On September 18, 2018, I enjoyed a few hours in the VIP lounge on the departures gate level (airside) at Izmir’s Adnan Menderes International Airport prior to our flight back to Istanbul. We had been in Cesme for a short rest and relaxation break, which included a visit to the amazing ancient city of Ephesus. It was a lovely visit, the weather was beautiful, and I look forward to enjoying many more such visits in the future.

As a Priority Pass member, this gives me lounge access whenever I travel. So this was my first visit through Izmir airport, save for our arrival several days prior, when we were keen to pick up our rental vehicle for the drive to Cesme. We arrived at Izmir airport about three or four hours early to leave good buffer time before our flight to Istanbul, which gave us a leisure visit to the Izmir VIP lounge.

As shown in the photos below, the lounge is all glass and provides a fabulous view of the apron below, which is perfect for aircraft spotters and photographers. Although the traffic is pretty monotonous with repeating Turkish domestic carriers during the course of our visit. The food at the lounge included a standard variety of drinks and coffees, as well as the standard Turkish food staples including cheeses, olives, and light snacks.