Review: EL AL Business Class Lounge Tel Aviv Airport

Review: EL AL Business Class Lounge Tel Aviv Airport

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In the last installment I reviewed EL AL’s first class lounge at Ben Gurion Airport, which I had access to since I was in first class. However, I also briefly checked out EL AL’s business class lounge.

The business class section of the lounge is also in the King David Lounge.


EL AL King David Lounge exterior

However, at the reception desk you’re directed to go left into the business class lounge, rather than to the right.


EL AL King David Lounge reception

There’s a hallway with a departure monitor and some art leading into the lounge.


EL AL business class lounge entrance


EL AL business class lounge entrance

The business class lounge has two floors, and I appreciate the amount of natural light it has thanks to the floor to ceiling windows. The first floor had plenty of seating in the main room. While the furniture wasn’t especially modern, it was in good condition.


EL AL business class lounge Ben Gurion Airport


EL AL business class lounge Ben Gurion Airport

EL AL just recently launched flights to Miami, so I thought it was smart that they had promotional pillows showing that off.


EL AL business class lounge Miami pillow

Towards the back of the lounge was a counter with about a dozen seats.


EL AL business class lounge Ben Gurion Airport

Towards the interior of the lounge was the self serve food & drink area, which had a solid selection.


EL AL business class lounge buffet

In terms of drinks there was self serve juice, soda, water, coffee, wine, etc.


EL AL business class lounge drinks


EL AL business class lounge wine


EL AL business class lounge wine


EL AL business class lounge cafe

There was even an area with what I assume was freshly squeezed juice, based on the presentation.


EL AL business class lounge drinks

In terms of the food, cold options included salad, hummus, all kinds of veggies, a salad bar, etc.


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection

The lounge also had a bakery section with freshly baked bread.


EL AL business class lounge bakery


EL AL business class lounge bakery

There was also a selection of fresh fruit, cookies, pastries, muffins, and other sweets.


EL AL business class lounge fresh fruit


EL AL business class lounge food selection

Then there were also several hot dishes, including an orange vegetable soup.


EL AL business class lounge soup


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection

The lounge had a second floor, which could be accessed by stairs or elevator. I was intrigued by the advertisement for the second floor Glenlivet Lounge.


EL AL business class lounge

The space on the second floor was quite large, and looked out over the ground floor.


EL AL business class lounge Tel Aviv

The upper level had traditional lounge chairs, some dining tables, massage chairs, etc.


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv


EL AL business class lounge massage chairs Tel Aviv

The centerpiece of the upper level is the Glenlivet Lounge, which is a bar that’s open in the evening with Glenlivet cocktails (presumably).


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv

In the back corner of the upper level was a business center of sorts, though I’m not exactly sure what the tablets were for.


EL AL business class lounge upper level Tel Aviv

The upper level also had a buffet, though it was smaller than on the ground floor. On one side of the dining area was a coffee machine, soft drinks, water, and fresh fruit.


EL AL business class lounge coffee machine


EL AL business class lounge drink selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection

Then the other side of the buffet had a selection of salad, bread, wine, dessert, etc.


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food & drink selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection


EL AL business class lounge food selection

While I’m not a smoker, I’m sure many would appreciate the “cigar club” they have on the second floor, where you can even buy Cuban cigars.


EL AL business class lounge cigar bar


EL AL business class lounge cigar bar


EL AL business class lounge cigar bar


EL AL business class lounge cigar bar

In terms of other features, the business class lounge also has a spa (where I had a treatment), as well as showers.


EL AL lounge spa


EL AL lounge spa room


EL AL lounge shower

Bottom line

While not one of the best lounges in the world, EL AL’s business class lounge at Ben Gurion Airport is perfectly nice. It’s spacious, has plenty of natural light, a solid food and drink selection, a spa with showers, and more. This isn’t a bad lounge to kill a few hours in, but doesn’t quite make the cut on my list of best airport lounges.

Conversations (6)
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  1. MikeyG Guest

    Not going to lie -that food spread looks very, very good. It’s as though someone gave it a lot of thought about how it would all taste in combination, as well as sequence

  2. Elijah Gold

    @William Y

    You are a twat

  3. Julia Guest

    "While the furniture wasn’t especially modern, it was in good condition."

    Interesting, since it looks like the exact same furniture they have in the first class lounge, and you thought that was beautiful...I guess hardwood floors make the difference?

    It looks like your average business class lounge. But certainly seems nice than their own first class lounge, what with the better buffer, different seating areas, the split levels, etc.

    Out of curiosity, what lounge did...

    "While the furniture wasn’t especially modern, it was in good condition."

    Interesting, since it looks like the exact same furniture they have in the first class lounge, and you thought that was beautiful...I guess hardwood floors make the difference?

    It looks like your average business class lounge. But certainly seems nice than their own first class lounge, what with the better buffer, different seating areas, the split levels, etc.

    Out of curiosity, what lounge did your parents have access to?

  4. William Y. Guest

    "While the furniture wasn't especially modern" ...

    Dude, please. You're looking at The Egg there, which is highly regarded as a timeless classic design piece. I'm pretty sure there's Le Corbusier chairs, too. Talk about being uncultured.

    The Egg retails for 17,500 dollars, btw. But don't let that distract you from a busy week ofw uploading Casey Neistat videos.

  5. Michael Guest

    not as nice as this lounge, but there's a solid priority pass lounge called the Dan lounge in the same terminal. not a lot of food/drink offerings there, but plenty of seating. i was on the end of an organized tour with a bunch of Americans, flying home together, so i used (abused?) my unlimited-guesting CSR privileges and brought about a dozen people in. good times.

  6. Ryan Guest

    Seems like an above average business class lounge to me. Food spread looks very good.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

MikeyG Guest

Not going to lie -that food spread looks very, very good. It’s as though someone gave it a lot of thought about how it would all taste in combination, as well as sequence

0
Elijah Gold

@William Y You are a twat

0
Julia Guest

"While the furniture wasn’t especially modern, it was in good condition." Interesting, since it looks like the exact same furniture they have in the first class lounge, and you thought that was beautiful...I guess hardwood floors make the difference? It looks like your average business class lounge. But certainly seems nice than their own first class lounge, what with the better buffer, different seating areas, the split levels, etc. Out of curiosity, what lounge did your parents have access to?

0
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