Home » Posts tagged 'lounge review' (Page 4)
Tag Archives: lounge review
My review of Eurostar Business Premier Lounge, London
Eurostar is the most convenient way to travel between London and Paris, and thanks to its partnership with American Express you can transfer membership rewards points to Eurostar to redeem tickets cheaply.
Another benefit that comes with American Express is, if you hold the Platinum or Centurion card, you can access the Eurostar Business Premier lounges (but no guest allowed). The card must be issued in the UK, France or Belgium though, and the London staff do inspect it very carefully.
Unfortunately it doesn’t come with the Business Premier fast track lane, and you can only enter the station approximately 90 minutes before departure, so don’t arrive too early.
One interesting find – my ticket was booked with points which comes with one free change that has already been used, however on the ticket machine I’m able to change it again for free.
After passing security, the Business Premier lounge is on your right.
The lounge has two floors. The ground floor is long, narrow and a bit cramped.
I recommend to stay on the second floor, which is much nicer.
If I remember correctly, the bar is manned on weekday evenings.
Wireless aircharge is available, but it’s very slow.
There are quite a few drink options on offer, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
But when it comes to food the selection is very poor. A couple kinds of nut mix, popcorn, biscuits, and that’s about it. And they don’t taste good…
As you can see, the Eurostar lounge isn’t comparable to an airport lounge, and most importantly don’t expect any kind of meal here. However, if you need a place to work or want a few drinks before your journey, feel free to kill some time here.
My review of Sky Lounge, Vienna Airport Terminal 3
I’m flying with British Airways from Vienna airport terminal 3, and the only lounge open at the moment besides Austrian’s is the Sky Lounge.
You could access Sky Lounge with Priority Pass, or if you are a business class passenger / elite member with select airlines. After security, turn right to walk down the hallway and you’ll see it along with an Austrian Lounge. It’s in the Schengen area, before passport control.
The lounge is big-ish with several function areas.
Business room:
Diner:
Relaxation zone:
Food options are not bad, as two hot items are served: chicken in cream sauce and dumplings stuffed with leek, although I didn’t try them.
There are a variety of wines and a station where you can mix your drink.
Enjoy!
My review of Cathay Pacific First Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 3
After returning to the Qantas Lounge after more than two years, I spent the most of my afternoon in the Cathay Pacific Lounge, since I could only enter the American Express Centurion Lounge from three hours before my flight departure.
Cathay’s Lounge is coded Lounge C, situated to the left of the Qantas Lounge. I have been here quite a few times, and it’s probably my favourite lounge at Heathrow.
Thanks to my BA Gold status, I could access its First Class Lounge. They share the same entrance, but once you are in you either head straight for Business, or turn right for First.
The lounge itself is, to be honest, quite compact.
With a selection of snacks and drinks on the counters.
The actual thing that stands out is its restaurant service, which isn’t available in the Business Class Lounge.
If you fancy sitting down for a proper dinner, it’s a good place to be at. There are a bit more food choices here than in the Business Class Lounge, but not significant.
I’m quite impressed by its wine list, which I forgot to take a photo of.
After lunch, I quickly moved myself to the Business Class Lounge for the rest of the afternoon. To be honest I favour it heavily over the First Class Lounge, as it’s much more spacious, plus has a proper bar and multi-purpose seating areas. If you only have access to the Business Class Lounge – don’t worry, you haven’t missed much.
My review of Qantas Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 3
Heathrow Terminal 3 is a great place for lounge hopping if you are flying a Oneworld airline. Prior to trying out to new Amex Centurion Lounge, I spend some time in the good old Qantas Lounge and Cathay Pacific Lounge too.
Qantas Lounge is labelled Lounge B.
The ground floor is closed at the moment, which used to be the beloved restaurant and bar.
There’s also a bar upstairs, although not quite as fancy.
Seats next to the bar are best for runway view.
There’s enough room on the first floor. What I don’t like is they spread out everything across the floor, and there’s no separation between dining area, business centre or relaxation area etc.
It could be tricky to find a private place for making phone calls or working quietly.
Breakfast / Lunch buffet is served at the time.
The chicken tikka masala is pretty good.
The most popular feature of the Qantas Lounge is a-la-carte dining in the ground-floor restaurant, which is missing for now, and I don’t know for how long. Considering this, I don’t really see a reason of choosing Qantas over the Cathay Lounge, although food-wise it seems that Cathay never changes their menu, so Qantas could be a refreshing alternative.
My review of American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 3
Without any specific planning, I came to realise that my BA flight departs from Heathrow Terminal 3 in the booking process. In terms of (Oneworld) lounge situation Terminal 3 is much more preferable than Terminal 5, given the lounge choice between British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. And even better, American Express just opened its new Centurion Lounge in October 2021, so it’s a great opportunity for me to check it out.
Amex has now opened a handful of Centurion lounges globally outside the United States. I’ve visited the one in Hong Kong a couple of times pre-pandemic and really liked it.
I have the whole day to myself at Heathrow so spend some time in the much loved Qantas and Cathay lounges too, which I’ll write about later. T3 feels much smaller than T5 or even T2, but the signage is a bit confusing and it takes me a while to find the Amex Lounge.
It’s nicknamed Lounge A – turn right after security, and you’ll find a lift towards the end.
