On my trip to New York last year, I was delighted to experience the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow and New York JFK.
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is a stylish perk for Upper Class passengers and for Flying Club Gold members. It’s a calm sanctuary with a private member’s club feel, away from the hustle and bustle of the airport.
Guests can refuel over a proper meal, unwind with a spa treatment, relax with a drink at the bar, watch the large screen TV or catch up on work and emails before a long flight. It certainly makes the travel experience much more enjoyable and stress-free.
Virgin Atlantic offers these luxurious lounges in selected airports around the world, but London Heathrow boasts the flagship Clubhouse with the most facilities and complimentary treats.
We started the Clubhouse experience in the restaurant with a hearty Full English Breakfast and a cup of tea. The breakfast was delicious and immaculately presented – an ideal start to the journey. We read the morning newspapers and went over our itinerary at our own comfortable table, enjoying not having to scramble for a seat in the departures lounge.
During breakfast, one of the Clubhouse hosts kindly came over to book us in for a spa treatment, so that we wouldn’t miss out as other passengers arrived. The staff were so friendly and charming, making sure that we were well looked after during our visit.
After breakfast, I enjoyed a relaxing seated back massage (15 minutes) at Cowshed Spa. My lovely therapist used hot stones to smooth out the knots in my back, shoulder and neck, preparing me for the flight. The Cowshed Spa is tucked away neatly in the Clubhouse, so guests have a good amount of privacy to really unwind.
With a newspaper in hand, we left to board the plane and were seated in Premium Economy. It’s all about the small extras in Premium Economy that make a huge difference, particularly the extra leg-room, wider leather seats and the excellent meals served on china dinnerware with stainless steel cutlery. I rarely drink alcohol on flights to avoid dehydration, but if you want to indulge, wines and liqueurs are served.
The movie selection is a real highlight of flying with Virgin Atlantic. I particularly liked that you can stop and start each movie whenever you wish – surprisingly a feature that not all airlines entertainment systems offer.
On the return journey, a series of delays including an unexpected Sunday rail replacement bus and the most epic queue at security added hours of travelling and waiting to an otherwise punctual journey. We managed to step into the JFK Clubhouse for less than 5 minutes before boarding and the staff kindly and swiftly supplied a cold Diet Coke, which was most welcome after the stresses of the journey.
There was sadly no time for a good look around the JFK Clubhouse, however it is just as smart as London Heathrow with sleek dining, entertainment and work spaces. It features the very first Clubhouse spa outside of London with New York brand Bumble & Bumble and Dr Hauschka.
The Virgin Atlantic experience was unbeatable and that’s why I’ve booked to fly with them again for my trip to New York next week. With competitive prices in the winter sale and 2000 Flying Club air miles accrued on my Virgin Atlantic credit card over the year, I got a pretty good deal.
Chérie City was offered a complimentary seat upgrade and Clubhouse access.
Photos by Virgin Atlantic and Chérie City
