Premier Lounge Premier Denpasar (Bali) Lounge

Out of the two airport lounges at Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport, the Premier Lounge is by far the best, if only thanks to having a lovely outside terrace from where you can recover from a post-Bali hangover with a sunrise and the whiff of Jet A1. It is also larger, and has a better bar. It is used by pretty much every airline that flies to Bali, which is both an advantage - it is large enough to have some clout in the catering department - and a problem - in the very early morning it is a zoo, with people sleeping on the floor, and kids running around. To find the lounge, after the crush of immigration turn right, and follow the small sign to the Premier lounge upstairs. It is by Gate 1 and 2. The lounge opens at 0500 for breakfast, although if some of the late night flights are delayed, it can be open all night. Reception is pretty smart, with Balinese wickerwork and black marble. Make sure you collect a lounge invitation at check in - you won't get in without one, and thanks to immigration, you can't get back to check in to collect one either. The Lounge reception definitely doesn't accept frequent flyer cards. The Premier Lounge at Denpasar / Bali - Ngurah Rai Airport is best summed up as a tropical airport lounge with upmarket pretensions: it is certainly better than you'd expect. From the hardwood floor, to the comfy sofas, to the wickerwork chairs around the walls, the Balinese pots in the centre of the room, to the great airport view. And then, that's without the outdoor terrace. There are 20 seats outside, with a view over the aerobridges to the gates: alas, the high metal fence and the rather rampant trees obscures the view somewhat, but that's more than made up for by the wooden seats and tables, which has to be one of the best places to wait for an early morning flight. Inside there is seating for 100, and it needs it - at peak times this place gets packed. If you sleep on the sofas, the lounge attendants will get annoyed. There is one other treat in the lounge: a full Massage service, from neck to foot to back. Alas, it isn't free, but prices are low, and - pretty much inevitably - they take credit cards. It is only open in the afternoon and early evening.

Food

In the centre of the lounge is what seems like a four-pillared Balinese Temple. It is actually the food area. There are two heated food cabinets with hinged metal covers: alas, the contents can be a little disappointing. In the morning a full cooked English it is not: instead you'll get some unusual Asian delicacies, with non-descript meat and vegetables. There is a much better selection in the afternoon, with sandwiches under the plastic lid along with some lovely canapáés. There is mini-pizza, and spring rolls. Soup is in the bucket at the end of the refectory table. There is plenty of tropical fruit, rolls and fresh salad.

Bar

The bar is only just about serviceable: it really isn't great, and this is what lets the lounge down, although compared to the other lounge at Bali Airport, it is very good. There are two fridges, one with beer and wine, the other with soft drinks, with the main spirits on the shelving between the two. Spirits consists of just four bottles, or Gordon's Gin, Smirnoff Vodka, Bali Whisky and Baccardi. There is a bottle of red on the top of the shelf too. It is even worse for white wine, with just one bottle of Indian white on the shelf in the fridge, and a few cans of Red Star beer. That's it. There is of course also a coffee machine, tea in bags in the wooden box, and cans of Coke, Sprite, and bottles of water.

Bathrooms

There are quite decent bathrooms in the lounge, and even better - showers! There at two - one for each gender - and they are most welcome after the trek to the airport in tropical heat.

Business Facilities

There is a small business centre, with three work stations, each of which has an ancient steam powered PC, plus a small inkjet printer. There is a photocopier here too. There are phones on the desk, which make free local calls. There is a newspaper rack, although the only papers in English are the Straits Times and Herald Tribune. There are a lot of Chinese newspapers. There are also quite a few magazines, and a virtual complete set of every in-flight magazine for every airline flying to Bali. There is one TV at the end of the lounge, although curiously every TV is at right angles to it: that isn't much of a loss, as it is

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