There are two lounges at Faro Airport, one in the non-Schengen area which I’ve visited before, and this one in the Schengen area which I haven’t. When I entered the friendly member said that they were full, but I was welcome to come in and wait for a seat if I wanted. Nothing says premium travel quite like being invited to stand near the snacks and hope someone leaves.
I decided I’d invite myself to sit with a collection of other passengers as it’s surprising how social I can be when there’s the chance to eat chicken pies and crisps as well as drink coffee and beer. Incidentally, the two beers didn’t really surprise and delight, but I’m not sure that they were intending to be a craft beer venue.
Another chicken pie, which I very much rated, alongside two pastéis de nata. In terms of the ambience, it’s not great as most people didn’t have access to a table which is a little sub-optimal for eating and for getting work done.
The pastry selection.
I noticed a family group didn’t like their high seating table and so I swapped them for my sofa seat. Like some sort of angry cat, I like sitting high up and watching over things. I got another chicken pie to celebrate, because altruism requires fuel.
It’s a perfectly decent lounge in terms of the friendliness of the staff, the cleanliness and the food options. However, it’s simply too small and it was at or near capacity for nearly all of my stay. I was fortunate that I was able to get this table, which was also near a power point, but it’s not the most laid-back in terms of the atmosphere.
I’ve got my annual Priority Pass card and so my expectations for lounges are always quite measured. But they have just 39 seats available in this lounge (it’s 70 at the non-Schengen lounge) which is really quite a small number given how many flights are departing from the airport. Normal entry is €30 and I would be disappointed if I had paid this to find myself struggling for even anywhere to sit.