What I liked
- Bright lounge
- Runway views
- Fresh hot food
- Wide alcohol selection
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This review is for the AMEX Centurion Lounge in Miami airport.
I liked it. It’s a large sized lounge with natural light and runway views. There was a buffet with fresh hot food. There was also a wide variety of alcohol from the manned bar.
I took a load of photos. Each photo can be clicked to open out the slideshow.
The Centurion Lounge Miami location is next to gates D11 in the D terminal — not the most obvious spot after security, so it's worth knowing before you go hunting for it.
What sets it apart from most US airport lounges is that everything at the bar is free — including premium spirits and cocktails. I had a Platinum Mule Bourbon cocktail. Worth ordering. One honest note: tips are expected when the bartender serves you, so come with some small bills ready.
If you're travelling with kids, there's a small family room with toys. My three-year-old son made himself at home immediately, mocktail in hand. The décor across the rest of the lounge is functional rather than plush — restaurant chairs rather than boutique hotel armchairs. But given what you get at the bar, it feels like a reasonable trade.
If you're a frequent flyer but not on an Amex Centurion card, Priority Pass at 30% off opens up over 1,700 lounges worldwide — it's the next best thing, and it pays for itself quickly.
The Centurion Lounge Miami location sits inside Miami International Airport, right next to gate D11.
Finding the Miami Centurion Lounge location is easy once you know it's in Concourse D — American Airlines' home base at Miami International.
Once through security, head towards the lower-numbered gates. Gate D11 is your landmark — the lounge sits right beside it. It's a 5-minute walk from security. Just don't expect a big flashy sign to guide you in. I'd looked it up before going, which turned out to be the smarter move.
Walk Ocean Drive in South Beach
Miami's most famous free thing to do, and still my favourite. You stroll the Art Deco strip with the pastel hotels on one side and the beach on the other. Pavement cafés, neon, and people-watching that never quits. Costs you nothing but the walk back to your hotel.
Little Havana Food and Walking Tour
This is the pick I'd push you towards. You can book here for $70, and it's rated 4.9* from over 9,600 reviews — which is about as close to a sure thing as Miami gets. A local guide walks you through Calle Ocho with food stops along the way, so you're tasting Cuban coffee and proper Miami flavours, not just looking at them. Wear comfy shoes, mind. It's a fair bit of walking in the heat.
Speedboat Sightseeing Adventure
If you'd rather see Miami from the water at speed, book your ticket here for $42. It's rated 4.6* from over 3,100 reviews. You blast across Biscayne Bay and get the skyline and the celebrity mansions from out on the water. Bring sunglasses and expect to get a little wet — that's half the fun.
Biscayne Bay Sightseeing Cruise
For a gentler, cheaper trip on the same bay, buy tickets here for $25. Rated 4.6* from over 2,400 reviews. You drift past the millionaires' homes and Star Island while a guide points out who lives where. It's an easy, relaxed hour and a half — the one to book if you've got kids in tow or just want to sit down for a bit.
I got into the Amex Centurion Lounge on my Platinum card. But it's worth knowing the door doesn't open for everyone.
Here are the ways in:
So if you're not carrying the right Amex, you're out of luck. Which is where my next tip comes in.
A quick word on getting in. The lounge is for American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders, and you'll need to flash the card plus a same-day boarding pass at the desk. Bring the actual card — not just a photo of it.
Amex has tightened up its guest policy too, so if you're hoping to bring the family in, check what your card actually allows before you bank on it.
The Lounge Access with Priority Pass
An Amex Platinum card isn't cheap, and you're paying that annual fee whether you visit the lounge once or fifty times.
Priority Pass is the better-value route in my view. Signup here and get a 30% discount. Unlimited access costs $422 and gets you into over 1,800 lounges worldwide.
Standard Plus membership costs $263 and gives you 10 free lounge visits. So each visit works out at $26.30. The cheapest membership is $69.
