- Introduction: Two Trips To The Southern Hemisphere
- Review: Copa Airlines Business Class 737 (MIA-PTY)
- Review: Crowne Plaza Panama Airport
- New Panama Airport Terminal 2: Impressive(ish)
- Review: Copa Club Panama Airport Terminal 2
- Review: Copa Business Class 737-800 (PTY-LIM)
- Review: Sumaq Lounge Lima Airport (LIM)
- Review: Priority Pass Restaurants Lima Airport
- Review: LATAM Business Class 767 (LIM-MIA)
- Review: Hyatt House & Hyatt Place LAX
- Review: Qantas First Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
- Review: Oneworld Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
- Review: Alaska Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
- Gorgeous: LAX Midfield Satellite Concourse
- Review: Fiji Airways Business Class A350 (LAX-NAN)
- Review: Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi Airport (NAN)
- Review: Fiji Airways Business Class A330 (NAN-AKL)
- Review: Park Hyatt Auckland, New Zealand
- Review: Air New Zealand Lounge Auckland (AKL)
- Review: Strata Lounge Auckland (AKL)
- Review: Air New Zealand Business Class 787-9 (AKL-LAX)
While flying with Fiji Airways I had a roughly 2.5 hour layover at Nadi Airport (NAN), after arriving from Los Angeles (LAX) and prior to connecting to Auckland (AKL). I spent most of this time at the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge, which is Fiji Airways’ only lounge.
I have to say, the lounge impressed me, especially given that this is also accessible by Priority Pass members. It has nice decor, an excellent food selection, and some of the best coffee I’ve ever had in a lounge.
In this post:
Fiji Airways transit at Nadi Airport
Nadi Airport is quite small, and while the terminal as such isn’t beautiful, I appreciate how easy connections are, the airport’s open air corridors, as well as the lounge. Upon arrival in Nadi I first followed the signs toward immigration and transfers, which gave me a great view of the A350 that just flew me across the Pacific.
Once inside the terminal, you stay left if you’re connecting internationally, and right if you’re clearing immigration. I stayed left, and first had to go through an immigration check, which took less than a minute. For what it’s worth, you have to fill out the Fiji landing card even if you’re just in transit. After that I had to go through a quick security check, which also took almost no time.
Less than five minutes after exiting the plane, I was already in the airport’s departures hall. Be happy if you have lounge access here, because the terminal does get very crowded during peak times.
Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi location
Nadi Airport is tiny, so when you’re in the international departures hall, you really can’t miss the lounge. Just follow the signage to airline lounges, as they’re located one level below the main terminal building. There’s an elevator, escalator (one-way), and stairs.
At the bottom of the escalator and stairs, you’ll see the Air New Zealand Lounge straight ahead and to the left.
From there you’ll want to make a 180, and then you’ll see the entrance to the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge down the hall and on the left.
Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi hours
The Fiji Airways Premier Lounge Nadi is currently open daily from 5AM until 11PM. Those hours are subject to change, but you can expect that they’ll be open from well before the first departure until the last departure.
Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi entry requirements
The Fiji Airways Premier Lounge Nadi is of course primarily intended for Fiji Airways passengers, meaning that Fiji Airways business class travelers and Fiji Airways elite members get lounge access.
On top of that, the Fiji Airways Lounge is open to Priority Pass members, and that’s available through many premium credit cards. I’d guess that this is probably the most popular entry method for these lounges.
On top of that, this is used as a contract lounge for some other airlines flying to Nadi Airport. So if you’re flying business class with Qantas, Aircalin, etc., you can expect that you’ll receive an invitation to this lounge.
Note that Fiji Airways is only a oneworld Connect member, and not a full oneworld member. This means that most oneworld elite members won’t receive access to this lounge purely based on status.
Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi layout & seating
The Fiji Airways Premier Lounge is just under 10,000 square feet (~890 meters), and has the capacity for roughly 200 guests. Even though I was there during the peak morning rush, the lounge wasn’t crowded at all.
The lounge consists almost entirely of one big room, though there are all kinds of partitions and flower arrangements that break up the space into zones, and make it feel a bit cozier. When you first enter the lounge, there’s a plant wall to the right, and then several different sitting areas.
The dining area is one of the main parts of the lounge, and this has roughly a dozen dining tables, which seat anywhere from two to four people.
Past the dining area and the first sitting area is another zone that has seats mostly arranged in rows facing one another, plus some nooks. This area tends to be the quietest, since it’s in the very back of he lounge.
The lounge also has a business center near the entrance, with several iMacs, plus a printer.
