We were driven from the St. Regis Bali to the airport at around 1:30PM. Ford was flying to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific at 4PM, while I was flying to Doha on Qatar Airways at 5:30PM.
Continue reading: Review: Premier Lounge Bali Denpasar Airport
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
It looks like the lounges at DPS are post security unlike at CGK. I had to plan my lounge time around having to also clear security before getting to my boarding gate.
That outdoor terrace almost reminds me of the International Lounge at TBIT.
But the old Premier lounge had an outdoor deck overlooking the taxiway and water...
I wasn't especially impressed when I was there in late 2014. They were still building the lounges at that point in time so there really was no lounge. Just an area in the terminal that was roped off. The design shortcomings were evident, including the heat and lack of people movers you note.
I did experience the old terminal on a domestic flight to JOG. While it doesn't have the soaring ceilings I don't remember it being especially inferior to the new international terminal, but was in fact quite similar in it's lack of apparent organization.
@RakSiam Indonesians can barely manage to get the Jakarta MRT project running, and you expect them to spend time on a train system inside an airport, where walking is a viable option?
I got an incredible gastroenteritis from the food at the old lounge a couple of years ago, which was a real treat on the DPS-HKG-LHR-YYZ route home. It was about 2 months before the stomach was really back to normal. Just a word of caution for those eyeing the buffet!
The food was underwhelming? Come on, it's crap! Is that a word I can use? It's the best description I can think of.
Bummer there's no outside terrace. That was fun to watch landing planes (and have a final pre-flight smoke).
My wife and I were in the lounge a few months ago, and we were pretty unimpressed. We saw the only live roaches on the entire trip near the cereal, which put a damper on the old appetite. Wifi was not working, and the place was just dirty. The crowds were substantial, so finding space was tough. The food, as you stated, was a very mixed bag, so no cohesion there either. If you were patient, you could get drink service at the bar. Put these factors together, and there really isn't much good to say.
"I hope the retailer is paying super-high rent"
Why would you wish something like that on hard working people? That is just mean. They're just trying to earn a living, same as everyone else. They don't choose the layout of the airport, the people who designed and approved the design are the ones responsible. Also, why would the airport charge high rent for duty free shops they want there to begin with?
'You brought ford to his gate' - you make it sound like he is incapable of finding it himself
My wife and used the Premier lounge in early December for a morning departure. The lounge was not crowded and the bathrooms were clean! This is also the Priority Pass lounge in addition to being the contract lounge for many airlines. I think the best advice is to avoid the lounge during peak periods!
Ben, thanks for another great review. Have you thought about reviewing some domestic US lounges again? Most of such reviews are several years old. I'm sure I'm not the only reader who could benefit from some Admirals Club or Sky Club reviews especially given recent updates in many locations. Just a thought!
The terminal looks aesthetically like a huge improvement. Has the lounge wifi improved? The outdoor terrace was the only redeeming thing about the old lounge. The food looks the same, just presented better. Have they banned smoking in the terminal or do the smoking rooms still smell up the terminal? How are the views from the bridge to the airport?
Granted it's been ten years since I was there, but that terminal and lounge are an enormous improvement. If they could just do something about the five mile hike to the gates and the scrum during boarding. That, apparently, has not changed.
This is still a HUGE improvement over the old lounge offerings when the "new" international airport first opened a couple of years ago.
If one scrolls down to post #15 in this Flyertalk thread there's a Google Maps image of the new highway connecting the east and south parts of Bali to the airport: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/1502604-bali-dps-new-terminal-opened-october-2013-photos.html
The "old" terminal is domestic-only now.
Anyone every fly into/out of DPS before they opened the "old" terminal? Goodness gracious what a long way that airport has come...
Nice trip report, glad to see they "tried" to do better with the new lounge.
I was there in September and actually thought the food and (women's) bathroom were fine. The WiFi though was almost nonexistent. And, the hike to the gate--11--was not only crazy, but the gate was hidden (it's downstairs and poorly marked). Between missing the stairs down to the gate the first time by, and having been told by the lounge attendant that it was "only 10 minutes away" (yeah, for an Olympian sprinter), I almost missed the lovely shuttle bus we had to ride from the gate to the plane. (Garuda to SIN)
BTW, fanning is always effective as long as you are sweating--it's the evaporation of the sweat that cools you. As an avid fanner, I feel the need to defend us. ; )
Who said anything about a train system? I meant a system of moving walkways like every other modern airport.
The Premier Lounge at Bali airport is not updating the Departures information, at least on 11 january no accurate information was provided. I was told by the lounge staff that they do not take any responsability for the information displayed on the screen and that passengers must check other screens outside the lounge to be sure what is happening with the flights. In general bad service.
At the Premier lounge today the upholstering of the chairs and couches look stained and torn. The wifi doesn't workz The food looks very unappetizing and I saw a LOT of roaches running around the food stations. Unbelievable! The only thing worth having is a drink, unless you want food poisoning.. The bathrooms smell foul and the shower is in pretty bad shape. I'm surprised the airlines that use this lounge for their passengers haven't complained! They must improve their standard, because this is far from "premier"!
Just visited the Premier lounge last night - literally saw cockroaches walking on the table. Bathroom was disgusting and the furniture is chipped/worn. Not much food was displayed either. Terrible, terrible, terrible. We left pretty quickly and decided that it wasn't worth spending time in there.
I made the mistake this week of eating the buffet food at the Premiere Lounge and ended up losing it on my flight back to the US. It put a major negative dent on an otherwise great vacation to Indonesia. DO NOT EAT BUFFET FOOD at this lounge unless you enjoy purging at 30,000 ft.
wow. thanks for the review and updated comments. crap. i'll likely stay at the hotel a little longer and make it just in time for the flight.
As with many things in life - when the charm factor gets old things become less attractive.
We passed through in early March 2020 just days before COVID. It appears we visited the new lounge though it really wasn't much better than the old one.
We didn't get sick and actually had a glass of wine. But then even the CX lounge in JNB isn't much better so it is what it is.
Forewarned is forearmed.