Jaunted

It's no Virgin Atlantic Heathrow Clubhouse, but it's damned great for a train departure lounge. First impressions were indeed impressive as we first spotted a red-lit box of lockable nooks, each outfitted with a charging cable to charge your phone. It supported most popular phone models, and this potential lifesaver for busy travelers was completely complimentary.

Moving on, the place was packed for a Saturday morning and although all worktops in the designated office-type area were taken, we easily grabbed a stool at the bar-height seating facing the TV. Outlets were right in front of us, the news was on, the lounge's staff quickly cleaned up the trash left next to us, and we were set.

The lounge has several different sorts of seating areas: a couch circle for relaxed reading, the many bar-height tables for working or eating, a section of modern seats nearer the entrance for those who want a quick bite and have to run and rows of seats along the windows looking down on the terminal for gloating to those below. There's even a separate, nearly walled-off section with its own refreshments stand, deemed the Quiet Area, although the entire place was pretty quiet anyway.

Noshing is encouraged, though you won't find full meals here. Trays of assorted biscuits (as in, cookies) and bowls of fruit are around, but the real score is in beverages. Two islands have both coffee and cappuccino/latte machines, still and sparkling water taps, the makings for a range of teas, and little fridges well stocked with mini-cans of soda. A very Virgin-style bar is just behind, but alcoholic drinks will cost you extra.

As for the facilities, we have to disappoint a bit and confess that we hadn't enough time to use them, let along photograph them. Arriving super early for a train isn't in our DNA, but we did hear that this lounge boasts a small hottub (and we did see the receptionist dispensing towels). Let us know if you've tried it out, and if we totally missed out!

[Photos: Cynthia Drescher for Jaunted]