Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is a great airport for transit passengers. Not only is it an easy airport to navigate (there are only two terminals), all the signs are listed in English and there are plenty of lounges for passengers to use. In addition to the airline lounges, T2 is home to two contract lounges for Priority Pass cardholders: the Plaza Premium Lounge and the Oriental Club Lounge (this review). Both lounges are located in the same area and you can easily jump back and forth between the two to see which one you like better.
Both the Oriental Club Lounge and the Plaza Premium Lounge are located on the mezzanine level of the duty-free shopping area. As you exit the immigration and security checkpoint, walk past all the shops and follow the signs for the VIP lounges. Take the escalator up to the mezzanine level (fourth floor) and follow the large directory. The Oriental Club Lounge will be located to the left of the EVA Air Infinity and Star Lounges.
The Oriental Club Lounge is a contract lounge for Starlux Airlines, Priority Pass, Dragonpass, and several Taiwanese banks. The lounge is open from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily.
The lounge itself is not very big but it is nicely decorated with modern furniture, soft lighting, and decorative partitions to separate the various sitting areas. As you enter the lounge, you will find a small mixed-use area with some couches for relaxation, several tables and chairs for dining, and a communal workstation to get some work done. WiFi is provided throughout the lounge and universal electrical outlets are provided by most of the seating areas and workstations.
This area also has a beverage station with a water and soda dispenser, a coffee machine, and a single Taiwanese beer on tap.
Behind the mixed-use area is the main sitting area of the lounge with some beautiful high-back chairs and communal workstations along the large windows. The windows let in a lot of natural lighting but the view is nothing more than the front of the airport.
Behind the main sitting area is the dining area with lots of restaurant-style tables and chairs.
For food, there is a self-serve buffet area located along the seating area with a good selection of Asian dishes such as dim sum, congee, noodles, and sautéed vegetables.
In addition to the self-serve buffet, there is an a la carte bar in the back of the lounge with a chef-prepared selection of dishes such as beef noodle soup, vegetable noodle soup, and braised pork over rice. If you love Taiwanese cuisine, you will love these selections. But if you don’t like Chinese/Taiwanese food, then you might be better off at the Plaza Premium Lounge as there are no Western options here.
As you make your way to the other side of the lounge, there is another sitting area and a refrigerated salad bar and fruit station. This area is less crowded than the rest of the lounge so if you want to avoid other people, go here.
Other amenities include a rest area, a shower suite, and an “exercise” room. The rest area is not enclosed, nor is it darkened, so it’s not really a sleep room but if you want to kick your feet up for a bit, you can do so here.
The single shower suite is available on a first-come, first-served basis and you can reserve it at the front desk.
And lastly, the exercise room seems like wasted space as there’s only one exercise bike in it. Who would use this??
Oriental Club Lounge Taipei Bottom Line
Overall, the Oriental Club Lounge is a good space to rest, relax, and refuel in between flights. The lounge is kept clean and there are plenty of employees walking around to clean up tables and refresh the food stations. Compared to the Plaza Premium Lounge across the way, this lounge seems to cater more towards Taiwanese passengers, whereas the Plaza Premium Lounge appeals to a more Western crowd. The food options are delicious (if you like Taiwanese food) and it’s less crowded than the Plaza Premium Lounge.
Have you visited the Oriental Club Lounge in Taipei? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other related posts in this series include:
- oneworld Lounge LAX
- Starlux Airbus A350 Business Class, Los Angeles to Taipei
- Plaza Premium Lounge Taipei
- Oriental Club Lounge Taipei
- EVA Air Boeing 777 Economy Class, Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 Business Class
- Sheraton Phu Quoc
- Intercontinental Phu Quoc
- Hoa Sim Business Lounge Phu Quoc
- Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon
- Apricot Lounge Ho Chi Minh City
- Jasmine Business Lounge Ho Chi Minh City
- Starlux Airbus A350 Economy Class, Taipei to Los Angeles