For me, a lounge visit beats buying food in the terminal every time. La Carreta in Concourse D — just along from the Centurion Lounge Miami location — charges around $15 for a sandwich and $9 for a cocktail. A proper meal and a couple of drinks, plus tip, and you're not far off $60.
In the lounge, the food and the bar are included. That's the whole game.
Priority Pass isn't perfect, mind. Lounges get busy, and a full one can turn you away at the door. You can pre-book a timeslot for $7 to guarantee your spot.
The lounge is large and narrow, running the length of the window with sweeping runway views.
The lounge was bathed with natural light. It was a great place for plane spotting.
The food was served from the buffets. With lots of hot food available.
Staff served alcohol from two separate bars.
Everything was complimentary. Although they expect a tip if you get an alcoholic drink at the bar.
The decoration was pretty functional. Not luxury. With restaurant style tables and chairs. And leather seats.
There was also a small family room with some toys for kids.
The Miami Centurion Lounge opened in 2018, which puts it among the more established stops in the Centurion network. Long and narrow, it runs the full length of the terminal windows — and that layout is exactly why the runway views are as good as they are.
One thing worth sorting before you rock up: the Centurion Lounge Miami hours. It doesn't run round the clock. So if your flight is stupidly early or late, check the current miami centurion lounge hours in the Amex app rather than assuming the doors are open.
Better that than trekking across the terminal to a locked lounge. The sacrifices I make for the readers!
Hot food was available from the buffets. There were two buffets in the lounge. If you're trying to time the Miami Centurion Lounge hours around a meal, I was there at the end of the breakfast service, and the start of the lunch service.
There were a wide variety of freshly cut fruits. Grapes, berries, melons and other items. It all looked really nice. Me and my son started our meal with a large plate of fruits.
With the hot breakfast, there were the following dishes:
It all looked nice and well made. The bacon looked especially good.
For lunch. They brought out a fresh salad mix. They also had Thai chicken, rice, cooked veggies and soup. I had the cooked veggies and they were very good.
I had a Platinum Mule Bourbon cocktail. Which was very good.
I got a mocktail for my 3 year old son.
Tea and coffee were self served from the buffet. There were also separate drip coffee stations in the lounge.
I had a cup of drip coffee, which I really enjoyed.
The alcohol was served from the manned bars. Unlike most US Lounges, all alcohol was free. Including premium drinks.
There were beers, wines, premium spirits and cocktails.
I also had a mimosa. Made with Prosecco.
The Centurion Lounge Miami location is worth knowing before you arrive — gate D11, Concourse D, no big sign to guide you in. Once you're there, though, it delivers. Runway views, natural light, and a complimentary bar that stretches to proper cocktails and premium spirits. That last bit still feels like a small miracle compared to most US airport lounges.
The food held up too — fresh fruit, a hot breakfast, Thai chicken at lunch. The décor is functional rather than plush, but given that a Platinum Mule Bourbon costs you nothing at the bar, the restaurant chairs are easy to forgive. If you're an Amex Platinum cardholder passing through Miami, it's an easy yes from me.
Miami also happens to be home to one of the best airline lounges I've visited — if you're flying British Airways out of here, my British Airways Miami lounge review is worth a look before you travel.
If you're passing through New York, I've also reviewed the AMEX Centurion Lounge at JFK — the food was excellent and the cocktails gave Miami a run for its money.
One last thing worth saying about the Centurion Lounge Miami location: it's only an easy yes if you're holding the right card. If you're not on an Amex Platinum or Centurion, there's no paying at the door — so this isn't a lounge you can just wander into. That's where Priority Pass earns its keep for me. Grab it through my link at 30% off and you're into over 1,700 lounges worldwide, which works out far cheaper than feeding a family in the terminal.
And the terminal really does add up. La Carreta just along Concourse D wants around $15 for a sandwich and $9 for a cocktail — a meal and a couple of drinks with tip lands you near $60. One visit here, with the free hot food and a bar that pours premium spirits, and the maths starts making itself.