To wrap up our trip, we were flying home on KLM from Stockholm to Austin via Amsterdam. In Stockholm, we had access to the Pearl Lounge which gave us a space to relax prior to our flight.
Location
Terminal 2 at Stockholm Arlanda isn’t very large but you’ll still miss this lounge if you aren’t paying attention. After clearing security turn left and follow the signs towards Gates 64-87. Directly across from Gate 66 is a lime green staircase with signage indicating the path to Border Control. Non-Schengen departures are handled from a separate gate area located above Gates 66 and 67. The lounge and a restaurant are also located upstairs.
At the top of the stairs, or elevator, the restaurant will be to your left while the entrance to the Pearl Lounge is directly ahead. Border control is just to the right and, if you end up here you’ve gone too far.
Hours of Operation
The Pearl Lounge Terminal 2 is open between 5:10a and 9:00p daily. During our visit, signage indicated that the lounge opened at 5:15a but they opened the doors five minutes prior.
Entry Requirements
The Pearl Lounge is the only lounge available in Terminal 2 and, since it isn’t connected airside to any other terminals, serves as the contract lounge for most airlines elite passengers including Air France, British Airways, Finnair, and KLM. In addition, the lounge can be accessed via Priority Pass. We had access thanks to our KLM Business Class tickets.
We were at the lounge right at opening and there was only one person in the queue in front of us. A quick scan of our boarding passes and we were welcomed into the lounge.
Layout
When we first entered the lounge everything appeared bright and open, especially considering there is not much outside light and all of the windows overlook the check-in area. The buffet and beverage station was to the left while the remainder of the lounge spread out to the right.
In the front room, the furniture consisted of a variety of cafe tables along with bar top seating and groupings of armchairs.
Aside from the front space which was nice and open, the remainder of the lounge was broken up into smaller seating areas, some separated by curtains.
Further back in the lounge was a larger area with a couple of large couches with chairs positioned around in a semicircle.
Since we were in the lounge very early in the morning, the front portion of the lounge was the only space utilized during our visit. However, there were a number of small rooms with seats in the rear of the lounge. These rooms were more private, but much darker due to the lack of windows.
There was even a conference room in the far corner of the lounge that had been converted into seating.
Restrooms were also located in the rear portion of the lounge. They were on the small side but kept clean, though we were here just after opening.
Back in the main portion of the lounge, next to the buffet, there was a group of quirky but cool individual high top seats for two.
Food and Beverage
Breakfast was being served during our visit to the lounge and the selection was on the smaller side. All of the food was situated on an island bar near the entrance to the lounge. A bowl of fruit, chocolate croissants, pancakes (that looked like crêpes), and jars filled with raisins, sunflower seeds, cornflakes, and muesli were out on the counter.
Sitting on chiller plates in the center of the bar were cold cuts, sliced cheese, a selection of vegetables, spreads, three types of yoghurt, and hard boiled eggs.
The only hot dishes consisted of sad, limp bacon and powdered eggs.
A coffee and tea station was set up against the wall. Drip coffee was in a canister and hot water was available for steeping tea.
A soda fountain along with draft beer and wine were also available. No hard liquor was on offer but this was likely due to the early hour as the lounge advertises this as an option.
Atmosphere
Since we were one of the first customers in the lounge, it stayed very quiet throughout our stay. We grabbed a seat at the rear of the main room on the couches against the wall. Nobody in the lounge was speaking higher than a whisper which was appreciated at this early hour.
The food wasn’t all that appetizing and we decided to wait and eat on the plane. Aside from my morning coffee, I mostly passed the time watching a small bird who had made a home in the lounge and was casually hopping from table to table.
Summary
The Pearl Lounge in Stockholm-Arlanda’s Terminal 2 was mediocre at best. While there wasn’t anything wrong with it, it had a very limited selection of food and the seating areas were chopped up, almost haphazardly. It beat hanging out at the gate and the coffee was hot, which was all I needed early in the morning.
In This Trip Report
- Introduction
- Delta B737-800 Comfort+ (AUS-JFK)
- Delta Sky Club Terminal 4 Concourse A (JFK)
- Lufthansa Business Class Lounge Terminal 1 (JFK)
- Lufthansa Senator Lounge Terminal 1 (JFK)
- SWISS A330-300 Business Class (JFK-ZRH)
- SWISS A220-100 Business Class (ZRH-PRG)
- Andaz Prague
- Three Days in Prague
- Erste Premier Lounge Prague (PRG)
- KLM Cityhopper EMB-195 Economy (PRG-AMS)
- KLM Boeing 737-800 Economy (AMS-BGO)
- Widerøe EMB-190 Economy (BGO-TOS)
- Clarion Hotel The Edge Tromsø
- Exploring Tromsø and Chasing the Northern Lights
- Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) A320 Premium Economy (TOS-ARN)
- Sheraton Stockholm
- Exploring Stockholm
- KLM Boeing 737-800 Business Class (ARN-AMS)
- KLM B787-9 Business Class (AMS-AUS)
