Malaysia Airlines’ Platinum Lounge at the KLIA’s Satellite Terminal had nearly everything I wanted in an airport lounge. I was able to get access to the lounge prior to one of my flights and I ended up loving its amenities as well as the food. Make no mistake, I’ve been to better lounges but for some reason, this one made me feel the most at home. Today I’m going to be detailing my experience at this lounge and why you might want to consider this next time you travel.
Malaysia Airlines Platinum Lounge: Excellent Food and Amenities
Getting to the Platinum Lounge is actually rather easy. As I said earlier, it’s located at the Satellite Terminal in the same area as the Golden Lounge (which is also operated by Malaysia Airlines). While they are in the same area, entry to the Golden Lounge is different from the Platinum Lounge. If you’re facing both then the Golden Lounge will be to your left and the Platinum Lounge is going to be on the right.
Aside from the separate entrance, what makes the Platinum Lounge different from the Golden Lounge is its exclusivity. Yes, you can’t just barge in without being either a Platinum member of Malaysia Airlines’ Enrich program (or the equivalent Emerald tier if you’re on the One World program) or have a first class (now called business suite which is different from business class) ticket booked.
If you do end up meeting the requirements then you should have no problems accessing the lounge. In my case, I was able to get in relatively easily. Approaching the lounge, I kind of got a little excited. The way here was nicely illuminated while still giving off a homey vibe.
It was already lunch time so I put off exploring the Platinum Lounge and went straight to the dining area. There weren’t that many people here so I easily got a table and I immediately browsed through the menu. As for the menu itself, the options were quite varied.
The tables and chairs, while comfortable, seemed like they were placed a bit too close. Now , this is really just me being nitpicky as the closeness of the tables really didn’t matter that much. Again, there weren’t that many people at this time of the day so I basically had the whole dining area to myself.
After ordering, I decided to check out parts of the dining area. This one featured utensils and ceramics as well as some food items that were for display purposes only. There were some food items that you could take though these were mostly snacks rather than whole meals or sides.
I eventually got back to my seat once the staff came back with my drink. Now as with most of my travels, I had a companion to go along with me so there were actually two drinks at the table. One was a Teh Tarik (which is milk tea concoction considered as Malaysia’s national drink) and the other drink was a mixed fruit juice.
For my appetizer, I decided to get a Caesar’s Salad which ended up being okay. Take note though that this didn’t follow the classic recipe as it had tomatoes and olives mixed in. That said, I think it was still delicious. The tomatoes and olives added some acidity and their flavor complemented the dressing and the cheese.
Other than the salad, I also ended up getting an order of Oxtail Soup. I wasn’t expecting much but this ended up being surprisingly good. The soup was super flavorful and you could tell that the oxtail was cooked for a long time because of how tender it ended up being.
Another order that I thought tasted really nice was this Stewed Beef. Much like the Oxtail Soup, the meat on this was super tender, likely due to being slow cooked for a long time. The gravy for this dish is soy sauce based so it was a mix of sweet and salty which complemented the meat really well.
The last order (excluding dessert) was this Grilled Portobello Mushroom. Now it might not look like much but let me tell you, this was delicious. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it was better than something like grilled beef but it was definitely tasty.
For dessert I went with their Chocolate Cake which was scrumptious and had this multi-layered flavor thanks to the strawberries and blueberries. The cake itself had this rich taste and its sweetness was surprisingly not overpowering. I’ve eaten plenty of chocolate cake in my travels and most of those tended to be on the really sweet side so it was kind of nice to have one that had just the right bitterness, sweetness, and richness. If there’s one thing I didn’t like about this order it would have to be the serving size. For how good it tastes, the serving size is just a tid bit small. Still, I think it is worth ordering especially if you’re craving something sweet.
The other order for dessert was this apple crumble. Now this was a much bigger serving than the Chocolate Cake though I wouldn’t necessarily say it was better. Texturally, it was different with its appeal (at least for me) being the contrast between the crumble’s crunch to that of the vanilla ice cream’s smooth richness.
With lunch out of the way, I was feeling a little drowsy. Thankfully, there were plenty of areas here at the lounge for me to rest while my stomach digested the amazing meal that I just finished. Anyway, this resting area had these high back wing chairs that were quite comfortable to sit in.
