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I still had a few hours to kill at the airport in Kuala Lumpur before my flight to Auckland, so after visiting the unimpressive Cathay Pacific lounge for a little bit, I was off to the Plaza Premium Lounge.
The Plaza Premium Lounge in the Satellite terminal of KUL can be accessed by any passenger for a fee, or you can get in for free if you have a Priority Pass card like I do.
Unfortunately, thanks to there not being a ton to do in the Kuala Lumpur satellite terminal, it seems like lots of people opt to pay for access to the Plaza Premium lounge. There were kids running around everywhere, and it was quite difficult to find a place to sit.
The lounge is open 24 hours a day, making it an option to hang out in if you have an overnight layover. There are a few computers for those who need to do work. There are showers as well, in case you want to freshen up on said layover.
Somewhat surprisingly for Malaysia, there was actually a decent bar, however, it was a cash bar. There was crappy beer (Heineken) that was free, but otherwise, all drinks appeared to be a premium price. Don’t pay for special lounge access here if you’re expecting to recoup the cost in alcohol.
As far as the food, it looks like some of the lounges in Kuala Lumpur share the same catering service. The Plaza Premium lounge had a few of the same dishes as the Cathay Pacific lounge I had just been in, as well as some of the same cakes and snacks. This made me think even less of the Cathay lounge, even though I had been there first. There aren’t many compelling reasons to pick it if the other lounges have the same food.
Hey look, it’s our old friend, Snow Fungus with Dried Longan Sweet Soup!
Between the two lounges, at least the Plaza Premium lounge had some additional food options. The Plaza Premium lounge had a few additional hot dishes, including some Indian. I didn’t have any of them, since I was still snacking my way through the airport.
Instead, I had the curry noodle soup. It was fantastic. For me, this was the highlight of the lounge. I wasn’t able to get a particularly comfortable seat, but at least I had this soup.
Unlike a lot of lounges, the Plaza Premium lounge in the Kuala Lumpur satellite terminal makes flight announcements. It’s a reasonably busy airport, and they serve all airlines from the lounge, so the announcements were constant.
Between the noise, the difficulty in getting comfortable seats, and all of the kids, the Plaza Premium lounge in KUL’s satellite terminal is hardly a premium experience. While the food wasn’t bad, the lack of free alcohol and lack of comfort mean that this lounge probably is not worth shelling out extra for. If you have access via Priority Pass, then by all means go for it. It’s better than the Kuala Lumpur Cathay Pacific lounge as far as amenities, but it’s far busier, so pick your poison if you have access to both.
Read below for all of my posts about my trip around the Pacific Rim!
A trip around the Pacific Rim – Introduction
OneWorld Business Lounge Los Angeles LAX review
Cathay Pacific Business Class Boeing 777-300ER Los Angeles LAX to Hong Kong HKG review
Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A330 Hong Kong HKG to Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral review
A layover in Kuala Lumpur – Street markets & Petronas Towers
Cathay Pacific Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL satellite review
Plaza Premium Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL satellite review
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Airbus A330-300 Kuala Lumpur KUL to Auckland AKL review
Air New Zealand Economy Class Airbus A320 Auckland AKL to Queenstown ZQN review
Queenstown Motel Apartments – Queenstown, New Zealand review
Queenstown, New Zealand – A Lord of the Rings tour
Day trip from Queenstown, New Zealand – Milford Sound
Queenstown, New Zealand – Skyline Queenstown
Craft beer in Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown to Franz Josef, New Zealand by bus
Hiking to Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
Franz Josef to Nelson, New Zealand by bus
Fellworth House – Nelson, New Zealand review
A beer & wine tour through Nelson, New Zealand
The best craft beer in Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson to Wellington, New Zealand by bus and ferry via Picton
A nerdy day at Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand
Exploring the museums & parks of Wellington, New Zealand
The best craft beer in Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington to Auckland, New Zealand by bus
New Year’s Eve in Auckland, New Zealand
A rainy New Year’s Day at the Auckland War Memorial Museum
A rainy day at the Auckland Art Gallery & New Zealand Maritime Museum
The best craft beer in Auckland, New Zealand
Emperor Lounge Auckland AKL review
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Airbus A330-300 Auckland AKL to Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur review
A layover in Kuala Lumpur – Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia & Jalan Alor
Malaysia Airlines Golden Regional Lounge Kuala Lumpur KUL review
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Boeing 737-800 Kuala Lumpur KUL to Hong Kong HKG review
A visit to Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong for dim sum
A rainy day in Hong Kong – Science Museum & Kau Kee noodles
Hong Kong – Victoria Peak & more great food
More dim sum in Hong Kong – Din Tai Fung & Dim Sum Square
A day trip to Macau from Hong Kong
Grand City Hotel Hong Kong review
The best craft beer in Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific The Cabin Business Class Lounge Hong Kong review
Cathay Pacific The Bridge Business Class Lounge Hong Kong review
Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A330-300 Hong Kong HKG to Osaka KIX via Taipei review
A layover in Osaka – Ramen, sushi, & exploring the city
JAL Sakura Lounge Osaka KIX review
JAL Business Class Boeing 787 Osaka KIX to Los Angeles LAX review
You have an interesting & fun way of reviewing stuff , Nice
Thank you!
It’s worth noting that booze IS actually complimentary in this lounge if you are sent there by your airline. For example, I recently flew business class with Philippine Airlines, and this lounge is the only real option. They stamp something on the back of your boarding pass and that entitles you to free drinks from the bar. This is definitely not the case if you use a standard pass or buy your way in, though, as you’ve pointed out.