Our Portugal to Spain trip continued with an early morning (6:45 AM) flight to Barcelona from Lisbon on TAP Portugal. Despite the early hour, I wanted to pop my head in and do a quick review of the relatively new flagship TAP Portugal lounge in Terminal 1. The lounge opened at 5:00 AM to accommodate the early morning flights out of Terminal 1, which was appreciated. Read on for my Lisbon TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon review.
As a reminder, for internal “house” reviews, we score on the same 1-3 scale we use elsewhere. A 3 indicates that a given category exceeded reviewer expectations, a 2 indicates it met expectations, and a 1 failed to meet expectations. We evaluate the categories we believe are most relevant to the flight, hotel, or lounge experience.
Details
Name of Lounge: TAP Portugal Premium Lounge
Location: Terminal 1, Schengen
Time/Length of Visit: 5:20 AM – 6:00 AM
Date of Visit: 9/11/19
Seating – 3/3
At 5:20 AM, the lounge was busier than I expected, but still relatively empty – I’d estimate perhaps 20% full. There were multiple seating options, including a main room, a small side area, and then a large area by the bar. Seats were in good condition and there were a good amount of power outlets available. All in all, great seating for the lounge – at least at this hour.
Drink – 3/3
The drink options appeared to be quite extensive for a business class lounge. Multiple coffee machines, a soda fountain, two beers on tap, a wine wall, juices, and a bar rounded out all of the options. There was nothing over the top – it is a business class lounge – but the substantial variety was appreciated.
Food – 3/3
Food was probably the highlight of the TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon Review. Morning food options included eggs and three types of sausages, as well as an assortment of savory pastries and sweet pastries. I passed on the eggs and sausages, but Mrs. PTI and I tried three flavors (tuna/spinach, beef/bacon, and vegetable) of the savory pastries plus an obligatory pastel de nata. All were quite good for lounge food and hit the spot. There was also the usual cold cuts, yogurts, etc, and other cold options available. For a business class lounge, the selection was pretty good and pretty tasty – particularly the savory and sweet pies, which were both yummy and also a local dish, which sets the food apart from other lounges.
Cleanliness – 3/3
The lounge was clean and maintained at this hour.
Bathrooms – 1/3
The bathrooms were a low spot. There were multiple shower stalls which I did not review, but the men’s room was beat up and the stalls not particularly clean. Given the great shape of the rest of the lounge this was a shame.
WiFi – 3/3
I did not conduct a speed test, but the WiFi was zippy on my phone and worked well.
Views – 2/3
The lounge has views of the tarmac, but had angled slats partially obstructing the views (below). So while you can see some airport operations, it’s the greatest of views. That said, the entire wall of the lounge had windows, so I assume it would have good light in the daytime.
Lisbon TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon Review Overall – 2.5/3
This was a great lounge to visit. To be fair, the lounge was relatively quiet when I visited, which makes things like cleanliness (except in the bathroom) and food stocking easier. But the core needs – a good seat with power, fast WiFi, good food and drink selection were all present and accounted for. Assuming it wasn’t overcrowded, it seemed like a great lounge to kill time at.