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We flew back from Oahu to Los Angeles and had very little time to grab something to eat before our flight. We looked at our Priority Pass app and found that we could use The Plumeria Lounge by Hawaiian Airlines at Honolulu International Airport..
How to get to The Plumeria Lounge
We checked in over at Alaska Airlines. Once you get past all the TSA security checkpoint, follow the signs to Wiki Wiki Shuttle. We took an escalator going up, and it was just a wide-open area, no lounge there. We were told to take the shuttle that would take us to the lounge. From where we were, it was a short 3-4 minute shuttle ride. The shuttle made 1-2 stops before getting to the lounge.
Before entering the lounge, due the COVID pandemic, we had to show proof of our vaccination and our ID. We then approached the front desk and checked in at the lounge. We showed our Priority Pass membership code and our boarding passes. The lounge was 70% full and we immediately found a place for us to sit. We sat on a little dining table with a couple of chairs.
The seating area
There were tables and chairs near the area where you could get the food, and just outside of that area were lots of options for you to sit. There were barstools that also looked out and you could hang out there as well. I also noticed a private/reserved area close to the front desk.
Clean, clean, clean
While the lounge was 70% full, by the time we got there, quite a few of the guests began making their way out. Like clockwork, the staff members cleaned the tables and chairs and got them all ready for the next guests.
Food and beverage
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the lounge. We were just on Maui a few months ago, and I believe the lounge only had crackers and chips, soda and coffee. Over at The Plumeria Lounge, there were a few more choices:
- Top Ramen/Cup O’Noodles
- Sliders
- Chips
- Crackers
- Fruit snacks
- String cheese
- Coffee
- Soda machine
Call me “simply grateful”
This is coming from a guy whose home airport is LAX – Los Angeles International Airport, an airport plagued with lack of Priority Pass lounges. My very last PP visit at LAX was at Be Relax Spa (no food, no drinks). The last PP lounge that we were able to use at LAX (with food/drinks) was the Alaska Airlines Lounge in Terminal 6. But even that lounge had left Priority Pass back in July 2021. So yes, we are hungry for a Priority Pass lounge at LAX.
So yes, call me “simply grateful” – the fact that we didn’t get a chance to stop anywhere to eat before making it to the airport, to have access to the Plumeria Lounge, I was just thankful. It may not the best lounge in the world, but for that moment, having a bowl of cup o’noodle was the next best thing ever.
After leaving the lounge, we easily hopped back on the Wiki Wiki Shuttle and in no time, we were driven to our terminal to catch our flight.
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HNL is my parents’ home airport and so our family has a lot of love for the Plumeria Lounge. Pre-COVID, the sweetest Filipina auntie used to make the best Portuguese bean soup from scratch, with Hawaii Portuguese sausage, of course, and it was so delicious. She would man the food/drink bar in the afternoon and she was always so kind and nice to our family.
I’m happy to hear that the lounge is back up and running. We’ll stop by for some POG juice and nongshim ramyun on our next trip.
Wow!!! I hope for some normalcy soon and would love to go back to Oahu and try this lounge again. Had no idea they made their own soup. Still so thankful for the food that was served. ☺️