Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Singapore Terminal 1

I arrived in Singapore sometime around 9:30 AM in the morning. Though I arrived at Terminal 3, my onwards connection was out of Terminal 1. I had 5 hours to kill so I headed to one of the many lounges accessible via Priority Pass in Terminal 1. There are three lounges accessible with the Priority Pass in Terminal 1 – DNATA Lounge, the SATS Premier Lounge and the Plaza Premium Lounge Singapore Terminal 1. As the SATS Premier Lounge is a contract lounge for many airlines, I was not keen on going there as I wanted to avoid the crowd. That left me with The DNATA Lounge and the Plaza Premium Lounge. I chose the latter.

The lounge was hidden in Changi’s labyrinth. It is located in the Departure/Transit Lounge West on Level 3, above Gate C1. It took me a good 15 minutes to find the lounge and once I was there, all I had to do was was hand over my Priority Pass and sign the check-in slip.

The first order of business was a hot shower. I did not have to wait to get a slot and got my shower room key immediately. Though there was no time limit, it is a good practice to use the shower room for not more than 15 minutes.

After that, I handed over the key to the receptionist and for the first time, noticed the rest of the lounge.

There were many seating options here, ranging from couches to high tables. They also had individual pods where you could get some work done in peace. Overall, the seating plan felt a bit dense as there was just too much furniture in the lounge. This is the usual Plaza Premium colour scheme and layout.

But the saving grace was that there were just five other people there when I arrived, which meant I could sit wherever I wanted to. I was hungry at this point in time so I moved to the dining area which had cafe style seating with tables and chairs.

The number of hot food options was limited. They just had dumplings and congee at the buffet. Other options included a DIY sandwich station and the cereal dispensers. But I went for the laksa, which is supposed to be ordered fresh.

The Laksa was flavourful and hearty. I topped it off with a cup of green tea.

If you wanted to grab a drink, head down to the bar. Most lounges I’ve been to offer complimentary alcoholic beverages, but here only a few complimentary options were available. A Bombay Sapphire and Tonic here would not come for free.

After breakfast, I settled down in one of the couches which faced the tarmac. And what a view it was! I ended spotting most type of aircraft of the Singapore Airlines fleet. Right from their Airbus A380s to their Boeing 747 freighters.

I slept for a good two hours in the lounge before my alarm rang to tell me that I should get going. By this point I was in the lounge for close to 4 hours, beyond the 3 hours stipulated time, but the folks there did not seem to mind. There’s also a snooze room which will set you back by SGD 75 for three hours.

After a quick splash of cold water on my face, I was all set to head towards my gate. The restrooms were spotless as expected.

Bottomline

The Plaza Premium Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 is a functional lounge without any fluff. You come in, grab a bite or a drink, get a shower, wait for your departure call and get out. My stop here was comfortable, and I won’t mind coming here again. This lounge is accessible via the Priority Pass, Lounge Key or you can buy access via Lounge Buddy as well.