Review: Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge in Barcelona Terminal 1

This article was produced in partnership with Priority Pass and a version recently appeared on the Priority Pass blog. All opinions are our own.

This is our review of the Joan Miro Sala VIP lounge in Barcelona.

The Joan Miro lounge in Barcelona was my last stop before flying back home to London, after a whistle stop trip to Austria, Italy and now Spain.

I managed to get in on the back of my British Airways Gold (oneworld Emerald) status, but the lounge also accepts status and business class passengers from a variety of airlines as well as Priority Pass lounge card holders.

You can also pay on the door for access, from €44 per person.

Where is the Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge?

The lounge is located in the non-Schengen part of Barcelona El Prat Airport’s Terminal 1. This is the terminal used by British Airways and Iberia, as well as a number of other international airlines.

I haven’t previously flown out of Barcelona – only in – and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Whilst security was a bit of a scrum, once you are down the escalators you are dropped into a large, spacious departure hall. Even better, there is no duty free maze.

That said, finding the lounge isn’t as simply as it could be. The signage is less visibly than that for the gates, so you are better off heading to Gates D and E, which are used for non-Schengen destinations.

Head up the escalators and through passport control. Fortunately I had an EU passport and could use the e-gates as the queue to be seen in person didn’t look fun.

Once you’re through, head down the elevators (or take the escalators round the back) to the floor below, where you’ll see the lounge reception.

Inside the Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge

As the main lounge for non-Schengen customers I expected the Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge to be big, but perhaps not quite this big.

The lounge is split into two areas, and during quieter periods a lot of the amenities appear to be consolidated on one side, such as food and bar service. This meant it was significantly busier on that side, with plenty of available seating in the quieter half.

I’m not sure when the lounge was last refurbished but it feels modern, with a primarily monochrome design and high gloss finishes. Angled blue glass screens break up the space into smaller areas:

Unfortunately there are no runway views from the lounge. Despite having floor-to-ceiling windows, these are internal ones that overlook the departure hall.

There are lots of different seating options. Along the windows you tend to have more informal sofas and armchairs:

I was pleased to see a large area dedicated to seven hot-desking style work areas, which is where I plonked myself. With ‘business centres’ a thing of the past, I often find modern lounges fail to cater adequately to business travellers. This area was very popular during my visit.

There are also more private napping booths as well as these circular booths with blue glass privacy screens:

Next to the buffet you’ll find lots of restaurant style seating:

The other half of the lounge is very similar, although much quieter, and featured more restaurant style seating, an (unmanned, empty) bar as well as more sofas and armchairs:

Overall it is a surprisingly impressive space.

Food and drink in the Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge

Again, the food offering was better than I expected. Instead of big vats of curry sauce, rice etc, all food is served in individual dishes. This makes it much easier to grab items from the buffet and avoids other guests fishing for all the chicken at the bottom of a warmed pot. It did mean that during busier times staff struggled to keep the buffet fully stocked.

There were a range of cold items, including gazpacho shots, parsnip soup, hummus and langoustine salad:

Hot options included flavourless meatballs in gravy, a couple of types of lasagne and cod casserole.

Sandwiches were also available, as was a selection of cheese and ham plus a salad bar and various bar snacks.

and

Overall it was a fairly extensive selection.

Wine and beers were self-pour, although I didn’t spot any spirits.

There are also fridges stocked with soft drinks and water, as well as hot drinks machines. Codorniu cava was available:

Showers at the Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge

I was pleasantly surprised to find that showers were available. Whilst there are just a couple, I didn’t need to book as they were not a particularly popular option midday.

The shower room is very spacious:

.… although it lacks a toilet and some sort of chair / bench to put your clothes.

Towels, slippers and shower gel / shampoo were provided.

Conclusion

Overall, the Sala VIP Joan Miro lounge in Barcelona El Prat Airport is an excellent spot to relax before your flight or, dare I say it, even get some work done.

I was surprised at the size of the lounge and amenities on offer, and was impressed by the elevated food selection – far better than many independent and even airline-operated lounges.

The only catch is that there is relatively little natural light – and no external views – but I suppose one can’t have everything!

You can find out more on this page of the Priority Pass website which also looks at the other lounge options at the airport.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (September 2023)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta Air Lines and Eurostar lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.