Review Puerta del Sol lounge, Madrid airport T3
Change the container, but not the content, this is how one could summarize the experience inside a lounge at a Spanish airport. At [...]
Change the container, but not the content, this is how one could summarize the experience inside a Spanish airport lounge. To date if we are talking about independent lounges only in Barcelona I have perceived something different, in all the others run by Aena it is (almost) always the same soup.
Location
In this article:
This lounge is "suspended" above door E72, we are at one end of Terminal 2. It is accessed by a panoramic elevator or staircase, unlike the Alcalá lounge this one is definitely very visible.
Access
As with all AENA lounges, admission, subject to availability, is allowed to all premium passengers and those who hold a Priority Pass or similar card.
The thing I don't understand is why there is no fast track for business travelers, as opposed to the Priority Pass passenger as is the case elsewhere.
The hall
The floor plan is circular and the outer side is all glass; it feels like you are inside a panoramic restaurant, the kind there are around the world, maybe even rotating.
You enter from the heart And then you go hunting for a space to position yourself around.
The special feature is definitely the presence of some enclosed glass rooms; there are at least 4 of them in addition to a TV room (although it was off).
Then there are seats of various kinds, certainly my favorites are the ones in front of the glass window on the main apron of the terminal, which is mainly used by Air Europa, at least until it is bought by Iberia.
Bright, but messy. That could be the summary of this hall. Perhaps a couple more staff would have made it possible not to have a line at the door and a cleaner, tidier room.
There are two small tables for children and an area with lockers, as well as bathrooms (few) and showers.
Food & Beverage
The buffet is not different from the other lounge in this terminal, and I don't see why it should since it is operated by the same entity.
The food offerings are identical to those at Alcalá, only here everything is more concentrated, making the food area seem smaller. Maybe in size, but not in the offerings.
I confirm that in Spanish lounges you will never die of thirst, especially you will not have to go crazy to find something alcoholic to toast with.
In conclusion
Less central than Alcalá, but definitely nicer because you can relax watching the planes on the tarmac or the people running underneath you to get to the gate.
