This dreary, dated airport has one major saving grace

The airport

Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), Colombo, Sri Lanka

The flight

Colombo to Male (Maldives)

The arrival

I’m travelling from Melbourne to the Maldives with Sri Lankan Airlines, with an 11-hour night stopover in Colombo. We arrive at 10.20pm, and depart at 7.20am the next morning. “Did you see the giant Buddha?” is the first thing a Sri Lankan acquaintance asks. Large and lemon-coloured, the Buddha welcomes me to the airport, imparting an air of serenity in a notoriously high-stress environment.

The look

Luxe it is not. Sixties fluoro lighting above and bland tiles underfoot lend the airport an air of desperation, added to by the number of people sleeping on its floors. But stay with me, there’s gold in Colombo’s dated airport.

Checking in

As we’re in transit, we already have our onward boarding passes and our checked luggage remains with the airline.

Security

Coming off our flight, a uniformed guard checks our boarding passes before allowing us into the retail area. It’s a little officious, but simple. We’re checked again before returning to the gates.

Food + drink

Costa Coffee is my usual go-to when I have to choose coffee chains, but it’s loud, packed and the food looks tired, while Fashion Cafe’s interrogation-worthy strip lighting makes it a hard no. Little local cafe group Primo has a small menu of fabulous bagels and toasties, including one with Lankan yellowfin tuna; mine has rhubarb jam, strawberries and cream cheese. Adding very, very good coffee, it’s highly recommended.

Retail therapy

Here’s where the airport shines; tea shops selling the country’s famed teas; little stores packed with locally made, beautifully packaged ayurvedic skincare with scents of neroli and jasmine. I could snap up a book, painting or sculpture of The Enlightened One at the Buddhist Cultural Centre or go the full Princess Di and snag a giant sapphire, Sri Lanka’s signature gemstone. On a more practical note, a tiny pharmacy supplies last-minute painkillers, while the large post office is a delight for transiting philatelists.

You can shop the usual brand fragrances and alcohol (although as we’re Maldives-bound, we’re prevented from bringing alcohol into the country), and note that most goods are priced in US dollars; a nod to the fact that not everyone can rapidly do the mental arithmetic to convert from Sri Lankan rupees.

In contrast, the shopping in the Maldives is so bad – useless gifts with overpriced tags – that I use this layover as a recce for all my Christmas gift purchases, to be bought on my 90-minute return transit through Colombo.

Passing time

For all the delights I discovered in the airport, its charms won’t fill 11 hours. Before departure, I’d booked a stay in the Serenediva Colombo Transit Hotel, the only hotel airside, a two-minute hop from the plane. It costs $US90 ($A135) for a six-hour stay in our triple room, with three single beds, hot shower and towels, Wi-Fi, tea and instant coffee. The room is large, cool and clean. After 10½ hours in economy, it’s heaven.

The airport also has public Wi-Fi and private sleeping pods from $US5 for 20 minutes, which includes phone charging and tea. A curious, roped-off section in the middle of the airport is filled with comfortable white armchairs and a sign that it’s reserved for clergy – none are apparent.

The verdict

With its welcoming Buddha, tea sellers and plethora of tiny, useful shops, Colombo’s airport is a genuine antidote to generic airports around the world.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer travelled at her own expense.