Escape Lounge at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport [Review]

I visited the Escape Lounge at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) on the way home from a family trip to South Florida. The Escape Lounge is one of just a few lounges in the airport, and with 3 kids in tow, I was thankful to find a lounge that we could all access with my Amex card without an additional fee.

While relatively small in footprint, the Escape Lounge was polished and comfortable. If you’re expecting an endless buffet, spa services, showers, or sleep pods, this isn’t it, but this lounge had thoughtful seating, a hint of local flavor, and capable staff, making it a great place to relax before heading home.

Get a look at the FLL Escape Lounge, from seating to food, amenities, and service.

What Is Escape Lounge?

Escape Lounge – The Centurion Studio Partner is a premium airport lounge brand in the American Express Global Lounge Collection network. These lounges are smaller and less luxurious than Centurion Lounges but offer a solid experience and guest access for qualifying cardholders. They feature complimentary food and drinks, Wi-Fi, and a relaxing atmosphere with local touches. The FLL Escape Lounge leans into its local character with South Florida-inspired wall accents and menu items such as a sandwich on Cuban bread.

There are 20 Escape Lounges in the U.S., 7 in the U.K., and 2 in Australia.

Escape Lounge FLL Location

The Escape Lounge at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)is in Terminal 3 along the walkway connecting the E and F gates. It’s accessible to passengers flying out of terminals 3 and 4.

This lounge isn’t available to passengers departing from terminals 1 or 2 — unless you’re willing to take transportation and reclear security in your departing terminal. Lounges are limited at FLL, with only the Escape Lounge in Terminal 3, a United Club in Terminal 1, and a Delta Sky Club in Terminal 2 — no Priority Pass lounges.

Gaining Entry to Escape Lounge FLL

The lounge is open each day from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Access to the Escape Lounge in FLL is complimentary for cardholders of :

• The Platinum Card^® from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express
• Centurion^® Card from American Express 
• Corporate Platinum Card^® by American Express
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card

You need a valid same-day boarding pass and your eligible American Express card to enter. Cardholders can bring up to 2 guests.

Day passes are available for $45 if you prebook or $55 at the door.

Children under 2 are free with an adult guest.

There was no line to check in, and we were inside the lounge within a minute — a good thing, because we were short on time. We got our family of 5 into the lounge using my Amex Platinum card and my husband’s Amex Business Platinum card, bringing 2 of the kids in on my card and another kid on his. The Amex Platinum card and Amex Business Platinum card are at the top of our list for the best travel cards for airport lounge access, and they came in handy on this visit.

This was our first experience visiting an Amex lounge as a family. The Escape Lounge’s guest access was a refreshing change from Centurion Lounges, where our kids have yet to join us because we’d need to spend $75,000 per year on our cards for guest privileges or pay a per-visit guest fee for each of them.

First Impressions

When we arrived, the lounge was bustling with activity, and I worried we’d have a hard time finding 5 seats together. Fortunately, the lounge crowd turned over quickly, and we found a group of high-top table seats near the restrooms, perfectly placed for making a quick dash to the buffet before hustling to our gate.

The lounge was stylish and had South Florida vibes: lots of leafy green wall art and large, bold florals. The entire lounge had great natural light from the back wall of windows, and subtle partitions separated the dining, relaxation, and work areas.

Seating

The lounge was small, at around 5,000 square feet, but it had a variety of seating types, including small cafe-style dining tables, work-friendly high-top tables with outlets, armchairs, and small sofas at the windows for lounging with a view, and family-friendly bench-style seating.

Just inside the entrance was a small high-top table and a handful of dining tables next to the buffet. This was one of the busiest spots in the lounge, with lots of traffic as guests entered the lounge and visited the buffet.

Close to the restrooms and the lounge entrance, there were a couple of long high-top tables with outlets in the middle. These offered a view of the terminal walkway and easy access to the restrooms.

On the side opposite the buffet, there was more varied seating, with a mix of benches and armchairs with small tables. This area was somewhat quieter than the main dining areas.

There was nooth-style seating behind an open partition and close to the window, offering wide and semiprivate seats with a nice view. This section in the back was quiet and had its own small beverage station.

Small sofa groups and high-back chairs were along the back wall with windows. This section was good for groups on the small adjoining sofas, but also a good choice for solo travelers seeking privacy in the high-back chairs.

