I visited an American Express Centurion Lounge for the first time and realized I've been missing out

Since I don't have an eligible credit card, AmEx offered me access to without one. A Centurion representative gave me a tour before I explored for a bit on my own.

Guests with AmEx Platinum, Business Platinum, or Centurion credit cards otherwise get complimentary access to any Centurion Lounge. Most cardholders must pay $50 per adult guest and $30 per child between ages 2 and 17. Children under 2 are free.

Cardholders who spend $75,000 on their card within a calendar year can bring up to two additional guests for free.

People with Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Reserve Business credit cards can also access Centurion lounges, but only when flying Delta, and they cannot bring free guests. Starting in February, the number of visits for the SkyMiles Reserve card is capped at 15 unless users spend at least $75,000 the previous year.

The LaGuardia Centurion lounge is located in Terminal B, which is home to almost every airline at the airport except Delta in Terminal C and Spirit Airlines in Terminal A.

AmEx's lounge was closed during the pandemic but was renovated and reopened in 2021.

The LaGuardia lounge isn't huge, but it has more than enough room for travelers to work, dine, or socialize.

Past the entryway, customers will find two sitting rooms, a dining room with a buffet, a kid's playroom, a bar area, and a business center.

Everything was open and elegant, with tons of natural light, and I always found a power outlet nearby.

White and blue dominated the Centurion color palette, and I liked the wood-like walls that complimented it. It made the place feel rustic and cozy.

My favorite decor was the travel and New York-inspired items situated on the wall around the televisions in both sitting rooms.

LaGuardia's Centurion lounge had a buffet that rotates throughout the day, starting with breakfast. According to AmEx, the food changes during different seasons and is created by a local chef.

Most of my food experience is at Priority Pass lounges, which can be owned by third-party companies or airlines. The meals are a hit or miss, but I found the Centurion food easily among the best I've had at a lounge — and better than Chase's.

The chicken was my favorite, but there are also options like mashed potatoes, croissants, salad, pasta, and desserts. I was also offered pork and fish dishes the chef was experimenting with. I loved both and hope Centurion adds them to the buffet lineup.

AmEx says it taps local mixologists to curate a special drink menu for the Centurion lounges. The LaGuardia location had about half a dozen to choose from, and I was happy to see a large selection of spirits, wine, and beer.

Centurion also has non-alcoholic drinks like coffee, tea, lemonade, water, juices, and sodas.

The business center is separated by a door for better noise control and privacy. Guests will find a drink stand, seats with large privacy wings, and a large meeting table.

I can easily see myself hiding away there from the hustle and bustle of the dining and living rooms.

The business-specific section of the Centurion Lounge hosts quiet pods big enough for a few people to use at once for private conversations or meetings.

A small lounge tucked away in the back of the business center was roped off with a sign stating that it was reserved for Centurion members. This means that only those with the invite-only AmEx Centurion "Black Card" credit card, which costs $5,000 a year, could use the space.

I thought the little room study was cute — and access to elevated service and higher-shelf alcohol would be nice, but it offered no better privacy than the non-reserved sections in the lounge.

One issue with many Priority Pass lounges is crowding, which isn't helped by the number of kids who are commonly running around and trying to entertain themselves during long layovers.

While I'm not easily bothered by the kids, I know many passengers are — especially those trying to work. Centurion has alleviated this problem but creating a separate kids' room, complete with a door.

It wasn't huge, but it had a television, seats, toys, and games.

The service at the Centurion Lounge stood out. I'm used to waiters clearing my plates or wiping down tables, but I saw the Centurion staff bringing plates of buffet food and drinks to guests.

They were simply more attentive than I've experienced at most other lounges and reminded me of the service I experienced at the business-class-only Delta One lounge at New York-JFK.

I also noticed there were a lot of Centurion staff on duty during my early afternoon visit, which I'm sure also contributed to the cleanliness of the lounge.

There were chairs lined across the giant wall of windows, giving travelers a view of the terminal below.

There wasn't a ramp view to enjoy all of the arriving and departing airplanes, which is always my hope, but I like people-watching, too.

Some Centurion lounges have showers available, but the LaGuardia one does not. There was once a shower room, but it never reopened after the pandemic.

Although this is a downside, LaGuardia is largely a domestic airport with no long-haul international flights, so I don't imagine most travelers would be in desperate need of a shower during layovers.

LaGuardia's Centurion Lounge also lacks a spa, which is available at select AmEx-operated lounges, like Los Angeles. The perk has become increasingly popular as travelers demand more luxe amenities at airport lounges, like Chase LaGuardia's free facials.

I had never experienced a Centurion Lounge before, but LaGuardia's was simple but sophisticated. It has clever AmEx branding, nice living spaces, and separate rooms for kids and business meetings.

And it's not even the most extravagant Centurion Lounge in AmEx's network — meaning I can largely only expect better in any potential future visits I do.

For example, the New York-JFK Centurion location has a speakeasy, the giant one in Atlanta has three outdoor terraces, and the Seattle lounge has a wellness café.

Learning more about the Centurion lounges and finally seeing one in person quickly made me realize what I'd been missing out on by solely relying on Chase and the Priority Pass lounge network.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card costs a cheaper $550 a year compared to the AmEx Platinum's $695 annual fee, and it has opened six Chase-owned airport lounges since 2023. Chase's network is small, but it's a start with at least five more locations planned.

However, the larger Centurion Lounge collection means there is one at almost all of the airports I regularly visit, and I already know Centurion's good food, spacious rooms, and amenities will be better than the usual Priority Pass go-tos.

Plus, busy airports like Los Angeles, Denver, and Philadelphia don't even have Priority Pass — but I could find a Centurion.

Chase and AmEx offer arguably the two best credit cards for travel. While many people choose between the two, I see the benefit of having both.

The combined $1245 annual fee is steep, but that is lowered to $745 thanks to Chase's $300 travel credit and AmEx's $200 airline credit — and even more so once you factor in the other perks, like free subscriptions and Global Entry and ride-share discounts.

The main reason I won't part from my Chase Reserve card, however, is the Hyatt redemptions that have saved me thousands of dollars. For example, the Hyatt Place I booked in Waikiki, Hawaii, for my honeymoon in 2023 was about $2,000 at face value — but I got it for just 75,000 Chase points that I earned with my family's regular spending.

However, Chase's Hyatt perk paired with AmEx's Centurion network may be the perfect combination, as it would easily pay off the annual fee each year and more.