Puerta de Alcala

Sala VIP Puerta de Alcala – Madrid (MAD)

The Puerta de Alcala lounge at Madrid Barajas airport Terminal 2 serves passengers traveling within Europe’s Schengen zone. The club welcomes elite and premium customers of a dozen airlines including Air France KLM, Alitalia, Lufthansa, and SWISS, as well as members of popular lounge access programs such as Priority Pass. All passengers, regardless of airline or class or service, may also purchase access.

Patrons can roam freely between the Puerta de Alcala lounge (located in Terminal 2 Zone D) and the sister lounge Puerta del Sol, which is located in Terminal 3 Zone E, a five minute walk away. Both lounges are operated by the airport authority, and share the same access rules. The Sala VIP Puerta del Sol is somewhat larger, more modern, and better appointed, but it is not necessarily worth the walk over to Zone E unless you’re looking for a meeting room or better sleep amenities.

Puerta de Alcala MAD design

The Puerta de Alcala lounge at Madrid Barajas airport Terminal 2 is located on the upper level, near gate D62. The spacious club boasts a long window wall and benefits from ample daylight and exciting views on the tarmac and airport grounds.

Sala VIP Puerta de Alcala – Madrid (MAD)

While the slightly industrial and old fashioned décor is unremarkable, the layout is open and spacious, with plenty of space to walk around. A single large room is home to a dining area, a seating area, and a business zone. The seats are located by the windows with a side table and power outlet at every seat. Immediately across is the buffet and dining area with both traditional café-style seating and tabletop seating. Next to the dining area is an odd circular structure with work carrousels on the outside and booth style seating inside.

A drawback of the open design is that the noise from the dining area propagates throughout the lounge. A second smaller room adjacent to the lobby features slightly more isolated and quieter seats, although the haphazardly placed office furniture looks like an after-thought.

Puerta de Alcala MAD amenities

The Puerta de Alcala lounge at Madrid Barajas airport Terminal 2 features a solid range of amenities.

Sala VIP Puerta de Alcala – Madrid (MAD)

The buffet offers a selection of snacks, salads, sandwiches, yoghurt, and other packaged items such as fruit salads. There are also rotating hot entrees such as pasta dishes. The selection varies, and hot food availability may be hit or miss, but the spread is substantial enough for a quick meal on the ground.

The drink selection is strong. A cooler holds a wide variety of juices, soft drinks, bottled water, and beer. Several red and white wines are available, along with Cava, a staple of Spanish airport lounges. There is also a modest liquor assortment. Finally, a Nespresso machine is available, with a variety of capsules to choose from.

Wi-Fi is free and unlimited (the former time restrictions have been lifted), but the login process is painful. Passengers need to obtain the password (displayed on the flight monitors), fill in a tedious form with excessive personal information, and then endure a video advertisement. Subscribers of services such as Boingo can bypass the process using their provider’s connectivity app.

Sala VIP Puerta de Alcala – Madrid (MAD)

The Puerta de Alcala lounge features a couple of well-appointed and spacious shower suites. The rooms come with a toilet, a sink, a rain shower, and a hair dryer. Towels (but no washcloth) are provided. Bath amenities are available in wall-mounted dispensers. The showers are complimentary for airline-invited customers and Priority Pass members. Pay-in customers should inquire about the cost, which may not be included in their entry fee.

There are two business centers. In the rear of the lounge is a room equipped with work desks and a few computers. It is basic and bare but spacious, and the space benefits from a large window and plenty of daylight—a welcome departure from the traditional dark and gloomy business areas. Across the buffet is a second business zone, with individual work carousels equipped with power outlets. They’re noisy and less private.

The lounge has a dark slumber room, though it’s open onto the main area and therefore noisy, and the seats are uncomfortable. If you need to sleep, consider making your way to the Sala VIP Puerta del Sol for a much more relaxing experience.

Other amenities include a selection of newspapers and magazines.

Puerta de Alcala MAD bottom line

The Puerta de Alcala lounge at Madrid Barajas airport Terminal 2 is a comfortable lounge, with a pretty strong line-up of amenities for short distance travel within Europe’s Schengen zone.

The lounge boasts panoramic views, an enjoyable food and beverage selection, a spacious business center, and convenient shower suites. Due its open layout, the club may be noisy at times, and overall the décor is mildly attractive, especially in comparison with the newer Sala VIP Puerta del Sol, also in the Schengen zone. The Sala VIP Puerta de Alcala is a great place to wait for a flight and for a light meal on the ground, with enjoyable little extras such as bottled water to go.