The high-back chairs had small tables and spun around for preferred positioning, and each had a small pedestal table for eating or working. We could see a few of the gates from the windows.

The back area didn’t feel like an afterthought — it had stylish lampshades and bold green accent walls. It was also an excellent spot for buffet access.

A private room was available by reservation.

We sat at one of the high-top tables near the entrance and restrooms. These tables had outlets with regular and USB-A plugs.

Signs on the table offered details on the food and drinks with a QR code to view the menu.

Another angle of the sign offered allergen details, a QR code for leaving a review, and information on accessing the lounge’s PressReader for digital newspapers and magazines.

Hot Tip:

Try to snag a spot along the back wall. This area offers a view of the gates and less lounge traffic.

Food and Beverages

Food and drinks were available from a central buffet and a staffed bar. Small dining tables surrounding the buffet were convenient for grabbing a bite.

The bartender held down the fort at the bar, keeping up with drink orders and serving them with style. There was a good selection of complimentary drinks, including sparkling wine on tap.

We didn’t see TVs throughout the lounge, but a TV was behind the bar on a sports channel.

My husband got a classic old-fashioned that he liked.

In addition to the bar, various drink stations were around the lounge. Coffee carafes with snacks were set up between the bar and the restrooms.

Near the buffet were juice, iced tea, and a water tap with sparkling, still, and hot water.

The same area featured a coffee machine with a selection of hot coffees, including lattes.

Hot Tip:

Drink stations are scattered throughout the lounge, not just at the bar and buffet. Look near the restrooms next to the bar for coffee and head to the back for sodas and coffee without a wait.

The oatmeal raisin cookies near the coffee machine were a hit with my family — soft, chewy, and sweet.

Another drink station was in a back corner, featuring a coffee machine and a Coca-Cola soda fountain with Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Minute Maid lemonade.

Of course, we didn’t just eat cookies, as there was a hot and cold buffet. It was a small buffet, and the selection wasn’t extensive, but we all found something to enjoy.

The buffet was mostly identical on either side, with chicken marsala, mac and cheese, and Thai glazed broccoli on the hot buffet. A few of us got the mac and cheese and thought it was sufficiently creamy and cheesy — a great comfort food while relaxing at the lounge.

The cold buffet featured a small chips and salsa bar, charcuterie, roasted carrots, and a mixed greens salad. The charcuterie was picked over when we visited the buffet, but I saw it quickly refreshed after that. While my family universally loved the mac and cheese, the roasted carrots ended up being the best thing on my plate.

There were 2 kinds of sandwiches to choose from. One was vegetarian, with smashed chickpeas, arugula, pickle relish, and mustard on Cuban bread. The other was Sicilian, with salami, provolone, olives, pepperoncini, pesto mayonnaise, and arugula.

I tried both sandwiches and preferred the Sicilian, as the fillings-to-bread ratio on the chickpea sandwich was a bit skimpy.

Amenities

The lounge’s amenities included Wi-Fi, flight information screens, and restrooms. There were no showers or nap rooms, but a private room was available by reservation.

Wi-Fi

Connecting to Wi-Fi required entering contact information and agreeing to the terms and conditions.

The Wi-Fi speed wasn’t fantastic, though we didn’t run into any trouble. We didn’t try streaming or heavy downloads, and it was fine for browsing.

PressReader

Guests could use a QR code in the lounge to access the lounge’s PressReader, which offers digital newspapers and magazines on personal devices.

Restrooms

The restrooms sometimes had a line, but it didn’t seem to be a long wait.

Departure Boards

There were a few flight information monitors throughout the lounge.

Service

Staff members in the lounge were friendly and efficient during our visit. The check-in process was smooth, the buffet was clean and well-stocked, and dirty plates were quickly cleared. We didn’t interact extensively with the staff, but they handled the lounge’s needs sufficiently, and we were satisfied with our visit.

Final Thoughts

Lounge options are limited at FLL, and the Escape Lounge is the only lounge in the airport that isn’t affiliated with an airline. It was a great stop on our way out of South Florida and a nice introduction to Amex lounges for our kids.

I considered it a junior Centurion Lounge: smaller, easier to access (and bring in the whole family with 2 qualifying credit cards), with solid food selections and thoughtful design. Though it didn’t have the bells and whistles of larger lounges, such as more extensive seating, larger restrooms, shower suites, or entertainment, it delivered on comfort, efficiency, and local flavor.