Perhaps the most notable feature of this area was this 3D decorated wall that provided ambient lighting. It doesn’t stand out as much in the day but I’m pretty sure that it becomes a lot more distinguishable at night. Other than this, there were also floor lamps for additional lighting.
A couple of steps from the high backed wing chairs were these sofas. I wasn’t quite sure though if these were comfortable or if you could lay down on them (probably not) as I didn’t really try them out. On the wall off to their sides was an abstract painting that seemed like it would be a good piece to start a conversation around on.
A couple of steps to the right of the sofas was the entrance to this other lounge area. Now this had a nice view of the tarmac and even more high backed wing chairs to enjoy the said view. I also liked how the area (much like the entrance of the lounge) has a wheelchair ramp making it accessible for PWD passengers.
Aside from the view, this lounge area also has a wide selection of food that you can choose from while waiting for your flight. If you’re looking for something healthy then there’s a fruit basket here which has Gala Apples, Oranges, and Green Apples.
The food item that I really wanted to get here though was this Chicken Ham and Cheese sandwich. Honestly, if I hadn’t just eaten lunch then I probably would have gotten this instead. From what I could see, the sandwiches looked like they’d just been put on display which means they were probably still fresh from the kitchen.
Other than the Chicken Ham and Cheese sandwich, you could also find desserts such as Green Tea Cake and Matcha Pudding here. I wasn’t that interested in these as I could still vividly remember the taste of the Apple Crumble and Chocolate Cake. That said, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to get either one of these.
Here you’ll see a display for Banana Peanut Cake and Coffee Butter Cream Chocolate Cake. Again, these looked very tempting and the servings looked even bigger compared to the Chocolate Cake I had for lunch. The Coffee Butter Cream Chocolate Cake was especially mouthwatering though I guess the Banana Peanut Cake was more popular judging by the servings left inside the display.
This Tuna Mayonnaise with Paprika was, in my opinion, not the most appetizing item here. Maybe it was because of the color or that I was just used to seeing tuna as part of sushi or as sashimi. I will say though that looking bad doesn’t necessarily mean that it tastes bad as well. Still, I probably won’t be getting this even if I hadn’t eaten my lunch yet.
If you haven’t yet, then I would suggest you at least try out Kueh if you happen to be in Malaysia. These are bite-sized snacks that you can eat all throughout the day and are found throughout the country (and even in some of its Southeast Asian neighbors). The Kueh I found here were, if I’m not mistaken, called Kueh Lapis which is a kind of layer cake made from water, rice flour, coconut milk, and sugar (among other ingredients).
Another interesting item in the lounge area was this Marinated Diced Tomato Canape. Now I’ve had tomato canapes before but I don’t recall those having marinated tomatoes (or maybe they were and I just didn’t know). Regardless, this does seem like it would be great as an appetizer or maybe even an afternoon snack.
Speaking of snacks, the area also has a number of bite-sized preserves and nuts that would be perfect for nibbling while waiting to board your flight. If you want something that’s sweet and a little tart then you’re going to like these dried mangoes. Aside from their sweetness and tartness, these also have a chew to them making them a great snack for passing the time.
Another fruit preserve that you can find here is these raisins. You can actually pair these with the dried mangoes earlier along with some salted peanuts to come up with a DIY trail mix. Outside of trail mixes, you should also have no problems pairing these raisins with the other food items that can be found in this area.
Now if you happen to enjoy eating biscuits then you’d probably like these Cheese Crackers and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I actually enjoy crackers with cheese and dried fruits so I was definitely eyeing these the whole time I was there. As for the cookies, I honestly thought that they seemed like they needed a bit more chocolate chips.
Unless you have a peanut allergy then you can never go wrong with salted peanuts. They’re such a versatile snack. I think you could pair these with the majority of the food here and they’ll end up tasting good. Heck, in most countries you can even pair this with beer.
You know what’s another good pairing for peanuts? Cheese! Conveniently, there’s also a Cheese Platter here. This already includes dried fruits like raisins and even kiwis to go along with grapes. As for the cheeses in the platter, I’m not quite sure but I think there’s Camembert (or a similar creamy cheese) and Cheddar.
For beverages, there’s a great selection of beers and wines here. In this image you can see a bowl containing cans of Carlsberg and Tiger as well as some bottles of champagne (notably Rene Rutat). Take note though that the lounge typically changes their inventory regularly so these drinks might not be available when you do come here in the future.
