What I Liked
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Natural light
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Decent buffet
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Complimentary bar
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Nice decoration
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If you don’t have BA lounge access, then there’s two options in Heathrow Terminal 5. The Club Aspire and the Plaza Premium. This review is for the Plaza Premium Lounge.
You can access this lounge with a Priority Pass Card or by paying in cash. I think that both options are good value to enter the lounge. You can buy Priority Pass Membership from this link, at a 30% discount. I provide more details in the article.
In my experience, Plaza Premium Lounges are high quality. I’m happy to report that this lounge matched my expectations. Small but mighty! The lounge hits all the right notes. Decent food, complimentary bar and high quality decor.
This Lounge had been on my hitlist for some time. On my previous visits to Terminal 5, I had access to the BA Lounges. On this occasion, I was travelling in economy. So no BA Lounge access. I was glad to review this lounge, however!
This review contains full details about what to expect when you visit the lounge. I took loads of photos. Each photo can be clicked to open out the full slideshow.
I also summarise the different Terminal 5 lounges at Heathrow. In case you were too afraid to ask! Heathrow Terminal 5 is British Airways global hub. There are 8 lounges in total. 6 British Airways Lounges and 2 independent lounges. I’ve visited each one of the lounges.
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Heathrow Terminal 5 is British Airways global hub. But what if you don’t have access to the British Airways lounges?
The Plaza Premium is a Heathrow Terminal 5 Priority Pass lounge.
You can access the lounge via the following methods:
You can pre book entry online, from this page. The cost is £45 for two hours. However, nobody will know if you stay longer than two hours! I think this is good value for unlimited food, alcohol, free wi-fi, showers and personal space.
You can also get entry if you have a Priority Pass membership. You can purchase membership here. This is a special link, that provides discounts of up to 30% on Priority Pass memberships.
You won’t get these discounts if you go direct to the Priority Pass Website. Don’t buy direct from their website!
Priority Pass is a network of over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. A Standard Plus membership costs £183 per year. For that you get 10 free lounge visits per year. So the average cost per lounge visit is £18.30. A big discount on the £45 entry fee.
Prestige membership costs £377 per year and provides unlimited lounge visits.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is located on the Ground Floor, at the north end of terminal 5. Next to Gate A7. The lounge is directly underneath the British Airways North Lounge.
When you get through security, you turn left. Walk to the end of the concourse and go down one level.
It’s probably a 5 minute walk from the North End Security.
While you’re visiting London, there’s lots of amazing things to do. Below are some of my favourites.
The most popular activity is a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. It’s a great way to hit the best sights in one day. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral and much more. One of the best offers is a combined bus tour, river cruise and Harry Potter Walking Tour. Book here for £59, with free cancellation. Your bus ticket is valid for 24 hours. There’s a 2-hour Harry Potter Walking tour. The River Thames Cruise will last for 30 minutes.
Another favourite of mine is an East London Food Tour with Eating Europe. It comes highly recommended, with 5* from 765 reviews. The tour includes Bagels, Fish & Chips, Curry, Indian Beer, Pie & Mash and more! All with an expert guide. Book here for £99, with free cancellation.
The bagels in Brick Lane are famous and cooked in traditional Jewish style. The Fish & Chips in Poppies are amongst the most highly rated in the UK.
Do you want to do something amazing? Then get a private driver to take you round London in a classic Mini Cooper. What could be more British?! During your tour, you’ll see St Pauls Cathedral, Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament and more. The tour is rated 5* from 665 reviews. It’s good value too. The cost £316 per car, for a group of 3. Book here. It comes with free cancellation.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, then you’ll want to do a Warner Brothers Studio Tour. You can book a Studio Tour and a day trip to Oxford for £139. With free cancellation. Book here. These tours are very popular and always sell out. Luxury coach transport from London is included. You also have a professional guide to walk you around Oxford.
The Plaza Premium is a small L shaped lounge in the north corner of Terminal 5. It has the following facilities.
I didn’t see a business centre. To be honest, business centres aren’t necessary in this day and age. Nearly everyone will have their own devices to use.
