I recently went on my ultimate bucket list trip — the Galápagos Islands! These islands are about an hour and a half flight from mainland Ecuador, so I found myself in the Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE) on my journey home.
For some reason, I just assumed there wouldn’t be a lounge available (even seasoned travelers can make mistakes). So, I did what I usually do when I arrive at an airport — bought a coffee and walked the terminal to get some steps in and do some people watching. When I walked by the lounge near the far end of the terminal, I barely noticed it at first since there were no signs, but I glanced in and saw a Priority Pass logo. Woohoo! I quickly went to grab my family and we all went inside.
Here is my review of the Aeropuertos VIP Club in the Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport in Ecuador.
Location
The Aeropuertos VIP Club lounge is located in the international terminal of Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport, diagonal from gate 8.
It’s easy to miss since there aren’t any signs on the outside of the lounge.
The lounge is easy to miss since there aren’t any signs on the outside — I walked right by it once before I noticed it was a lounge!Bottom Line: There are 2 Aeropuertos VIP Clubs in the Guayaquil Airport — one in the domestic terminal and one in the international terminal. This review is based on the international terminal location.
Hours of Operation
The Aeropuertos VIP Club lounge is open daily from 4 a.m. to midnight.
Entry Requirements
The Aeropuertos VIP Club lounge is part of the Priority Pass lounge network, so all you need is a Priority Pass membership to gain entrance. Children under 5 years old are always free.
Priority Pass
Priority Pass is a network of over 1,300 airport lounges in the U.S. and across the globe. While you can purchase a membership, there’s a better way to gain access — with a credit card, of course.
There are lots of different credit cards that come with a Priority Pass membership, so it’s relatively easy to access this lounge without purchasing a membership.
I have a membership from my Chase Sapphire Reserve® that allows me to bring in 2 guests for free. Thankfully, some other members of my family who I was traveling with also have Priority Pass memberships, so our whole group of 6 was able to access the lounge for free.
Hot Tip: You can also access the lounge with select Ecuadorian bank cards, LoungeKey, and DragonPass.
Amenities
This modern lounge was spacious and bright. There were different sections in the lounge all separated by plants and different types of dividers, so it felt very comfortable and cozy. Let’s take a look at some of the amenities this lounge offered.
Seating
The lounge was large and offered plenty of seating, from couches to tables to swinging chairs. There was plenty of space, so I didn’t feel like I was cramped or crowded.
There were lots of different sections of seating, including tables and these fun swinging chairs.Many of the seating areas were separated by sheer fabric dividers that looked great and helped make the seats feel more private.
I loved the look of the sheer fabric dividers in the lounge.There were plenty of outlets available throughout the lounge so that you could easily charge your devices.
There were always outlets close by.Work Tables
There were large tables set up if you wanted to get some work done. They had multiple outlets on the surface of the tables so you could easily plug in your devices.
There were plenty of work tables available for use.Food and Beverage
The food and beverage offerings at the lounge weren’t great, in my opinion. I expected a little more since the lounge facilities were so nice.
First, there was a coffee machine and a soda machine, but nowhere to get water. I’m sure you could get some at the bar but I was surprised there wasn’t a self-serve option.
There were self-serve coffee and soda machines.There were also 2 fresh juices available — pineapple (with rice?!) and lemonade.
There was pineapple juice and lemonade available.There was a self-serve cold buffet, as well as some hot items that were served by an attendant.
There were both hot and cold items served buffet-style.The cold buffet had an eclectic mix of items ranging from fruit and pasta salad to sandwiches, plantain chips and salsa, and rice pudding.
The cold buffet included a selection of fruit.The cold buffet had an eclectic mix of food including crustless sandwiches.There was also cold cereal and yogurt.
Cold cereal and yogurt were available in the cold buffet.The hot items available included things like eggs, sausage, and croissants. The croissants were pretty disappointing and what I thought was oatmeal turned out to be rice pudding (apparently I didn’t read the very clear label that this was rice pudding — oops)!
What I thought was oatmeal turned out to be rice pudding. Tasty, but not what I was looking for.There was a bar next to the food buffet that wasn’t open the morning that I was there. Alcohol was not included. If you wanted a drink, you had to pay extra at this lounge.
There was a bar in the lounge but it wasn’t open while I was there. Alcohol is not included.Restrooms and Shower
The bathrooms in the lounge were private rooms where the sink and toilet were both behind closed doors. This is especially nice if you need extra room to change clothes. The floor was a bit dirty, but overall, they weren’t bad.
The bathrooms were spacious and private.There was also a shower room, but I didn’t have time to use it.
There was a shower room available at the end of the bathroom hall.Kids’ Room
There was a fun room set up just for kids. It had a TV along with kid-sized tables and bean bags.
There was a cute kids’ room in the lounge.Quiet Room
There was also a quiet room that offered lounge chairs and dimmed lighting.
You could get some rest in the lounge’s quiet room.Final Thoughts
Overall, I was really pleased with the Aeropuertos VIP Club lounge at the airport in Guayaquil. While the food wasn’t top-notch, it offered plenty of space to spread out and get comfortable while I waited for my flight. Plus, the coffee machine made a good mocha, so I didn’t care much about the food!
If you happen to find yourself in the international terminal at Guayaquil José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport in Ecuador, you’ll definitely want to stop at this lounge while you wait for your flight.
