What I Liked
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Hot buffet with fresh pancakes
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Complimentary alcohol
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Get access with a Priority Pass Membership
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Furniture was in decent condition
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This review is for the Club Aspire Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5.
If you don’t have access to the British Airways Lounges in Terminal 5, then you have two choices. The Plaza Premium Lounge and The Club Aspire Lounge. Both of these lounges can be accessed with your Priority Pass Card.
I’ve previously reviewed the Plaza Premium Lounge and I liked it a lot.
I was excited to review the Club Aspire. I previously visited this lounge before I became the Soulful Travel Guy! So I didn’t spend my time taking photos and writing reviews. I simply enjoyed the lounge with my family. Simpler times!
The internet reviews of this lounge aren’t great. However, I think the negative reviews are overblown. It’s a decent lounge with a hot buffet and complimentary alcohol. The staff were pretty good and they had fresh pancakes (I love pancakes!).
It’s true that the lounge is narrow and that there aren’t any toilets. But I knew this before I visited. If you have a Priority Pass Membership, you should definitely consider coming here. It’s much better value than being in the terminal.
In this article, I’ll cover the following:
I've uploaded a video review of this lounge to my Youtube Channel. This is shown below. The video is a bit rough and ready. At some point, I'll create a proper video. Until then - I'm sorry! If you're really upset, feel free to email me and send me some abuse!
The Lounge accepts a Priority Pass Card. Which is how I got in.
I’m a fan of the program, but there are some things about it that I don’t like:
However, if you travel with any sort of frequency, then it’s crazy not to have a Priority Pass Membership. It’s the money saver that elevates your travel.
With membership, you can access over 1,700 airport lounges worldwide. The largest lounge network in the world. I have an exclusive tie up with Priority Pass, to get 30% off membership. This is the best offer available anywhere.
I know how many people have access to this offer, and it’s not many. There’s no discount if you go direct to their website.
Membership starts at £48 per year.
Standard Plus is the sweet spot for most people. It costs £183 per year and comes with 10 free lounge visits per year. So each visit costs £18.30.
This is crazy good value for the benefits you get. Unlimited food, unlimited alcohol, your own personal space and free Wi-Fi.
It’s possible to pay £6 extra to Priority Pass and pre-book a time slot. Book at this website. So even if the lounge is at capacity, they’ll let you in at your designated timeslot.
So is it worth visiting the Club Aspire in Heathrow Terminal 5? For me, lounge access is nearly always worth it. It’s much cheaper than getting fed in the airport. You’re also separated and have your own private space.
The Club Aspire Lounge is in Heathrow Terminal 5. It’s a 10 minute walk after security.
The lounge is well signposted. But it’s a pain in the butt to get here!
Go through security -> Go down the stairs -> Then you walk to the south end of the Terminal -> Go past the British Airways South Lounges -> Then you turn left and come to the lounge entrance.
There was a small queue in front of me. I was in the lounge within 5 minutes.
When it comes to the British Airways Lounges in Terminal 5. I’ve reviewed all of them for this blog. My review of the British Airways North Lounge is here. Pity my poor family as I ignored them, while taking photos, videos and writing review content!
It can be expensive to get to the airport. But there are ways to save money as you travel to Heathrow Terminal 5.
National Express coaches are the cheapest ways to get to the airport. The coaches aren’t bad. With leather seats, tray tables and fast wi-fi.
The Heathrow Express is the fastest way to Central London. Taking only 15 minutes. If you book in advance, tickets start at £10 per person. Kids under 16 always travel free.
I use Minicabit to book my taxis to the airport. They’re a taxi comparison service. So it always gives me the best deal. It’s a good option if you’re travelling in a group.
The lounge shape is plain weird. It’s a narrow L shape at the corner of the terminal.
The majority of the lounge has the same width as a corridor.
There’s also a small area in the centre of the lounge. This part of the lounge is wider than a corridor! There’s a buffet counter. Along with the manned bar serving alcohol.
One thing to note is that there’s no toilet in the lounge. If nature calls, you need to exit the lounge and use the facilities in the terminal.
I knew this before coming into the lounge. So I went to the toilet before I entered the lounge.
There was a variety of seating. Restaurant style tables and chairs. A shared table. And a high table with stools.
The furniture was all in good condition. But deeply uninspiring! It reminded me of Regus Office Space building. Or a regional Holiday Inn!
There were windows to the outside. So light was coming in nicely. However, the windows were heavily obstructed. So not a great place for plane spotting.
The food at the Club Aspire Heathrow Terminal 5 was ok.
All the food was served from the buffet counter. I was there at 7am, during the breakfast service.
The following items were on offer
As you can see, it was a decent spread. Nearly a full English Breakfast.
The quality was middling however. I’m vegetarian, so I couldn’t try everything. Much of the food has been out for some time, and was cold.
I had vegan pancakes, a bread roll, baked beans and chips. The chips were nearly cold, by the time I got to them. The bread roll and baked beans were perfectly fine.
This is why it’s so hard to eat protein as a veggie! My doctor always tells me to eat more protein. At home, I have beans, tofu, lentils and more. But when I travel, it’s a carb overload!
A quick word about the pancake machine. They had the same machine that I’ve seen in many lounges and hotels. My daughter had pancakes and scrambled eggs. She enjoyed both.
I had the vegan pancakes. Which weren’t as good. I can make some mean vegan pancakes at home!
The food was decent, but not great. And the meat definitely looked better than my veggie breakfast.
I was impressed with the drinks service at the Club Aspire Heathrow Terminal 5.
The lounge serves alcohol from a manned bar. There were a wide variety of beers, wines and spirits.
Alcohol was complimentary. However, prosecco and champagne were chargeable.
It was 7am when I arrived. Which is way too early for me to get shitfaced! I did see a small number of other guests with alcoholic drinks.
There was also infused water, a soda machine and juices.
Tea and coffee was served from a machine. There was a Twinings tea selection. I had an English breakfast tea. Which was pretty good.
It’s all about expectations! The great and the good of the internet are pretty negative about this lounge.
My experience certainly exceeded these expectations. There was a hot buffet, complimentary alcohol and natural light. I liked the Club Aspire Heathrow Terminal 5.
Is the best lounge I’ve been to? No of course not! But it’s certainly not the worst. And it does the job. It’s certainly better than sitting in the terminal. It’s also a good use of a Priority Pass membership.