We had a layover of several hours at Istanbul Airport, and after wandering around the terminal a bit, we looked for somewhere to wait for our next flight.

One of my last privileges from my time in corporate America is that I flew enough that I have current Star Alliance Gold status with United, and therefore its partner airlines. Star Alliance Gold doesn’t mean too much in the US, but it unlocks many things internationally. For example, with Star Alliance Gold you can access partner airlines lounges.

Which meant we could access the Turkish Airlines lounge, so we headed that direction. There are two Turkish Airlines lounges, a business lounge and the regular Miles & Smiles lounge. Since we decidedly did not fly business class, we went to the regular lounge.

It was so impressive, and easily the best airport lounge we’ve ever been to. It’s on the second level, and you’re greated by an enormous screen immediately on entry.

A grand piano was there for anyone who felt the inclination. It was programmed to play if no one was at the bench.

The lounge itself is quite spacious, with plenty of seating. Even though things got decidedly busier later in the evening, it never felt crowded. This was just one small portion of the seating area.

We settled ourselves in near the rails, we had a nice view of the rest of the airport.

There was a TV area with many things being shown simultaneously.

However the highlight of the lounge is the food! It’s called a food court, and there are multiple food stations throughout the lounge. There’s a full salad bar.

There are chefs preparing traditional Turkish dishes.

I wasn’t even hungry, but I had to stop at the station labeled “Homemade Turkish ravioli”. It was delicious.

There were two dessert stations. There was one chef dedicated solely to making French fries.

There was a bar available, and plenty of sodas and waters.

As mentioned above, it is easily the best airport lounge we’ve ever visited. We’re not exactly looking forward to the return trip home, but at least we know the layover in Istanbul on the way home will be good.

I’m going to be very sad to lose my Star Alliance Gold status next year.