Review: Aspire Lounge at Gatwick Airports’ North Terminal

Let’s face it, airports can be very busy places at the best of times; but as soon as the schools are out for the holidays, or it’s a weekend or a national holiday; the word busy doesn’t do it justice.

After waiting for what seems an eternity to check-in and proceed through security, all you want to do is sit back and relax in a restaurant or bar before your flight, and maybe have a quick look through the shops in the departures lounge too. Although many outlets try to accommodate you as quickly as possible; sometimes this just isn’t possible. Think of how many people pass through each terminal, let alone airport each day, and then the staff who have to cope with the almost-constant influx of customers. Waiting around like that and then rushing around trying to look in as many shops as possible wouldn’t be how I would want to start my adventures, even if I do love looking around the shops.

When I passed through London Gatwick’s North Terminal the other day, I was fortunate enough to pay a visit to an airport lounge; something that I had never done before; except for when I flew in first class with an airline from Heathrow a couple of years back. Many people often overlook airport lounges as not offering good value for money; well after my visit I thought otherwise.

The Aspire Lounge by Servisair at Gatwick’s North Terminal is a large, modern and stylish space with areas where you can sit back and relax with a magazine, enjoy a light snack and a couple of drinks, surf the web using the free (yes, free!) WiFi, or just look outside from floor-to-ceiling windows which provide views over parts of the airfield.

Once I had passed through security, it was very easy to find my way to the lounge; which is located on the first floor of what is known as the Lounge Pavillion. There are plenty of signs to guide you, and there were plenty of airport staff that I could have asked along the way if I needed to.

Upon arrival at the lounge, I received a friendly greeting from the member of staff at the entrance who checked my booking confirmation and allowed me to proceed into the lounge. My initial thoughts were surprised at just how much space there was. Although I visited the lounge at around 06:30 in the morning, it was fairly busy but there were still plenty of spaces to sit down. The buffet area where you could help yourself to drinks and snacks looked very big, but before I went over there I decided to walk around and take a couple of photographs of the different areas, including a quiet one if you wish to catch up on some work or just like the peace and quiet.

The Aspire Lounge provides many hot food items and snacks throughout the day. Because I visited in the morning; I got to experience their famous bacon sandwiches and there was also a plentiful selection of freshly baked pastries, fresh fruit and other snacks to enjoy. Another benefit of visiting the lounge is that a number of beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks are included within the entry-fee, and may actually work out as cheaper than if you decided to enjoy a meal and a couple of drinks at a restaurant within the main terminal.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Aspire Lounge, located at Gatwick’s North Terminal, and I found every member of staff whom I came across to be friendly and very professional. Would I consider visiting an airport lounge again? In a nutshell, yes I would.

The lounge is open daily from 4:00 -21:00 in the Winter, and until 21:30pm during the summer, with the exception of Christmas Day. A visit to the lounge is from £17.49 for Adults (12+), Children aged between 2-11 are £9.99, and Infants aged 0-1 go free! As standard with many airport lounges, you can remain in the lounge for the standard time of three hours.

An airport lounge is just another thing that can allow you to start enjoying your holiday or adventure from the moment you arrive at the door, and it is worth the money.

My visit was to the lounge located at Gatwick’s North Terminal. If you are flying from the South; then you will be pleased to know that Servisair also have a lounge there. Not only that, but Servisair have eighteen lounges at various airports across the United Kingdom. For more information on where to find these, along with how to book; visit executivelounges.com.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Servisair’s Aspire Lounge at London Gatwick for the purposes of writing this review. All opinions are my own, of course.