It´s autumn 2023 both my boyfriend Sam and me have a few days off of work together. Sam would like to catch some sun and warmth before the darkness of the winter truly sets in. being November a cruise on the Mediterranean would be a bit too chilly, in Greece most interesting hotels are closed. I was thinking about going to Thailand but flight prices where prohibitively expensive, after consulting a TUI travel agency they recommended us a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with an unbeatable price. This would be Sam´s first ever and mine first in a very long time package trip with an all-inclusive hotel.

As due to a good deal by the Belgian luxury division of TUI, VIP Selection we received a complementary airport transfer to and from our home with an upgraded service to premium economy on the flight as well as fastlane security and lounge access at Brussels Airport.

Currently there is only ‘one’ lounge left for all Extra-Schengen flights in the B-gates of Brussels Airport. This is the Diamond Lounge operated by Brussels Airport itself, located one floor up from the main concourse using either an elevator or a spiral staircase. Having already visited it’s counterpart in the Schengen area A-gates, I didn’t expect too much. They did the effort of refurbishing the lounge recently, bringing it up to standard to modern taste.

The lounge itself is just a relatively small rectangular space, there is the welcome desk at the entrance where you either have to show your eligibility to enter or can buy a lounge pass on the spot. Just after the entrance there is the relatively elaborate (for its size) drinks and food offering. Soft drinks and some alcoholic beverages could be taken from the fridges, while there was a tap for water and beers. Of course there was also a coffee and tea machine.

The buffet offered a selection of warm and cold dishes, there was also a soup corner and a dessert corner. The menu of the day was put out for you to see what they offered.

Seating was offered in the rest of the room in a variety of styles.

At the end of the room you had the small toilet facilities and one shower available on request. The cleanliness of the facilities left a lot to be desired, the public toilets in the terminal where nicer and cleaner.

When spending time in the lounge my impression was that it was an okay lounge, but rather small if it’s the only lounge on offer at the B-gates. However upon exiting we saw that there was a second Diamond lounge across the corridor, this was the former Brussels Airlines‘ ‘The Suite‘.

From what we could spot from the corridor this seemed to be a larger and quieter space, so for the next time we’ll probably head over there. It would be nice however if Brussels Airport had some clear signage at the airport telling that there is a second lounge as well as mentioning it on the website, as it wasn’t clearly marked.

The Diamond lounge is an okay lounge for a third party lounge, the B-gates one being superior to the A-Gates one. However I’m not sure it is worth the walk-up fare.