What facilities are there in the Thalys Lounge at Brussels Midi station?
In about a month, I'll be travelling from London to Amsterdam by train, taking a Eurostar and then a Thalys. As seems to often be the case (from looking at the timetable), I'll have a bit of time to kill in Brussels station between the trains (though probably not enough to warrant going anywhere outside)
I've signed up for a free Thalys TheCard, at the Silver level. According to the website, that gets me access to the Thalys Lounge in Brussels Midi station (along with the SNCF Grand Voyageur Lounge in Paris Gare du Nord) when travelling on a Thalys.
What I haven't been able to figure out is what the lounge is like, what facilities it offers etc. I'm guessing it'll be a noticable drop down from the Eurostar Business Premier Lounge, as that's only available to people on the very expensive Business Premier tickets, or very frequent Eurostar travellers with Carte Blanche status. Just not sure if it'll actually be any more than just a few seats...
Does anyone know what the lounge is like, what facilities it offers (tea, coffee, wifi, snacks, nice seats etc)? Also of use would be where in the station it actually is - there's no Thalys Lounge listed on the station map!
Best Answer
I'm in the lounge now, so I can confirm that the Qype review is largely correct.
The lounge is at the other side of the station from the main cross-concourse, so you either need to take the lift down from the south end of the Thalys platform, or walk down the westerly corridor and round the corner. If you take the southerly exit from the Eurostar platforms (rather than the normal one at the far north end of the train), they'll drop you out near the lounge too.
The lounge itself is quite long and thin, with sets of 4 low comfy chairs set around low tables. At the very back of the lounge are some big tables with normal chairs, and also a massage chair.
Facilities wise, there is free wifi in the lounge, but you'll need to ask at the desk. They'll then give you a card with a login valid for 2 hours. There are a small number of newspapers available, but none to take away with you. There's a handful of magazines here, which you can take with you.
Otherwise, there's a free coffee machine, hot and cold water, tea bags, but that's about it. No sign of any food (whether to buy or not), and no soft drinks.
Not nearly as good as your typical airport lounge, not a patch on the Eurostar Business Premier lounge in Brussels, but with the coffee machine and free wifi it does beat sitting out in the main part of the station!
Oh, and don't forget to buy a sandwich or a snack before entering, and be aware that most of the food places are at the very other end of the station...
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Are Brussels Zuid and midi the same?
The station is Bruxelles Midi in French, Brussel Zuid in Flemish, Brussels South Station in English - it's all the same place. Brussels Midi originally opened as a terminus in 1869.What is a Thalys train?
Thalys (French: [talis]) is a French-Belgian high-speed train operator originally built around the LGV Nord high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam to London via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and with French domestic TGV trains.Thalys PREMIUM Class WONDERFUL experience from Paris to Brussels
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