Dan and I flew through the dreaded Heathrow airport earlier this year, connecting en route to Tirana, Albania. We had a 5.5 hour connection, which was decreased to about 4 due to delays, and were luckily able to visit the American Express Centurion Lounge in Terminal 3! Much having enjoyed our time in other American Express Centurion Lounges (read about it here, here, here, and here), we had high hopes for Heathrow’s outpost, and it did not disappoint.
LOCATION & CHECK-IN TO LONDON’S AMEX CENTURION LOUNGE
Heathrow’s American Express Centurion Lounge is located in Terminal 3’s “A Area” on the second floor above the bulk of the shops, stores, and restaurants (not near the gates where most of the other Terminal 3 lounges are located). We followed signs and took the elevator up to the lounge entrance. While there was a small line to check-in, we entered without delay by showing our American Express Platinum card and boarding passes. And just like that, we were in strolling past the famous greenery wall!
Love this wall!
THE SPACE
Heathrow’s American Express Centurion Lounge is a fairly large space for a Centurion Lounge (IMHO), with a few rooms with various seating options, as well as a bar area with a self-serve food buffet and two bartenders (on my visit anyway)! Showers are located near the restrooms, away from the remainder of the lounge (see below for showers). While crowded on our visit, we had no problem finding two seats together in the bar/kitchen area (of which I forgot to take a photo!). As with other Centurion Lounges, the lounge was decorated with art and London-specific things.
One seating room.
Another seating area in the Heathrow Centurion lounge.
Art in the Centurion Lounge.
Blurry photo of seating in the kitchen area.
THE FOOD
Now let’s get to the good stuff! Dan and I visited during lunch and the lunch & dinner buffet menu was operating. A photograph of the menu on our visit is below; however, what was actually on offer looked a bit different… I took pictures of a lot of it. In sum, I thought the buffet was a good mix of hot and cold foods with both vegetarian and meat options. Honestly, there were a lot of vegetarian options, which is pretty cool. I ate some of both the meat and vegetarian options, and both were really good for a lounge. My favorites of the day were the potatoes, the cookies, and the wraps (not photographed!). Foods were replaced pretty frequently. The most I had to wait for anything was 10 minutes.
The menu – foods actually out were different on my visit.
Small desserts and cheese.
Mushroom and Parmesan polenta.
Delicious potatoes and cauliflower.
A fish dish.
An amazing Fattoush salad!
The desserts were great!
My very random plate.
THE DRINKS
As with most American Express Centurion Lounge’s, Heathrow’s has a full bar operated by multiple bartenders. It was a beautiful bar! Proudly displayed were a list of wine, beer, and cider, as well as a list of craft cocktails and spirits. There were also a few snacks on the bar. Of the drinks, Dan and I collectively tried a Gin and Tonic, a Bulmer’s Cider, a Cobblestone Fence (see menu below), and an All That Jasmine. I thought the cocktails were very boozy, but otherwise quite good! The staff prepared them pretty quickly and there was no limit to the number of drinks one could order (at least that I saw).
Really nice bar in an airport lounge.
Wine list!
Cocktail list!
Bar snacks!
The All That Jasmine.
Dan’s drink and a Cobblestone Fence, which was very whiskey-y.
Large Bulmer’s Cider!
In addition to the bar, the lounge had at least one designated regular and sparkling water area, as well as at least one coffee and tea stand, both of which were self service. Soft drinks were readily available at the bar, too!
Self-serve coffee bar.
THE SHOWER AT HEATHROW’S CENTURION LOUNGE
I was super excited to be able to use the shower at Heathrow’s American Express Centurion Lounge during my layover! Shortly after check-in, I visited the front desk and asked if I could use the shower. Luckily, it was immediately open and I went right in. Side note – if you want to use the shower, ask on check-in. There is often a wait and you can put your name down at check-in. Showers are loosely timed at 15 minutes and contain a stand-in shower, a toilet, a sink, a towel, hairdryer, and a shower kit, including toothpaste and brush and a razor if you want. The shower was nice and a great wake-up! My only complaint was that the shower gel was almost out an difficult to pump. Oh, well! All in all, no complaints! There was also plenty of space for my luggage in the room without it getting wet.
The shower area.
Body wash and lotion.
OTHER AMENITIES
In terms of other amenities that I saw/used, the lounge offered good wifi, CNN on TV, and several screens displaying departures.
BBC on TV.
Departures screen.
STEAL OUR LOUNGE
American Express Centurion Lounge Heathrow: London Heathrow Terminal 3, post-security, A Area, Level 2 (access via elevator). Open 5:30 am – 9:00 pm. Access available 3 hours before flight. We got in with our American Express Platinum Card.