Looking for an honest review of the No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3? I visited before a long-haul flight to Orlando, so here’s everything you need to know about the food, seating, facilities and whether it is worth using your Priority Pass visit!
I LOVE an airport lounge.
Once I’ve started lounging, I can’t go back ;)
Even if it’s simply having somewhere to relax with a cup of tea, charge my phone and use a toilet without having to queue, it’s worth it for me.
However, not all airport lounges are equal, and sometimes lounges can be so busy that you start wondering whether they are actually any calmer than the terminal outside!
I recently visited the No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 before a long flight to Orlando, Florida, and overall, it was the perfect way to start the trip.
The lounge has plenty going for it, including a good breakfast, a brilliant bar, runway views and several different spaces to relax in.
However, it can get seriously overcrowded during peak periods, so your experience will likely depend on what time you visit.
Overall score: 3.9/5
A spacious and stylish lounge with good food, an excellent bar and plenty of facilities. It can feel overcrowded during busy periods, but finding one of the quieter seating areas makes a huge difference
So, let’s delve in...
The No1 Lounge is located after security in Heathrow Terminal 3.
Once you pass through World Duty Free, follow the walkway towards Gates 13 to 22 and look for signs directing you to Lounge F.
The lounge is located one floor up, and you can access it by either the stairs or lift.
It’s pretty straightforward to find as long as you follow the airport lounge signs.
When we arrived, the staff were friendly and welcoming, and we didn’t have any issues getting inside.
However, something to remember when using a lounge membership such as Priority Pass, DragonPass or LoungeKey is that entry without a reservation is always subject to availability.
No1 Lounges allows cardholders to reserve a place in advance for an additional fee, which guarantees that you can enter even if the lounge is busy.
Personally, I wouldn’t pay the extra fee to reserve this particular lounge.
There are several Priority Pass options available within Heathrow Terminal 3, so if the No1 Lounge is completely full, you may be able to try another option.
Of course, this will depend on when you are travelling, and availability at Heathrow lounges can vary massively throughout the day.
If you are travelling during the summer holidays, at a peak morning time, or you desperately want access to this specific lounge, then paying to reserve your place might be worthwhile.
But for me personally, I’d take my chances.
The No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 is surprisingly spacious, with a variety of different rooms and seating areas.
This is one of the things I really like about No1 Lounges.
Rather than feeling like one huge open-plan waiting room, the lounge is separated into different spaces, each with a slightly different atmosphere.
You’ve got areas close to the food and bar, tables for eating, comfortable chairs for relaxing, seating beside the windows and quieter rooms tucked further away.
There are also great views across the runway, so it’s a nice lounge for watching the planes while waiting for your flight.
However, this lounge can get seriously overcrowded.
When we first walked in, it was extremely busy, and it looked like we might struggle to find anywhere decent to sit.
That is obviously not ideal when the whole point of entering an airport lounge is to escape the busy terminal!
Thankfully, we turned a corner and discovered another, much quieter part of the lounge where we managed to find seats.
Once we found that area, it was perfect.
My advice would be not to settle for the first space you see. Have a proper walk around the lounge because there are several rooms, and some can be considerably quieter than others.
The lounge also has plenty of charging points for phones and laptops, which is essential before a long flight.
There’s nothing worse than arriving at your seat on the plane and realising your phone is on 12% battery!
One of my favourite areas in the lounge is the library.
It’s a great place to sit back and enjoy some quiet time before your flight.
The main lounge can become quite loud when it is busy, particularly if there are lots of families travelling with children.
No offence to children, lol, but sometimes you just want twenty minutes of peace before getting onto a long-haul flight!
The library feels much more relaxed and slightly removed from the busiest parts of the lounge.
It would also be a good option if you needed to do some work or simply wanted to read and enjoy a coffee away from the bar and buffet areas.
We visited the lounge in the morning, so the breakfast buffet was being served.
There was a good selection of both cooked breakfast and continental options.
The hot buffet included the usual breakfast favourites, such as sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, baked beans and tomatoes.
There were also cereals, porridge, yoghurt, fruit, bread and pastries available if you wanted something lighter.
Something I really appreciated was that you could request vegetarian or vegan sausages.
These were cooked to order, which meant they arrived fresh and hot rather than having sat under a heat lamp for ages.
Honestly, freshly cooked veggie sausages are an elite lounge offering!
The food was restocked quickly, which is important because it can disappear surprisingly fast when the lounge is busy.
There’s nothing worse than getting to a buffet and finding one lonely hash brown left!
Although the food isn’t going to compete with a fancy restaurant, it was tasty, filling and offered enough variety for breakfast before a flight.
There are self-service coffee machines in the lounge, and I always find the coffee at No1 Lounges pretty tasty.
I am not a coffee expert by any means, but it did the job and tasted considerably better than some of the questionable airport lounge coffee I’ve experienced!
Tea, water, juice and soft drinks are also available.
No1 Lounges always tend to have a great bar, and the Heathrow Terminal 3 lounge is no exception.
