Review: EVA Air's The Club lounge, Taipei Taoyuan Airport

Introduction

With four EVA Air lounges at Taipei's Taoyuan Airport, most travellers would gravitate towards the better-known The Star, The Infinity and The Garden lounges: but the fourth, The Club, may just be the best pick for busy business travellers.

Location & Impressions

Situated in Terminal 2 at Taoyuan Airport, you'll find The Club one level above the departure concourse, as with all the other lounges here.

You'll spot The Club by its black exterior – in a way, almost resembling the appearance of a nightclub – and the large logo next to the entrance:

Keep in mind though that unlike EVA's The Star, The Infinity and The Garden lounges which are all co-located together, The Club and its entrance are around the opposite side of this 'lounge level', so unless you're looking for it, you may not even notice it's there:

Step inside and you'll find a variety of seating throughout this rectangular-shaped space:

The choice pick among regular travellers are these side seats, which are furnished in slightly more premium surroundings, have better light, and access to power via the ports on the floor:

The rest of the lounge offers comfortable seating as well, although relatively few of those seats provide easy access to power – if that's what you need, you'll find outlets along the walls, and via pop-open sockets on the floor in a few select locations.

The Club opens daily from 5:30am until 10am, and then again from 2pm until 8pm.

Boarding calls are not made here, except where flights are delayed. Of course, given its open design, you'll still hear most announcements made in the terminal proper, even if in the distance.

Access

With four lounges at Taoyuan Airport, The Club primarily caters to the following guests:

• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Silver members travelling on an EVA Air or UNI Air flight.
• Guests of EVA Air Silver cardholders at a cost of 5,000 EVA Air miles per person, when accompanied by the Silver member.
• American Express EVA Air Platinum Card and Centurion Card members (cards issued in Taiwan only).
• American Express EVA Air Gold Card holders are also offered paid entry here on a per-visit basis, at rates determined locally by AMEX and EVA.

However, as The Club is also the 'lowest ranked' among EVA's four lounges in terms of access, travellers eligible for entry into EVA's The Star, The Infinity and The Garden lounges are welcome here too, including:

• Business class passengers of EVA Air, Hong Kong Airlines, and Star Alliance member airlines.
• EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands Gold and Diamond cardholders travelling with EVA Air, UNI Air or a Star Alliance airline.
• Star Alliance Gold, Air Canada Maple Leaf Club (Worldwide) and United Club members prior to Star Alliance flights.
• Fortune Wings Club Gold and Platinum travellers booked with EVA Air or Hong Kong Airlines.

Given how busy The Star and The Infinity lounges can get, particularly during the evenings prior to EVA's batch of flights to North America, we're told that many savvy travellers opt to visit The Club instead, which is particularly quiet during that otherwise-peak window.

We put that to the test and found that when The Star and The Infinity were buzzing, The Club had all of 10 guests inside, which made for a much more productive working space: all that was needed before a quick hop to Hong Kong.

Finally, guests who only qualify for The Club lounge – and not those other higher-tier lounges – are treated to an upgrade to The Star when The Club is closed: that's from 10am to 2pm and after 8pm daily.

ET review: EVA Air's The Star lounge, Taipei Taoyuan Airport

Dining

Peckish, or hunting down a refreshment? Head to this nook in the centre of the lounge where food and beverages are served.

For a substantial meal, an array of hot items are available including stir-fried spinach, spicy fried chicken, and rice.

Joining those, stir-fried curry rice noodles, eggplant, sautéed white cabbage, and steamed dumplings:

For something on the lighter side, there's also a selection of salad ingredients and dressings, as well as fresh fruit, breads and pastries for toasting, spreads, and brewed coffee.

Machine-made espresso coffee is normally available here too, although the machine was out of service on this visit. Instead, a selection of teas are at-hand nearby, with the machine pouring boiling water working just fine.

Other bites such as yoghurts and sweets can be found in the nearby fridge, joined by juice, water, beer, soft drinks and other mixers, with Bombay Sapphire gin, Kahlua coffee liqueur and Bacardi white rum at the ready.

In all, there's enough here for passengers making a pit stop before a short flight across Asia, although those taking longer journeys may prefer to dine in EVA's other lounges where available, even if returning to The Club afterwards for some peace and quiet.

Work

With work to, try aiming for one of the seating pairs that line the walls, where you're more likely to find a power point.

Although the tables are small, their size proved ample for hosting a laptop, and their height was just fine for typing, too.

WiFi speeds average 11-12Mbps for both uploads and downloads, although this was while the lounge was particularly quiet, so lower speeds can be expected during busy times.

Interestingly, performing similar speed tests over in The Star and The Infinity lounges around the same time found much zippier downloads and uploads (circa 30-40Mbps), despite these lounges – and by extension, their WiFi networks – being considerably busier.

Relax

With time to spare, many of the seats offer a view towards a TV screen. While some merely show flight information, there's usually at least one with something else on, such as an international news channel.

Otherwise, browse from a selection of reading material, found near the entrance.

Shower facilities are available too. Don't be deterred by the "occupied" sign, which is nearly always illuminated – this merely signals that the door is locked, as you'll need to approach reception for the key.

Inside, the shower is well-equipped with an array of amenities. For the blokes, the lighted shaving mirror would be much more usable at face height, although those with longer hair will appreciate there being two hair dryers – the red one having been added in response to traveller feedback about the other, which is less powerful.

Overall, The Club is a perfectly acceptable lounge for EVA Air's Silver-tier members and eligible Taiwanese credit card holders who call this lounge 'home', with facilities catering to travellers taking both long and short flights.

It's also a great alternative to keep in mind for passengers with access to those higher-tier lounges, given The Club is regularly quieter when those other spaces are busy – but of course, doesn't have the same standards of food, beverage and appearance as those other lounges.

Also read: Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge review, Taipei

Chris Chamberlin travelled as a guest of EVA Air.

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.