The lounge also has a play area for kids, which is enclosed, presumably to limit noise in the rest of the lounge.
All-in-all I thought the decor was quite nice, and the lounge felt well maintained. The one downside to the lounge is the lack of natural light. The lounge doesn’t even have windows, but rather just has curtains. Admittedly there’s probably not much that can be done here, due to the location of the lounge, but still, daylight is always nice.
Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi food & drinks
The Fiji Airways Premier Lounge Nadi has one of the more impressive food spreads I’ve seen in a Priority Pass lounge. The lounge has a large self-serve buffet area, and breakfast was being served during my morning visit.
The breakfast selection was extensive, and included chia puddling, bircher muesli, fruit smoothies, yogurt with fruit, cereal, all kinds of fresh fruit and veggies (which actually looked appealing), muffins, pastries, croissants, toast, cookies, and cereal.
There were also a variety of hot dishes, including scrambled eggs, baked beans, creamed spinach, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, and sausage.
Self-serve drinks included juice, soft drinks, and water. Oddly FIJI water wasn’t being served in the lounge, unlike onboard Fiji Airways flights.
There was also a bar with complimentary wine, spirits, and most importantly… barista-made coffee!
There are few things that I appreciate more than a good cup of coffee, and this is an area where this lounge really delivers. When you sit down, there are servers roaming the lounge offering coffees. I ordered a cappuccino, which was as tasty as it was beautiful. This was probably one of the best coffees I’ve ever had in a lounge. That alone gives this lounge high marks, in my book.
Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi bathrooms & showers
The Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi has decent bathrooms, which were clean, but not terribly private.
There’s also a door leading to a shower suite, which has a walk-in shower and sink. This can be reserved by contacting the staff at the entrance to the lounge.
Bottom line
I was really impressed by the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge Nadi. Not only is this an excellent lounge for a small airline, but it’s also one of the best Priority Pass lounges I’ve been to. The lounge has plenty of seating, nice decor, an impressive food selection, friendly staff, and exceptional coffee (that last point in particular really makes me happy).
This is an oasis of calm in an otherwise not-great terminal.
If you’ve visited the Fiji Airways Lounge Nadi, what was your experience like?
For anyone that has been in this lounge, am I reading the review correctly that there is just the one shower? If so, does anyone have experience in reserving it? Is it booked solid during the day?
Hi Lucky, they do serve Fiji water. You just have to ask the bar to give you one.
And if you are there at night before their LA/SFO departures it is super crowded. Almost no room to sit.
Still the food was great so was the coffee.
I could not agree more, hospitality plus. We had an evening flight when they were serving barbecued chicken with spicy sambal, garlic fried rice and grilled vegetables absolutely sensational.
When I tried to visit on my last trip through Fiji, I said I was Emerald but then they asked through which program. I said Alaska and they said no access. They said if it was BA, American, or one other than I would have been eligible. I still dont understand this. I get that they are One World Connect and Emerald status alone does not work. But why would the status be dependant on which airline you earned it on? It's still Emerald.
Here is the food menu for the lounge: https://www.fijiairways.com/en-us/experience/fiji-airways-premier-lounge/breakfast
Pre-covid they also had a spa with free and paid treatments. You could email them ahead of time to reserve your spot. I hope they bring it back!
Fiji is my favorite way to get to Australia from the US. 10hr flight, massage/shower/meal in this lounge, continue on.
Thanks …I’m flying NAN-Sin tomorrow
Agreed this is a truly great lounge. The "hard product" is great, and in my experience the service is genuinely friendly and enthusiastic...consistent with what I've come to expect from the Fijian people.
Great review. Makes me want to head back to NAN...
If you’re lucky, they’ll have their local Blue Turtle gin available in the lounge. AFAIK, it is the only Fijian gin, and it is only available for purchase in Fiji.
It’s delicious, and has a pretty unique flavor. If you like gins (or even if you normally don’t, as this one likely doesn’t taste like any gin you’ve had before), make sure to check for it at the bar. If you like it, it’s...
If you’re lucky, they’ll have their local Blue Turtle gin available in the lounge. AFAIK, it is the only Fijian gin, and it is only available for purchase in Fiji.
It’s delicious, and has a pretty unique flavor. If you like gins (or even if you normally don’t, as this one likely doesn’t taste like any gin you’ve had before), make sure to check for it at the bar. If you like it, it’s available upstairs for purchase. After confirming that they can’t ship to the US, I bought 3 bottles last time I went through.
Yes, they proactively offered that one when I asked for G&T. They have barista coffee in the morning and bartender cocktails in the evening.