A couple of weeks ago I got the chance to try out the new Eurostar e320 trains on a trip to Paris. That review will follow in a couple of days.
First, however, I got to review the Eurostar lounge at St Pancras again.
One of the lesser known benefits of American Express Platinum is that you and your supplementary cardholder get access to Eurostar lounges. I don’t use this benefit often, but it is a bit of a lifesaver when you do. St Pancras is chaotic at peak times in the main terminal hall and, until the current rebuilding work is finished, Paris is even worse.
(I won’t be reviewing the Paris lounge because a new one is due to open later this year.)
It is worth remembering that Standard Premier tickets do not come with lounge access. Without a Platinum card or Eurostar status you need to be holding a Business Premier ticket.
Having said that the terminal was chaos, the lounge was also overrun at 6.45am with a couple of trains due to depart imminently. However, once it hit 7am, calm descended and I had a very pleasant half an hour until I headed off to board.
The St Pancras Eurostar lounge is long, narrow and operates on two levels. A lot of people never venture upstairs, but the facilities are the same and there is more space. You also are not disturbed by people walking to and from the lounge entrance. I recommend looking upstairs first before taking a seat downstairs.
I have a soft spot for this lounge but it isn’t based on any hard benefits. I just like the feel of it and the way it is blended into the fabric of the old station.
There is also no shortage of reading material, which always wins brownie points with me:
which makes the weak British Airways Galleries selection look pitiful.
These pictures are all taken from the upper level:
and
There isn’t much variety in the food on offer. (I did say that my liking for this lounge was not based on its facilities!) It helps to have a love of pastries, which were pretty decent – better than the ones served on the train:
This is the food and drink station on the lower level. There is no shortage of alcohol although you don’t see it in this image. The coffee machines were also high quality which was welcome at 7am.
All in all, it does the best it can given the limited space. The Paris lounge is substantially larger and is due to become even bigger following the building work.
And if you don’t have lounge access, you will be stuck in the massive queue outside Caffe Nero!
Disclaimer: Eurostar provided me with a free Business Premier outbound / Standard Premier inbound ticket to Paris. I was planning to pay, but when I got in touch with them to ask which services would have the new trains (it is impossible to tell before you book) they offered me one, so I accepted. It was a good job I did as I had an ‘equipment swap’ and they were happy to rebook me. Qudos to Eurostar, who were fully aware of the slating I gave the food in Standard Premier last time I wrote about it!
About Head for Points
I also used my AMEX Platinum to gain entry to the St Pancras Eurostar lounge a couple of weeks ago, en route to Brussels, using the cheapest ticket I could find. I echo the review, it was an oasis of calm. There were a number of phone charging points in the vicinity of my seat and a strong wifi signal. It was mid morning, so snacks were in order and they were fine. I didn’t really check the alcohol, but a very broad range of soft drinks were available. This lounge was perfect for a 45 minute stay and facilitated work, so I rate it very highly. I did stop off at the Brussels lounge on the return journey, but only for a few minutes. First it was clear that the environment was very similar to the St Pancras lounge. No phone charging points, but plenty of power outlet sockets. I passed through at about 7pm and there were only snacks available, but plenty of wine
Can you get in with your Plat but no ticket to travel?
No, the lounge is after check-in, security and passport control
No, the lounge is after security – IIRC St Pancras only let you through security if you are a certain amount of time before your train, too early and you’re not allowed through (that was how it was a couple of years ago anyway).
Agree good lounge for short waits (which is what it is designed for after all!) and handy Amex Plat perk.
The lounges are post check in/ security / passport control so you need a ticket.
Cancellable ticket?
Lol I wouldn’t say the lounge is that good that it is worth the hassle!
I go through St Pancras every day. Where’s the rebuilding work? Is it in the Eurostar bit?
The rebuilding referred to is in Paris.
Indeed. Reading comprehension failure.