There’s lots of windows to the outside. As it was the evening, there was no light coming in. But in the daytime, the lounge would be bathed in natural light. The windows look out to the runway.
The seating is made up of lounge style leather seats. There’s also two large high tables. The lounge style seats are private, with power sockets and tables to hold your food. I really liked these seats. They were good for eating, drinking and working.
I was travelling with my wife and two kids. So we took 4 seats to ourselves.
My only complaint was that the lounge was busy. It was Wednesday evening, and the terminal wasn’t too busy. However, the lounge was busy. There were only a few spare seats. At busier times, the lounge would hit capacity and turn people away.
I took a lot of photos of the lounge. You can view them by clicking the photo above, and opening out the slideshow.
The lounge has a decent sized buffet. It had a few hot dishes. All of mid-quality. Edible, but not gourmet! The following options were on offer:
All the food was fresh and hot. It was regularly replenished, during my 3 hour stay.
I had carrot soup, bread, mac and cheese and vegetable curry. The food was filling and satisfied my hunger for a few hours.
How would I rate the food? I could cook better food at home. I probably wouldn’t pay for the food at a restaurant. But it was fine for an airport lounge. That being said, I’m picky with my food!
The mac and cheese was a saucy creation. I had recently ordered an excellent mac and cheese for my daughter, a few days earlier. It had different types of cheese and was crispy on top. The mac and cheese in the lounge didn’t come close!
In terms of the curry, it wasn’t to my taste. Both my parents were born in India. When it comes to Indian food, I’m deeply judgemental and highly intolerant! If it’s not authentic, then I’m not impressed!
Ultimately, there was a decent variety of hot dishes. This is better than most airport lounges. I was travelling as a family of four. We probably saved £120 by eating in the lounge.
There’s complimentary alcohol in the lounge. Drinks are served from the bar, by a bartender. There wasn’t any self pour alcohol.
The bar has beer, wine and house spirits as complementary. Champagne and premium spirits are chargeable. I’ve uploaded the menu below.
There were two tea and coffee stations in the lounge. Coffee is served from a machine. There’s also a selection of Twinings tea.
I started off with an English Breakfast tea. I needed to feed my tea addiction!
I then had a Stella Artois beer from the bar.
Heathrow Terminal 5 is the global hub of British Airways. As such, the lounge scene is dominated by BA.
There are eight Terminal 5 Lounges at Heathrow. Six are British Airways lounges. I’ve been to each of the lounges. Below is a quick summary.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is a Heathrow Terminal 5 Priority Pass Lounge. I’m reviewing it in this article.
The Club Aspire is the other independent lounge. You can access that lounge with a Priority Pass Card. That lounge is pretty small. There’s also no toilet. You need to exit the lounge to use the bathroom outside. However, there’s a complimentary hot buffet and alcohol.
The Concorde Room is the premier British Airways Lounge in Terminal 5. You get access if you’re flying in First Class with British Airways. Also, if you’re a very heavy traveller with British Airways. And have earned 5,000 tier points in a year. The lounge has a dine on demand restaurant. The alcohol is also super premium. Including Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle Champagne and Johnny Walker Blue Label Whisky.
The Galleries First Lounge is the British Airways First Class Lounge. In theory! In reality, people travelling First Class will go to the Concorde Room. So, the Galleries First is full of British Airways Gold members. The lounge is quite similar to the business lounge. With food from a buffet. The alcohol is upgraded however. You get champagne in the Galleries First Lounge. Which you don’t get in business.
The BA South Lounge is the largest business class lounge. One of 3 British Airways business lounges in the terminal. They have a buffet, complimentary alcohol and lots of natural light. They have a really cool kids play area with a model airport.
The BA North Lounge is a smaller business lounge. It’s the 1st business lounge that you see, once you go through security. The food and drink is exactly that same as the South Lounge. The lounge has panoramic runway views, which is pretty cool.
The BA business lounge in Terminal 5B is my favourite business lounge in the terminal. The food and drinks are the same as the other lounges. However, this lounge is quieter. The lounge is in satellite terminal 5B.
British Airways have an Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 5. It’s located in the arrivals hall, once you pass security. The lounge is aimed at business travellers. Who want to eat and freshen up. Before going to work.
