What I liked
- Well designed lounge
- Floor to ceiling windows with good runway views
- Fully stocked bar
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The Gulf Air Lounge is a Heathrow Terminal 4 Lounge. The lounge is a well-designed space with excellent runway views. My photo of the Gulf Air Dreamliner was spectacular! I was disappointed with the food however.
It’s a perfectly acceptable place to spend an hour before your flight. I’m not sure I’d want to spend three hours here.
I took loads of photos for this review. Each photo can be clicked and pops out into a slideshow.
You can enter the Gulf Air Lounge, if you fly in Business Class with Gulf Air. If you’re not flying in business, an alternative is the Plaza Premium Lounge. Which is also in Terminal 4. Review here.
That lounge can be accessed with a Priority Pass Membership. Membership can be purchased from Priority Pass, from this webpage.
I have a tie up with Priority Pass. You get a 30% discount if you use my link. If you go to the Priority Pass Homepage, then you won’t get the discount.
Standard Plus Membership is £183 per year. It comes with 10 free lounge visits. So each visit costs £18.30. Excellent value for unlimited food, unlimited drinks and your own personal space.
I would just note the main complaint about the program. It’s a mass market program, it’s not Emirates First Class! Don’t expect freshly made steaks and unlimited champagne for £18.30.
These days, £18.30 would barely get you a sandwich and a couple of coffees. In Heathrow Terminal 4!
The Gulf Air Lounge is a Heathrow Terminal 4 Lounge.
The lounge is on the small side, and is basically a square room with a bar in the centre. For those of you old enough to remember, the layout is similar to the bar in the 80’s TV show, Cheers.
The lounge consists of:
There is a small buffet area tucked in one corner of the room. Most of the seating consists of small sofas and cushioned seats. Overall, I thought the lounge had a classy design.
The floor to ceiling windows have terrific runway views. I got a fantastic shot of the Gulf Air Dreamliner waiting outside. See the photo at the top. I do appreciate runway views. Sometimes lounges get this wrong. The ANA Lounge in Lisbon has heavily obstructed views – rather like a prison!
The lobby contains a cool monument of a Gulf Air Plane as you enter.
I did not see a kids play area, which I thought was disappointing. I travel a lot with my family, so it’s a nice to have a separate space.
My favourite Heathrow hotel for families is the Ibis Styles. Why? Because it’s cheap! I paid £66 for a family room. My room was large and the hotel décor was modern and fresh.
I was there at 7am, and there was a breakfast buffet available. It was typical English breakfast fare:
Sadly, I found the food to be pretty bland. I had bread, mushrooms, potatoes and olives.
London is a global city, with amazing food. Sadly, this lounge didn’t showcase the best that London has to offer!
Borough Market is an amazing destination for food. You can book up a food tour for £58 here. The tour is rated 5* and all food is included. Dishes include local and international delights. Fish & Chips, sausage rolls, sticky toffee pudding etc. Don’t eat breakfast!
The bar in the centre of the lounge was very nicely designed, as can be seen in the slideshow. It was fully stocked with premium spirits. As it was 7am, I didn’t have a drink.
I did have an Americano, which I found to be ok - a little bitter.
Heathrow is my local airport, and I’m something of an expert on how to get there. If you’re not careful, then you could spend a lot of money – e.g. taking a Black Taxi to central London for £150. There’s much better ways to travel there.
National Express coaches are probably the cheapest way to get to the airport. Although not the fastest! The webpage says fares from £10, but I’ve seen fares as low as £7 (to Birmingham). The coaches are decent, with leather seats, wi-fi and (most importantly) toilets!
I very rarely use Black Taxis (expensive) or Uber (expensive and unreliable). Uber has a 1.7* rating on Trustpilot. I use Welcome Pickups for Airport Transfers. They have a 4.9* rating on Trustpilot, and they’re reliable and fairly priced. Unlike Uber, you do need to pre-book your taxi.
I have a mixed opinion about the Gulf Air Lounge. I really like the space, and thought the lounge had an excellent design. I was disappointed with the food however. There’s a lot of choices for a Heathrow Terminal 4 Lounge. So there is a no reason to not get well fed.
Ultimately, this lounge is a perfectly acceptable place to spend an hour before your flight.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is also in Heathrow Terminal 4. It’s a pretty good lounge. It has lots of natural light and also a lovely design. There’s a buffet and a separate manned bar. You can pay to enter that lounge.
Etihad’s Business Class Lounge is in Heathrow Terminal 4. I was hugely impressed by their lounge. The food was restaurant quality. They also had some nice touches. Arabic coffee was available. There was also a selection of British Teas.
British Airways Flagship Business Lounge is in Heathrow Terminal 5. It’s a pretty cool place too. The lounge is large and has a lovely design. Bright and airy, with lots of natural light. The kids play area even has a model airport. Which just looks awesome!