Neptuno Lounge Review – Madrid (MAD)

Beneath the undulating waves that are Barajas’ trademark ceilings, you are Neptuno, god of the sea, rewarded by the heavens with only the finest of lounge experiences. This, at least, must have been what Aena was thinking when they named this lounge, and with all the amenities a lounge should have, who could argue with them? Dive into this Neptuno Lounge review – Madrid (MAD) and sharpen that trident for the charcutrie that awaits. You’re off the terminal map now. Here, there be sharks.

Our Trip

There’s no more honored tradition in Northern Europe than running away from Northern Europe. The vikings did it, the Irish did it, and now the sharks are doing it.

The Facts

The Neptuno Lounge is a Priority Pass jam in Terminal 4S. We tried to get into the Plaza Mayor lounge first, since it is closer to security, but they refused to let us in with a ticket departing from T4S. The staff at Neptuno were considerably more relaxed, the space was much larger, and there were even fewer people, so this should be the lounge you favor.

The Space

Neptuno lounge has very ample seating in its cavernous interior, and a few half-hearted adhesive wall decorations to try and give it some character. These serve as a nice backdrop for your cardio as you traverse the enormous space.

The lounge includes showers as well as an extremely weird chill zone, pictured above. It seems like the space is meant for a nap between flights, but is furnished with some of the strangest chairs I’ve ever seen. We found someone who had smashed two together to McGyver a bed and followed his example, but sleep was fitful at best and filled with nightmares about the super long-thighed people for whom the chairs were originally designed.

One of Neptuno’s most distinguishing features is the presence of two glassed-off meeting rooms for taking phone calls. The glass does a decent, if not great, job of sound isolation and we held a work meeting there with only a few dropped forks and clanging plates to interrupt our otherwise professional demeanor.

The Food

The Neptuno Lounge has actual food. You can find healthy sides, entrees, pasta as well as the more typical pastries, cereals and other foods you get at other lounges. Overall, we were very pleased with the selection. Like its cousin, the Plaza Mayor, you won’t be able to serve yourself, but must shamefully ask for your third serving from another human being like the disgusting gutbucket you are.

The Drinks

The Neptuno has a full bar with a good selection of Spanish wines, hard liquor and beer. We didn’t day drink this time, but would imagine that the staff would also be willing to mix up some basic cocktails on request.

Showers

The lounge has an excellent shower to wash off all the salt and sea brine once you’re done playing Neptune and want to head back out onto dry land.

Final Thoughts

Neptuno Lounge in Madrid Barajas is a cut above the typical Priority Pass lounge, with excellent food, showers, a full bar and, of course, a really bizarre nap room (we formally request that they stop messing around and turn that room into a damned ball pit already).

Final Grades