Club Mobay Lounge Review – Montego Bay (MBJ)

Hangover? Check. Sunburn? Check. Drunkenly vomit onto a dolphin off the side of a catamaran? Check. And now, it’s time to go back to Manibota or whatever snowdrift you came here from. Luckily, the Club Mobay Lounge is invested in making sure that your final moments in Jamaica are as boozy and comfortable as you could hope for. And we here at Loungesharks are bringing you this Club Mobay Lounge Review – Montego Bay (MBJ) to make sure that you don’t miss out on anything during these special moments at the airport. The lounge is massive and we’ve got plenty to cover, so put on your flippy-floppies and let’s do this.

Our Trip – Club Mobay Lounge Review – Montego Bay (MBJ)

A lot of people think the best way to get from New York to Chicago is to take the direct flight. But a lot of people are wrong. Its winter, and Chicago is cold. Last-minute flights from New York to Chicago are way, way too expensive. The only way to make the most of a bad situation is to fly this route with a two-day stop in Jamaica. And that’s just what we did. We’re sure you’d approve.

The Facts – Club Mobay Lounge Review – Montego Bay (MBJ)

Now, obviously you hit up the Mobay Arrivals Lounge when you got here, so you already know the drill.

Access: Still, let’s review: You’ve got two ways to get into the lounge. If you’re a big spender, you can pay something like thirty dollars to access a special security line and fasttrack your way into the lounge. This might be worth it if lines are insane or you’re running late. Even though we accessed the airport at a fairly busy time, the lines weren’t bad in the regular line. I’d estimate you’ll save about five minutes by paying.

For those of you willing to save a buck by standing in the longer security line, you can make your way to the lounge yourself and accessing it with one of your cards. They take all sorts of cards, including Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, Diners club, and obviously cash. Business class passengers on a range of mostly European airlines also have access to the lounge.

Getting to the lounge requires making your way through duty-free and over towards gate nine. At the entrance, you’ll be asked to either go downstairs or access the upstairs lounge. Just go where you’re told and then once you’re settled you can explore later. For some reason, they like to seat you and have someone get you your first round of drinks, so its best to just go with the flow.

Pro tip: if you’ve got bags, there’s a dedicated luggage checking area with an attendant and everything. Definitely leave your things there so that you may roam as freely as an antelope on the plains before farmers brought fences.

Fact: Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent have both used this lounge, along with a range of models, sports idols and other singers. Their pictures line the walls. What could feel more exclusive than having a Red Stripe in the very lounge where Snoop once did?

Fiction: A lot of people online say that this lounge regularly turns away Priority Pass holders. We don’t believe it. There was no issues for us, even though the lounge was packeddd.

The Space – Club Mobay Lounge Review – Montego Bay (MBJ)

This place is confusing and perhaps even counterintuitive. It’s a bit of a labrynth and you might not realize that you can roam freely until you find the sapce that most suits your mood and needs.

The lounge has four different major rooms. All have nearly identical food stations, and each has its own bar.

Upstairs: There is one upstairs swith grand and sweeping views of the tarmac, where you can see flights by exotic airlines like Delta, TUI, Air Canada and the almost unknown Miami Airways, with their direct flights to Milwaukee.

Downstairs: there are three major sections here. First, you have a vast, windowless seating area known as the “family area.” This is where people with kids are taken. Second, beyond the luggage check, there is a lightfilled room with large windows that is directly on the tarmac. It has a few lounge-chair type seats that are probably the most ideal, if you can snag one.

Third, there is a larger room with less natural lighting that is where most of oyu without children will end up. It has two major food stations, a range of seating styles, and two food bars.

The food – Club Mobay Lounge Review – Montego Bay (MBJ)

There’s quite a range of food here, though none of it quite too far beyond the realm of snacks, so while you will possible manage to fill up, you won’t feel totally satisfied. Its also all very mediocre.

We were delighted to see three types of patties on offer, but sadly, even the meat patties were pretty devoid of any meat. It was mostly fried carb. Come on Jamaica.

The sushi also didn’t look particularly great. The sandwiches are okay. The soups could be a good bet, and the the salads (beet, chickpea, etc.) are actually alright.

The drinks

Bars are speckled throughout the lounge. Every room has its own dedicated bar and bartenders, mostly slinging the same set of liquors, frozen daqueri style drinks, and plenty of wine and beer. There are also roving servers who will constnatly ask you if you’d like another drink, which makes heading to the bar entirely unecessary. There’s coffee and water that you can help yourself to, but otherwise, whether you’re boozing or not, you’ll need to chat with the charming bartenders and servers to get a beverage in your hand.

The internet

The internet is excellent; you don’t have to worry about slow download speeds. If you need a quiet space to work in, though, this is not necessarily it.

The restrooms, showers, spa

The restrooms are located fairly far to the back of hte lower level; on top, they’re fairly close to the smaller lounge area. They do the job quite nicely, though if htere’s a rush in the lounge you may find yourself waiting just a little.

The showers, on the other hand, are excellent. Pick up a towel basket at reception and make your way to a spacious room on the lower level beyond the restrooms. Our only complains are that the hot water was not hot. It wasn’t freezing, but it wasn’t nearly warm enough to actually enjoy it. Still, if you need to desalinate after one last dip in the sea. The shower room itself is exceptionally spacious and easy to use.

There is a spa, and people were using it. If you want one last massage, you can get one. It’s a pretty small space, though, and not super appealing (and nothing nearly as spacious as the reflexology you get in Indonesian airport lounges) but it might hit the spot.

Final Thoughts

This lounge is a little chaotic but not a bad way to end a trip. Sure, you’re broke and hungover, but you can nurse your wounds with a few more drinks on a pleather couch before you hop onto that Spirit flight back to where you came from.

Final Grades