Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport

Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport

5


In the previous installment I reviewed the business class section of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, while in this section I wanted to review the first class section.

SilverKris Lounge Melbourne Airport

Inside the entrance to the lounge, the first class section is to the left after you pass the reception desk.


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport entrance

While I was disappointed by the business class section of the lounge, the first class section was actually very nice. It was spacious and the furnishings felt more modern.


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport

Just inside the entrance was a dining area, which had three tables.


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport dining area

To the side of that was the buffet, and then the lounge featured nearly two dozen other seats. There were four rows of two seats facing a TV.


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport seating


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport seating

Then in the back there were even more swiveling leather seats in rows facing one another.


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport seating


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport seating


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport seating

The seating may look compact in some areas, but in reality I can’t imagine this ever fills up. I was flying a Singapore Airlines 777-300ER with four first class seats. I had the lounge to myself almost the entire time, until an hour before departure, when an Australian couple showed up.

I do wish that that the lounge had views, as it completely lacks natural light. At the same time, if they’re not going to have any views, I at least find the way that they used curtains to be tasteful.

The lounge’s buffet is back towards the entrance.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport buffet

The breakfast selection included cereal, fruit, yogurt, veggies, dim sum, congee, hash browns, instant noodles, toast, and ice cream.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport buffet


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport buffet


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport buffet


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport buffet


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge ice cream

There was also a solid selection of self serve liquor, as well as beer, wine, juice, soda, and water.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport liquor


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge drinks

As you can see they had Moet & Chandon champagne on offer, which is decent, though pales in comparison to what they serve onboard. So I just hydrated with water on the ground.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge drinks

I was disappointed that much like the business class section they didn’t have barista made coffee, but rather had a Nespresso machine. It’s sad they couldn’t pull that off when both the Amex and Air New Zealand lounges had a proper coffee setup.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge coffee

One thing that sets the first class section apart is that it offers a menu, which read as follows:

I decided to try a couple of things off the menu, including the chicken satay and laksa noodle, both of which were excellent.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge dining


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge dining

One thing I loved about this lounge was the service. The first class lounge had an attendant, Rosie, who was a delight. She constantly checked on me to see if I needed anything. The lounge’s chef, Peter, was also an awesome guy, and brought out my food. So the staff in this lounge are a huge asset, and often it’s little touches like this that set a lounge apart.

As far as other lounge features go, there’s a selection of magazines.


SilverKris First Class Lounge Melbourne Airport magazines

The first class section of the lounge also has separate bathrooms and shower rooms.


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge bathrooms


Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge shower room

I spent a couple of hours in the lounge working, and then at around 9:45AM started heading to the gate, in anticipation of a 10:05AM boarding time. My flight was departing from gate 18.

Melbourne Airport terminal

I love that Melbourne Airport has huge windows, which makes it easy to admire all the beautiful planes parked at the terminal.


Melbourne Airport terminal

There were lots of heavies, including a Qantas A330, Virgin Australia 777, and of course the Singapore 777 taking me to Singapore.

Qantas A330 Melbourne Airport

Virgin Australia 777 Melbourne Airport

Singapore Airlines 777 Melbourne Airport

Sure enough boarding began at 10:10AM, exactly as scheduled. I couldn’t wait to be back onboard one of my favorite airlines.

Singapore Airlines departure gate Melbourne Airport

Singapore First Class Lounge Melbourne bottom line

Singapore Airlines offers an incredible onboard product, though typically lags when it comes to their ground experience. While the business class lounge was disappointing, the first class lounge was at least very nice. It was spacious and private, had exceptional service, and had a good selection of food, between the buffet and the a la carte options.

It’s not one of the best airport lounges and not necessarily worth arriving too early to use it, but it’s still a nice space.

If you’ve visited this lounge, what was your experience like?

Conversations (5)
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  1. AB Guest

    MEL had such lovely views of the runway from the public area above the lounges until a couple of years ago. I was very happy to sit at the bar there watching the planes with a paid-for drink.

    I agree with YEGPSPguy, it is surely difficult to justify paying an Australian salary to a barista for the tiny number of SQ F (and PPS) passengers who use the lounge.

  2. Brad Guest

    Thanks for the review Lucky!

  3. YEGPSPguy Guest

    Nice lounge overview. Let’s talk reality.....paying to have barrista service for max. six people does not make any sense, hence SQ’s nice offering of Nespresso. Contrary to some peoples’ expectations, having a relaxed and comfortable lounge to enjoy as an escape from the hustle and bustle of busy airport crowds is what a lot of us want, enjoy and pay the extra for. Having a view is nice (think QF’s First Lounge in MEL), sometimes...

    Nice lounge overview. Let’s talk reality.....paying to have barrista service for max. six people does not make any sense, hence SQ’s nice offering of Nespresso. Contrary to some peoples’ expectations, having a relaxed and comfortable lounge to enjoy as an escape from the hustle and bustle of busy airport crowds is what a lot of us want, enjoy and pay the extra for. Having a view is nice (think QF’s First Lounge in MEL), sometimes to get a view is compensated by having to put up with a noisy, crowded, inefficient and unpleasant experience (again, think QF’s First Lounge in MEL). I will happily take the SQ’s First Lounge with its civilized, mellow setting with excellent service.
    Thank you for the review Lucky.

  4. ericnyc Guest

    Nice review. I usually fly economy, and I'm always amused when I do get to experience a first class lounge and it's a small, windowless room that no one in their right mind would ordinarily spend time in. I remember the old AA international F lounge at DFW fit that description exactly as well.

    It's like...people are paying thousands of dollars to spend time in this dark cave, when there are these giant windows...

    Nice review. I usually fly economy, and I'm always amused when I do get to experience a first class lounge and it's a small, windowless room that no one in their right mind would ordinarily spend time in. I remember the old AA international F lounge at DFW fit that description exactly as well.

    It's like...people are paying thousands of dollars to spend time in this dark cave, when there are these giant windows around the corner with beautiful views of planes?!?!?! Of course I understand this is how airport architecture works, but still...it amuses me as it's pretty ironic.

    The new Flagship lounge at JFK would be an example of exactly the opposite...an aspirational lounge with a physical space you actually want to be in!

  5. Matt Gold

    Who in their right minds would eat beans for breakfast? All day farts.

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The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

AB Guest

MEL had such lovely views of the runway from the public area above the lounges until a couple of years ago. I was very happy to sit at the bar there watching the planes with a paid-for drink. I agree with YEGPSPguy, it is surely difficult to justify paying an Australian salary to a barista for the tiny number of SQ F (and PPS) passengers who use the lounge.

0
Brad Guest

Thanks for the review Lucky!

0
YEGPSPguy Guest

Nice lounge overview. Let’s talk reality.....paying to have barrista service for max. six people does not make any sense, hence SQ’s nice offering of Nespresso. Contrary to some peoples’ expectations, having a relaxed and comfortable lounge to enjoy as an escape from the hustle and bustle of busy airport crowds is what a lot of us want, enjoy and pay the extra for. Having a view is nice (think QF’s First Lounge in MEL), sometimes to get a view is compensated by having to put up with a noisy, crowded, inefficient and unpleasant experience (again, think QF’s First Lounge in MEL). I will happily take the SQ’s First Lounge with its civilized, mellow setting with excellent service. Thank you for the review Lucky.

0
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