Qantas marble bar upper floor London lounge Heathrow. Only1invillage review.

Qantas lounge London Heathrow Fab or drab?

London Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports. In Europe, it certainly is the place to connect to destinations across the globe. When you’re flying long haul from either East or West to Europe, chances are you’ll be connecting in London Heathrow. The Qantas lounge  London Heathrow  (terminals 1, 2 and 3) is just one of a selection, jostling for your attention. Other top airlines will be Emirates, Singapore Airlines and of course British Airways.

Entrance Qantas lounge London Heathrow
Welcome to the Qantas lounge at London Heathrow terminal 3.
Qantas lounge London Heathrow terminal 3 only1invillage.com review
Welcome to the kangaroo lounge in London! A sign of the times – no magazines anymore it’s gone all digital!

There is no separate lounge for first class customers at the Qantas lounge London Heathrow. Sorry, you have to slum it with the business class passengers. Life can be hard sometimes!

no dedicated first class lounge for Qantas customers at London Heathrow
The Qantas lounge at London Heathrow is shared between business and first class customers.

    

Qantas Lounge London Heathrow overview

The Qantas lounge can get very busy! On two separate visits there was hardly any sitting room on the upper level and the Australian rugby team were taking up space on another! It was very difficult to relax and the level of noise was quite high, with families with young children adding to the din.

The lounge seemed to be serving all the passengers on the A380 London to Singapore flight, because the lounge emptied out pretty swiftly half an hour before take off for the evening 20:40 scheduled 13 hour flight.  

Qantas Lounge London Heathrow Review 1
Despite what the sign says about the upper floor, it can be very difficult to stretch out and relax when it is busy!

Meant to reflect a private members club, the Qantas London lounge Heathrow has a mix of Australian and British accents on the furniture, fixtures and fittings. Yes, there is carpet, a very English floor covering. It’s meant to add a cosy touch, but, personally we prefer the hard stuff, like wood and stone. Thankfully there is parquet  and other smooth surfaces to walk across!

Qantas marble bar upper floor London lounge Heathrow. Only1invillage review.
The central bar on the upper floor. Qantas like to use a lot of marble in their lounges.

You might notice some similarities between the Singapore, Hong Kong and Brisbane business class lounges. The large amount of marble used for the bar areas seems to be a Qantas accent. The seating is a mix of stylish padded chairs that almost look like armchairs, dining chairs, bar stools and sofas. There are some real armchairs too.

stairs to the upper or lower floor depending on where you take the photo London Qantas lounge Heathrow. Only1in village review
Where will the stairs take you? Oh the places you’ll go……well only to the other floor of the Qantas London Heathrow lounge!

If you have an earlier flight there is some natural light, coming through the windows. The plane spotting is very good from the red leather seats.

It’s hard to see out of the windows at night, but at least there is natural light in the London lounge. There are tarmac views from both levels of the lounge.

looking out at the windowns Qantas lounge London Heathrow
It’s hard to see out of the windows at night, but at least there is natural light in the London lounge.

There is a separate restaurant dining area with booth like seating and waiter service. Quieter areas for lone travellers face the tarmac on the lower floor. However, as it was dark there was no plane spotting to be had.

    

Eligibility Qantas London Lounge Heathrow

Qantas is part of the One World Alliance which means you will get access to this lounge if you’re a top tier frequent flyer with airlines such as American Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, Japan Airlines, Malaysian and Cathay Pacific.

If you hold a QF ticket you cannot use the Emirates Lounge which would be our preference, even though Emirates are part of the One World Alliance. Sorry Qantas, although we love you, Emirates is just a step above in the food and beverage quality in our experiences in Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and Dubai

Qantas lounge London Heathrow only1invillage review
Would you let her in a business class lounge? Well………..

So how will the Qantas business lounge Heathrow stack up against its rivals? Read on to find out!  There is no time limit in the lounge, but the annoying thing about any lounge is that you’re not allowed to check in for your flight until 3 hours before the flight leaves. Luckily, the check in queue for non economy is always shorter! 

    

Lower floor Qantas London lounge Heathrow

The Qantas business lounge Heathrow has two floors. A dedicated gin bar on the lower floor and a general dining and relaxing area that comes with another bar on the upper floor. On the lower floor, you can also eat your a la carte food options at the bar itself on stools.

lower floor Qantas lounge London Heathrow
When you enter the lower floor is the gin bar and restaurant style eating area.
padded bench seats lower floor Qantas London lounge Heathrow. Only1invillage review
Different types of seating encircle the gin bar on the lower level. You can opt for the padded bench type seats which face the bar.