The bar is fully staffed, and there is a good selection of wines, beers and spirits included with your visit.
One of my favourite things about No1 Lounges is that they typically include sparkling wine rather than charging extra for every remotely exciting drink.
During our visit, both normal and rosé prosecco were included.
Yes, it was an early morning flight.
And yes, we still squeezed in one glass of prosecco ;)
You’re going on holiday, so it would be rude not to toast the start of the trip!
Premium drinks may cost extra, but the included prosecco is still a really nice touch.
The bar can become busy during peak periods, but the staff were friendly and kept things moving.
Free WiFi is available throughout the lounge, and I found it worked well.
It was strong enough for me to download a few episodes from Netflix in case I hated everything available on the plane, lol.
There are also plenty of sockets around the lounge, so you can charge your phone, laptop or other devices before boarding.
This makes it a decent place to work if you have emails to answer or need to get some last-minute work finished before your flight.
The toilets were clean during our visit.
I really like the bathroom setup in No1 Lounges because they are spacious individual cubicles containing their own toilet, sink and mirror.
It feels much more private than a standard airport bathroom, and it means you have enough room to bring your hand luggage inside with you.
They’re also ideal if you want to brush your teeth, fix your makeup or generally freshen up before getting onto a long flight.
Honestly, not having to queue for an airport toilet is one of the underrated benefits of lounge access!
Naturally, cleanliness can vary depending on how busy the lounge is and when the facilities were last checked, but we had no complaints during our visit.
No, there are currently no operational shower facilities at the No1 Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 3.
You may find older reviews online that mention showers being available for an additional fee. However, this information is now outdated.
This is slightly disappointing considering Heathrow Terminal 3 serves so many long-haul flights.
A shower would be a fantastic addition, particularly for travellers on lengthy journeys or connections.
As well as the food, bar, WiFi and charging points, the lounge offers:
The cinema room is a nice additional feature, although whether you use it will depend on what is being shown and how busy it is.
Personally, I was happier sitting by the windows and enjoying the runway views.
The No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 is generally open from early morning until late evening.
Opening hours can change, so I would always double-check them before travelling, particularly if you have a very early or late flight.
Standard access normally allows you to enter the lounge up to three hours before your scheduled departure time.
Three hours is generally plenty of time to have something to eat, enjoy a drink, charge your devices and relax before heading to your gate.
The exact cash price will depend on your flight date, booking conditions and whether you book directly or through another provider.
You can also access the lounge through several lounge membership programmes, including:
Some premium airline passengers may also receive access depending on their airline and ticket.
Infants may be able to enter free of charge, depending on the access method used.
No1 Lounges operates a smart-casual dress code.
Normal travel clothing, such as jeans, trainers, jumpers and casual dresses, should generally be absolutely fine.
However, guests can potentially be refused entry for wearing clothing such as fancy dress, sports team shirts, offensive slogans or excessively revealing outfits.
Basically, dress normally and you’re unlikely to have any issues!
Yes, children are allowed inside the lounge when accompanied by an adult.
The lounge has enough space and food variety to make it useful for families, but it doesn’t have the same extensive children’s facilities you might find in some larger family-focused lounges.
For adults looking for a quieter experience, the library and the more secluded rooms are your best options.
If you have Priority Pass access, then yes, I think the No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 is worth visiting.
The food is good, the bar offering is generous, the coffee is tasty and there are plenty of places to charge your devices.
It was the perfect start to our trip to Orlando, especially knowing that we had a long flight ahead of us.
Once we found seats in one of the quieter areas, I could properly relax, have some breakfast and enjoy that lovely feeling of knowing the holiday had officially started.
However, how good your experience is will largely depend on how busy the lounge is.
At quieter times, it has the potential to be a genuinely relaxing lounge with great runway views and plenty of room.
During peak periods, it can become crowded, noisy and difficult to find a seat.
I would still use a Priority Pass visit here, but personally, I wouldn’t pay the additional reservation fee to secure entry ahead of time.
There are several other Priority Pass options in Terminal 3, and I’d rather check availability on the day.
Would I pay the full cash price?
Possibly, if it was the start of a special long-haul holiday and I knew I would have enough time to enjoy the food and drinks.
However, I would struggle to recommend paying the full price if the lounge was going to be completely packed.
That’s the annoying thing about airport lounges. The more people who pay to escape the busy terminal, the more the lounge starts to feel like the busy terminal!
Overall, I would give the No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 3.9 out of 5.
It isn’t perfect, mainly because of how crowded it can become, but there’s a lot to like.
The breakfast was good, the bar was excellent, the staff were friendly and we managed to find a quiet area where we could properly relax.
For me, even being able to sit with a cup of tea, charge my phone and avoid queuing for a toilet makes an airport lounge worthwhile.
Once I’ve started lounging, I genuinely can’t go back!
Anyway, there you have it, my honest review of the No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3.
Have you visited this lounge recently? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!
Love,
Cazzy
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