Plaza Premium Lounge | KLIA2 & Singapore Changi Airport

PLAZA PREMIUM LOUNGE

If you're a frequent flyer, you must have seen this name before when going through the airport. Plaza Premium Lounge can be found in over 70 locations at 30+ international airports across the world and they are the world's largest independent airport lounge network regardless of class of travel or airline. Traveling can be tiring, so they provide great facilities for you to enjoy either when you are departing, transiting or arriving at major airports.

Recently, I was generously provided a pass to visit Plaza Premium Lounge in Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 and Changi Airport in Singapore. I'll be sharing my experiences at the lounges in this article, and hopefully you will find it helpful to make your travel experience better.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport 

There are four separate Plaza Premium Lounges in Kuala Lumpur airports:

• KLIA Satellite Terminal - International Departures
• KLIA2 Terminal - International Departures
• gateway@klia2 (Next to Aerotel Kuala Lumpur) - Arrivals
• gateway@klia2 (Opposite Aerotel Kuala Lumpur) - Arrivals

I got to visit the two lounges located in gateway@klia2, which are outside of the airside area. You can find them at Level 2M of gateway@klia2 shopping mall, which is connected to KLIA2.

1. Plaza Premium Lounge (Next to Aerotel Kuala Lumpur, gateway@klia2)

This is a new cosy lounge located just next to Aerotel in gateway@klia2. It's outside the restricted area and all travellers are welcomed here. This and the one opposite Aerotel both serve different purposes and are open 24 hours daily.

Being in a bigger lounge, you will find more seating areas. There are facilities like comfortable lounge seating, dining, work areas, complimentary Wi-Fi, and you get to order food from their live kitchen. There are also meeting rooms in the lounge for up to 22 persons.

Just before you enter the lounge, there is a bar where you can watch sports programmes, order drinks, chit-chat or chill with your friends.

Entrance of Plaza Premium Lounge (Next to Aerotel Kuala Lumpur, gateway@klia2)

TheBar just before you enter the lounge

Upon entering, you will find lounge seating on the right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, where you get views of the gateway@klia2 mall. It's easy to spend hours sitting here just relaxing, reading your magazines or watching the TV. You don't have to worry about your phones or laptops dying as there are power outlets just below the seats. In fact, I find it thoughtful to have power outlets within easy reach no matter where I sit in the lounge area. That way, I can work or relax easily knowing my essential electronic devices are always fully charged and within my line of sight.

Closer to the VIP and meeting rooms at the back, there are also chairs with low tables for you to have drinks and relax with a group of friends or travel partners. 

In this lounge, dining area takes up most space and you will find different dining tables - small tables for 1-2 persons to big long tables which can fit up to 6 persons. 

Flight information screen to keep you updated on your flight

There are two food counters for you to choose from. 

The counter close to the bar serves bread, sandwiches, nuts, snacks and some chilled juices. They provide a grill sandwich maker so you can create your own sandwiches with ingredients that can be found at the counter. There is also a conveyor toaster for your bread.

Nuts and snacks

Bread

Self-service sandwich

Freshly made juices

The other counter mainly serves hot food. It comes with a live kitchen serving cook-to-order menu daily. There were a few hot dishes which were ready to eat - mixed vegetables with oyster sauce, chicken curry, fried mee hoon Siam, curry puffs, sesame balls (my FAVOURITE), and even red date longan soup! 

Don't worry if you are a vegetarian as there are vegetarian options too. For cook-to-order menu, they had fish ball noodle soup, tomato pasta and Alfredo pasta. This menu changes everyday.

As an ex stewardess, I usually avoid airplane or airport food because I never trust that they can be good. Surprisingly the hot dishes here were quite good, even better than some chain restaurants I've tried in gateway@klia2. I loved the sesame balls. I loved the red date longan soup, which tasted just right - neither too sweet nor too diluted.

They replenish the food pretty quickly. I felt so bad for finishing up the sesame balls but they were so quick to replenish more! Haha.

Between the two counters, you can help yourself with tea, coffee, carbonated drinks or chilled canned beverages.

Mixed vegetables with oyster sauce, curry chicken, and fried mee hoon Siam

My favourite sesame balls!

Daily changing cook-to-oder menu

Fish ball noodle soup. That beverage is the best - 100% freshly blended juice of fruits and vegetables without sugar.

If you are looking for more privacy, there are private rooms or meeting rooms available in the lounge. The big meeting room can facilitate up to 22 persons.

The biggest meeting room in the lounge

This lounge is suitable for travellers who want somewhere relatively comfortable to spend time before, after, or between flights. It's also a good place to fill your stomach and complete your meals before going on a flight.