Other than champagne, you’ll also find some fine red wine here. At the time I was there, the lounge offered a Shiraz and a Grand Cru. Both the Shiraz (a Kilikanoon Prophecy 2020) and the Grand Cru (a Chateau Marrin Saint-Emilion 2020) should pair well with the cheeses in the Cheese Platter we saw earlier. These aren’t particularly expensive bottles but they do have really good reviews and both come from good vintage years for their producers.
Understandably, not everyone might be able to take alcohol for one reason or another. If you’re in this situation, you can always get the water here to quench your thirst. Oh, and this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill distilled water. It’s actually natural mineral water which is considered better thanks to having higher concentrations of beneficial minerals such as magnesium and calcium.
If the taste of mineral water is a little too bland then just beside the bottles is a dispenser for Cucumber and Lemon Infused Water. Unfortunately, this was nearly empty when I was there so I wasn’t able to try it out. That said, I knew that it was actually good considering there wasn’t much left of it even though there really weren’t that many people here at that time.
Of course, you could always get soft drinks here if the infused water dispenser is empty and you just want something tasty to drink. Some of your options include 7Up Zero Sugar or Evervess’ Tonic Water, Ale Halia, and Club Soda. Other than this, there’s also cans of Revive Isotonic Drink and an assortment of yogurt (in Natural, Strawberry, and Blueberry flavors).
What if you’re not too keen on canned soft drinks? Not to worry as there are pitchers of both Orange and Apple Juice here as well. I personally like apple juice but I’m not too sure if this was 100% natural. Considering the attention to detail here though, it’s highly likely that both of these aren’t powdered drink mixes.
Now you’re probably wondering, what about coffee? Well, there’s actually a Dr. Coffee coffee machine here that dispenses Espressos, Flat Whites, Cappucinos, and Americanos (just to name a few). Other than coffee, the machine also dispenses warm milk, milk foam, and even hot water.
Coffee a little too strong for you? Well, there are packets of tea bags here from BOH. Aside from the tea packets, you’ll also have access to stirrers as well as natural and artificial sweeteners. There are packets here for both brown and white sugar, Equal sweeteners, and even sugar syrup.
Just beside the box containing the tea packets is a dispenser for Teh Tarik. Now if you’re not familiar with this, it’s actually a milk tea beverage that’s popular in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. In fact, it’s so popular in the country that it’s become its national drink. If you’ve yet to try it then this might be a good opportunity to do so.
After checking out the food, here’s the view from this lounge area. Once you’ve taken your food and/or drinks you can relax on one of these chairs while waiting for your flight. Personally though, I think the view here is better at night. It might just be me but I really like the contrast of the lights in the tarmac with the night sky. That said, it’s obviously not practical to book night flights just so you could enjoy the views here.
It’s not quite night but you can kind of see what I’m talking about when I said the views here look better in the evening. My flight was still a ways off at this point so I briefly considered just waiting it out here. Then I remembered that the lounge actually has a dedicated sleep area.
I made a beeline to the sleep area and decided to try out the beds. It was actually quite comfortable to lay down on but I would have preferred that it had cloth or linen beddings. Then again, I kind of understand why they left these bare as you’re really not supposed to stay here long.
Each bed here has a nightstand and a single pillow. There’s also a wall lamp that’s adjustable in case you want to read a book while laying down. Perhaps my only real concern here is that it’s going to be pretty hard to get some shuteye here especially if occupants from adjacent and opposite beds turn on their lights.
As you can see, the illumination from the wall lamps here are pretty strong. Combine that with the division only covering the head area of the bed and you end up with a room that’s really not conducive for sleeping. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to sleep at all. You could bring an eye mask/sleep mask and that should help block some of the light.
So this ends my review of Malaysia Airlines’ Platinum Lounge in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Overall, my experience here was excellent. The food was great while the amenities were actually quite nice. I wouldn’t say this was the best lounge that I’d been on but it beats waiting for your flight at the public seating in the gate areas if you’re in economy (you can read my article about KLIA2’s Plaza Premium Lounge). Now, would I recommend booking a Business Suite ticket just for this? Obviously, if you have the budget then go for it. Like I said when I wrote about my experience with the Mercedes Benz private transfer, the comfort and perks you get are more than worth it.
Ever experienced Malaysia Airlines’ Platinum Lounge in KLIA? If yes, then why not share your thoughts and experience with us by hitting up the comment section!
