The BA T5 lounge is one where you'll definitely want a window seat, not an aisle seat.

BA moved its primary international operations to Heathrow T5 when it was opened a couple of years ago. For almost every BA flight (except those to Australia and a handful of other destinations) departing on British Airways you'll be leaving from Terminal 5.

This means if you're travelling in BA Club World or Club Europe (BA's 'Business Class' terminology) or have the right status in a oneworld frequent flyer program, including Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold and above, then you'll have access to BA's flagship T5 lounges. 

Given these lounges are at BA's home hub airport, they are BA's interpretation of what they believe a Business lounge should offer - and make for an interesting comparison to those closer to home.

Checking in at T5 for Business passengers occurs over on the far right of terminal 5. After check-in you are guided through premium lanes at the regular security queue, and spat out physically close to one of the North or South lounges.

Unfortunately you're then made to walk 'up hill and down dale', past numerous high-end airport shops, to reach the Business entrance of one the lounges - I counted at least three escalators and a 5-10 minute walk from the security lane I used.

It seemed cruel given that the entrance to the First Class Concorde Room lounge was immediately next to security and you can see the lounge overlooking your position. A decision of commercial objectives over convenience and common sense.

There are several desk staff (all of whom are needed given the volume of passengers passing through) manning the reception and on entering the lounge area, the first impression is of a vast area - and a wide variety of environments to place yourself depending on your mood and circumstances.

It is definitely a lounge where you'll want to get a window seat to watch international aircraft moving around on one of the world's busiest tarmacs.

If you love looking at $500 million aircraft moving around one of the world's busiest tarmacs, the BA T5 lounge will not disappoint.

As only BA flies from T5, to get access to the BA North or South Business lounges you'll need to be departing Heathrow on a BA service, and either flying in Club or a hold oneworld sapphire membership or above.

If you're a paid-up member of the Qantas Club or American Airlines Admirals Club, you have access under the terms of those programs.

Several bar areas were kept well stocked with whites, reds and champagne - all topped up regularly - along with many bottles of Highland Spring mineral water, with enough to take any away to your table if you wanted. There were many staff on hand to keep tables clear which was essential in a lounge of this size.

However, the main attraction was the wide variety of decent quality food BA has on offer. From small sweet and savoury snacks and canapes to full hot mains, BA had it covered.

I had a particularly tasty jacket potato and sides washed down with a lamb curry - an odd combo, but that's typical airline lounge small plate sizes for you - a blessing if you like small portions and going back for seconds, but a pain if you want to load up first time around.

Unappealing looking (but tasty) curry and pasta options.

The salad bar might make you feel better about those calories you just consumed in the curry.

The salad bar may help you feel better about the calories in the butter chicken you just ate.

I found the hot and cold food options tasty and satisfying, and while the dining experience was nothing to write home about, I certainly appreciated the variety on offer and the ability to pick up a wide range of food and drink from many different areas of the lounge, a necessity in an area this vast.

BA's business-class soup kitchen

There's even a separate soup kitchen.

BA give free wifi in the Terraces lounge, which was speedy enough during my visit. Just ask for the password at reception if it's not clearly displayed.

For those without a laptop/tablet/smartphone, at each end of the lounge windows-based workstations were on hand, with printing facilities.

These were in use a lot of the time, but the larger bank of PC's nearer the entrance normally had a handful of machines free. This work area also has a phone charging station.

Leather bench seats will please people who like working on a sofa. Not so much the desk types.

There aren't many (if any) regular height tables and chairs if you're going to be setting up for a mammoth work stint in the lounge - you'd be pretty much limited to working with your laptop, well, on your lap.

If you prefer to do your work in a cafe, well, this lounge has an area designed to make you feel at home.

If you prefer to relax in a cafe environment, the lounge has that for you too.

However, for true relaxation, the T5 lounges are one of the few lounges in the world with their own cinema, equipped with comfy seats and movies on rotation.

As you can imagine, these get used by passengers desperate for sleep quite often, and when I passed through there was no moving playing and 3 or 4 bleary eyed folks trying to get some rest.

Worth taking note of if you're in the lounge transiting to Europe on BA after a long-haul from Australia on Qantas - you might be able to catch up on some Z's here.

The lounge is designed in a way that segments it into multiple areas with different kinds of seating and decor, hopefully meaning you should be able to find a quiet corner somewhere.

If not, try heading to the other BA T5 lounge which should be about a 10 minute walk through the terminal, to see if you can find some peace.

Conclusion

I found the BA Galleries lounge in T5 to be nice enough. Everything was clean, tidy, and well-serviced - but overall it was all just a bit functional, with very little wow-factor and little bit of a high street cafe feeling. It did seem quite homely (maybe because I'm an ex-pat Brit) and given that, I'd take good food in a nice environment, with everything you need over a try-hard, but miss, lounge anyday.