My love of the Avianca VIP lounge in San Salvador can be summed up in three words: chicken tortilla soup. That made an otherwise drab lounge a rather nice place spend a very long layover in El Salvador International Airport (SAL).
Avianca VIP Lounge El Salvador (SAL) Review
The lounge is located in front of Gate 8 and open daily from 6:o0am to 9:30pm. Access is reserved for Star Alliance Gold members or Star Alliance business and first class travelers. Avianca LifeMiles Silver members also have access as well as some banking partners in Latin America.
The lounge looked clean and modern, with fresh carpeting, fresh furniture, and brightly-colored walls.
A children’s area provided space for children to make noise behind glass doors, though I did not see a single child throughout my stay.
Work areas included every other chair removed and tables were spaced out to encourage social distancing.
Plugs and USB-A chargers were available along the walls and in a back room, though lacking for much of the lounge. Internet was very slow in the main room, but faster in the rear room (second picture below).
Restrooms were available, but not showers.
In terms of food and drink, all choices were behind a counter, with a plexiglass shield separating workers from lounge guests.
Food selection included cold cuts (meat and cheese), sandwiches, freshly cut fruit, and much to my delight, chicken tortilla soup. Not only was the soup tasty (delicious chunks of chicken breast), but the toppings: cilantro, onions, avocado really made this a nice snack. I may or may not have three bowls…
Drinks, like the club soda I ordered, were served in disposable plastic cups, but the food was served in ceramic dishes (with plastic, one-time use cutlery).
Other drinks selections include soft drinks, coffee, drinkable yogurt, red and white wine, Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, and Flor de Caña rum.
CONCLUSION
The soup endeared me to this lounge. Everything else was just fine, though I appreciated having access to this during my long layover in SAL.
Take a stroll around Sarasota and try Tommy Bahama’s version. The secret is the slow cooked broth balanced with cumin, chili and cayenne.
So in addition to your never-ending search for the perfect cappuccino, we can now add…chicken tortilla soup. After reading this, I realized it was lunchtime, LOL.
What lounge is there for non-Star Alliance airlines like Delta, American, Aeroméxico, etc?
Now I want Salvi soup. Can you get me over there? Haven’t seen family in a while!
DE NADA SIRBE TODO LO QUE OFRECEN…..CON SU ACTITUD NEGATIVA PREPOTENTE Y ARROGANTE DEJAN MUCHO QUE DECEAR…
Perdón. Le devolveremos su dinero.
Me uno a todo los malos comentarios de mis paisanos Salvadoreños. Aeropuerto de los Angeles pasimo, pero pésimo servicios al cliente, niguna persona que trabaja en el ticket acounter tiene experiencia en como tratar a los latinos. Cuando son Gringos los tratan mejor para que ellos tengan la experiencia que ellos quieren. Para hablar con alguien en el teléfono tiene que esperar por lo menos 3 horas para que alguien conteste. Ellos solo quien el dinero su dinero. “0” servicio. YO NO RECOMIENDO QUE VIEJEM POR AVIANCA. PARA EL SALVADOR.
I’m planning a trip with hubby and twin toddlers and was thinking of doing this as we wait for the plane since they have a child room for them to run around freely without having to chase them through a whole airport. Thank you for you insight.