Sala VIP Puerta del Sol (Madrid / MAD, Terminal 3)

3.8

Rating

3.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

Overall, nice atmosphere
Good food & drink offers

Flyctory.com Cons

Too small
Limited buffet restocking
Lack of power sockets

I have a quite long history with flights to and from Madrid (MAD), majorly because of my former British Airways status and my beloved former LATAM 704/705 flight from Frankfurt (FRA) there. Thus, I have quite a lot of experience with the OneWorld-dominated Terminal 4, while I rarely flew from other terminals. In late September 2026, I had my first Air Europa business class flights. Before heading back to Frankfurt, I checked out one of their contractual lounges. Here is my review of Sala VIP Puerta del Sol, in fact located in Terminal 3.

Sala VIP Puerta del Sol MAD T3- Location & Access

Like the vast majority of lounges in Spain, the Puerta del Sol is driven by the Spanish airport authority AENA. The lounge is located in Terminal 3, right above gate E74. There are stairs as well as an elevator to the lounge. In fact, I checked in with Air Europa in Terminal 2. However, the two terminals are connected and you hardly recognize when you transit from one terminal to the other.

The lounge is opening daily from 4:30 to 21:30. The AENA Lounges in Spain typically contract with all airlines operating at this (part of) the airport. So does this lounge as well. Thus, you may run into status and business class guests of Schengen flight operators like Lufthansa, Air Europa, Air France / KLM, and many others. You might use the lounge for non-Schengen flights or transfers out of the Schengen zone, but I would rather recommend to go through passport control first. AENA lounges also accept all major lounge passes like the Priority Pass. You may also buy in into the lounge., which was 48 Euro for an adult (three hour stay) at the time of writing. To make that story short: it is absolutely not worth it.

Sala VIP Puerta del Sol MAD T3 – Atmosphere

I visited the lounge on a Saturday around noon, which was definitely not peak time of the airport’s operations. Nonetheless, the lounge already felt quite full. The reception desk is rather centrally located, with seats and services all around it. There are different seating options, from bistro alike tables to higher work benches, which is overall really nice. I also absolutely liked the large windows everywhere so that you can always view the hassle at the gates or the traffic at the airport. From my seat, I had a lovey view of landing and departing planes. There is also a meeting room and a relax room.

However, most of the seating options have in common that there is a lack of power supply. There are just very few power outlets at the seat – some sofa-alike ones with a small table in between have it. Unfortunately, this also includes the work desks, which do have power sockets in the middle, but these are not connected to any energy supply. Additionally, I can imagine that the lounge might be very packed on many occasions. There is also a lack of flight status monitors, which is bothering.

Sala VIP Puerta del Sol MAD T3 – Food & Drink

A couple of years ago, many AENA lounges felt a bit of limited in regards of food supply. The Sala VIP Puerta del Sol was not too bad in it. During my visit, they transitioned from breakfast to lunch service and had quite some options – in theory. Unfortunately, the staff had severe issues with restocking. There are pre-packed sandwiches in the fridge as well as several warm dishes, salads, sweet options as well as bread/pastries, cold cuts and similar items. On top of the restocking issues, the (thought to be) warm dishes I had were cold. This has especially been a shame because they were in fact really nice.

Regarding drinks, Spanish lounges are typically not too bad – and so is this one. Especially in regards of soft drinks and beer, you can help yourself from the fridge. There are also several juice options. I especially liked that the lounge drove a machine to help yourself with freshly squeezed orange juice. There is also a really nice selection of wines and spirits available.

Sala VIP Puerta del Sol MAD T3 – Services

The receptionist at the lounge entrance was very friendly. As said, the lounge felt being too poorly stocked with staff, so that things like refilling the buffet did not work well. In regards of internet, you can login to the free WiFi. However, the AENA log-in process is rather complex and questionable. The connection speed was fine, though. Puerta del Sol also operates its own toilets as well as showers.

Sala VIP Puerta del Sol MAD T3 – My View

You can’t change that the lounge is too small, regarding the Schengen traffic in Madrid (MAD). Nonetheless, I feel it does have some potential to be a good place. AENA offers a really nice drink selection, for example, and the views are really lovely. On the downside, the limited service and the lack of power sockets is something which I feel being unacceptable nowadays.