Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport [Review]

At the end of an October 2024 school break, I had planned a long travel day flying home from Athens, Greece (ATH) to Doha, Qatar (DOH). The flight was booked with ultra-low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines and connected through its hub in Istanbul, Türkiye, at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW).

Armed with our Priority Pass membership cards and a 9-hour connection to kill across lunchtime and dinnertime, my family was eager to collapse in comfortable lounge chairs with devices and endless food and drink options. Read on to see what we thought of the options available at Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge.

Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge Location

My family arrived at SAW via a Pegasus Airlines flight from Athens (ATH). We followed the blue line for “International Transfer Connection” from our arrival gate to the security screening.

We were routed through the duty-free shop into the main terminal. Once exiting duty-free, follow the signage to the left toward the gates.

Once reaching the main terminal, turn left and follow the Plaza Premium Lounge signage.

The Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge is between gates 203 and 204. Another location, the Plaza Premium Bosphorus Lounge, is nearby between gates 204 and 205.

The entrance is to the right, past a money changer.

Signage clearly indicated the entrance, day rates, and what programs the lounge accepts for entry.

Gaining Entry to the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge

The lounge is open 24 hours daily and is accessible by day rate, lounge membership, or partner.

Day Pass

A 3-hour day pass costs €60 (around $65). Smart Traveller members receive a 20% discount and pay €48 (around $52).

Priority Pass

I accessed the lounge using the Priority Pass membership I enrolled in as a benefit of my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.. The Capital One Partner Lounge Network includes both Priority Pass lounges and Plaza Premium Lounges — the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge is in both networks.

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-840)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 29.74% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

My husband is an authorized user on my Capital One Venture X card, available at no additional cost (rates & fees), and has also enrolled in a complimentary Priority Pass membership. Armed with 2 memberships that each allow 2 guests, we got our entire family of 5 into the lounge.

Partners

Airline partners include British Airways, flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Nile Air, Pegasus, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and Smartwings.

Travel partners include AkustikMore and Dufry.

Financial partners include DenizBank, Garanti BBVA, ING, Koopbank, Kuveyt Türk, MyClause, Papara, QNB, Türkiye İş Bankası, and VakıfBank.

First Impressions

Before deciding which lounge to visit, I used the Priority Pass app to view photos and user ratings of the Marmara and Bosphorus lounges. I chose Marmara due to the slightly higher rating (3.2 vs. 3.0), knowing that with a 9-hour layover, I’d likely have time to visit both.

Even though we did not have much of a wait to check in, the lounge was clearly packed when we arrived around 12:30 p.m. We were met with discarded dishes covering most of the vacant tables.

No one appeared to be actively cleaning, and dirty dishes were strewn all over the lounge.

The buffet had also been ransacked, and some items, like this missing hot dish, were in short supply or gone entirely.

Seating

Since we couldn’t find 5 seats together, our group divided into 3 in the main armchair area and 2 on the long workstation bar.

The primary area had light grey leather armchairs with side tables with lamps.

The side tables had Type F outlets (bring a travel adapter!) and ports for USB-A and USB-C plugs. However, not all of the adjacent outlets across our 5 seats were working, so we had cables everywhere, trying to keep everyone powered up.

The lounge design optimized its 3 walls of floor-to-ceiling windows well. On the rightmost side were several high-back swivel leather chairs perfect for privacy. These had a little ledge attached to the nearby window frame for holding drinks or small items.

Sets of club chairs with small cocktail tables were along the longest back window.

Dividing the primary seating area from the dining area were 2 long workstation bars with barstools.

The dining room primarily had tables for 2, with 1 longer table more appropriate for families or larger groups. Banquette seating ran across the area closest to the buffet. Power outlets were accessible under the banquettes and on the longer table.

Like the rest of the lounge, this space was airy and open.

Hot Tip:

Televisions were mounted throughout the space, but many were turned off. News was playing on the dining area TV, and another had a departure board. Any other TVs that were operating had an advertising slideshow on rotation.

Food and Beverage

We arrived at lunchtime, and since we were flying an ultra-low-cost carrier, we hadn’t had much to eat all day.

Buffet

The buffet started with a cold case of salads and dips, including hummus, labneh (strained yogurt), broiled eggplant, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and pasta salad.

