American Express Centurion Lounge at Miami International Airport – Review

Staff at the Member Services desk can assist with American Express card- and travel-related questions including reservations at restaurants, airlines, and hotels.

At roughly 8,000 square feet (743 square meters), this is one of the largest lounges in the system: by comparison, LaGuardia’s lounge is just about 5,000 square feet (465 square meters). The lounge was half-full when I was there and there were many places available to sit. I was drawn to the expansive windows and tarmac view and decided it would be a good idea to have a light meal and enjoy the sights at the same time.

DINING AT THE MIAMI CENTURION LOUNGE

The buffet was much larger than LaGuardia’s and the food was much more to my liking. Each Centurion Lounge features a different menu and American Express hired South Florida-based chef Michelle Bernstein to design locally inspired-cuisine. (The décor is also localized, in this case giving visitors a look at Miami’s culture and history, with photos of Jackie Gleason, Jimmy Buffett, Ernest Hemingway, and other South Florida celebrities adorning the walls.)

My meal consisted of a simple salad with a tasty vinaigrette dressing accompanied by a glass of sparkling white wine.  It was followed by a hearty vegetable soup that was a bit too reminiscent of fall. The entrée, the braised chicken thighs, was the highlight of my meal and I went back for seconds and thirds.

In contrast to the New York lounge, where I enjoyed the strawberry shortcake, I felt the dessert offerings here fell short, hence the third serving of the chicken to compensate.

Not quite ready to leave, I took more time to enjoy the view, check my e-mail, and then headed off to the South Terminal and Concourse H for my flight to New York City.

BOTTOM LINE

I was as impressed with my second visit to a Centurion Lounge as I had been with my first. The lounges excel at food, drinks, service, and comfort and leave domestic U.S. airline lounges in the dust. The only competition I can think of are lounges such as the Virgin Clubhouse in either New York or London, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, or Qatar’s first-class lounge in Doha. At least for those airports that have Centurion Lounges, I see no reason to try to delay my arrival until minutes prior to departure because I now have a great place to dine and get some work done before a flight.

(Photos: Accura Media Group)

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