It would be an excellent thing to have as the standard departure are in St Pancras and Paris are soul sapping misery pits designed when the idea was you pitched up for the train a few minutes before departure an didn’t have to spend any time in them.The only upside is a decent wifi signal at St Pancras. Brussels is just boring, but not rammed as they are firm in not letting you through until an hour before your train, Rubbish wi fi though.
+1000
On the plus side St Pancras station has a set of relatively high quality food outlets compared to most stations. I tend to get my coffee at Pain Quotidien which is near to the Eurostar ‘compound’ but there’s also a few other food and drink sources including an M & S Food.
I don’t have Amex Plat and currently don’t need it and wishing I could find a way to access these lougnes. I don’t travel enough to earn the Eurostar statuses. And the Paris end without access to the lounge, has been a nervejangling hell each time I’ve been there. On the other hand travelling by train is so much nicer these days than via many airports and a lot better than by road. If anyone ever knows of any Eurostar deals please post,
If you book tickets often enough with Eurostar, they’ll sometimes post you a voucher for Business Premier Security + Lounge. When I was travelling quite a lot two years ago, I think they sent me 2 or 3 over a period of 5 months. They were a bit slow to post, IIRC the final one turned up only a week before I hit enough points to make Carte Blanche!
Given that the new trains carry a lot more passengers than the old ones, the overcrowding will only get worse.
Just note to say that in London I was given access with an Amex Corporate Platinum card, but denied access with the same card in Paris. It is safer to have a personal Amex Platinum card, which I have since changed to using.
OT: Anyone know how long it takes BA to post the birthday bonus? Bday was this month flew to the US in CW on the 1st and returned on the 6th both flights have posted but not my (25k I think) bonus.
Last year I got offered the birthday bonus and duly flew in June. The birthday bonus (15,000 for World Traveller) posted on 1st August.
This year, on the birthday bonus page, it says it’ll credit within 48 hours of my return flight. I suspect however that it will be the 1st August again (for me, June birthday) however.
These are targeted emails I take it? I never got one and I did fly in my birthday month as it happens…
I think I was offered it once about 5y ago and couldn’t use it at the time, never been offered it since 🙁
Wife and I used Amex Plat for access on Monday morning (travelling std prem down to Marseilles). Lounge was lovely, train was delayed by 30 mins due to a (quickly rectified) technical fault so it’s a good place to stock up on coffee and half decent croissants whilst waiting! Also reading a copy of the spectator that I took from the lounge earlier today so echo good selection of magazines and papers. Slightly o/t but I cannot recommend enough Eurostar standard premier from London to Marseilles. We got the tickets in a sale for £95 each (one way, £45 for standard) back in Jan and both of us agree spending 6 easy hours on a train from city centre to city centre is a much nicer way to travel than traipsing out of central London to Heathrow or even London City. For anyone looking to head to the South of France (we are now in Nice despite striking French train driver best efforts!) I would suggest taking a look, especially if based in central London.
6 hrs London —> Marseilles by train is amazing – and the price was hardly off-putting – must put that in the bucket list!
Hope you sampled a bouillabaisse!
+1. Can’t recommend this train in Standard Premier enough. My companion brought a bottle of bubbles to accompany breakfast (bold at 7.30am, I know) and instead of rolled eyes, the attendant went out of her way to fetch an ice bucket. Great service and a lovely way to unwind before arriving in a sunny afternoon.
Coming home is a bit rougher though – do they still make you get off the train at Marne La Vallee or somewhere?
Lille. Everyone gets off, and goes through security and immigration in Lille Europe, before the train continues on to London
Does mean there’s no 30 minute checkin deadline at the southern French departure cities though!
I also used the St Pancras lounge back in March when I went to Amsterdam via Brussels (returning home on the day before the airport bomb!). I had forgotten there was an upstairs, so found the place a little crowded when I arrived, but the Paris train departed and all was well. Good coffee, nice pastries and a comfy seat.
Probably getting the Eurostar from Ashford next year – don’t suppose there’s a similar lounge there??
I’d be interested to see your review of the e320 trains. Is this still coming up?