READER REVIEW: Clubrooms at Gatwick South Terminal Lounge Review March 2024

Today’s reader review is written by Nico. You can follow his travels on Instagram: MilesOnPoint

A business trip to Barcelona provided me with an opportunity to try out the Clubrooms at London Gatwick’s South Terminal.

BA operates from the South Terminal, but due to my required arrival time on a Sunday, I was booked on Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling (which, like BA, is owned by parent company IAG). There is no lounge access with Vueling.

Side note: You can’t earn Avios on Vueling via BA Executive Club (unless ticketed on a BA flight number); however, I added my Iberia number to this flight and earned around 400 Avios (these can be moved to Executive Club for free via “Combine my Avios”).

How to get access to Clubrooms Lounges

Back to the lounge, I wanted somewhere quiet to relax and have some breakfast prior to my 09:50 flight to Barcelona and the Clubrooms fitted the bill nicely. It’s an upgrade on the regular No. 1 lounge next door, offering an à la carte menu, cocktails and table service (although no children are admitted, it’s adults-only).

Entry is from £38 online, or if using a Priority Pass you can pay a £15 reservation fee in advance to access the Clubrooms. This compares with a £6 fee to reserve a Priority Pass place in the regular, buffet only, No. 1 lounge next door. Reservations are recommended as they frequently turn away Priority Pass holders on the door, due to capacity constraints.

Clubroom bookings include fast-track security at Gatwick (normally £7), which is very welcome and helps offset some of the Clubrooms reservation fee. (It used to also be included for No 1 Lounges, but that was recently removed).

Location

After clearing security, turn immediately left for a slight shortcut to the lounges.

Walk ahead, past Boots and then the lounges are located next to JD Sports.

The Lounge

On arrival, the lounge attendant confirmed my reservation before scanning my Priority Pass (via my Amex Gold) to deduct one visit from my account. 

I was invited to sit at a table in the area near the window, which has plenty of natural light and views of the runway in the distance.

In terms of the alcoholic drinks, a variety of red (4), white (4) and rosé (2) wines are available, as well as two french sparkling options. All of these are included in the entrance fee for the lounge. Champagne is available for an additional charge, starting at £9 per glass. Cocktails are included but you have to speak to a member of staff who will verbally explain the options available, I would prefer if these were printed on the menu.

The à la carte menu for breakfast has recently been upgraded to bring back pre-COVID options such as Eggs Benedict, in addition to the standard full English/Vegetarian or breakfast rolls (Gluten-free options available).

I duly obliged (for review purposes, you understand) and ordered the Eggs Benedict. It arrived promptly and was well executed with perfect poached eggs and crispy bacon. The food is definitely a step above the offering in the main No. 1 lounge.

There are also some mini pastries and yoghurt pots with granola on display that you can help yourself to.

Unfortunately, I was let down on the drinks front with the worst, from-concentrate orange juice I’ve had in a lounge. Given the modest cost of better-quality juice, there’s absolutely no excuse for this.

Their non-alcoholic offering was poor generally. There’s no bottled water available and no filtered water tap (unlike the great Brita ones in the BA lounges), just a sad jug of tap water that had been sitting in the fridge for some time. The only sparkling water on offer is 150ml cans of Fever Tree which were hidden away and only available on request.

Tea and coffee you had to make yourself. I don’t think it would be too much to ask to have pots of tea made up by members of staff given the “premium” positioning of the lounge. There’s not sufficient space for barista coffee here, so that at least can be forgiven.

As highlighted in previous reviews, the tables are very low and not designed to eat from comfortably. I think the focus here is more on drinking, which many of my fellow lounge visitors seemed to be indulging in at 8am (good luck to them, however it was a little early in the day for me).

There are dedicated toilet facilities for the Clubrooms in the form of two unisex loos which were well appointed and clean.

Showers are also available, but I didn’t have a chance to use them during this visit.

Conclusion

Overall this is a solid option at Gatwick South Terminal, let down a little by some unnecessary cost/service cutting. The food is well made and the atmosphere is much calmer and relaxing than the busy main lounge, so this could swing it if you want somewhere quiet and peaceful pre-flight.

I suspect that you would likely get better value from your entry fee if you attend later in the day, as you will have a greater opportunity to enjoy the premium spirits and cocktails on offer. The lunch menu also looks more extensive than breakfast.

You can check prices and book here.