How much can you pack in an hour at the Virgin Atlantic Club in London?

Plan

My original plan was to spend 6 hours in London to experience as much of what is available at this huge airport as possible (or at least explore some of what Terminal 3 has to offer). ).

Adjustments to my grand plan began with an announcement after booking that my flights had been rescheduled. I was originally supposed to arrive in London from Tel Aviv at 10:25am and leave London on a 4pm flight, but the airline changed it to departing at 2:25pm. That cut my break down to four hours. There’s still plenty of time.

Waiting room

Virgin Clubhouse is one of the nicest lounges I have enjoyed in all my years of travel. You enter via a pair of large glass and marble stairs at London Heathrow’s Terminal 3.

There is friendly lounge staff to check you in at the top of the stairs. Once inside, there is a stunning view of the main bar and surrounding seating areas.

Amazing variety of places to relax including a quiet area (the area they call the Clubhouse Retreat), a sunken lounge, a more private sitting area where you can watch TV, a restaurant where you can sit down restaurant style. meals, and some other cozy places to park yourself.

You can order food and drinks from the QR code menu wherever you sit down. My favorite spot is in a semi-enclosed alcove area behind the bar with a view of the runway. This lounge even has a deli where you can order food to order.

Of course, there is also a giant bar that forms the center of this huge space. You can order off the menu at the lounge areas around the bar called Brasserie, or you can order at the bar from one of the cheerful bartenders.

Some options on the lunch and dinner menus include grilled Suya chicken wings, salmon bowl, Lucky Saint Beer fish and chips, cauliflower and masala potatoes, crayfish macaroni and cheese, and puddings berries for dessert.

One of the things Virgin Clubhouse was once famous for was a small salon where you could get a haircut between flights. Unfortunately, the pandemic ended that feature, and it was replaced by three Peloton stationary bikes, where you can train with views of the runway (more on that in a moment).

There used to be a spa in the lounge as well, but it’s been replaced with more seating.

I really liked the upstairs loft area with the pool table and a few places to sit and sip.

I would love to see a model of one of the two current Virgin Voyages ships. This is a simulation of the Scarlet Lady (serving the Caribbean).

My favorite thing is an outdoor terrace on a different floor than the loft space, where you can take the plane or just sit and breathe in the air.

The facilities I tried

I’ve heard of Virgin Clubhouse for years, but 2022 is finally the year to experience it for myself (twice). I had to visit first on my overseas journey to Tel Aviv and then back. So by the time of my second visit, I had a plan in place to race around and see how much I could do in my short break from work.

First, I filmed and took pictures around the lounge, which took about 15 minutes. Then I grabbed a drink from the bar on my way to the bar to take a shower. There was no waiting time in the shower, and they told me I could work out quickly and come back whenever I wanted. You can also register for a shower in advance.

I grabbed a Peloton bike and I had a small semi-enclosed room to myself. I couldn’t log into my Peloton account on the machine, but I managed to get into a quick 15-minute cycling session anyway. There are also some free weights, if you want to start your workout.

After a workout and a quick check of the desk, I head to the shower area. However, I didn’t want to stay there too long, as I also wanted to have a bite to eat and see what the lounge food service was like.

I ordered a chicken Caesar salad and cauliflower in the seating area near the shower so it was ready by the time I was done. The waitstaff laughed when I told them my plan, and they even let me choose a spot to dine where they would deliver the food when it was ready.

The bathrooms are small, but get the job done. Good water pressure. While they’re usually just luxury but not special bathrooms, I’ve always thought that showering at the airport was a great thing, and I love the Ren and Aveda products Virgin uses in the Clubhouses. mine.

I took a quick shower. In fact, so quickly that the food was still not ready when I took it out, even though my attentive waiter, Juan, had a Coke Zero waiting for me at my table.

When the food arrived, the soup was a bit bland, but tasted very healthy. Chicken Caesar was delicious. Although the anchovies are placed prominently, they do not overwhelm the salad.

Internet isn’t great but good enough to let me work and upload Speedtest screenshots.

Even though I only had an hour, I was able to take gallery-worthy photos, exercise, take a refreshing shower, recharge with a delicious meal, and maybe even get some correspondence and text. That’s more than I usually do in an hour at home! (If only I could be productive anywhere.)

Key point

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is a lounge loved by Flight Club members and aviation enthusiasts alike – and after a few visits, I now understand why. While some of its more famous amenities like spas and salons aren’t readily available, at least for now, there’s still plenty to fall in love with.

The chic design, delicious food, friendly service and many more distractions mean you’ll never get bored in this lounge even if you only have an hour like I did. do or can stay all day.

Next time, I hope to go a little longer and maybe explore a little more about Terminal 3. Maybe there will be time for a nap.