Virgin Atlantic’s new LAX Clubhouse - review

The 10th Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse packs in everything you need before taking off, says Oscar Quine
Stunning: The new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
Oscar Quine7 July 2015

I’m about to take a sip of a champagne mojito when I realise I can see the Hollywood sign out over the baking Tarmac of LAX. I am in the brand new £2.5m Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse waiting for my return flight to London - but boy, oh boy, it does not feel like a wait at all.

The views of the Hollywood Hills offer the perfect farewell note from the city and are venerated in the lounge’s impeccably designed interior. There’s a curved copper bar, sculpted sofas and a mural by British artist Vic Lee. The space was designed to evoke both playful personality of the Virgin Atlantic brand but also the vistas of Southern California: the warm sunsets, flowing surf and mountain backdrops. It’s almost enough to make me pick up my hand luggage and head for the exit.

Lee says the scenery made his job easy. He was, he says, inspired by: “working in a space surrounded by sweeping windows overlooking the romance of travel, the elegant carriers of the clouds, blue skies, Palm trees and the hills of Hollywood”.

Now, what to have with my mojito? There’s an excellent menu, all gratis of course, with guest dishes from uber-hip LA restaurant Hinoki and the Bird. I keep it Cali, and go for a punchy, crunchy green papaya salad with a side of avocado. There’s plenty more to catch the eye – seared Ahi tuna burger and rare beef wholemeal tacos to name two – but my thoughts are on the in-flight refreshments that I know await me.

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses provide the standard for relaxed luxury in the world of premium travel. This is its 10th and, while relatively small at 4,000sq ft (the Heathrow Clubhouse is a whopping 15,000sq ft), it packs in everything you need before taking off.

Callie Tedder-Hares, Design Manager at Virgin Atlantic, explains: “The team have worked with absolute dedication to create a beautiful, finely crafted space that reflects our brand’s personality and the LA lifestyle effortlessly. We’re very proud of it”.

There’s one last treat waiting out on the runway. Virgin Atlantic has just spent £3.2bn on a fleet of 17 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This state of the art plane – which suffered a long series of delays before its shaky launch with Japan’s ANA four years ago – is the quietest jet around and has the largest passenger windows, the tint of which changes colour to replicate dawn and dusk.

Combined with a revamped airflow system, the new design claims to work wonders at reducing the effects of jetlag. And in fact I do arrive back at Heathrow feeling as fresh as a daisy with thoughts of California’s hills rolling through my mind.

Entry in the Clubhouse is complimentary for Upper Class passengers travelling between Heathrow and Los Angeles International Airport. Return Upper Class fares start at £3,510 (virgin-atlantic.com).

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