What I liked

• Large lounge. Lots of seating
• (Obstructed) runway views
• Full bar
• Swanky coffee machine

What can be improved

• Food was underwhelming
• The space was dark

Entry requirements

I gained entry to the lounge with my Priority Pass. I was travelling with my wife and daughter, so I saved a lot of money compared to buying food in the terminal.

Priority Pass is the largest Independent Lounge Network in the world, with over 1,300 locations. However, the quality of the lounges can vary considerably! There are some fantastic Priority Pass Lounges at London Heathrow, such as the Skyteam Lounge and the Plaza Premium Lounge in Terminal 4. However, the lounges at smaller airports can be hit and miss, like The Lounge in Dublin.

The space

The ANA lounge is a large space, with lots of seating and high ceilings. It looks out to the runway, although the view is heavily obstructed by shutters on the windows. These shutters are really annoying, as they prevent light from coming in and obstruct the view of the runway. If the windows didn’t have shutters, then the lounge will be a much nicer place.

There was a magazine rack, although not many English options. There was also a smoking room, which is still a fairly common fixture in European airports.

The food

There was a small counter with refreshments. The choice was rather underwhelming. It consisted of the following:

• Sandwiches
• Cakes
• Snacks in a packet
• Apples and bananas
• No hot food

The sandwiches weren’t the greatest. I had a bite of the ham baguette, but I couldn’t finish it. If you are looking for a meal, then this lounge is not the right place. You can expect to get a coffee and a snack, but not a lot more.

I don’t understand why the lounge can’t provide hot food. It’s a big lounge with a lot of customers, and there would be lots of demand for hot food. It can’t be too difficult to make some pizza in an oven, can it?!

I’ve been to a lot of lounges, and there’s so much variation in food quality. I prefer a lounge that has a smaller selection of high quality dishes. I visited the Swiss Business Class Lounge in Zurich at breakfast time. The lounge is tiny, but they had a couple of high quality egg dishes. They also had fresh fruit and breads. 

The drinks

The drinks selection was the best thing about the lounge! The wine selection included Prosecco, and there was a decent choice of beer and spirits too.

There was a separate drinks station, which contained tea, coffee and good range of juices. The coffee machine was quite fancy, and my wife enjoyed the latte she had!

Conclusion

This lounge is ok, but is let down by the disappointing food options. My view is that a lounge should feed you before your flight. We all need to eat! On this area, the lounge fell short. However on the positive side, the lounge is large and has a good alcohol selection.

One of my very favourite lounges in Europe has to be the Air France Lounge, CDG, Paris. The lounge has gorgeous runway views, free spa treatments and champagne bottles everywhere! Check out my review for a great shot of a Delta jet.

The Intercontinental Paris Le Grand is IHG’s flagship hotel in Paris, but I wasn’t impressed with my stay. I got an awful room looking at the interior of the hotel. In addition, they only offer instant coffee in the rooms – no coffee machine! That being said, the hotel design was pretty special.