Since the lounge is located right next to the elevator connecting to Level 2 (the busiest level in the shopping mall), sitting at the bar at the entrance can be less peaceful as people keep passing by and watching you. Nevertheless, it didn't stop me from enjoying my relaxing time in the lounge. I would go back for the sesame balls and red date longan soup. :P

2. Plaza Premium Lounge (Opposite Aerotel Kuala Lumpur, gateway@klia2)

Not far from the lounge I mentioned above, on the same level in gateway@klia2, you will find another Plaza Premium Lounge opposite Aerotel Kuala Lumpur. This lounge operates 24 hours daily.

This lounge serves rather different purposes. From the outside, you will read 'Nap. Lounge. Shower'. It's especially made for travellers who wish to take a quick nap or shower before, after or between flights. They have facilities like private resting suites and shower facilities in this lounge, unlike the one I mentioned above.

There are a few packages for you to choose from. See the price lists below for your reference.

Price list as of April 2019

Price list as of April 2019

Workstation

There are also workstations with Wi-Fi and business centre services like document printing.

Of course, if you are hungry, there's a range of food and beverage selections to feed your stomach. They have hot dishes, a salad bar, desserts, coffee, tea, juice, and chilled canned drinks to choose from. 

The dining area in this lounge is more compact, with more two-seater tables close to each other. If you'd like, you can combine the tables to accommodate a bigger group. There is also a high table with accompanying high chairs, and a few lounge chairs.

There are no meeting rooms in this lounge, but newspapers and magazines are available for guests to pursue. You can find private washrooms too.

Either you are alone or you have a travel partner with you, you can choose the type of private resting suite that will suit your needs. The suites are quite simple, straight forward and have all you need for a quick nap and shower even though they are small and compact. Every suite comes with either a single or a double-decked bed, a toilet, a shower area, a handwash sink, and a little sitting corner at the wall.

Double room private resting suite

This lounge is perfect for guests who want to quickly grab a bite, take a shower or have a power nap before their onward journey. It's also a great place for business travellers who want to make use of their business center services, or travellers who urgently need to do some last minute planning or printing.

If you are looking for a lounging area, Plaza Premium Lounge located next to Aerotel would be a recommended choice.

Singapore Changi Airport 

Plaza Premium Lounge (Terminal 1 - International Departures)

Plaza Premium Lounge Singapore is the only independent pay-in lounge in Departures area of Terminal 1, Changi airport. Since the lounge is located in the airport restricted area, only valid travelling guests are allowed to access it. It's located at the far end of the transit hall of Terminal 1. 

This lounge is huge and has almost everything - many comfortable lounge chairs, dining tables, semi-private cubicles (honeycomb seating area), three private resting suites, six shower rooms with amenities (one of which is wheelchair-friendly), two VIP rooms, massage services, complimentary Wi-Fi, charging outlets, and most importantly, a wide selection of DELICIOUS food and beverages! I also loved the wide-glass view of the runway from the lounge chairs.

You have free access to all the amenities in the lounge except for private resting suites, showers and alcoholic drinks at the bar.

Flight information

Plenty of lounge chairs separated with good gaps

Semi-private cubicles (honeycomb seating area) with charging outlets for single travellers to work on their laptops/tablets

Comfortable semi-private dining tables for bigger groups

Great corners for travellers who wish to charge their phones while catching the views of take-off and landing

Massage services are provided in the lounge

Private resting suite for 3 guests

Single private resting suite

This lounge offers a wide range of food and beverages and I was really impressed by the quality of food they serve here. For anyone who's been to this specific lounge before, they are famous for their Singapore laksa and chicken rice. Other signature dishes include the breakfast set and Japanese temaki sushi. I was honoured to be served these four famous dishes and I have to say they honestly tasted much better than many restaurants out there in Singapore. 

Singapore laksa and Hainan chicken rice are must-try if you visit the lounge! Their made-to-order menu offers plenty of choices like laksa, chicken rice, hot udon, temaki, all-day breakfast set, chicken hor fun (rice noodle) soup, and sweet and sour fillet fish with rice.

Other than these made-to-order dishes, you will also find ready-to-eat cold and hot dishes. My favourite was the Thai style steamed fish. When I was there, they also had a salad bar, Japanese cold noodles, Nyonya kuih, green bean sweet dessert soup, lotus root peanut chicken soup, cooked vegetables, pasta, and pastries. I wish I could eat more but there were just too many choices!

Thai style steamed fish

Fridge full of canned beverages and water bottles

Is your airport meal as sumptuous as this?

Their signature - Singapore laksa

Hainan chicken rice

Japanese temaki

Bar area

This 7,000 square-feet lounge in Changi airport provides good value and you will fall in love once you have experienced it. If you are frequent traveller and need a non-airline affiliated lounge, this is your best choice. The seating, atmosphere, food, staff, service and amenities are all well designed to meet the needs of all business and leisure travellers regardless of airline and travel class.

To learn more, check out their website here.

Plaza Premium Lounge, Singapore Changi airport Terminal 1

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Disclaimer: This is a paid post in collaboration with Plaza Premium Lounge. All views are my own.