Plaza Premium Lounge YVR (US Departures) review: The food is so worth the chaos
The Plaza Premium Lounge at YVR (in the US departures area) is what I like to think of as one that’s more practical than aspirational.
It’s not nice enough to be worthy of being on anyone’s list of dream airport lounges. But I’ll tell you what: It’s an awfully good place to scarf down a plate of delicious(ish) food before your flight to the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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Location
You’ll find this lounge on level 3 (the departures level) directly across from gate E8 in the Transborder Departures Concourse. You won’t have to walk very far, as it’s very centrally located.
How to get in
Like most Plaza Premium lounges around the world, this one is not tied to a particular airline or airline alliance.
Access is available to:
- Plaza Premium Lounge members
- Priority Pass members (which is how I got in, thanks to a complimentary membership via my Amex Platinum Card).
- Anyone willing to pay a one time entrance fee (which at the time of this writing is approximately CAD $55).
Layout
This is a relatively small airport lounge (much smaller than the Singapore Plaza Premium Lounge actually). It consists of one main room with a centrally located bar.
It feels small, but they say there’s enough room for 132 people at a time. That may be true, but even at half capacity, it felt a bit too cozy for this super-nerdy introvert.
The self serve food buffet (consisting of both hot and cold food) is located at the very front of the lounge along the main wall.
Showers are available. A reservation is required (granted on a first come first serve basis), which you can obtain at the front desk.
Food and drinks
The thing that surprised me the most about this lounge was the food (not only in quantity, but in quality as well).
I’ve visited Plaza Premium Lounges all over the world, and not all of them offer the amount of food this one does. Perhaps my only disappointment was the fact that there was no Canadian bacon on the menu. The hell?
The centrally located bar looked to be very well stocked with pretty much any kind of alcohol one could possibly want. It doesn’t open until 9 AM though, so this isn’t the lounge for you if your only goal is to get drunk at 7 AM.
Pros and cons
Honestly? This is probably one of the better Plaza Premium Lounges that I’ve ever visited. The layout wasn’t all that great, but the quality (and quantity) of the food made up for it. It’s totally worth a visit. Especially if you’re hungry.
Pros
- High-quality hot food in a lowly Plaza Premium Lounge? Oh heck yes!
- Incredibly fast Wi-Fi. I felt as if I could’ve downloaded the entire Internet if I didn’t have to run off to catch a flight.
- The bar is huge (and very well stocked).
Cons
- I wouldn’t exactly call this a comfortable airport lounge. It’s more like a busy cafeteria actually.
- Peace and quiet does not exist. It’s noisy!
- There are no views to the outside world. 404 natural light not found.
