Top 5: Ultra-cool airport lounges

Sip champagne cocktails whilst waiting for your take off

Virgin Atlantic

London: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse

Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from London Heathrow and you will immediately be whisked off to a separate check-in and security, meaning more time to play in Virgin’s hedonistic flagship Clubhouse.

The comfortable leather Eames chairs scattered around the lounge are perfect to conduct some last-minute business from. However, this lounge mainly belongs to the big kids. In ‘The Den’, passengers can amuse themselves with the retro video games, pool table or multi-screen cinema. For a more relaxing waiting time, you can settle yourself on a daybed underneath a dramatic skylight in the hidden loft bar or pamper yourself in the lounge’s Jacuzzi, St Tropez tanning booth or Bumble and Bumble hair salon.

Available to Virgin’s Upper Class customers, those with Virgin Gold flying status or for a hefty £60.

Abu Dhabi: Emirates Diamond First Class Lounge

Tired passengers can relax on the Diamond Lounge's two comfy beds
Etihad Airways

The United Arab Emirates is famed for its luxury, and Etihad’s Diamond First Class lounge in Abu Dhabi Airport doesn’t let it down. Leave the children to enjoy themselves under the supervision of a nanny in the nursery, complete with beanbags, books and toys, before you go off to explore.

Enjoy a complimentary facial or massage in the Six Senses spa or relax in the cigar lounge with a specially chosen cognac or armagnac. There is a fully stocked library available for any avid bookworms, and an à la carte restaurant offering five-star dining. There are also two beds available in the lounge if you just want to catch forty winks before your flight.

Available to Etihad’s first class customers.

Ibiza: 'F*** Me I’m Famous' Lounge

The lounge club enables flyers to mingle
Áreas

Ibiza partygoers are famous for their crazy morning-to-evening revelling, and now the party doesn’t have to end at the airport. Spanish concessionaires Áreas have teamed up with dance music mogul, David Guetta, to create the ‘F*** Me I’m Famous’ club lounge in Ibiza Airport.

A vivid, fuchsia-lit walkway tempts travellers into the modern lounge where the DJ booth and dancefloor take pride of place. Live music, food and lighting have all been specially choreographed to fit the ambience of the hour. At 6am, enjoy a light breakfast in the Ibizan dawn lighting whilst settling back to ambient, chill-out music. At night, get on the dancefloor to move to some electro-house whilst sipping on a cocktail.

Free to all passengers.

Helsinki-Vantaa: Finnair Lounge

Gawp at the runway from the spa's sauna
Finnair

It’s no surprise that the Finnair Lounge in Helsinki-Vantaa Airport consistently ranks amongst the best lounges in the world. Boasting a pool, plunge pool, four saunas, spa services and hot stone beds all with views onto the landing platform, the lounge is a paradise to travellers on long-haul journeys.

If you don’t want to take advantage of the spa, you can also have a drink whilst watching the runway on reclining chairs, retreat to the relaxation room to watch some TV or have a snack at the varied buffet. All this whilst topping up your phone on revolutionary wireless charging platforms.

Available to Finnair’s business class customers and Finnair Plus platinum, gold and silver members or for a €45 fee.

Munich: Lufthansa Business Class lounge

Enjoy a pre-flight pint in a stylish beer hall
Lufthansa / Robert Schadt

When Munich Airport’s Lufthansa business class lounge was refurbished in 2010, an innovative new amenity was added: a beer garden. Guests to the lounge can now enjoy draught beer and German sausages and meatballs whilst sitting in a 30-seat traditional beer hall underneath a mock panorama of the Bavarian mountains. Servers in traditional dirndls also mill around proffering pretzels.

Add to this the fully equipped shower rooms, workstations, cigar lounges and massage services that are available, and the lounge creates an enticing fusion of German tradition and modern luxury. Whilst lounge access is restricted, beer lovers don’t have to miss out. The airport also houses the world’s only airport brewery and restaurant, Airbräu.

Available to Lufthansa’s business class customers.

Find the cheapest airline deals with World Travel Guide.