One level up and the lounge entrance is right in front of you. There’s a kid’s club on the left but I didn’t check it out.
Entry rules are as follows:
- Amex Platinum card members can bring up to 2 guests
- Amex Centurion card members can bring up to 2 guests, or the entire immediate family (spouse and underaged children)
- You are allowed entry from three hours prior to your flight departure
The guest rule is generous enough, however unlike airline lounges, you can’t show up anytime on the day even if it’s way ahead of your departure. Amex card, passport and boarding pass are needed for verification.
The interior is mainly wooden or beige.
There’s a business room immediate to your left. Small cabins are provided which are very convenient if you need to attend a phone call or video conference.
Move forward to see the bar and dining area.
With a very delicate afternoon tea set at the side.
And a semi-private relaxation area.
That’s about it. Size-wise the lounge is nowhere near how the Qantas one measures, not to mention the huge space Cathay occupies. However it’s really new and tastefully furnished. You may have noticed the London map in the picture above already, and there’s also a display of cricket bats:
What I love most is this turquoise retro display made of books and suitcases:
Food is arranged in small plates and feel free to take all you can eat.
There are chicken, beef and vegetarian options. Presentation is really nice and so is the taste. The Japanese soba noodles are quite good.
Don’t forget to grab a drink from the bar too – they have cocktail menus.
Usually I’d say Cathay Pacific Business Lounge is my favourite at Heathrow, given its various dining and super comfortable seating options. Comparatively, the Centurion Lounge is much smaller, but feels more upscale and is slightly better in terms of food. The next time you are at T3, don’t forget to reserve some time here.
My review of Sala VIP Roja at Tenerife South Airport
After spending five nights at Ritz Carlton Abama I’m on my way back to London. There’s a huge queue in front of the Eurofins covid test centre at the airport, which are presumably mostly British tourists, but fortunately the pre-departure test requirement will be scrapped soon.
Sala Montana Roja is the only lounge available at TFS, or at least the only one that’s open.
The lounge is pretty spacious.
Some of the sections are closed, but it doesn’t feel crowded at all.
You can help yourself to the drinks or make your own coffee using the Nespresso machine:
The alcohol selection is very impressive. For food you’ll be served by one of the staff:
There’s a good spread of cold-cuts, pastries, snacks and desserts.
My review of Tempelhof Lounge, Brandenburg Airport Berlin
After a nine-year delay, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport finally opened in October 2020, and this is where I fly from to get back to London after my one-week trip in Germany.
Most of the flights depart from Terminal 1, and there are two lounge options here: Lufthansa Business Lounge for Star Alliance customers, and Tempelhof Lounge for everyone else. If you are in economy class, have no status and rely on Priority Pass then you are out of luck, as the Tempelhof doesn’t accept Priority Pass or LoungeKey. If you have DragonPass though, you can get access to the Tempelhof AND the Lufthansa Business Lounge!
I’m flying British Airways so entitled to the Tempelhof Lounge. It is located near A20 which is quite a trek after security.
The Lounge is big and bright.
At 11am, there are potato soup, meatballs with rice and scrambled eggs served in sealed jars. I applaud their effort to make hot food available 🙂
One of the best features of this lounge is a dedicated passport control service. After exiting the lounge there are two border control desks which are reserved for lounge guests only, and you’ll be entering Zone B/C immediately for non-Schengen departures. This saves you around 20 minutes’ time!
In general I find it a very pleasant lounge and definitely much better than the previous options at Tegel. It’s worth spending some time here before your flight the next time you travel from Brandenburg.
My Review of the Lufthansa Senator Lounge, Munich T2
Finally a chance to utilise my matched TAP Portugal Gold status! Having an early evening flight back to London, I decided to come to the airport a bit early to try out the Lufthansa lounge.
Being one of the two hubs, Munich has a total of 11 Lufthansa lounges, which is very impressive! For comparison, BA has “only” 7 departure lounges between T3 and T5 at Heathrow.
However, due to the current situation only three of them are open: one business lounge and one Senator lounge, which are next to each other; and the Senator cafe. All three are in the Schengen departure area, so do not cross the border too early if you are flying to the UK!
The two lounges are close to gate G28, which is a short walk from the security check.
After showing my boarding pass, I’m guided to the left-hand side leading to the Senator section, reserved for Star Gold members. The concept of Senator lounges is a nice touch from Lufthansa, as they are usually slightly better than the business counterpart and convey the airline’s appreciation of loyal customers.
The inside area is not huge – on the left there’s a dining area, and on the right there’s a semi-enclosed, and quieter room if you need some space to yourself.
Further down there are some work desks, and a few lounge chairs for you to lie down.
In terms of food, there are two options on offer: chicken drumsticks and potato stew. I find the quality excellent, especially the former – I’d probably rank it as one of the most tasty food I’ve had in any airport lounge!
The food station and bar are staff-serviced. You can also help yourself to snacks and desserts – the chocolate with cream toppings is also very nice.
I like the interior design of this lounge. It feels different to the other Lufthansa lounges I’ve been to, probably as I don’t see much dark grey or brown colours here, and the overall theme is a lot brighter. All in all, I really enjoyed my experience here, and thank you TAP Portugal 😉!