When flying out of Guatemala City in July 2024, we visited on of the best Priority Pass airport lounges that we have visited in a while – Casa del Ron! This post reviews our, albeit brief, experience at Casa del Ron.
Casa del Ron at Guatemala La Auror International Airport. I’m certain its sponsored by Zacapa rum.
Casa del Ron
Casa del Ron is a store/bar chain in Guatemala specializing in Guatemalan liquors, particularly rum. In fact, Casa del Ron is a great place to buy hard-to-find bottles of Zacapa rum (possibly Guatemala’s best rum) and other Guatemalan specialities. Dan and I visited the Casa del Ron in Antigua for drinks and they were high quality. Unknown to us on our visit to Casa del Ron in Antigua, there is also an outpost at the Guatemala La Aurora International airport (i.e., the Guatemala City airport), and its on Priority Pass. We obviously visited.
A delicious cocktail at Casa del Ron in Antigua.
The Cases del Ron Lounge & Checkin
Casa del Ron is currently one of two Priority Pass airports at Guatemala La Aurora, the other being the Copa Club. We didn’t visit the Copa Club. Casa del Ron is located in the Guatemala City airport post-security in the International section between gates 6 and 7. It is located on the second floor above its namesake gift shop selling upscale Guatemalan rum duty free. Casa del Ron, however, is only open until 9:00 PM. We had a late flight on our visit so we rushed to Casa del Ron and made it to the lounge entrance only about 15 minutes before closing time.
The entrance to Casa del Ron – its on the second level. There are stairs and an elevator.
Luckily, the lounge attendants quickly took our Priority Pass and boarding pass and, surprisingly, let us in and told us to enjoy the lounge for 15 minutes. That was really nice and completely unexpected.
Made it to the entrance just in time. Despite the closure time, we had no issues getting in.
The Space at Casa del Ron
Despite being such a great lounge, Casa del Ron is not large. On entry, it opens into a rectangle room, with a bar area to the right and the remainder filled with bar seating and comfortable chairs with tables. The vibe is pretty swanky and it is “rum” themed. Think rum bottles on the walls, rum barrels featured in the decor, etc. It was quite cute; it was too bad that we didn’t have longer in the lounge. The main rum featured is Zacapa Rum, probably Guatemala’s best rum.
Zacapa rum is the theme of the lounge.
Lots of rum decor.
While the bar is to the right upon entry, the entire lounge is waitstaff service when it comes to food and alcohol drinks. Waitstaff frequently come around, even 15 minutes prior to closing, and take and deliver orders. Bring cash to tip.
Casa del Ron lounge.
Close up of the seating area.
You can see the Zacapa branding.
We set up at one of these bar style tables.
The Drinks at Casa del Ron
Every Priority Pass guest in the lounge is entitled to two alcohol-based drinks per Priority Pass’s website, although they told us three when we visited (not sure if the offer changed). The drink menu consists of real cocktails, similar to that we had at Casa del Ron in Antigua, and straight rum. And, this is a real bar with trained bartenders and proper glassware. I opted for three cocktails, but Dan went with one cocktail and a double pour of the fanciest Zacapa rum on offer. The cocktails were fantastic, complete with pretty preparation, and our waitress served them in a to-go coffee cup so that we could enjoy them in the main terminal after the lounge closed. This was, again, super nice and unexpected.
Cocktail # 1. This would have looked even better in a real glass, which they would have used had it not been so close to closing.
Cocktail # 2.
Cocktail # 3, Entre Mares. This one used lighter rum.
The pretty bar at Casa del Ron at the airport. It is truly a real bar.
Cocktail menu.
Alcohol menu.
Besides the bar, there is a self-serve buffet offering water, coffee and tea. Everything else, including soft drinks, come from the bar.
The self-serve bar.
The Food at Casa del Ron
Casa del Ron houses a restaurant-style kitchen next to its bar, and the food at Casa del Ron is good. Everything is made-to-order via a menu, which features American food and Guatemalan specialties. Priority Pass members receive 1 complimentary dish per guest. We didn’t expect to order food given the time constraints, but our waitress pushed us to order and our food came out pretty quickly. Casa del Ron packed our food to go and we took it to the main terminal. I ordered Cochinita Pibil Tacos. There were 4 and they were really tasty.
The pork tacos from Casa del Ron. Very good, especially for a Priority Pass lounge.
Our to-go food package.
Lunch and dinner menu.
Breakfast menu.
In sum, Casa del Ron is a fantastic Priority Pass lounge. It is basically a proper bar and restaurant inside the terminal. The drinks and food are high quality, especially for an airport. I would make time for this lounge, but remember that it closes at 9 PM (annoying for late night flights).
STEAL OUR LOUNGE
Casa del Ron: Located post-security in the International Terminal, second floor between gates 6 – 7 next to the Casa del Ron/Zacapa rum duty free shop. Open daily 1:30 AM – 9:30 PM. Priority Pass members receive complimentary access, including 2 alcohol drinks and one meal. Other food and drink are subject to payment.