New Club Aspire lounge opens at Gatwick North, South planned
If you have a Priority Pass you may be interested to know that Aspire has opened the Club Aspire lounge at Gatwick North, the second Club Aspire in the UK. This on the site of the old Aspire lounge on level 1. A new bar has been installed, kitted out with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including exclusive Spey single malt Whisky and local London Pride beer. There is a hot food menu, including a cooked breakfast. Breakfast will be on offer until 11am.
From 11am onwards there will be at least 2 hot dishes on offer which this month are Butter Chicken Curry & Rice or Broccoli & Cheese Pasta. Alongside is a soup, salads, cheeseboard, cakes and snacks. The drinks include:
Kronenbourg
Tiger
Guinness / London Pride
White / Red / Rose Wine
Vodka
White Rum
Whisky (Spey Tenne single malt)
Brandy
Gin
Port
Cinzano
If you want Prosecco or Champagne you can pay extra for these. However, to celebrate the launch (12 June), the lounge will be serving complimentary Prosecco to guests visiting during the first two months of the lounge opening.
If you want to work the lounge’s Business Zone is ideal plus there are tableside charging facilities and a dedicated Quiet Area.
Priority Pass, LoungeKey and Lounge Club members can access the lounge using their memberships, with additional guests charged at £15 each. If you want to book independently I recommend Lounge Buddy app. As well as being able to book paid lounges, the app can show you all the lounges in an airport including your eligibility to enter them with your frequent flyer schemes plus reviews and photos of all the lounges. You can book the Aspire Lounge from £21 through Lounge Buddy. Walk-in guests will be charged £28.00 on the door. For more details, visit here.
Aspire also have a similar lounge planned for the South terminal which will help the current situation where the No 1 lounge is constantly overcrowded and turning away Priority Pass holders.
Singapore Airlines business class flights from £1358
If you have been looking for flights to Singapore and are fed up waiting for a BA or Qatar sale you may want to consider Singapore Airlines from Stockholm. They are currently offering some great price fares to Singapore via Moscow which is the route I took in January on the way to New Zealand. Flights to New Zealand are also available from £2112. Although transmitting in Moscow sounds like a pain, it was very simple. We were seated back in the lounge around 10 minutes after getting off and after a short wait, we were back on board the aircraft again. Singapore uses the A350 on this route which is one of my favourite aircraft types in terms of feeling better after a long haul flight. The seats are enormous and although the beds are a touch hard due to the flip-over style of them, the food and service made up for it. You can read my review of my A350 flight to Singapore here.
Whilst you can’t earn Avios on Singapore you can earn miles to use on Star Alliance or credit them to your Virgin Flying Club account.
Tickets must be booked 60 days before departure and bought by 21 July 2018. The minimum stay is 7 days. Tickets are non-refundable but changeable for a fee. Flights at the lower prices are available from the last week of August onwards. These prices can be booked via Singapore Airlines or Expedia.
Whilst in Singapore why not try a trip to my number one hotel in the world, The Sanchaya? Read my review here.
Atlantis the Palm sale 30% off last few days and Mastercard offer 25% off
If you are planning a trip to Dubai or Atlantis the Palm specifically (review later this year) there are two offers currently on. The first is due to end on 30 June and is for 30% off your stay. The second is for 25% off when you pay with Mastercard. Although the second offer is not quite as good on room rate, it does include a lot of extra discounts. This might make it more valuable overall if you plan to eat or do activities in the hotel.
30% off offer
The 30% off offer is available on Deluxe Rooms, Imperial Club, Club Suites and Signature Suites. The bookings include unlimited entry to the waterpark and aquarium.
- Booking Dates: 21 June 2018 – 30 June 2018
- Staying Dates: Until 31 March 2019
- Blackout Dates: 20 Oct 2018 – 4 Nov 2018 and 23 Dec 2018 – 5 Jan 2019
The 30% off offer page is here.
Mastercard offer
The Mastercard offer is more limited for stay dates as it is only available for stays until 17 October 2018. The offer includes:
- 25% off when you book a Deluxe Room, Imperial Club, Club Suite or Signature Suite
- Free unlimited access to Aquaventure Waterpark and The Lost Chambers Aquarium
- 25% off at Nobu, Seafire, Bread Street Kitchen, Ayamna, Yuan, Ronda Locatelli & Ossiano
- 25% off at ShuiQi Spa on selected treatments
- 25% off your Dolphin Encounter experience
- 25% off Ray Feeding
- 25% off Ultimate Snorkeling
- 25% off Atlantis airport transfers to and from Dubai International Airport (DXB) when booked through Atlantis, The Palm
There are quite a few terms and conditions to read:
- Offers must be requested and paid in full using a valid Mastercard credit, debit or pre-paid card
- You must present the Mastercard used for booking at the gate or restaurant (bear in mind in case you are considering using the Lloyds Avios Mastercard in case the product is changed or withdrawn before then).
- For restaurant and activity discounts you must request the discount, it will not be done automatically when paying by Mastercard
The Mastercard offer page is here.
