My journey began with a 45-minute flight from Portland to Seattle. But before I boarded, I was greeted by the famous therapy llamas at PDX and then gorgeous views of the Cascade Mountains.
The flight…
The flight on Virgin Atlantic via the Airbus A330 Neo 900 (seen above) featured modern lighting, comfortable seating, and ample food, with blankets and pillows provided in economy.
I embarked on a delightful 9.50-hour journey from Seattle to London Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic’s Economy Classic. The flight included Vera entertainment, offering a plethora of shows, music, and movies to keep you entertained.
For my meal preferences, I ordered an LSML (Low Sodium) option, perfect for those managing high blood pressure, while also keeping bloat and dehydration at bay.
On my flight to London, I enjoyed two meals: a delicious chicken dish with cheese, broccoli, and a coconut mousse for dessert, followed by a morning parfait bowl. All items were low-sodium and mostly gluten-free.
On the way back to Seattle, I was pleasantly surprised by a four-course meal, including corn snacks, chicken with quinoa, gluten-free crackers, and a fruit bowl. Later, a gluten-free, low-sodium mozzarella veggie wrap was served. Finally, we were treated to a small afternoon tea.
Overall food quality was 8/10, with service at an outstanding 12/10—the cabin crew was lovely and so accommodating with requests like medicine for a headache and an extra blanket.
Tip for solo travelers: seats 61 A or 61 H offered two windows and were often next to an empty seat.
The Lounge Experience
At SEA-TAC airport, the Sky Lounge (view from there seen below) is up one floor, use the elevator and is located right next to the British Airways lounge near gate A1. Entry was available for $50, but with a AAA Membership discount you can get it down to $42 ( at least of the time of this writing May 2025). No particular dress code.
At London Heathrow, I booked the Virgin No. 1 Clubhouse in Terminal 3, near gate F. Booking in advance brought my ticket to 39 pounds. Despite a short 45-minute stay (the airport is a maze – no joke!) the service was exceptional, offering a sit down menu and a voucher for a glass of champagne, which I gifted to a fellow traveler (as I’m not one to drink personally).
They do have a business casual dress code. No sandals. No shorts.
Hot tip: on my way back in PDX airport I saw a new Escape lounge, with pre-booking prices at $40 online!
Once I arrived and perched myself right next to the runway windows with a view of Mt. Rainier and the Alaska Airlines Hub hangar I set out to get some food as I only had 1 hour to kill.
The chairs are quite wide so for us shorties maybe look around for a more hip hugging chair. Now for food! While perusing, I discovered two fancy drink fountains which included espresso, hot chocolate, sodas, and more.
From there, I walked around the buffet style table and saw charcuterie snacks like nuts, olives, check mix, trail mix, and salads. In addition to this, there was also a pasta bar, some chicken and even little sandwiches.
I settled on getting some pasta with olives, a little bit of crackers, grapes, brownie bites and some lemon ginger water. They even had a pancake maker like I saw in the Alaska lounge in LA.
So as you can see very fancy, very spa experience if you decide to make it that way.
Meals at Virgin Clubhouse no. 1
I didn’t take any pictures inside cause I didn’t want to be “that” person but the dishes I ordered included a substantial baked pork belly towered like a slice of cake accompanied by caramelized purple cabbage and brown gravy.
For a second dish I ordered a ciabatta sandwich made of chicken, bacon and avocado with jojo style fries on the side.
When my server took my order she almost wanted me to order more as she said you have up to 4 meals included in your reservation!
Little did I know the meals were full size, when I asked if they were small dishes she said yes so to my surprise I of course ordered too much!
Dessert options like brownie snacks and shortbread, along with a fancy drink dispenser, added to the experience.
The only thing that made my experience a little taxing was sitting across from a couple that were very snobby almost snapping their fingers at the servers and demanding ketchup.
Yup – Americans. But hey, that’s not all of us. When I briefly caught their eye I smiled at them for the woman to just stare me down. Oh well you bump into jerks in the wild occasionally. I brushed it off and enjoyed the rest of my time as best I could.
Music and entertainment
Aubrie Sellers’ “Worried Mind” was my discovery song.
Chelsea Wolfe’s dark, indie alternative music was the back drop of my inflight experience as I soared the skies admiring the clouds outside my window, total boss babe vibes, highly recommend.
I also devoured a whole season of the Office and an Australian show about an accountant while in flight.
Arrivals – London Heathrow
The Elizabeth Line offered convenient transport to central London. On the way back, grab a taxi ride to Bond Street or Paddington to hop on the Elizabeth Line from there. Make sure you switch at the Hayes stop and cross platforms for the Heathrow-bound train. I made the mistake of not transferring early on and had to double back.
The Elizabeth Line cost £7.45 and provided direct access to Central London.
Upon landing at London Heathrow, an airport attendant kindly shared her hotspot for data usage as my phone carrier data was just connecting. Finally, I could see when the next train arrived and use my contactless card to get on. Thanks, girl, if you ever read this!
Heathrow Airport is comprised of four terminals with underground trains for rapid transit. Terminal 3 required two elevators from the underground tube, followed by customs and security, taking about 20 minutes.
The airport’s narrow corridors can be confusing, so don’t be afraid to check the directories. Complimentary magazines were available near departure gates, so I snagged a Business Traveller copy. Sweet.
Books
In preparation for my trip my recent reads the last couples months included “Paris Sweets” (2001), “Rick Steves’ Guide to England,” “The Travel Book of Every Country in the World,” Paris Hilton’s audiobook “Paris,” and “Europe Through the Back Door” also by Rick Steves.
Arriving at the Hotel
The Westminster Curio Hotel by Hilton in Westminster is a four-star establishment with James Bond-inspired themes. When using my Hilton Honors app, I found this:
When I arrived at the hotel, it blended in with the business district buildings so I almost missed it. Once inside, I was promptly given access to my room and even got a free upgrade to a premium room.
See inside the lobby:
And once inside – My room was quite unique with the inside of the bedroom being like a pod inside a ship. The sink is separate from the bathroom with the bathroom being made up of just the toilet on one end closed off and then on the other side the shower.
The lighting is very low, making it quite pleasing for those who do not like bright light. Plus there are recessive hidden lights as well. The only thing is there is little floor space so plan to travel light. I used the grey chair seen above for my overnight bag and rested my rolling bag next to it.
Also for those who travel hot – not to worry – see those grates above the chair? Built in A/C. You’re welcome.
During my stay, I also had breakfast included because I am a Hilton honors surpass card holder so this gives you benefits like free breakfast or snacks included, in my case I chose breakfast included.
These are all options that you can specify in the app or on the website with each hotel you stay at to make sure you are maximizing your benefits as a member.
In this case I should specify that it doesn’t matter if you have the surpass card, it depends on which tier you have. In my case, gold member (which the Surpass card does give you) this will get you the free breakfast, or free upgrades if included and more.
If you’re curious, check out this link > Here < and you can learn more about being a Hilton member. So far I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I’ve used two hotels in the last year and reached a lot of the benefits that are included within my membership.
Also if you think you’d ever want to get a Hilton card check out my affiliate page. It’s a win-win situation.
Hope you enjoyed this read and stay a while for part 2 coming soon!