When you visit a new destination every few days, best friends take note of it and can use it against you for not visiting cities they live in. My travels all around the country were met with, ‘That’s all okay but when are you planning to visit us?’ So, last month I decided to combine wanderlust and friendship and landed at the city of Navabs. Monsoon hadn’t touched Hyderabad yet, and it was hotter than Delhi that time. But, that didn’t deter me from exploring the city. I had a great time roaming around Hyderabad during the day and talking the night away with friends who are family. The trip cannot be summed in one post so a series on Hyderabad is on cards. Today, I begin with the beginning of that trip, which started with some me-time at the T-3 Delhi outlet of Plaza Premium Lounge. I was there by invite, and I made sure I reach the airport a couple of hours in advance to check it out.
Plaza Premium Lounge is a global service brand headquartered in Hong Kong, as well as the industry leader in Premium Airport Services. Their goal is to make your airport experience seamless and effortless, and through their hearty services, they aim to change the perception of travel at the airport. They have multiple lounges at Delhi airport at both Terminals and provide a happy halt to your travel experience.
I was greeted by Chef Ankit, who showed me around. I really admire people who can put together a meal, and that was evident in the conversation we had. I settled with a virgin-mojito and in a short span of time, we discussed food, styling, the lounge, travel and came back to food again. I was distracted by pigeons in the open area which was visible through the glass windows, and they made a very pretty picture. Chef Ankit told me how the guests at the lounge love interacting with the winged friends. Apparently, this part of the Delhi Airport has a lot of pigeons, and they sure make it worthy of a moment of solitude or a picture.
The Spread
Relaaaaaax!
The Bar!
I spent close to an hour at the Plaza Premium Lounge. The ambience was pretty, the food was inviting and the staff courteous. Since it was almost time for dinner, a huge buffet was laid out. There were live food counters which served Indian street food as well as delicious south Indian food. Even if you’re craving for rava-masala-dosa at the airport, Plaza Premium Lounge has that covered. With Indian as well as continental options, one has a wide range of delicacies to choose from. The dessert counter seemed very inviting too, though I was rushing so could not taste these sweet delicacies which chef Ankit told me were freshly prepared by the in-house bakery everyday.
Apart from amazing food, the lounge offers various other facilities like an in-house spa and massage to relax you and this can be a stress-buster during long travels. You can choose from a menu of options like Foot Reflexology, Swedish Massage, Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Foot Spa etc. If you feel the need to take a shower, even that is covered here. This seems to be a great thing for people who are on a continuous move. Plaza Premium Lounge at Domestic Departures, T-3, is in the silent zone, so they don’t play any music or relay the announcements being made at the airport. But then they have screens displaying flight information, so you don’t miss your flight. This silence was something I embraced wholeheartedly, and it hardly felt that I was inside an airport.
The lounge access starts at Rs 1200 plus taxes per person for Domestic Departures and includes beverages and buffet meal.The spa and massage services are not part of the lounge access fee. Plaza Premium Lounge are the lounge partners for Jet Airways for their Business and First Class passengers at the Delhi Airport. In addition to this, they also have tie ups with American Express. However, the eligibility of the guests accessing the lounges is determined by the kind of card they hold, which is determined by American Express.
Overall, my experience at Plaza Premium Lounge was one worthy of a picture and that’s what we did. I would love to return here, sit back and enjoy the my own company over a delicious, well prepared meal. And if I get lucky, maybe I’ll spot a celebrity! I was told that Priyanka Chopra spent some time there and had just left before I dropped in. Missed her by a few minutes!
That’s Chef Ankit and Me!
Waah! This seems to be a nice lounge. And more importantly, the pricing seems to be great. To me personally, give me good food & a beer may be with a nice ambiance and that will make me more than happy 🙂
Ah btw, Bangalore was not far from Hyd 😉
Cheers,
Rajiv
Bangalore is long pending, but I will somehow make it happen this year. Would love to catch up with you whenever I come 🙂 The Lounge was sure nice and given the pricing, it is an amazing deal to spend some time hanging around here.
Thanks for bunch of co-branded credit cards …. Never need to book a transit hotel or hotel for short stay ..These Lounges take care of everything and pampers us in right way .
Got interested about this place after reading this post, well written.
Jyotirmoy Sarkar recently shared …Tadap—117