Singapore Airlines Bangkok Lounge

The Singapore Airlines new Silver Kris Lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport for Business and First Class passengers is brand new, and a vast improvement over the old lounge in the far wing.

Light bright clean and modern, a cocktail bar dominates the centre of the lounge.

There is good buffet dining, with a large spread with many hot options.

There are plenty of seats, but in the evening with several widebodies departing for Singapore in a short interval, it can get packed.

Bangkok Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge review

The Bangkok Singapore Airlines lounge is one of the smartest Business Class lounge at Bangkok airport.

Quite new, modern, and yet with a home from home feel. There are plenty of varied nooks to suit your mood, from the solo work chairs, the comfortable arm chairs, dining room table, and even a bench overlooking the windows - although admittedly onto the main terminal concourse.

However, it is the food and bar that draw most passengers here. The food is amazing, with great curries and Singaporean specialities. The staffed bar also makes good cocktails.

Finding the new Singapore Airlines Bangkok Lounge can be a bit of a struggle. Once through security, or going through the transit process, head for the upper causeway, on level 3, and then walk half way along to concourse D, pretty close to gate D7, which is often used by Singapore Airlines.

On the landside part of the concourse, you can easily see the Singapore Airlines logo, and the lounge is behind the signature screen on the outside, which is similar to that at many other Singapore outposts.

From outside, all you can really see are bland white marble walls. Inside, the lounge is designed in modern-contemporary style, with walls decorated in rich Thai hardwoods, having full-height fabric-laminated glass panels to enhance privacy in a couple of rooms.

Although the lounge seems like just one large room, panels and metal screens do create several distinct areas.

First off, as you enter, on the right are two quiet 'touch down' rooms, really designed just for a sort stay, or for a quiet spell, with a large leather sofa.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the lounge is the large white staffed bar, around which everyone, including the passengers rotate. Further around, travelling anti clockwise, there is another alcove with a long bench overlooking the window: alas the window just has a view of the concourse, and the view is mostly glazed over.

Next up with the main buffet area, with an island bench, and with a dining area between it and the bar, having neat square tables with four chairs. These can seem rather open to the elements, so carry further around and there is bench dining seating, with one seat opposite each table. However this area is directly opposite the toilets, and you can see right into them, hence the odd curtain separating it from the dining area.

Next up is the famous dining room table, with seating for 12. No one ever seems to eat on it: instead it is designed for people to sit at with a laptop, and many do. It is opposite the two Singapore beer pouring machines.

Behind the next metal screen, which creates a rather maze like feeling as you wander around, is the main seating area, with for rows of racks of armchairs all separated by small side tables, having power points.

Don't miss in the corner the four notorious high back chairs, similar to every Singapore Airlines lounge around the world. They look great, but are famously uncomfortable.

At the back of the lounge are five solo seats, with a high walled chair, desk, and power points, and are great for privacy if you need to while away an hour or three on a laptop.

Finally, in the middle of the lounge is the signature piece of four leather swivel chairs.

There are high ceilings offering a sense of space, and full-length windows allow views of the garden outside. The 102 seats in the lounge are pretty nifty, upholstered in nature-touch fabric or rich leather.

Incidentally, there is a bit of a back story to this lounge. For the first couple of years after Bangkok's new international airport opened, SIA shared the Thai run lounges, under the so-called "move under one roof" policy of Star Alliance, which aims to just have one lounge at each airport. Singapore Airlines however always likes to do things differently, and following complaints by passengers, built its own lounge, at a cost more than 28 million baht.

However, it was cited in a far distant wing, and far too small for the number of passengers on a widebody flying down the peninsular, so Singapore built this lounge opposite gate D7. So now, when you're lounge hopping around BKK, you can at least get some variety & get away from the Thai lounge. The lounge is a full Star Alliance gold lounge, so you can access on any Star Alliance flight with the right card.

Food

Food in the Bangkok Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge is really good, with more variety than in the Thai lounge in D, and with better high quality choices.

There are Singapore delicacies, including assorted dim sums and noodles, and kaya toast for breakfast (two slices of toast with butter and kaya (coconut jam), which is very popular in Singapore).

On the main island bench are the six hot choices, with Western Breakfast until 10am, including eggs and chicken sausage, and then moving onto lunch and dinner, typically with a curry and rice dishes, or steaks, and pasta.

Also on the island is a very good salad bar, with plenty of sauces and toppings, and an excellent cheese plate. Don't miss all the extra condiments to make up a Ceaser salad.

In the hot cabinet are hot meat pies and sausage rolls, plus strange mini flans.

Sandwiches are just cheese or ham, in tight plastic packets.

There are also a large number of very good sweet pastries, with many small little tarts, fresh fruit and Haggen Dazs Ice Cream in the fridge on the wall.

Bar

The central island bar is great, if you allow for its one downfall. It doesn't have seats at the bar: instead you have to sit on small low chairs at the bar, while people tower over you. Few people sit here.

On the worktop are all the different wines: there are typically some very good whites and reds, certainly far better than in the Thai or Eva lounges.

The bar will also mix up cocktails for you on demand, at any time of day.

Singha and Leffe beer is in the fridge, however you can also get a machine to pour a perfect pint of Ashai or Singa: these machines are at the back of the bar.

Oddly, fresh coconut juice is in the jug in the trough, along with orange juice.

Bathrooms

Bad news, however, if you want visit a bathroom - the ones in the lounge are very poor, and small. They are also sited without much of a door, hence the impromptu curtain separating them from the main lounge.

There are no showers - the nearest ones are in the Thai Airways Concourse C Lounge (on the right hand side).

Business Facilities

Dotted around the SilverKris Bangkok Lounge are a couple of 50-inch plasma televisions, stuck on CNN.

Power-points are located next to most seats (UK/Singapore design) so you can plug in a laptop.

Wifi is good and fast.

On the round central part of the lounge there are newspaper racks.

Access

There is access for Business Class passengers on Singapore Airlines, plus Business Class on other Star Alliance carriers.

Krisflyer Gold frequent flyers prior to Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance flights are also admitted, as are other Star Alliance Gold frequent flyers.

There is no access for Priority Pass etc: these passengers are directed to the Turkish Airlines lounge just down the corridor.

Video: Singapore Airlines Lounge

Singapore Airlines Lounge video - Click to play

Singapore Airlines Lounge video - Click to play