sdb2

Have a fairly long layover. Are there lounges you can buy into rather than sit in the lousy waiting areas?

qwovadis

VIP Lounge

loungepass.com others

check with your carrier

sometimes discount vouchers

through them

DonTopaz

There's something called the "First Class Lounge" at NBO. You can purchase a pass, and it's also the lounge used by several airlines for their business class passengers. The times that I've been there, the First Class Lounge has been hopelessly crowded, noisy, and with not much to eat or drink save for some canned water/soda and a few particularly unappetizing sandwiches. Still, it's better than not being in a lounge.

(The BA lounge, which is a major stroll from the terminal, is a lot better though still short of the standard for most BA lounges. I haven't been in either the Virgin Clubhouse or Kenya Airlines lounge -- they both looked appealing.)

Elizabeth_S

The Kenya Airlines Lounge was overcrowded with minimal food when we were there last year.

PT123

The first class lounge is second rate but better than being out with the crowds. Last year it was USD 25 per person and there were plenty of bags of crisps and bottled/canned beer. There was some prepared food but if it's not packaged, I would avoid it.

Alternatives include:
- the Java House Cafe: the food is pretty good and you can settle into a spot for a couple of hours.

- Go into Nairobi for dinner and return to the airport.

- I hear that there is a facility in the airport where you can get a shower and a bed for a few hours. I've not used this and would be interested in others thoughts.

sdb2

Thanks for your thoughts. I like the quote "first class lounge is second rate." I guess NBO is just a matter of grinning and bearing it. Steve

AlwaysOnTheRoad

BA's lounge is very minimal. No WiFi. The F section is small but the good news - because it is small the A/C is better. NBO is a very user unfriendly airport especially for a long layover.

KathBC

Hi all, will be going thru NBO in a few weeks...

Where would I find the Java House Cafe? Is it in the airport?

What's the duty free like there?

Leely2

The Java House Cafe is in the airport. I buy last-minute souvenirs when I'm in NBO to use up the rest of my shillingi. I went into the KQ lounge last time I was in the airport but it was, as Elizabeth said, crowded and not particularly relaxing so I ended up shopping and spending time at the Java House people-watching. This was during World Cup last year so the airport was even more crowded than usual--many people transiting through Kenya to So. Africa.

Man, I wish I were going to Kenya this year! Have fun, KathBC and sdb2.

crosscheck

The first class lounge is funky and full of flea market furniture, but when we were there it wasn't packed we were able to spread out. As long as you don't expect the BA first class lounge in Heathrow, it really isn't that terrible. But I, too, would recommend that you stick to the packaged food.

sdb2

Thanks for all the replies and helpful suggestions. I'll be checking out the first class lounge and if there's at least some room to spread out I'll consider that a boon; I will approach food with great care!

Thanks, Leely2!

PT123

In defense of the first class lounge...the Tusker was plentiful. I agree with Crosscheck's comments, it was ok and it was worth the $25 to get in. In an odd way it was another part of our over-all African experience so as stated above, if your expecations are adjusted accordingly it wasn't terrible (and even a bit fun as there were people from all parts of the world to talk to).

Leely2, I happened to be in Kenya and also at NBO during the world cup too and was glad to be in Africa as the pride in an African country hosting was evident.

Steve/sdb2: I hope that you have a great time and look forward to hearing about your trip!

Cheers,

Paul

Leely2

PT123, wasn't that great? The KQ onboard and airport staff had special Go Africa! shirts they were wearing.

linjudy

Is it possible to get some sleep in this "first class lounge"? We arrive very late, 1:35AM, and I'm debating whether to just ride it out in the airport and catch the 8am flight to JRO. Alternative is to stay at an airport hotel for a few hours and get the afternoon flight.

TigerPhotog

The closest *decent* hotel from NBO is at least 20-30 mins away (in downtown Nairobi). Traffic can be really bad on the Mombasa higway (going in/out of Nairobi).I wold stay put at the airport and take my flight from there itself.

sdb2

Since starting this topic, I've been to Kenya/Tanzania and back. I used the First Class Lounge. There are two First Class Lounges several gates apart, though I forget the specific gate numbers. I stopped at the first and was told it was $30/3 hours. I walked to the other and was told it was $30 and no time limit was specified.

When I arrived (~5 pm on a Tuesday) there was plenty of space and several people were using the sofas to sleep on. The packaged food didn't look all that appetizing, so I stuck with some pastries, a bit of fresh fruit and drinks (of which there were good choices). The facility had wifi that helped pass the time and allow me to touch base with family. There's also a restroom that I'm sure is less hectic than the ones out on the concourse. For me, definitely worth the money.

cary999

sdb2 - so you were not flying FC , but for $30 used the FC lounge, right? Is this typical for FC lounges in airports around the world? If so, would be a nice little splurge me thinks .

regards - tom

sdb2

Tom, nope, I wasn't flying business or first class. I think the open-to-all NBO lounges just happen to be named 'First Class Lounge.' I think they are independent and not part of their own chain. There is something called Priority Pass (prioritypass.com), who seem to have lounges world-wide. You pay a joining fee (as little as $99) and then a $27 fee/visit. At JNB I've used the open-to-all Premier Lounge in the Int'l terminal, which also was somewhere around $25-30. It's pretty spacious and has lots of snacks available. I've got an American Express Delta card with which you can pay $25/visit to use Delta's lounges.

I've gotten to that point (60+) that when I have a lengthy layover I plan ahead for a lounge. It really does make things a bit easier. Best, Steve

cary999

thanks Steve.
Sure, what not name it "First Class Lounge"

About Priority Pass, this was a reply on it over on the "Air Travel" forum, Jun 20, 2011-

from - srmcglothlin
"Priority Pass is worthless. You can't use it anywhere. The annual fee plus the per use fees do not make it a value. You can purchase day passes at most clubs - for $50. Therefore, you would need to use Priority Pass 4 times without a guest to make it valuable. And at 6 times, you could easily just purchase an annual pass at the club. So, it is a value if you need entry to 4-6 visits per year at clubs they happen to honor. Otherwise, it is a waste. Because of this, many clubs are dropping them - so the number of places it can be used is being reduced."

And I think you can buy into many other airline lounges, AA for instance.

Anyway, I know the feeling of being 60+ . And for any layover more than 3 hours I'm going to look into the "private" lounge thing.

regards - tom