Tujuwan Lounge at Denpasar Airport

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As a frequent flyer and self-confessed travel addict, I have a set of requirements necessary for a joyous journey. One of them is an airport lounge. I fly into and out of Ngurah Rai airport at least six times a year and have wistful memories of a Qantas lounge around twenty or so years ago. Qantas has made a few lame attempts at partnering up with seedy lounges since then but, by and large, my time spent at Denpasar International has not been in a lounge. Things took a fortuitous turn at the end of 2024 when the Tujuwan Lounge opened.



Tujuwan was Premier in a previous life. Its former sad and shabby state has been magicked into a sparky and cheerful lounge that now welcomes passengers on Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Malaysia Airlines and more. I headed straight there last week, immediately after stocking up on Duty-Free, hoping that my Qantas Club membership would be sufficient to give me access. I was greeted by friendly reception staff who agreed that I definitely qualified to enter.



I arrived at peak time, during the evening, and the lounge was crowded with little sitting space available.



I spotted hot food options in bains-marie, sandwiches and wraps, small snacks and a bar. I checked out the bathrooms which were fine.



The room was a little stuffy and certainly contained too many people. I had an alternative plan, however, and I'm going to share it with you. It's a secret (don't tell anyone else). I had heard that there was a second room down a flight of stairs so I started exploring. It wasn't obvious but I did identify a doorway that led to a staircase and, sure enough, a whole other room lay at the bottom.



The room was cooler, less crowded and felt, to me, more serene. There were hot food options. The cold buffet was fully replenished. There was no line of travellers at the bar. My stars were aligned.



I found a comfy seat with an adjacent table, set down my backpack, and headed to the bar. It was most definitely cocktail hour at that stage and I was presented with a choice of tempting drinks. I settled on a Gimlet; Gin, lime juice and syrup, the perfect drink for a tropical climate.



I eased into my chosen comfy chair to enjoy my cocktail. It was excellent. I had two more.



I whiled away two happy hours reading, watching travellers come and go, checking my socials and sipping on Gimlets. I chose not to have a large meal although there were curries and stir-fries available. Instead, I indulged in a Tiramisu treat.



I'm so pleased about this lounge. Now that it's available I certainly hope it remains so. Flying can be gruesome, especially those overnight flights so frequent between Bali and Australia. Tujuawan Lounge will definitely soften the experience somewhat.

%wnbali
#food_drink
#holiday
#travel