounge, the artificial lighting continued to make it feel spacious and airy. The buffet itself included such as Pork Humba, duck and items such as congee or noodles.
Considering how quiet the lounge was during my two hour visit, as well as this being during the afternoon, I was impressed with the spread of food available. On top of that, the food tasted great and was kept at a good temperature throughout the visit. Simply put, this was exceptional for a non-airline lounge and I would happily pay for access to the lounge if the food was this good.
Before leaving the lounge, I checked out the bathrooms (or comfort rooms to Filipinos). These followed the same design philosophy as the rest of the lounge with lots of use of wood in here. It was kept clean and tidy consistently throughout my visit.
If needed, there’s also private shower rooms available with toilets included. These are always appreciated as an amenity and would be great to use if I were headed off on one of the long haul flights to the Middle East.
Conclusion
If visiting the international terminal at Cebu Mactan Airport, you won’t be disappointed heading by the Plaza Premium Lounge. If anything, I’d even say it is superior to Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Lounge in Manila. It’s stylish, comfortable and well-appointed making it a relaxing place to spend a few hours before a flight wherever you’re headed - and of course, excellent plane spotting!
