British Airways have a number of Galleries Club lounges at London Heathrow Terminal 5. There is one in the satellite building which is Terminal 5B. In the main T5A building there are two more, a North lounge and a South lounge.
This review is about the South Lounge, which is in the same lounge complex as the First Class Lounge and the Concorde Room. I arrived early in the morning so the breakfast spread was the food de jour.
Galleries South Lounge Decor
All the British Airways lounges in the main building of Terminal 5 opened almost ten years ago. A refresh of some of the more worn furnishings took place a short while ago and as a result there is an eclectic blend inside.
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- Just inside the entrance
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- The interior corner
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- A small bar at interior end
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- Well worn furniture here
One end of the large lounge overlooks the inside of the terminal, which are the pictures above. On the other side of the lounge are views over the apron which is where I usually sit.
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- A large water bar and feature light
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- Seats along one side
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- Stools at the window
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- Computers and headphones
There is also a comprehensive bar, stocking red wine, white wine, beer and various spirits. You can also find soft drinks and the home for the ice. Champagne is not self-service and is available from staff on request.
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- One of the big bar stations
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- Children’s Room
A children’s room is provided and I think it looks fairly lacking in fun, but that’s health and safety for you. Lounge decoration is primarily vintage travel posters and glass walls with patterns but as the lounge was busy I was not able to get pictures this time.
How About The Toilets?
Toilets in the Galleries Club lounge are individual rooms, which is similar to the new Qantas London Lounge over in Terminal 3. I have always quite liked the glass shelf along the bottom of the mirror which looks nice and is handy at times too.
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- Elemis products, basin and towels
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- Today’s throne!
Each toilet room features a vintage travel poster on the wall just inside the door. As I’m a fan of these, I’m always curious to see which one I will get when I visit.
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- Imperial Flying Boats!
Happily there is a team of people constantly cleaning and checking the toilet rooms which means they are generally clean and fit for purpose. Just the way I like it!
Tea and Coffee
Coffee machines and tea making facilities are also located at a couple of different points in the lounge. I’m generally scared of coffee machines so I tend not to use them.
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- Coffee machine
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- A rainbow collection of Twinings Tea
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- Biscuits
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- A warning about the biscuits
Twinings tea is available and is quite delicious too. Since one takes a biscuit with their coffee or tea, several varieties such as Shortbread, Cranberry, Black Forest Crunch and Spicy Oat & Ginger are available.
Galleries Club Lounge Breakfast
An abundance of bread is on offer at the British Airways Galleries Club lounge. For toast lovers, you can choose between Seeded Brown bread or White bread.
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- Omelette and Emmental Cheese in a Crusty Roll
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- British Back Bacon in a Crusty Roll
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- Seeded Brown Bread and White Bread Toast
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- Brown Sauce, Sunflower Spread, Tomato Ketchup
Those feeling like something more substantial can choose one of the crusty rolls. I do prefer a soft roll, but I rolled with it and had one of each. Actually, I had two of the omelette and emmental cheese ones, slathered in ketchup. Yum!
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- Pain au Chocolat
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- Croissant
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- Pain aux Raisins
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- Marmalade, Marmite and Strawberry Jam
In hindsight I should have hit the pastry section and gone with a croissant with strawberry jam. Or five. Regular readers will know I can consume five croissants in one sitting if the spread is delicious.
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- Grapefruit Segments, Greek-Style Yoghurt, Mixed Fruit Salad
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- My little spread with some sparkling water
Anyone wishing to be healthy can have some fruit and some yogurt. I am sure I spotted cereal and porridge elsewhere too, so you’re bound to find something you like.
Overall Thoughts
The British Airways Galleries Club lounge in Terminal 5 South is one of the busiest lounges in the terminal. Not once have I ever seen it empty enough to get good pictures of the decor which is annoying for me.
While this lounge is far from the oasis of tranquility as British Airways marketing have it, it does tick all the boxes. Decent enough food, fast WiFi and free drinks. All it really needs is new furniture throughout, as the stop gap of a partial redo looks cheap.
There is a ton of wasted space outside taken up by white pebbles sitting there looking like they’re doing nothing, so some serious square footage could be added. I would argue it should be too, as the lounge is at capacity virtually all the time.
What are your experiences with this lounge? Good or bad? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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This lounge takes a bit of flack from bloggers (not you I see). I’ve always thought it was okay to be honest. Gets the job done largely – as you say not an oasis, full of shouty business men on mobile phones and large families with kids in tow. But it does the job.
It’s fine enough to be fair. It actually has better views than the First lounge underneath. The only issue for me is trying to get a seat, sometimes you have to look about quite a bit. Generally I manage to get a seat in the same spot all the time, so I guess I found the area that is not so busy. Agreed it’s not an oasis, but considering it’s so busy it could be a lot worse!