What I liked

• Full breakfast spread with cold cuts, fresh fruit and hot dishes
• High quality decoration. Dark wood tones, grey chairs and mood lighting create a classy feel
• Beautiful bar area with a range of wines, beer and spirits

What can be improved

• No natural light
• No runway views
• No extras like kids play area

Entry requirements

I got entry to the Heathrow Plaza Premium lounge through my Priority Pass. A Priority Pass membership starts at $99/year and goes up to $499/year. I have my priority pass membership as an AMEX Platinum Cardholder – this is great value for me. Between my card and my wife’s supplementary card, we can get 4 people into an airline lounge.

I attended the lounge with my wife and my daughter. We save $50-$100 on food every time we go to an airport.

The space

A lot of money has been spent to decorate the Heathrow Plaza Premium lounge. The lounge looks really classy, with a combination of dark wood, mood lighting and grey furniture. During quiet periods, the lounge feels like a Mayfair private members club!

I appreciate a well-designed lounge - it gives that feeling of luxury and separates you from the madness of the terminal. I’ve been to some great lounges recently, including the Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi and the GVK Lounge Mumbai. I also went to the Eurostar Lounge Gare Du Nord, which looks like the set of a Bond film!

The entrance of the lounge leads to the bar - which is beautifully designed. You then walk through the bar to the main area with tables, seating and the buffet spread.

The downside with the decoration is that there’s no windows or any natural light in the lounge. The lounge is dark – but the designers did a great job with mood lighting to give a classy feel.

The seating mainly consisted of cushioned grey seats with side tables. There were also a couple of raised tables with high chairs, and a sofa next to the bar area.

The food

The Heathrow Plaza Premium lounge had a full spread with English breakfast classics:

• Bacon
• Sausages
• Eggs
• Bread
• Mushrooms
• Oatmeal (Porridge)
• Roast Potatoes
• Cold cuts
• Yoghurt
• Fruit

Food is one area where 3rd party lounges in London separate themselves from lounges elsewhere. Whereas most lounges provide sandwiches and food in a packet, nearly all lounges in London have a full meal service. If you visit this lounge on a holiday to London, I recommend to stay at my Airbnb in Angel, Islington. The property has a fantastic location and has proved very popular, with an average rating of 4.75*.

As for the quality of the food - it was edible, but not amazing. I’m the 1st to complain about lounges that lack food choice, so I did appreciate the wide range available. I’ve been to some airport lounges with shocking food, including the Plaza Premium Lounge Ahmedabad, ANA Lounge Lisbon and the Escape Lounge Tunis!

Drinks

The bar area of the Heathrow Plaza Premium lounge is beautiful and luxurious – I appreciated the design. As it was 7am, I didn’t drink any alcohol - but it looked like beers, wines and some spirits were complimentary. Premium spirits and cocktails attracted a surcharge – which is fair enough.

I had an Americano from the coffee machine, which I found to be bitter. Then again, I find most coffee machines to be bitter!

Conclusion

I really like the plaza premium lounge London Heathrow (departures terminal 2). The designers have made a lot of effort with the design, which creates that feeling of luxury. The lounge has everything you need from a 3rd party lounge – hot food, plenty of seating and a fully stocked bar. No complaints from me!

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