Airport Capsules: Jakarta vs. Istanbul

In a few days, I'm planning to leave for the Maldives with a long layover in Istanbul. Remembering a pleasant experience a few years ago at Jakarta Airport, where, having already spent 12 hours in the air and with almost as many to go before arriving in Raja Ampat , I took advantage of the Digital Airport Hotel's pods in Terminal 3 to enjoy one of the most regenerating sleeps of my life, I tried to find out if a similar service was available at Istanbul's brand new and very cool airport, where I recently appreciated the quality of the IGA lounge .

I wish I had never done it...

Jakarta - Soekarno-Hatta Airport (CGK) - Terminal 3 – Digital Airport Hotel

Web: https://digitalairporthotel.com/

Price: 32 euros per night (yes, night , not hour)

My rating: 10/10

In Jakarta, I actually slept. I didn't "doze off," I didn't "close my eyes," but I slept. In a real bed, in a capsule that looked like it was designed by someone who understood the concept of human beings, not by a McKinsey consultant on amphetamines.

Absolute silence, sensible air conditioning, enough privacy to not have to stare at a stranger's shoes while trying to relax. For 32 euros, they offer you something revolutionary: rest. You don't feel desperate, you don't feel like a homeless airport worker with a credit card. You feel like a person who is traveling. I was exhausted after a 12-hour flight. I entered the capsule, spacious and comfortable enough to satisfy every need. In a few seconds, I abandoned myself to an uncontrollable sleep, and those few hours were crucial to facing the very long journey that still separated me from Sorong.

It's Asia, baby: less storytelling, more substance.

Istanbul (IST) – IGA Sleepod

Price: 24 euros per hour

Experience: Extortion with background noise

Then there's Istanbul. Where I had the brilliant idea of getting information for an upcoming long layover. Spoiler: no .

You're not paying to sleep here. You're paying to try to pass out in the middle of a train station that looks like it was designed by a sadistic urban planner with a fetish for loud ads.

24 euros per hour. I repeat: PER HOUR . What the fuck... I've sold kidneys for less... 24 euros per hour... you're not paying for a service, you're buying a one-square-meter lot without even being able to get a mortgage...

For that price, in Jakarta they'll give you a whole night's sleep; in Istanbul they'll give you sixty minutes of noise, trolleys, announcements in three languages, and the constant echo of suitcases being dragged by people who've never heard of bearings, much less backpacks.

The capsule sits there, exposed, like a human aquarium. You sleep knowing that hordes of sleepless passengers are streaming outside, while a loudspeaker reminds you that you are, indeed, still alive.

Conclusion

Jakarta tells you: “Rest, you'll be leaving again in eight hours.” Istanbul tells you: “Pay. Now. And be thankful we're not asking your family for a ransom.”

At 24 euros an hour, I'm not buying a capsule: I'm funding a conceptual installation on contemporary distress. For that price, they'll have to walk over my dead body —and even then, they'd probably charge me extra for the deposit.

If I really had to choose where to sleep at the airport, I'd definitely choose Indonesia: less supposed luxury, more respect. Because true comfort, when traveling, is not feeling like someone's grabbing your wallet and pointing a gun at your head while you try to close your eyes .