Review: VIP Lounge Aden Airport, Yemen + Private Car To The Plane
- Konrad Tillman
- Jun 15
- 4 min read
Intro
Welcome to the first proper review on the internet of a contract lounge in Aden, Yemen 😅. Probably not the post you were expecting to see today, lol.
Well, anyways, after a lovely visit around Aden, Yemen, it was finally time to embark back onboard Yemenia over to Djibouti. However, prior to departure, I had the opportunity to visit the "Rotana VIP Contract Lounge in Aden.
To say it would be good would be the understatement of the year. This might have been the very best 10$ I have ever spent, and the best 5$ I have ever spent to get a private car to the plane. Wow.
Access+Location
If there is one thing that you need to know about Aden's airport, it is the fact that the airport is tiny. So, after clearing immigration, you will see a few contract lounges off to the left-hand side. Usually, there will be a man who speaks English selling you on access to this lounge, and he sold me 😅.
When it comes to access, there are a few things to be aware of:
The cost for anyone is 10 USD or 25,000 Yemeni Real. If you are from outside of Yemen, this must be paid in cash, but can also be paid in USD.
I had a chat with the manager of the lounge, and he told me that going forward, they might become the lounge for Yemenia Business Class. At this time, this is not the case.
Seating
Look, this is no United Polaris Lounge or Emirates First Class Lounge, but the Rotana VIP Lounge is a decent place to hang out in before your flight. With modern couches and nice tables to enjoy a tea, it's quite an ambient space.
So, in the front is where you will find all of the more traditional seating, but in the back lies a small dining area if you prefer this. This also happens to be where all of the food and drink are located.
Disclaimer: As you would expect, there is no alcohol in the lounge due to Yemen being a dry country.
There might not be bathrooms (you have to go downstairs but can leave your bags) or showers, but there is free Starlink wifi available for use, as well as gobsmacking views out over the apron. Who needs wifi when you can see a Yemenia plane in front of you (yes, I took this flight the day after a plane was destroyed, and I was a little on edge).
Service/Dining
While the actual hard product of the lounge is decent, what really shone brightly was the service that occurred in this lounge. I have been in some of the very nicest lounges in the world, but this was some of the best service I have ever received.
It also shows Yemeni hospitality as a whole. Even today, people reach out to me on instagram thanking me for visiting their shop in Aden. Beautiful souls.
Approximately 5 minutes after sitting down, a man came over to provide me with a tea (or coffee, not sure), some dates, a fruit basket, and a bottle of water. Without asking...
Then, throughout the next hour and a bit before boarding, they just kept bringing me food. Even if I wasn't eating, they would just bring me a sandwich. Then it was a chocolate cake. Then it was a banana. They just couldn't stop bringing me more and more 😅. It was beautiful.
Private Transfer To Plane
As if this trip couldn't get any better, it somehow did.
With boarding soon to commence, the manager of the lounge offered me a private ride to the plane in a very nice car for 5$. Yes, 5$. Do you know how much reserve reps charge in LA? Add 3 zeros at the end 😅. I mean, how could I say no to that?
So while everyone else was boarding, a man came to pick up my luggage, place it on the security belt for me, and refused to let me carry it 😅. Blown away is the phrase I am looking for. Wow.
We bypassed everyone in line and made our way out to this beautiful vehicle. Once again, he refused to let me help him put my luggage in the trunk. From there, he opened the door for me, gave me a bottle of water, and blasted the Air Conditioning (needed dearly in the summertime in Yemen).
It was a short minute drive out to the Yemenia plane, and I tipped the driver and made my way up the stairs to board what would be the most amazing flight of my life. Can't wait to share that.
Final Thoughts
On the very off chance that you find yourself somehow flying out of Aden, Yemen, please make sure to utilize the Rotana VIP services. I am not sponsored by them in any way at all, but this was perhaps the very best 15$ I have ever spent. From amazing service in the lounge, to being driven in a private car to the plane. Sign me up all over again!
Yemen Series:
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