We recently traveled to Australia to visit family and happened to get the best ticket deal on Fiji Airways, which meant a layover in Nadi. We had Priority Pass lounge access through our Venture X card and like to do comparison of Priority Pass lounges in airports around the world when we travel, so were pleasantly surprised to discover that Nadi International Airport had a lounge despite being a very small airport. That said, Priority Pass members have access to just one lounge - Fiji Airways Premier Lounge - so this will be a review rather than a comparison. Our question then was, is this lounge worth the visit for Priority Pass folks and what’s it like for a family traveling with young children?

Lounge Location

Airside in International Departures past the duty free shops on the ground level. There was signage and the airport is small so we didn’t have difficulty finding it.

Check-In Experience

Really great! It looked pretty full from what we could see through the doors, so we were expecting them to tell us that Priority Pass wasn’t being accepted at the time, only Fiji Airways business class, and were instead pleasantly surprised when they checked us in super fast no fuss.

First Impressions

Our first impressions of the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge were very positive. The design is beautiful with a living wall, live orchards, soft lighting, and expansive seatings areas. We noticed a nice balance of areas with plush lounge chairs and areas with tables for dining, and there were plenty of outlets for charging all your devices before the next flight.

*Beautiful living wall as you enter the lounge*

*The planter of live orchards was really exquisite!*

*We found a perfect cozy corner with a bench seat and little table to lounge with our kiddos*

*Plenty of tables for dining with larger tables closer to the food area*

Food and Drinks

The food and drink area was large and it was pleasant to find a broad assortment of foods for our brunch time arrival ranging from fruit and pastries to hot dishes. There was also a nice little snack bar with bowls of goodies like chocolate covered almonds and espresso dark chocolate bites. The drink area included juice and a well stocked reuerigerator with self-serve soda, which is also a plus for us! A lovely staff member quickly approached us to see if we’d like coffee and came back shortly with a nicely made to order latte for me from their barista. Later, I saw they also have a self-serve coffee and tea area with black coffee in pots as well as a machine. I didn’t try it though since I already had my delicious coffee from the barista!

*Nothing we tried was extraordinary, but it was all tasty and we were very happy :)*

*The beautiful latte a staff member made for me*

Experience for Families

We had a great experience in this lounge with our kids ages 2 and 4. There were kid friendly food options like fruit, yogurt, and eggs and the lounge’s website states you can also request kids meals. We also discovered a kid’s play room (Lailai Land) complete with a TV playing programming for children, little chairs, and a handful of toys. The toys were pretty sparse, but even having the option of a private room we could go into to let the kids make noise, run around, and burn off some energy without disturbing other guests was wonderful.

Note - The Fiji Airways Premier Lounge website mentions their “Lailai Land kids play centre with qualified nanny” but there was definitely no nanny when we were there between 10-11am. It seems unlikely that a lounge would really have a nanny, but if you’ve been to this lounge and there was a nanny, please leave us and our readers a comment. We would love to hear all about it!

*Kids play room. Not very many toys but it was still great to have a private room our kids could run around in.*

Other Amenities

Showers - Free of charge including towels, hair dryers, and Premium Pure Fiji amenities. We didn’t shower but a number of lounges charge separate for use of showers, so having them included at this lounge was a big plus. Note that the showers are based on a first-come, first-served basis so you need to book them at the lounge reception. If you know you’re going to shower, you should probably get on the list when you check into the lounge.
Wifi - Free fast wifi. It worked great for us including streaming videos.
Media Room - Had TVs with sports on while we were there. They also apparently have 7000+ digital newspapers and magazines available through the PressReader app. We didn’t try it because our layover was short and were focused on getting everyone fed, but if you had a long layover it would be nice.
Business Center - Quiet room with computers, desk space, and a printer

*Nice looking shower facilities. Photo credit: Deekayoz from Trip Advisor*

Good to Know

Hours - Open from 5:00 AM until the last Fiji Airways departure of the day per the lounge website. Priority Pass has the hours listed as 5AM to 11PM so it’s hard to say for sure.
Dress Standard - Supposedly applies and is stated as smart casual at a minimum. We definitely didn’t look very dressy! I think Justin was in hiking pants and a sun hoodie and I was in a sweat set with sneakers so maybe they just don’t want shorts and flip flops vibe or maybe they don’t enforce this. I’ve never actually seen someone turned away from a lounge before for dress code.
Wheelchair access - The lounge is wheelchair accessible including the bathrooms

Overall Thoughts

We thought Fiji Airways Premier Lounge in Nadi was wonderful and had a great experience. It may not have had the flashiest amenities of the many lounges we’ve explored, but they had the amenities that really count like good coffee (can get a cup made to order by a barista), free showers including towels and toiletries, fast wifi, lots of food options, self-serve drinks, and a kids play area. Our check-in was fast and smooth, the staff were great and kind to our kids, there was a lot of space (seats 200 according to the lounge website), and the lounge is modern and beautifully decorated. If you fly through Nadi and are a Priority Pass member, we’d recommend visiting this lounge even if your layover is fairly short!

Have you been to this lounge and have something to add? Leave us a comment! We and our readers would especially love to hear from you if you’ve been to this lounge when there was a nanny present and whether it really is only open until the last Air Fiji flight of the day.

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