    

Seating

On the lower floor of the Qantas Lounge London Heathrow you can sit around the bar and eat the a la carte food or you can sit at tables which encircle (well rectangle, but that’s not a word to en-rectangle!) the bar. There are also padded long bench seats which face the bar where you eat your ordered food in comfort at the right table height level.

dining table lower floor Qantas lounge London Heathrow only1invillage lounge review
On the lower floor you can dine at a restaurant like table. The chairs are wooden and hard, but the table is the correct height for good posture!

If you’re lucky, you can opt to sit on a padded restaurant chair on the lower floor.

padded restaurant chair lower level Qantas lounge terminal 3 London Heathrow Only1invillage review
There are some padded restaurant style chairs on the lower level off to the side of the gin bar at the Qantas lounge London Heathrow terminal 3.
A padded chair, not quite an armchair, but more comfortable than a chair. Qantas lounge London Heathrow.
A padded chair, not quite an armchair, but more comfortable than a chair.

    

Upper floor Qantas lounge London Heathrow

Upper floor overview Qantas London lounge Heathrow Only1invillage review
At busy times the upper floor of the Qanats lounge at London Heathrow can get crowded.

The upper floor is where it can get really crowded. After eating your a la carte meal you may want to try and stretch out upstairs. There is another bar here too so you don’t have to go back downstairs!

grey chairs upper level Qantas London lounge Heathrow only1invillage review
This photo was taken as people were boarding the A380 to Singapore. Before this, these seats were not empty. The lounge was very business from 5pm onwards.
Padded seats upper level by the stairs Qantas London lounge Heathrow only1invillage review
The padded seats by the stairs are thickly padded and very comfortable, if you can get one!

The help yourself drinks bar has the wine and soft drinks on the upper level. For cocktails and mocktails, you have to order at the bar.

Help yourself to wine and soft drinks upper level Qantas London lounge Heathrow only1invillage review
Wine and soft drinks are adjacent to the buffet food on the upper level of the Qantas London lounge.

There is also flavoured water and Dilmah teas. Or, your own tisane in a cute tea pot!

Flavoured water upper level Qantas London Heathrow lounge only1invillage review
Neil Perry’s signature flavoured water! Did you know you can claim water as your signature??!!
Hot tea selection London Qantas lounge at Heathrow Airport Only1invillage review
The hot tea selection on the upper floor is next to the buffet food. The little tea pots are very cute!
South Asian buffet menu on the upper floor Qantas London lounge
Yummy it’s Indian food for dinner, you know it’s not authentic but you cannot resist a bit of butter chicken! Help yourself to the buffet on the upper floor at the Qantas London lounge Heathrow.

The upper floor has the help yourself selection of food. Reasonably well presented for the side options. It’s always very hard to make the hot dishes look great in those silver keep warm vessels that all lounges and 5 star hotels use. You know the ones where you lift up the glass lid to take a better look at the food, even though you can see it through the transparent lid!

buffet food upper floor dinner time Qantas London lounge only1invillage review
It was South Asian themed food for dinner on the upper level at the Qantas lounge London Heathrow one time we visited.

 

upper floor Qantas London lounge
After getting your buffet food you can sit on the padded booth style seats on the upper floor of the Qantas London lounge Heathrow.

There is a small strip of an area on the upper floor where you can conduct business. We spotted a printer and socket points with chairs. Unfortunately, the lounge was so busy some people had to use this area to put their food and drinks!

Printer and business space upper floor Qantas London Lounge Heathrow only1invillage review
The business space on the upper level got so busy that customers had to use it to place their food and drinks.

 

    

Qantas Lounge London Heathrow Drinks Menu

The food and beverages have sometimes been disappointing in Qantas lounges, but only because we are comparing it to their rivals. The wines were about nine pounds in quality per bottle, whereas the wine in an Emirates lounge will start at fifteen pounds per bottle.

drinks menu London Qantas lounge Heathrow only1invillage review
The alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks menu at the Qantas Lounge London Heathrow

The drinks menus outside of wine was good with a nice selection of cocktails and gins. However the non alcoholic cocktails are plain and boring. The bar tender pictured put his finger in the glass to stop the foam forming on the top! Had he not heard of basic hygiene? He also seemed a little irritated as the demand for service was high and he was on his own.

