Lounging at The Airport: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse

May 4, 2009 at 10:56 AM | by kjb | 1 Comment

Airport lounges promise respite from the sad public seating at the gates and the unhealthy diet offerings of the terminal food courts. But of course, at a premium price. All week long at Jaunted we will be detailing what it costs to lounge at the best international airline lounges, because the domestic offerings that we featured last week got us dreaming of much, much more. Got any suggestions or tips? Let us know.

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
· How Much: If you're flying in Upper Class, just walk right in, no fee for you (although you did kind of pay for it within your ticket price). If you didn't throw down for the expensive seat, you can still get in if you are Flying Club Gold or have an American Express Centurion card—that's the ritzy black one to all us regular folk. People who have booked their vacations with Virgin Holidays can use the clubhouses for a fee of �35 at Gatwick and �60 at Heathrow.
· Internet Access: Free WiFi is available in all of their clubs, but you probably won't use it since there's so much other stuff to see and drink.

Keep reading after the jump for more peeks at club perks.

· Beverages: Stocked with all kinds of free drinks, the lounge caters to both booze drinkers and those preferring virgin, but if you're here, it's already apparent that you prefer Virgin. Every VA clubhouse has a different bar to check out, including the one that's over 30-feet long in London-Heathrow. What's our drink recommendation? The Virgin Redhead, of course; it's crushed raspberries, lemon juice, gin, and champagne.
· Snacks: There's way more than just the standard chips, candy and fruit, although those are available too. The custom winter 2009 menu at the Heathrow clubhouse features a full English breakfast, burgers, shepherds pie, and a smorgasbord of further choices. Definitely wait to eat until you get to the airport, it's worth it in this case.
· Other Amenities: At the Virgin Clubhouse, it seems as if your wish is their command. Shoot pool and watch movies at Heathrow, take a relaxing shower in Johannesburg, or listen to the Wurlitzer jukebox in Washington-Dulles. Some of the lounges, like the mackdaddies in London, have full service salons to take care of your beauty needs. Each lounge has plenty of comfortable and trendy seating, of course, including swivel seats and chairs suspended from the ceiling.
· What To Watch Out For: There are 10 clubhouses around the world, but they have alliance agreements for locations where there aren't official clubhouses. The lounge at London-Gatwick is going under the knife this fall for a full renovation, so we'll have to wait until 2010 to experience that one's fresh digs.

Are you a frequent visitor to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse? Tell us what you like or dislike in the comments below.

Related Stories:
·Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse [Official Site]
·The Virgin Clubhouse at SFO: Futuristic, With A Bong [Jaunted]
·Airport Lounges coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a lounge in LGW: garybembridge]

Jaunted

Select a Destination:

Tags: Lounges / Virgin Atlantic / Airport Lounges / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags