Escape Lounge FLL review: it’s nice, but perhaps not the escape you’re hoping for
Don’t let the name fool you. Despite its tempting name, the Escape Lounge at the Fort Lauderdale Airport isn’t exactly the escape you may be thinking it’s going to be.
Sure, it’s a beautifully designed lounge with pretty good (but limited) food. However – it doesn’t offer much of an escape from all of the chaos out in the main terminal. It’s a busy place.
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Location
You’ll find of the Escape Lounge in Terminal 3 at FLL. It’s located in the corridor on the walkway to Concourse E, just beyond the security checkpoint. Honestly? The corridor it’s located in is more of an escape than the lounge is. Just sayin’.
How to get in
Escape lounges are fully independent (not partnered with any particular airline). They have partnered up with American Express though – which is good news for Amex cardholders such as myself.
There are basically two ways to get in:
- Pay the entrance fee (which, at the time of this writing, seems to be $65). You can even make a reservation online to avoid the possibility of having to wait in line.
- Flash your American Express Platinum Card (or your American Express Delta Sky Miles Reserve Card) for complementary access.
Layout
The Fort Lauderdale Escape Lounge is one of the largest Escape lounges that I’ve seen yet (easily triple the size of the Escape Lounge in Terminal 3 at PHX). It’s essentially one large room broken up into different sections with very stylish dividers.
Just like everything else at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, the vibe is busy and chaotic. There are people everywhere, and it’ll probably be difficult to find a place to sit.
Despite the crowds, I consider this to be one of the nicest airport lounges that I’ve visited recently. It’s extremely well designed, with many different types of seating options.
Believe it or not, I found the quietest spot to be the communal table near the main entrance. Go figure.
Food and drinks
Food and drinks are usually pretty good in Escape lounges. The one here in Fort Lauderdale offered the usual assortment of hot and cold food items along with a fully staffed bar. Neither were large (or extensive).
Pros and cons
In my opinion, primary benefit this lounge is the free food (and drinks). It’s not a very good place to relax, but there’s always something good on the menu.
Pros
- Hot food! Not only that, they did a pretty good job of making sure there was always some available. As soon as a tray was empty, it was replaced immediately.
- It’s a beautiful lounge. Extremely well designed.
- The staffed bar looked like a pretty good place to get a stiff drink.
Cons
- *Grinch Impression* noise noise NOISE!
- Finding a place to sit is likely to be difficult.
- If you do end up finding a place to sit, it’s sure as heck not going to be private.
