Malaysia airlines has a lounge that is not open for an ordinary traveler. Only passengers traveling with a first class ticket or those holding the ever so exclusive oneworld emerald status can access this exclusive lounge. But is the grass any greener on the emerald side? Let’s find out!
Location
The lounge is located on the second floor of the satellite terminal in Kuala Lumpur or KLIA as the locals seem to call it. You don’t need to worry about finding the correct Malaysia Airlines lounge in this particular terminal, though, because both the business class and the first class lounges share the same entrance. Once you are inside, you will be directed towards the correct side. The first class lounge is on the right hand side coming through the main entrance.
Decoration and amenities
The lounge has plenty of space and it has two main areas; a dining hall and an area with comfortable chairs. At any rate, I can’t help but think that the lounge has seen some better days. The decoration looks a bit washed out and it reminds of old days I have seen only in movies.
The lounge is equipped with showers. However, the doors just like the bathroom doors look quite disturbing. You can see through the doors rather well from the inside, but the design makes it difficult to see through from the outside. Nevertheless, it feels slightly disturbing and definitely doesn’t give the first class privacy I am after.
Food in Malaysia first class lounge
Food is the best part of the lounge because they provide you with an à la carte dining experience. However, outside of à la carte, there’s nothing else to eat in the lounge, which is a slight disappointment. You can’t snack on anything small while you are lounging.
Breakfast
If you are traveling during breakfast time, you can expect a pretty decent meal. You can have some eggs, yogurt, cereals, you name it. Whatever you would expect to have for breakfast. Everything will be prepared to you according to your wish.
Lunch
During lunch and dinner times you will have a more extensive meal. The food is delicious and they sure cook it fast. The waiters are attentive and helpful too.
There are not too many options on the menu, but the food is decent all the same. And of course, you can try out many things from the menu if you’d like.
Beverages
After eating, you can drink some wine, juice or water. That’s about it. No spirits, no beer no nothing you would expect to see in a first class lounge. The beverages are self served and nobody seemed to bring more once a bottle gets empty. I tried asking about spirits, but the lounge staff didn’t really understand too much about alcoholic beverages. It shows in the lack of them.
Conclusion
The lounge is nice for eating an à la carte meal but that’s about it. There is no food outside of the menu, and beverage selection is the bare minimum. If the idea is that having a menu and eating in a fancier looking area is what makes a lounge a First class one, Malaysia airlines should think again. There are other businesses class lounges with à la carte options. And frankly, it seemed that Malaysia airlines had a better stuff in the business class lounge.
