Malaysia Airlines Domestic Golden Lounge @ Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

Written by @Lan 
Photos by curiostraveller.com

Exclusive for Malaysia Airlines Premium passengers, Enrich Platinum and Gold members as well as OneWorld Emerald and Sapphire members, there are four Golden Lounge at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), namely: KLIA Satellite Platinum, KLIA Satellite Business, KLIA Regional and KLIA Domestic. While waiting for our flight, we were privileged to experience the best of Malaysia Airlines KLIA Domestic Golden Lounge.

Said to be encapsulating Malaysia’s warmth and hospitality in an authentic and contemporary way, all 4 lounges, have been recently refurbished and are of Malaysia’s modern heritage, incorporating elements of Malaysian culture, arts, food and architecture.

True to word, we saw and experienced that said elements at the Domestic Golden Lounge. The revamped look and feel made us pretty much impressed given that Malaysia Airlines is having challenging time in its recovery plan. The lounge is located at the middle of domestic departures, just before Gate A2.

The Domestic Golden Lounge at KLIA is ably to accommodate about 192 guests at a time. With the enhanced seating capacity which was for 180 guests previously, the menu need to be upgraded as well and Malaysia Airlines did that. The menu now includes more Malaysian delights and delicacies with new look as well for the buffet counter.  The restrooms for male, female and disabled have been refurbished as well. So are the two Surau (Muslim Prayer Room).

The large glass window enables aviation geeks to view the tarmac, which of course comes with the arriving and departing planes; all other activities included, loading and unloading. The view somehow made us comfortable, as we felt there was openness to the outside, giving that bright, light and airy environment. We particularly love the comfy chairs. The seating arrangements are tailored for all type of travellers, be it solo or in large group.

We noticed that wooden partitions have beautiful symmetrical shapes and it is meant to separate sections in the lounge. Such partition gives that needed space for those in need of partial privacy.  If the lounge is in its full capacity, guests will not be seeing large crowd, thanks to the partitions.

There is even a separate area for the young, having their own exclusive place to play and perhaps taking a nap. On another note, while the lounge is not that particularly big in size, we do think it’s sufficient as this lounge is meant for domestic travellers and most will not be spending long time in the lounge.

At the center is the buffet counter with some great choices of food and beverages. It’s a dry lounge, which means it does not serve alcohol. There’s selection of Malaysian cuisine for the main dishes with desserts of local and western. We’re definitely impressed with one specific counter that serves Penang Asam Laksa and Won Ton Noodles.

We tried that alluring Penang Asam Laksa which was amazingly delicious. Penang Asam Laksa has that great sweet, sour and spicy taste. Famous in Penang, it is voted  by CNN as one of the world’s 50 best (Click HERE). At the noodle bar, guests may order as many bowls as they want to. We suggest you to have 2 bowls, sparing some space for a bowl of Won Ton as it is equally delicious as Penang Asam Laksa!

Penang Asam Laksa at Malaysia Airlines Domestic Golden Lounge: Thick Rice noodles in a spicy and sour fish broth, topped with julienne of pineapple, cucumber, onion, chili and mint. It is best enjoyed with Prawn Paste. We applied generous amount of Prawn Paste into the broth and that gave extra flavour; a satisfying one. We regard that the Asam Laksa being served here is almost identical to the authentic dish, at least in its taste!

Won Ton Noodles with Chicken Dumpling!. Alternatively, guest may opt for Won Ton Noodles with Vegetables. We both think that the clear broth was amazingly delicious, it’s light but perfect; not oily and served hot. The vegetable and mushroom were great as well. The dish was indeed comforting and it’s one of the best Won Ton Noodle that we have had.

Variety of bread selection and fresh fruits are served at a separate buffet counter located not far the Noodle Bar.

The dining room which is located after the main buffet counter has plenty tables and chairs for diners to have proper sit-down when having meals. There is even a long dining tables for solo travellers to have great conversation with others while enjoying amazing foods at the lounge.

At the very end of the lounge which has an amazing view of KLIA Satellite Building and aerotrain, free flow of beverages are served for those who are just too ‘lazy’ to walk to the main buffet area. There are dozens of comfy chairs here, spread across the section; perfect for those travelling in a group.

Overall, we’re pleased with what we’ve seen and experienced. We spent a solid 2 hours at this lounge and not a single moment we felt ‘tired’ of the amazing tarmac view. Staff at the lounge were polite, friendly, helpful and they smiled genuinely. Refills at buffet station were constant. Food were amazingly delicious and though not that extensive as in the Satellite’s lounge, we think that it’s adequate for passengers travelling on domestic routes.

We’re amazed as well with the interior as it manage to beautifully highlight the contemporary design and at the same time keeping Malaysia’s modern heritage; as shown in its architecture. Currently, the Malaysia Airlines Domestic Golden Lounge is the only lounge available in the domestic departures area and access is by invitation only.

There is a way for Malaysia Airlines non premium passengers to have access to all Golden Lounge; become a member of Enrich Malaysia Airlines, a frequent flyer programme, a loyalty programme that brings world of privileges and lifestyle rewards.