MALDIVES LOUNGE REVIEW: Brand New Koveli Lounge at Malé Airport for British Airways

You would think travelling through the Maldives’ main airport would be as luxurious as the island you had just visited. You’d be wrong. It was a slap in the face from reality, bringing you back down to earth after lying on the beach for a few days.

This is our full review of the Koveli Lounge at Malé Airport, which for many travellers, effectively serves as the British Airways lounge in Malé and also the Virgin Atlantic lounge in Malé, as it is the main contract lounge used by both airlines.

If you have ever travelled through the old terminal at Malé Airport, you will know it was not a great experience. For those lucky enough to have avoided it, imagine no air conditioning, a building and infrastructure designed for around one million passengers while actually serving closer to four million, and long, sweaty queues with screaming children everywhere you looked. It was very much overdue for an overhaul, which we are pleased to see has now been completed by way of a brand new terminal capable of hosting more than seven million passengers a year.

We travelled through the old terminal a few times and have just visited the beautiful new terminal, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring you a review of the new lounge used by many airlines, most notably British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Having arrived by seaplane after staying at the Conrad Rangali Island, we were transferred from the seaplane terminal directly to the check-in area at the front of the new terminal.

LOCATION

Once you pass through security and duty-free, the Koveli Lounge is well signposted with large illuminated signs pointing you towards gates 2 and 3.

It is located on level 2 and accessed via a dedicated staircase or two lifts that exclusively serve the lounge and the walk from clearing security to checking in took roughly five minutes and is step-free for those needing assistance.

We did not know it at the time, but our gate was A02, which was only a couple of minutes’ walk from the lounge.

KOVELI LOUNGE

Opened less than four months ago, it is a welcome addition to the luxury travelling community.

With a capacity for 270 passengers across 1,230 square metres, when we visited, it was busy, but it was not hard to find a seat. You could see waves of passengers leaving with every boarding call and a steady flow of new arrivals entering the lounge. From what we could tell, it feels about the right size.

The small sign at the entrance explains that the Koveli Lounge is named after the native Maldivian koel bird, whose distinctive call is part of the natural soundtrack of the islands. It uses a short poem about a quiet island morning to describe how sand, wind, waves and birdsong blend into an island melody. In other words, the lounge is meant to reflect the calm rhythm and serenity of the Maldives rather than feeling like a generic airport lounge.

ACCESS

We had access by flying British Airways in business class; however, as we are all BA Gold card holders, we would have been allowed access regardless of the class we were flying. This is not always the case with shared contract lounges, so it is good to see, and it makes the Koveli Lounge the de facto British Airways lounge at Malé Airport for eligible passengers.

Other airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and ITA also use the Koveli Lounge, so for many people it effectively functions as the Virgin Atlantic lounge in Malé too.

You can pay to enter, although the quoted price point of 40 to 50 dollars per person per visit is very steep, especially when you consider there is no alcohol.

Having looked around the rest of the terminal, I would not personally pay to use this lounge. There are countless very comfortable seating areas elsewhere in the terminal, along with a small indoor play park for children.

At the time of writing, there is no access for Priority Pass cardholders.

FIRST IMPRESSION

Upon walking in, you are instantly met with a fresh and modern vibe, which is very welcoming and pleasing to the eye.

After exploring further, I was more impressed by the design. You can tell they have clearly thought this one through, although it is also obvious that some areas are not quite finished yet, with shelving and certain rooms still missing final soft furnishings.

Overall, a very good job on the aesthetics.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Directly behind the check-in desk, you will find the food and drink section laid out in a single space. The area itself is fairly small, which reflects the limited selection on offer.

We were in the lounge from around 10 am for roughly one hour, and the buffet only offering was mixed. I do wonder whether they update the selection for lunchtime, but given there were already sandwiches out, I doubt it.

The sandwich selection included cheese and tomato, tuna and smoked chicken, along with familiar items such as fruit, nuts, yoghurts and chocolate muffins.

The hot food offering consisted of boiled eggs, roshi, chicken sausages, fried potatoes and French toast. As you can see, it was a fairly eclectic mix.

Drinks wise, being a Muslim country, there is no alcohol on offer, but there is a good selection of soft drinks, including three varieties of Coke, Sprite, Fanta, lemonade and water.

Unlike other lounges, such as the Skala Lounge I reviewed in Larnaca, there was no allergy information on display, and nobody was available to ask.

For a lounge of this size, it was also surprising to see only one self-service coffee machine, with queues regularly reaching around ten minutes. Not ideal.

Overall, the food and drink offering is acceptable but nothing special. The lounge has only been open for a few months, so I would expect some fine-tuning as they settle into the space.

SEATING AREAS

There are multiple different types of seating throughout the lounge, from comfortable armchairs to booths for two or four people, private quiet zones and bar-style seating. They have covered pretty much every base.

Charging points are plentiful and dotted around almost every seat. With both standard USB and USB-C available, most devices should be covered.

OTHER FACILITIES

One of the biggest benefits is the availability of male and female showers, both of which were open at the time of our visit, although I did not use them.

They are presented in a clean and modern way, with toiletries, towels and slippers provided. A very nice touch and a very pleasant space.

KIDS PLAY AREA

A really nice space for children to burn off some energy before an eleven-hour flight home, as our three-year-old did. As mentioned earlier, there are certain areas still missing soft furnishings, and this is clearly one of them. Other than a ball pit with very hard blue balls and a television, there is not a huge amount to do.

This is a stark contrast to Etihad’s lounge in Abu Dhabi, where the kids’ area rivals commercial soft play centres.

I also mentioned to Katrina that the two entry doors could pose a risk to smaller children. They are glass, very heavy, and both sides swing independently. I suspect there may be a few sore fingers in the future.

DEDICATED DISABLED FACILITIES

It is very good to see a dedicated area for passengers with a variety of disabilities, offering space to spend time and freshen up without having to navigate the main toilet areas.

SUMMARY

Overall, the Koveli Lounge in Malé is a really strong start and a huge step up from anything Malé has offered before. It is bright, modern and well thought out, with plenty of genuinely comfortable seating and enough space that it never feels claustrophobic, even when busy. The design and facilities are already impressive, and it feels only a few finishing touches away from being something special.

That said, the food and drink offering is currently the weak link and feels underwhelming for a premium lounge serving long-haul passengers. If they upgrade the buffet, add a second coffee machine and soften the space with a few more furnishings, this lounge will be right up there for me. As it stands, it is a very good lounge with clear potential to become an excellent one.

Flight review to follow.