Generally, we are simple travelers who fly in coach, carry-on bags, and enjoy the entire traveling process. We have been known to sleep in airports or in a one-person tent together too. One of my all-time favorite travel experiences was being in Belize with no electricity or running water for two weeks during college. But as much as I love simplicity, sometimes, a little luxury mixed in is fun too, whether it is staying at the Park Hyatt in Milan or visiting airport lounges using free access or guest passes.
Airport lounges help us to reduce food expenses while traveling, and truth be told, we have been known to make meals of crackers, cheese, hand fruit, and trail mix. We have visited several lounges in the U.S. but none compare to the American Express Centurion Lounge. These lounges are relatively new, and right now there are three open in Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, and New York-LaGuardia, with two others set to open later this year in San Francisco and Miami.
Matt has a card that gives him and up to two guests complimentary access to this brand of lounges. Otherwise, it is a $50 fee per person to enter with any American Express card. We had read reviews and watched the video tours, but were excited to visit in-person. So much so, that we arrived to the airport around 11 a.m. to enjoy the lounge for the rest of the day before an evening flight.
Near the check-in desk, the lockers were spacious for carry-on backpacks. The staff even let us leave our bags in the lockers when we left for global entry interviews. It was much easier to go back through security without bags afterwards. Excellent customer service all around.
There were many seating options throughout the lounge from armchairs to chaise lounges. It was very comfortable, relaxing, and quiet. There were reading materials, screens with the World Cup game on, and plenty of space to find a quiet place to work or read too.
Although, we have no use for it yet, the family room is nice and has games/toys/movies to keep children occupied. There were a few older kids in the lounge at the time, but we did not see any young families using this room.
The highlight though is the complimentary food and beverages, and unlike other lounges, I am not talking about crackers and cheese; this is real food. At each location, the menu is designed by a well-known chef and inspired by regional cuisine.
In Dallas, the food and the beverages were delicious and filling. Breakfast is served from 6:30-11 a.m. Lunch and dinner are served from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. We missed breakfast but had lunch and dinner here. With the price of airport food, this probably saved us at least $40 for the day.
There were a lot of options at the salad bar.
Smoked BBQ brisket tacos, rice, spinach and queso enchiladas, chips, and guacamole for lunch.
One of their signature cocktails, a White Mimosa.
Dinner was a repeat of lunch. I was hoping to try another signature cocktail called the Tex-Mex, but they were out of jalapenos, so I opted for a margarita instead.
The spa within the lounge offers complimentary massages, facials, and manicures. Upon arrival, we each scheduled a 15 minute massage, and I scheduled a manicure for the afternoon as well. Yes, shocking for those of you who know me! I do not particular enjoy these things, but when they are free (tip aside), I will give it a try. ;)
Matt always loves checking out the shower facilities at the lounges. The showers here were decent, but he prefers the ones at the American Admirals lounge better. However, I liked the travel size L'Occitane products.
All in all, we loved our first experience at The DFW Centurion Lounge and now, when possible, we are trying to route all long flights through the airports that have them. It beats eating cheese and crackers for a meal that's for sure and to be able to relax while traveling is a nice perk.
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