Taipei airport is a Star Alliance hub, especially Terminal 2 where most of the Star Alliance flights depart from. I have just flown from this airport a month back and checked out the contract lounge over here. You can find my review of the Plaza Premium Lounge and Oriental Club Lounge here. The latter one is my favourite. This time around I am flying Asiana Air to Seoul and got a chance to visit the Star Alliance lounges in the airport. There are 5 main lounges in the airport for Star Alliances. Eva Air owns 3 of them and these are The Garden, The Infinity, The Star and The Club. Star Alliance Gold members can access The Star and The Club. In addition, there is also Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge that recently reopened. Sadly, I did not get to visit and review it. I visited The Star during my time at the airport. Check out the lounge with me.

Access Requirements

The Star Lounge is open from 4.30am to 11.30pm daily. Currently, all Star Alliance premium cabin customers, KrisFlyer Gold status and Star Alliance Gold Status holders are allowed access to the lounge. This lounge is catered to Star Alliance Gold members who are flying in economy class. I had access to the lounge on account of my Star Alliance Gold status. Premium cabin passengers or Eva Air’s own Diamond members should use either The Garden or The Infinity which are better. Typical access rules for guests follow.

Arrival & Location

The lounge is located a level above the main departure area. All of the lounges in TPE are in the same area. There are clear signs and you can find it easily. The Star and The Infinity share the same entrance. They are just on opposite sides of each other. I was warmly welcomed in by the staff and admitted entrance after scanning my boarding pass.

Eva Air The Star Lounge 

The Star Lounge is located towards the left of the entrance. The lounge is pretty spacious and comes with plenty of seats. There are lounge couches in groups of usually 4 people. I do have to say that the place looks rather dated and the same goes for the furniture. I was here in the late morning and it was rather quiet. Here are some pictures of the lounge.

The lounge comes with plenty of seating and this should be handy during the peak hours. The main buffet area is found to the left of the lounge.

Toilets and Showers

The toilets are simple but well-maintained.

The showers are pretty nice and they have 5 of them. These are available on a first come first serve basis. You have to drop by the counter to reserve one. It should come in handy before your long-haul flight to the US or Europe. They are stocked with L’occitane amenities.

Food and Drinks

The main buffet lineup and refreshments are all located in the central area to the left. You can find all sorts of hot dishes from fried eggs, pasta, rice, chicken and stir-fried vegetables. There are also some dumplings and soups. They are pretty unmemorable besides the soup.

There are some bread, cakes and a small salad station to the side.

I caught my eye on the sweet potato station which is very unique. This is the first time I have seen such a thing in a lounge.

For those passengers with a sweet tooth, you will not be disappointed here. You have unlimited Haagen Dazs ice cream to enjoy from the fridge. Scoop all you want!

The drinks are much better than the food. Everything is self-served. There are some juices, soft drinks and packaged tea in the fridge. Coffee and tea machines are available here too. Alcoholic drinks consist of beers and some spirits. I love that they have Kavalan Whisky in the lounge.

Conclusion

Frequent flyer elite members are second-tier over here in Taipei. The lounge was nothing memorable and this is one that I will not come early for. It is disheartening to see this quality in their home hub. The lounge needs a makeover like yesterday. Food and drinks can also be polished. I believe that the recently reopened SKL will be a better bet. It is a good place to wait for your flight and grab a bite or a drink while doing so. Other than that, there is no point. The Kavalan and Haagen Dazs are the saving salvation. I have been to better contract lounges.