The third lounge I visited at Budapest airport before my flight to Helsinki was the Platinum Lounge near gate 12. While that was the Schengen one, there is also a Platinum Lounge in the non-Schengen area.
The lounge is one of four Priority Pass lounges at Budapest airport. It is also accessible to premium passengers of Lufthansa, Swiss, Iberia, and other airlines. Finally, one can also pay 25 EUR to enter the Platinum Lounge for two hours.
Lounge Overview
The lounge is basically one large rectangular room.
Right after entering, on the left, there is the reception desk with a nice looking wall behind it that separates it from the rest of the lounge.
On the right, there is a self-service bar with some counter-height chairs. There is also a small business center with two computers and a printer next to the bar.
The buffet is right accross the entrance. Newspapers and magazines are located, not so conveniently, below the buffet counter.
The rest of the lounge consists of various seating options. There are both dining tables and chairs in the middle, as well as a variety of sofa chairs and sofas.
Food & Drinks Selection
The drinks are in the self-service bar area. There is a soda machine with Coca-Cola products and bottled water. There are also some juices, tea and coffee.
On the alcoholic side, there is a selection of wines, beer and spirits.
As for meals, there are several warm light meal choices – ranging from chicken meat balls to some salads.
There are also some yoghurts, pastries and bread, as well as fruits and cereals. Finally, on the bar, there are some snacks.
Platinum Lounge Schengen Budapest Summary
At the time of my visit, on a Friday late morning, the lounge was fairly empty. The lounge quality overall is what one would expect from a contract lounge.
While the food selection is on the subpar side, the seating options are relatively good. Especially, the sofas are comfortable!
However, I would not recommend paying 25 EUR to visit the lounge. Instead, I would spend it in one of the airport restaurants.
I use this lounge several times a year since many years. As a Star Alliance Gold member I have no other choice in this airport. Seating area is acceptable, even if there are no windows. Quality and variety of food is ok, but not to enjoy. Staff is incredibly unmotivated and not attentive. They prefer having privat phone calls or visiting websites than cleaning up tables.