Lounge access – Is it worth it?
I think it’s fair to say the most stressful part of a holiday is the bit from leaving your home to boarding the plane. There are so many different obstacles to deal with- the drive, parking, queuing, navigating the airport with complaining children and cumbersome bags, not to mention all the crowds and the waiting around. I thought we'd try an airport lounge, with the hope of starting to feel like we were on holiday before we'd even left the country.
I came across Holiday Extras and their tag line ‘Less hassle, more holiday’ caught my eye. They offer a range of extra travel services, from booking airport parking, fast track, airport hotels, lounge access, car hire and holiday transfers.
We hadn’t been on a family holiday for a few years and with our recent holiday to Egypt I decided I would try and make the journey as stress free as I possibly could, especially as we were travelling through Luton, an airport which we had found particular challenging on past trips.
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I choose airport lounge access and transfers to and from our hotel and was surprised at how affordable it was. The lounge access came to £96 for all four of us, which gave us access to ‘My Lounge’ for up to three hours. The airport transfers in Egypt cost £24 (both ways) which was about a third of the cost of the transfers offered via our holiday booking company.
As our last experience at Luton involved an hour and a half queue through security and nearly missing our flight, this time we got to the airport as soon as the flight check in opened. Once we had checked in our bags and gone through security (luckily no queues this time) this left us with two and half hours in the lounge.
Luton – My Lounge
There are two lounges in Luton- My Lounge and No 1 Lounge. After turning up at the wrong one first we eventually found the right one and claimed our base- a table and comfortable chairs right by the window overlooking the airport concourse.
The lounge was very clean and spacious, with various areas to choose from, whether you wanted a table to work at, larger tables for bigger groups or sofas so slouch on.
For your allocated time, you have unlimited food and certain drinks- tea, coffee, fruit drinks, soft drinks and certain alcohol (beer, wine, spirits and mixers). This is such great value when you think if you are going to have a meal at the airport for four people and a drink or two, you’ll be looking at well over £100.
The Food
I didn’t have great expectations but was pleasantly surprised. We arrived whilst they were serving breakfast, there was a choice of the usual fried brekkie options, plus mini pastries, cereal, muesli, yoghurt, fruit and pancakes (the kids loved the pancake machine where you get to make your own pancakes and choose the toppings). Within about an hour the food had changed and there were salads, baked potato, chilli con carne, baked beans, cheese, nachos and dips, filled rolls and various deserts. We all went up for several helpings (the plates were small) and were stuffed by the end!
There are large screens with the departure information showing so you can keep an eye on timings and make sure there’s no mad dash to the gate, no one needs that after a few glasses of wine and several plates of food!
All in all, a very relaxing and pleasant experience. I am now a complete convert to the airport lounge.
Holiday Extras Transfers
As mentioned, booking through Holiday Extras worked out cheaper than via our holidays company but more expensive than local taxis, however when you land in a foreign country that perhaps you haven’t been to before, I think its worth the extra to have your pick up pre- booked. Your driver has your flight details so knows of any delays and will meet you in the arrivals area with a sign with your name on. Same for the return journey, you just turn up at your hotel reception and the driver is there, all hassle free and highly recommended.
To book: www.holidayextras.com
Images credit, Dreamstime
