Review: Sala VIP Miro BCN Airport, a Priority Pass Lounge

In a nutshell: The Sala VIP Miro BCN falls a bit short when it comes to food options, but it offers a great selection of drinks and is a nice place to pass the time before your non-Schengen Area flight.

Flying home from a whirlwind two nights in Barcelona had me departing from Spain’s second busiest airport for the second time in three weeks. Previously, I’d begun the first segment of an Alitalia business class error fare that had me flying home from Rome in the carrier’s lackluster 777-200ER Magnifica product. This time I’d be flying British Airways economy via London to make it back to California.

As I was flying to a non-Schengen area country (the UK), I would be in a different section of Terminal 1 at Barcelona El Prat Airport than I was previously. There are three Priority pass lounges in Terminal 1: Sala VIP Pau Casals (Schengen area), Sala VIP Colomer (Madrid-Barcelona shuttle flights), and Sala VIP Miro BCN (non-Schengen flights). The lounge is past passport control, which is immediately after security for non-Schengen area flights.

Accessing the Sala VIP Miro BCN

The Sala VIP Miro BCN is accessible to Priority Pass members who are on a flight departing from the non-Schengen area of the terminal. The information online makes it clear that the lounge in each section is to be used only for passengers departing that particular section of the airport. I would not be able to access the Sala VIP Pau Casals and then transit passport control before my flight, for example. My only option is the Sala VIP Miro BCN.

The lounge is open from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily. Access is permitted up to three hours before your scheduled departure. Per the Pau Casals staff, only people with same day departing tickets are allowed entry to any of the lounges at Barcelona El Prat.

Access with Priority Pass is according to the terms of your membership, with a limit of one guest at the Sala VIP Miro BCN. Children 5 years old and under are admitted free. The lounge is also available to in Lounge Key and Lounge Club cardholders and acts as the business class lounge for many carriers.

You’ll see signs for the Sala VIP Miro BCN soon after you exit passport control and continue toward the concourse. The lounge is actually on the level below the gates. Follow the sign to the elevator, or alternatively take the stairs one level down.

You’ll immediately see the lounge entrance. As you can see by the sign to the right, it is the business class lounge for essentially every airline departing the non-Schengen area of Terminal 1. Check in was simple with a quick scan of my Priority Pass card.

General Space

The Sala VIP Miro BCN is a large lounge, which makes sense given its function for so many airlines as well as the lounge for multiple memberships. Like the Pau Casals lounge across the way, much of the lounge has views of the interior of Terminal 1. The two are similar in several ways.

The lounge offers plenty of seating, much of which are black and white couches and armchairs, or the single chairs facing the Schengen Area terminal below. There were a reasonable number of people in the lounge when I arrived, but in no way did it feel crowded.

Besides the typical lounge seating, there are also work tables and desks, similar to what are featured in the Pau Casals lounge. I did not see any sort of meeting room, however.

There are even more seats adjacent to the food area. Nearly everything has European-style power outlets. However, a couple outlets I tried next to one of the armchairs did were non-functional.

Additionally, there are even more seats on the opposite side of the lounge which seemed to be a whole lot less popular, judging by the complete lack of guests.

Overall, the space is nice, with plenty of room for the number of people the lounge needed to accommodate the day I visited.

Food and Beverage

The food area is arranged as a long bar, essentially a mirror image of the Pau Casals Lounge. The food selection is generally the same as well. Do not expect any hot options. Everything that was available ranged from snacks to cold cuts. Coffee is provided by machine.

Breakfast options consisted of yogurt, small sandwiches, and a small selection of pastries. There also appeared to be drinkable yogurt/kefir.

You can also enjoy cold cuts. Definitely not the typical breakfast from an American perspective, but it seems to be a common option here in Europe, at least based on these last two brief visits.

The wine selection at the Sala VIP Miro BCN is rather good compared to your typical lounge. I could choose from among three reds and four whites. If you want a cocktail, there are the necessities for those as well.

Other food options included a snack bar with nuts, crackers, chips, and candies. Not a whole lot in the food department, which is probably the biggest downside to the lounge.

They have you covered on beverages, though. Besides the wine and spirits, there is a selection of bottled soft drinks, including sparkling water.

A cooler also offers a selection of European beer. The attendants were out frequently cleaning and restocking, and nothing every looked dirty or messy.

Overall, the Sala VIP Miro BCN offers a nice selection of beverages, but it comes up a bit short when it comes to food. Unlike other lounges that offer only cold options, there isn’t even a salad bar or real sandwiches. The minimal breakfast selection and snack foods don’t really cut it. I ate a bit, but only because I knew that my upcoming British Airways flight wouldn’t have catering due to an issue in London.

Other Lounge Features

The Sala VIP Miro BCN lounge offers shower facilities if you need. I didn’t check these out, having showered that morning before I left the Alexandra Barcelona Hotel. Had this been an evening long-haul departure, I definitely would have freshened up.

The lounge WiFi worked just fine. I didn’t perform a speed test, but I was able to browse the web and access social media without issue.

Sala VIP Miro BCN Airport: The Verdict

On the whole, I’m not all that impressed by the Sala VIP Miro lounge. It didn’t really hit me how limited the food selection is at both this lounge and the Sala VIP Pau Casals across the terminal. That trip was different, as I knew I’d be fed on my flight to Rome. Here, I had to make do for breakfast.

Aside from the limited food, the lounge offers a large, nice space to pass the time before your flight and a great selection of drinks. Everything is clean and well maintained, and you have access to a shower, if needed. The hit and miss power outlets can be a bit frustrating, but I was able to find one that worked.