Dalaman?

[Colwyn]

Does this remind you of anywhere?

"It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on Earth has ever produced the expression "as pretty as an airport".

Airports are ugly. Some are very ugly. Some attain a degree of ugliness that can only be the result of a special effort. This ugliness arises because airports are full of people who are tired, cross, and have just discovered that their luggage has landed in Murmansk (Murmansk airport is the only known exception to this otherwise infallible rule), and architects have on the whole tried to reflect this in their designs.

They have sought to highlight the tiredness and crossness motif with brutal shapes and nerve jangling colours, to make effortless the business of separating the traveller for ever from his or her luggage or loved ones, to confuse the traveller with arrows that appear to point at the windows, distant tie racks, or the current position of Ursa Minor in the night sky, and wherever possible to expose the plumbing on the grounds that it is functional, and conceal the location of the departure gates, presumably on the grounds that they are not".

Adams, Douglas. (1988). The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul. Portsmouth, Heinemann (p.1).

[starman™]

Agreed that most are ugly but have been recently to some really nice ones like Koh Samui & Kahului. Barcelona isnt that bad either as you have an outdoor plaza in the departures hall although their lounges are pretty crap.

[Colwyn]

The nicest one I have been to is Innsbruck. If, that is, you can face the prospect of landing in a 10 seater propeller aeroplane along the narrow, towering, corridor between the southern and northen ranges of the Alps in the middle of a thunderstorm - which was my introduction to the place. On leaving, you can sit outside on the edge of the tarmac and, if you are that way inclined, smoke a bit while waiting for your plane to land. Not so much an airport as an aviatory dolmus stop.

[davybill]

try to get out of the as soon soon as possible.without a viewing.

[stoop]

Bangkok is nice but I must agree that most are pretty poor when it comes to design. Dubai is nice and new but awful. Too many people and not enough seats. Also the causeway is too narrow making it feel even more cramped.

Dalaman is probably the worst in terms of design and outrageous prices.

Cairns was interesting - a bit like you would expect from the laid back Aussies. We even bought a beer (bottle) in the departure lounge and we would have easily been able to carry it onto the plane. That was 2004 so it might have changed a bit since then.

[nichola]

I quite like Dubai and also Singapore airport mainly cos there is a choice of lots of nice and cheap food to help while away the hours and singapore even does a free trip into town.

But for an airport that is really the pits it has to be Doha. The most uncomfortable and boring airport in the world which is still under construction years on - God knows what the hold up is as it can't be the money. The food is dire and very limited choices available. Dalaman is a shining light by comparison.

[badger]

Agree about Doha Nichola,I had to endure a 7 hour wait there for a flight to Kuwait.

[Highlander]

Inverness has a lovely airport.

The only problem is that you cannot get a flight to anywhere from it.

[puma]

arrecife airport is lovely,the way it is set out and so light and bright