The CIP Orchid Lounge is located in the international departure terminal (T2) at Da Nang International Airport. After you exit security and passport control, make a right-hand turn and follow the signs to the airport lounge. The CIP Orchid Lounge will be located upstairs on the mezzanine level, across from gate #7. Keep in mind that this lounge is only accessible by international departure passengers as the international terminal (T2) is not connected to the domestic terminal (T1) via an airside walkway. If you are departing on a domestic flight or arriving on an international flight and connecting to a domestic flight, you will not be able to use this lounge.
The CIP Orchid Lounge is accessible by elite frequent fliers and business class passengers flying with airlines such as Asiana, Cathay Dragon, EVA Air, Qatar and others. The lounge can also be accessed by members of certain lounge membership programs such as Dragonpass, Lounge Key and Priority Pass. Day passes can also be purchased for $25 USD per day. The CIP Orchid Lounge is open 24 hours a day but Priority Pass members are limited to a maximum 3-hour stay. I’m not sure about the other lounge membership programs but I would imagine they all have the same 3-hour time restriction.
For a contract lounge, the CIP Orchid Lounge is actually really nice. It’s incredibly spacious and modern with plenty of open seating and amenities for solo travelers, couples and colleagues traveling together. During my two-hour stay on a Thursday morning, the lounge was calm and quiet with plenty of open seating. The food was fresh and the lounge was kept clean by the lounge attendants.
There is a large dining room and self-serve buffet area located to the front of the lounge. Here you’ll find a nice spread of both western and Vietnamese dishes to satisfy any craving. For breakfast, there were traditional breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages and authentic Vietnamese dishes such as congee, pho, dumplings and rice with various side dishes. The food was actually really delicious and I appreciated the wide variety of items to choose from.
If you want something light, there’s a refrigerated section with juices, fresh-cut fruits, salads and deli meats. It was a little early for me to start drinking but now that I think about it, I don’t remember seeing any alcohol on display. I’m sure they have to have something on hand but I can’t testify to their alcohol selection as I didn’t specifically look for it.
The main seating area of the lounge is located in the center of the lounge with a variety of different seating options from soft leather armchairs to individual relaxation pods. The large windows let in a lot of natural lighting and the warm colors created a very comfortable and relaxing environment. Unfortunately for AVGEEKS, the views look back at the city and not onto the apron and runway of the airport.
For business travelers, there are two areas for you to be productive. There are standard bar tables located next to the windows and individual tables located in the center of the lounge. Electrical outlets are easily accessible by any of the workstations and WiFi is provided throughout the lounge.
The odd thing about this lounge is that it’s open 24 hours a day but there are no dedicated sleep rooms, day rooms or other places for you to lie down. The sign advertises sleep rooms but I didn’t see any. The closest thing seems to be these open pods located along the wall. They’re nice to sit and relax in or just to commandeer a private space for yourself but they aren’t very private nor do they block out any noise from the main seating area of the lounge.
Or maybe they are referring to these boxes? I’m not sure.
Fortunately, restrooms are located in the lounge and there’s a single shower stall available if you need to freshen up after a long day of exploring the city. The shower setup is rather basic with a simple, wall-mounted shampoo/body wash and packaged towel but it’s better than nothing. It’s on a first-come, first-serve basis.
CIP Orchid Lounge Bottom Line:
Overall, I was very impressed with the CIP Orchid Lounge. For a contract lounge at a small airport, the CIP Orchid lounge was spacious, modern and clean with plenty of comfortable seating options and a great self-serve buffet spread. It wasn’t the best lounge in the world, by any means, but it had most of the amenities I needed and it offered a quiet and comfortable place for me to rest and relax before my flight.
Have you visited the CIP Orchid Lounge Da Nang International Airport? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other trip reports in this series include:
- British Airways Terraces Lounge Seattle
- Japan Airlines 787-8 Business Class, Seattle to Tokyo
- Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge Narita
- Japan Airlines 787-9 Business Class, Tokyo to Hanoi
- Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi, Vietnam
- Song Hong Business Class Lounge Hanoi
- Plaza Premium Lounge Siem Reap
- Sheraton Nha Trang, Vietnam
- Sheraton Grand Da Nang, Vietnam
- CIP Orchid Lounge Da Nang
- Qatar Airways 787 Economy Class, Da Nang to Doha
- Qatar Airways 777 Economy Class, Doha to Los Angeles
