For my final nights’ return home to Shannon from WTM London, I knew that I’d need advance respite from what was sure to be a harrowing Ryanair experience, and so I was conscious to book the most premium lounge possible, Clubrooms at Gatwick South, so that I could hopefully destress before the almost-certain stress of the flight itself.

I haven’t been to Gatwick since about 2012 and don’t remember it being anything special to write home about, and perhaps it was more a case of the time of evening, but it seemed far more pleasant, calm and clean than I’d initially expected or remembered.

Clubrooms access comes with fast track security included – though you do need to show the lounge voucher, and the voucher itself suggests it has to be printed, though it wasn’t taken off me – and after circumnavigating the regular security area to get to the fast track security lane, I was through very quickly.

I read reports that suggested that a sharp left after security would bring you into a ‘secret’ corridor of sorts that effectively bypassed a longer walk to the lounge – the corridor actually leads you back out on the regular first floor atrium, and you’ll then need to walk right around the atrium to the opposite side to get to the entrance to the lounge.

I’m not really sure how much time, but it felt like it wouldn’t be a lot, this ‘short cut’ could save you, but you ultimately end up walking around the outside of the restaurants to get to the entrance of the lounge, which is clearly marked ‘No. 1 Lounge & Clubrooms’.

I was quickly admitted upon presentation of my boarding pass, and escorted into the main space for the clubrooms, a compact space with several chairs and tables, with floor-to-ceiling windows out over the apron.

Unfortunately, others had clearly got the memo and it was quite full – so I was instead quickly led, by the host, out to an adjoining room with one large table, and several smaller tables set alongside a long, comfy couch that ran the full length of the window overlooking the apron.

There was one lady occupying the larger table by herself, who I would go on to worry about whether she would make her flight, as her assistance hadn’t turned up for what was a boarding flight by the time I left; and another gentleman who busied himself with work throughout (not so, for all of us, thankfully).

While I took stock of my past two days of Limerick to London commuting and WTM, I was quickly brought a glass of wine as requested (and our host generally was very proactive, while around). Prosecco was also offered, but in the brief moment before making my order and taking the menu, I noticed Champagne was chargeable so decided not to risk incurring further cost. In hindsight, prosecco might well be complimentary, but I didn’t regret my wine choice.

The menu was relatively extensive, and you can order a la carte (up to three dishes, apparently) anytime during your stay. In the end, although a number of options were tempting, I went for the fish & chips.

This was probably one aspect of the experience that felt like it could use some additional finesse – while the portion was generous, it felt like perhaps the food offering wasn’t the lounge’s strong point; the chips were lukewarm at best, as were the peas, while the fish was tasty, but not amazing. It felt like if one area of the experience had been budgeted a little cautiously, it was here.

Similarly, after the host looking after our room seemingly went off-duty, and especially after the other gentleman departed, our room – being not the main space – seemed to go a little forgotten about, and towards the end I got up and walked next door to retrieve another glass of wine.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Clubrooms at Gatwick South – it’s a lovely, intimate space with a solid offering and to be honest, when you factor in the fast track security and much improved privacy relative to a normal lounge, not bad value at all. Hopefully the food offering quality can be looked after, to make this a real ‘must visit’ experience.