An assortment of packaged rolls was available, though pita bread might have been more appropriate for the hummus and eggplant.

Though one of the hot food items was empty when we first arrived, it was later replaced with a pasta dish.

The remaining hot items were a bulgur pilaf, a Mexican-style chicken dish, and a soup or stew of unknown origins. While the options were limited and a bit unappetizing, the chicken dish was surprisingly filling. It featured spicy chicken breast bites with jalapenos, black beans, and onions.

Finally, the buffet finished with fresh honeydew, whole pears and oranges, simit (Turkish circular bread similar to a sesame bagel), and an empty tray of desserts.

Having had simit (and its Greek cousin, koulouri) a few times on this trip, the lounge simit was incredibly soft and tasted fresh. Since pita bread was absent, it was perfect to accompany the dips.

Bottom Line:

The food service was erratic, with menu items, cups, and plates missing for extended periods.

Drinks

The lounge had various drink options, with disposable cups provided for takeaway.

The coffee machine could make espressos, Americanos, lattes, and cappuccinos.

Efes, a Turkish beer, was on tap, and Kilitbahir wines (a rosé and a syrah) from Turkish winery Sulva were available for self-service.

Hot Tip:

The Plaza Premium Bosphorus Lounge nearby has a full staffed bar, with other alcohol options available for purchase.

Next to the wine cooler was a water dispenser with options for sparkling, room-temperature, and cold water.

Finally, a fountain dispensed Coca-Cola sodas and Fuze tea.

Amenities

Though the lounge lacked more premium amenities like showers, nap pods, or a business center, it did have a few basic features.

Wi-Fi

Quite frankly, the Wi-Fi was miserable during my extended visit to this lounge, the Bosphorus lounge, and throughout the airport.

Upon checking in, we were handed PIN codes on a small piece of paper. We guessed these must be for single-device use, as we had trouble connecting multiple devices to the same PIN.

The Wi-Fi fought to stay connected, consistently kicking me off to reenter the PIN. It was disruptive to my work and annoying. I spoke with the desk agent about this and received a new PIN (that didn’t work any differently) and shrugged shoulders.

When I was connected, the speeds were abysmal at less than 10 Mbps.

Playroom and Nursing Room

The lounge had an open playroom area decorated in bright colors and an adjacent nursing room.

The playroom was nothing more than an open space with a long, cushioned seat nook. It had an empty play kitchen and a TV that was powered off.

The nursing room had a cushioned upholstered chair and a diaper-changing area. The restrooms are across from this room, and after an extended wait for an open stall, I noticed a man knocking on the door, hoping that it was a free restroom. The woman inside was not amused.

Restrooms

The restrooms were located behind the main buffet and consisted of individual stalls, with single-gender and unisex options.

The stalls were quite narrow and, perhaps due to having a sink, were consistently wet.

Recycling

I don’t often take notice of recycling containers, but this lounge had various options for plastic, paper, glass, and metal recycling. I imagine this was an airport initiative, as we saw similar containers throughout the terminal (but never near a general waste bin).

Smoker’s Patio

The lounge advertises an open-air terrace, and I think this mostly-enclosed smoker’s patio was it. It had a few seating options with tables and ashtrays. Since it faced the rear wall of the lounge, it wasn’t scenic.

Staff and Service

We spent several hours at the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge. We clearly arrived during a lunch rush, and staff were spread thin to clear dishes and resupply food. As the afternoon progressed and crowds dissipated, the experience improved.

Further, the check-in agent clearly explained our 3-hour allotted time and marked when it would expire on our boarding passes, but no one harrassed us as we approached that time or asked us to leave.

Final Thoughts

Did the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge check off enough boxes for us to have a successful visit? Sure.

We eventually were able to sit together as a group of 5 in a calmer space than the terminal, and the food and drinks were decent enough.

Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi was inconsistent and awful, but that performance echoed throughout the airport. A network specific to the Plaza Premium Lounges would have been ideal. Guests also clearly needed a place to bus their dirty dishes, and having a dedicated space for this would help keep the lounge a bit more tidy.

My visits to the Marmara and Bosphorus outposts were similar, so if you access lounges in SAW with a Priority Pass, I’d expect your experience to be comparable.