Whether you have a layover, overnight sleepover or you are just quickly passing through, our Santa Cruz Airport Guide is a great place to start planning your visit. Here, you’ll find information on services and facilities available inside the airport – including details about airport lounges, WiFi, mobile charging points, lockers, 24-hour food options, nearby hotels, and everything in between.
At 9pm everything closes, excect a very nice and cheap restaurant. – n&n
VVI Airport Overview
To help you plan your layover or overnight sleepover, here is a quick run-down about what to expect during your time at Santa Cruz Viru Viru International Airport.
What to Expect
Santa Cruz Airport (code: VVI) handles regional and North and South American destinations from International and Domestic terminals. Amenities are limited to one eatery (luckily, it’s open 24 hours), a duty-free shop, and free WiFi. Economy class passengers may be able to enter three airport lounges. See Airport Lounges in the guide below for location and access information.
Sleeping in Santa Cruz Airport
Overnight travellers are common at this airport. Some benches are armrest-free, but cold metal means they aren’t too comfortable – bring a blanket or sleeping bag. For uninterrupted sleep, many reviewers mention Sleep Box, located landside, which rents rooms by the hour and has shower facilities. Additional nearby hotels offer shuttle service. See the Airport Hotels section below for locations, or read traveller airport reviews for more tips.
To help us keep this guide up-to-date, you can add or update information or write a review to submit airport tips and photos. For more airport information, continue scrolling down to explore more in our Santa Cruz Airport Guide.
In this guide we may refer to locations as “landside” and “airside”. Landside is the public area of the terminal located in the non-secure zone, before security. Airside is the secure area of the terminal that you must reach by going through security. For more information on Europe’s Schengen Area, click here.
Airport Hours
The airport is open 24 hours.
Airport Hotels
If sleeping in the airport sounds like a nightmare, there are a few hotels near Santa Cruz Airport. For more options, you would need to drive into the city, which is a 30-minute drive away.
- Sun Hotel – Free airport shuttle is available. » Check Rates
Visit Tripadvisor to see a list of hotels in Santa Cruz, search for deals and read traveller reviews.
Airport Lounges
Pay-per-use, Single Visit Passes & Lounge Memberships
Regardless of what class of service you are flying, there is a lounge that you can enter by purchasing a lounge pass or through a lounge membership program. Visit the individual lounge page for more details about the lounge itself and learn how to gain access with just an economy class ticket!
- Lounge VIP (Domestic) – Location: Domestic Departures, Airside, 2nd Floor, near Gate 3. Lounge Access: Prepaid lounge passes • Lounge membership programs.
- VIP Lounge Santa Cruz de la Sierra – Location: International Departures, Airside, at the end near door 6. Hours: open 24 hours. Lounge Access: Lounge membership programs.
- Lounge VIP (International) – Location: International Departures, Airside. Hours: open 24 hours. Lounge Access: Lounge membership programs.
Related Pages: Santa Cruz Airport Lounges
Rest & Relaxation Zones
No dedicated sleeping areas, quiet areas or rest zones exist. If this information has changed, click here to update this guide.
More Airport Information
ATMs / Cash Machines – Need cash? ATMs are available. Fees may apply, so check your bank’s fee schedule and daily withdrawal limit if you are travelling internationally. You may also want to notify your bank of your travel plans. Location: Landside, Second Floor.
Currency Exchange – Location: Landside, Second Floor / International Arrivals – Hours: open 24 hours.
Drinking Water – Information is unavailable. Does the airport have water fountains or water bottle refill stations? Click here to update this guide.
Duty-Free & Shopping – A duty-free shop is available in the international boarding hall, airside.
Food & Drinks – This airport has only one food concession, located in the main hall, ground floor.- Operating hours are unknown.
Information Desk – Location: Landside, Main Hall – Hours: open 24 hours.
Luggage Storage & Lockers – Left Luggage service is available – Location: Landside, Domestic Arrivals Hall.
Medical Services – 24-hour Emergency Medical Service is available. Location: International Arrivals, airside.
Mobile Charging – At the time of this update, we had no information about mobile charging availability. If you know, click here to update this airport guide.
Showers – Not available.
SIM Cards – A reader tells us, “Sim cards can be [purchased] in the main hall of the airport. Several shops are also open during the night. Make sure you buy an Entel sim card. These function the best in the whole country.” (September 2022)
WiFi/Internet – Free WiFi is available at Santa Cruz Airport. Connect to the “Entel” network.
Bus
The airport is connected to the bus system. At the time of this update, the daytime fare is 6bs, and at night, it is 10bs.
Car Rentals
Avis, Barbol, Barron’s, Budget and Europcar offer on-site car rental services. Location: international arrivals area, landside.
Hotel Shuttles
See also Airport Hotels above.
Taxis
Taxis are readily available for hire in the ground transportation area.
Last updated: 2024-01-30
This guide is for informational purposes only to assist with your planning. All information, including rates and hours, is subject to change at any time without notice. The information in this airport guide is based on information collected and/or received from the airports, lounges, hotels, transportation providers, and their websites. We are not representatives of any of the above-mentioned service providers. To report errors or to add/update any items mentioned in the guide: update the airport guide or write a review.