Baubau is an off-beat destination, even within Indonesia. It shouldn’t be, though. It’s located on a gorgeous island with plenty of history and laidback lifestyle that suits lounge sharks like us. Despite its quiet appeal, though, for most international travelers it serves as a transit point on the way to the world-renowned diving islands of Wakatobi. Baubau is an ideal place to fly in and out of, since its just a couple of hours by boat to the islands. Baubau’s airport is small, but like most airports in Indonesia, it still manages to feature a lounge. We wrote this Kantin Walio Lounge Review – Baubau (BUW) to help you spend your brief moments in Baubau’s airport in relative comfort. This isn’t the Japan Airlines lounge, but some lounge access is always better than none, amiriteoramirite?
Our Trip – Kantin Walio Lounge Review – Baubau (BUW)
Bali left us wanting something a little more peaceful, so we decided to swap out Seminyak for the underwater tranquility of Wakatobi. Getting there and back required quite a few transits, first to Makassar (where we visited the T/G lounge), to Kendari, to Wakatobi. For the return, we took the boat to Baubau, and then flew back to Surabaya (hello, Concordia lounge!), again via Makassar (hello again, Concordia Lounge). On the return leg, at stop a the Kantin Wolio Lounge was a must.
The Facts – Kantin Walio Lounge Review – Baubau (BUW)
As the pictures are probably already telling you, this isn’t the fanciest of lounges. It doesn’t require business class tickets (there is no business class from Baubau), and you can’t even use your Priority Pass. In fact, believe it or not, for now, the lounge is free! The price will one day return to 50,000 IDR ($3), but for now, all you have to do is order something, anything, to get access. Buying even just a coffee will get you in. It’s not fancy, but its still miles away from the echochamber chaos of the main boarding terminal.
The lounge is located to the left of security. It is impossible to miss.
The Space – Kantin Walio Lounge Review – Baubau (BUW)
The lounge is a small rectangular space. On one end you have the smoking room (see below). On the other end there is a kitchen for preparing food orders. There is also a small buffet area with food offerings, though while passenger loads are low food is only prepared on order. The white lounge chairs are large and comfortable. There is a TV, but the volume isn’t particularly high. The lounge is also not very full, ever, so you can take your pick of seats.
The Food – Kantin Walio Lounge Review – Baubau (BUW)
The lounge offers a small spead of buffet items: a rice, a meat, a vegetable. You can also order cooked food, particularly fried noodles (indomie). There are also packaged snacks available for sale.
The Drinks
The drinks are limited to your standard offerings: water, coffee, tea, and various packaged juices and sachet-produced beverages like nutrisari.
The lounge is particularly proud to offer discerning visitors Kapal Api coffee.
The Internet
No internet is available.
The Restrooms
The lounge does feature restrooms, allowing you to do your most important business without going out to the public area of the airport. This is a big perk not offered by many other lounges, even fancier ones in larger airports
Final Thoughts
The Kantin Wolio Lounge isn’t big or flashy. It’s located in a small airport at an underserved outstation. But who cares… its free! We were thrilled by our stay at this little kantin lounge and we highly recommend our readers stop by. For fifteen minutes and a bowl of noodles, it will hit the spot before you fly out to either Makassar or Kendari – the only destinations served by this airport. Happy flying!
Final Grades
| Connectivity: | 0/5 |
| Workability | 2/5 |
| Relaxation: | 2/5 |
| Catering: | 2/5 |
| Alcohol: | 0/5 |
| Ambiance: | 1/5 |
| Total Score | 7/30 |
