The recently-remodeled Middle East Airlines (MEA) Cedar Lounge in Beirut is spacious and comfortable.
This 24/7 lounge is both a SkyTeam and Priority Pass lounge, but large enough to handle crowds. I last visited this lounge in 2011 and it has been beautifully updated.
To be honest, I stopped in this lounge only long enough to take the pictures below. A late departure from Dubai cut my connection in Beirut by an hour, leaving me little time to check out the lounge.
That said, here’s what the lounges offers:
- An expansive buffet with hot and cold items
- Children’s area
- Spa (closed during my visit)
- Staffed bar
- Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and water
- Restrooms (no showers)
- Smoking room
Here are some pictures from the lounge, which I found aesthetically attractive.
I was so tempted to swipe one of those ashtrays from the smoking room. Not that I would use it, but I love how everything, even the lounge, is stamped with the MEA cedar logo. I did not walk away with any souvenirs…
The coffee was a letdown, but seems to be a recurring theme in the French-speaking world.
Tarmac views were decent:
CONCLUSION
Be sure to allow time to head to your gate, as you’ll need to clear security before reaching the gate area. Although my visit was brief, I would not have minded a longer layover.
The lounge can sometimes get a little crowded since more than a few people also get access due to “knowing someone” (either in the airport or politically connected).
Never even think about stealing from airline lounges, especially abroad. In Lebanon that could be taken as a serious offense and you could end up in some rotten jail conditions for a while over an item you don’t even want. I know you were joking but important for everyone to know many countries take even petty theft very seriously
He’s a US citizen, he won’t be spending time in jail for stealing an ashtray from an airport lounge.
Oh, please…”coffee’s bad in the French-speaking world”, maybe that’s because they aren’t so good at constructing those milk based coffee abominations in the style of Starbucks , ie the ones really intended for children in much of the world except as a breakfast drink .
Nope. You can’t even get a good shot of espresso or cup of filter coffee in Paris. Trust me, I don’t patronize Starbucks and appreciate very good coffee. But maybe I’m just not looking in the right places. I will admit to drinking cappuccino beyond the breakfast window unless I am in Italy (then I have an espresso macchiato).
Many of the tourist traps , including some big hotels, do serve crappy coffee, true, but consumers have pushed for better and there is now a vast number of cafes/coffee houses serving very good coffee. I concede that the expectation that one would receive outstanding coffee simply because it’s France or Italy is rarely met, but in Paris that’s changing for the better, IMO.
When you say it is a ‘SkyTeam and Priority Pass lounge’ are you implying it is not accessible when flying other alliances? I ask as it is listed on the Oneworld website as the lounge to use when flying Qatar and Royal Jordanian.