After fitful sleep on the flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam, we’re in the Schipol airport, waiting on the family to catch up to us. (They took a later flight from Memphis.) Once we rendezvous, we’ll go for a stroll in the city before returning here for our 8:00 PM flight to Istanbul.
The highlight of this pitstop, though, is our Yotel hotel cabin. Crammed inside the airport terminal on this side of security is the Yotel: a hotel made up of tiny rooms just big enough for one or two weary travelers to while away the hours between flights. Cabins are rented by the hour — which feels naughty — and our premium room offers everything from a double bed (which can lie flat or be shaped into a comfy couch) to a shower.
The entire cabin is no more than 10 feet x 10 feet square, but has all the comforts of home, cleverly integrated into the limited space: including a work desk (that folds away), a television (flat panel, of course), and recessed mood lighting tuned to restful frequencies (calming pink, with reading lamps for anyone wanting to do serious work). If traveling together, you’ll know each other very well after a stay at the Yotel, where the commode and shower are separated from the sleeping area by nothing more than a thin glass wall.
Still, after eight hours crammed into a jet, the space feels luxurious. Standing naked under the cascading shower head washes away a surprising amount of jet lag, and a shave and shampoo do wonders for our appearance. The verdict on the Yotel? Worth every penny.
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