There were a couple of private rooms which had a door you could close off. These rooms were mainly being used by families.

Private room inside the Qantas lounge at London Heathrow Airport. Only1invillage review.
Private room on the upper floor. Good for families or big groups?

    

The dinner menu 

We are happy to report that the western food is much better than we have previously experienced in Melbourne and Sydney international business class lounges. It was good to experience the dinner food, since we usually have early flights and only get the breakfast menu. The service was swift to get the food but to get the staff’s attention involved a lot of smiling and trying to get eye contact due to the number of people using the lounge in the evening.

Chicken pie and crispy squid. Qantas London lounge Heathrow. Only1invillage review.
The chicken pie had an excellent puffed up top. The pie itself was not that tasty but it had plenty of chicken chunks inside!

Roast chicken, Lancashire hot pot and salt and pepper squid were on the dinner menu. As is the current trend, something from the land and something from the sea. The vegetable dishes sounded equally enticing with roasted cauliflower or a tomato, basil and mozzarella salad on offer.

Evening food menu Qantas lounge London Heathrow only1invillage review
The evening food menu promises tasty vegetable, fish and meat options.

The squid whilst good could have been crispier. The presentation was good.

crispy squid for dinner Qantas lounge London Heathrow
The crispy squid appetiser was well presented. Neil Perry inspired menu is available at the Qantas London London Heathrow.
finger food crudites and cheese
The crudites, fruit and other finger food is set out buffet style, so go on and help your self.

To do justice to the review it is only fair that we eat different meals and sample as many dishes as we can. Here is the Lancashire hot pot lamb which is basically a meat stew. Served with mint sauce and a rocket and pear salad which was very refreshing!

Lamg hot pot Qantas London Heathrow lounge review dinner time only1invillage
One of the meat options on offer was the Lancashire hot pot (gluten free).
buffet selection Qantas London lounge only1invillage review
The buffet food presentation at the Qantas London Heathrow lounge. Whilst good, it does not quite compare to the presentation of some of its rival lounges.

    

The washroom and shower facilities 

It’s time for the anticipated bathroom pictures. Named the Refresh space it contains products from the Liptiya range which are in the business class amenity kits.

The shower area at the Qantas London lounge Heathrow was too small. There were only 10 showers. We got in early and did not have to queue. By 7pm queues were forming outside the showers. Not exactly a relaxing experience, knowing people are waiting for you to finish your ablutions. In Europe, everything is smaller and more condensed into a smaller space – the same must be true of Qantas lounges.

shower sign on the upper floor Qantas lounge London Heathrow. Only1invillage review.
This way for the showers. There are only 8 shower rooms so you might have to queue during busy periods.
towels for the shower rooms Qantas lounge London Heathrow.
If the towels are not already in the shower room, help yourself. They are thick and fluffy we are happy to report.
bathroom Qantas lounge London Heathrow. Only1invillage review.
The shower rooms have a rain shower and a glass screen. A modern retro look with the green accent tiles breaking up the otherwise all white decor.
Shower room Qantas lounge London Heathrow. Only1invillage review
The shower room at the Qantas lounge London Heathrow.

The space is mostly white. The mirror is quite funky and unique. Pictured below is the common bathroom, not the individual shower room.

Qantas bathroom London Heathrow only1invillage review.
We like the marble which breaks up the white theme in the bathroom.
hairdryer on the wall London Qantas lounge London Heathrow . Only1invillage review.
The hairdryer is one of those hose hairdryers that do not come off the wall. Is it retro or just inconvenient?

    

Final Thoughts

Our thoughts on this London lounge are generally positive. We like the extensive menu options. The layout of the London Heathrow lounge is quite unique being on 2 floors. The cleanliness and funky design of the bathrooms impressed. Even though there wasn’t much natural light and the run way views were limited, at least there were some. The gin bar and the inventive cocktails are amazing. We wish the wine selection were just a notch higher. Overall though of course it’s  way better to spend three hours in the Qantas London lounge at Heathrow than outside with the masses. 

Have you been to the Qantas lounge at London Heathrow? Do you agree with our assessment? Let us know!

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