The ride to Hong Kong Airport took 40 minutes in the hotel van, which ended up costing the same as two taxis (~900 HKD). Check in, immigration, and the walk to the lounge took around another 20 minutes, and we were soon walking into the Singapore Airlines Lounge.
Introduction: Christmas in Hong Kong, and New Year in New Zealand
Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge San Francisco
Cathay Pacific Business Class (Reverse Herringbone) SFO-HKG
The Conrad Hong Kong – Harbor View Twin Room
The Intercontinental Hong Kong – Harbor View Room
The Sights and Sounds of Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge HKG Airport
Singapore Airlines Business Class HKG-SIN-AKL
The Rees Queenstown Luxury Hotel Apartments
Great Drives near/around Queenstown (Glenorchy, Milford Sound, Wanaka)
The Hilton Auckland
Attractions in/around Auckland (Hobbiton, Mt. Eden etc.)
Emperor Lounge @ Auckland Airport (via Priority Pass)
The Park Hyatt Sydney – Opera View Deluxe King Room
Virgin Australia Business Class SYD-LAX
Hong Kong is perhaps the largest outstation for Singapore Airlines with their multiple frequencies to Singapore, and daily flight into San Francisco. As such, the airline operates dedicated First and Business class sections. The lounge itself is right across from gate 15, which was the departure gate for our A380 flight to Hong Kong.
When we entered and presented our boarding passes, we were promptly escorted to a second desk next to the entryway to the first class section. My sister and I were traveling in business, but were allowed into the first class section on account of our parents’ suites class tickets. We actually didn’t spend much time in the lounge itself so I’ll keep the review pretty brief. It should be noted that the lounge did feature a couple of shower suites, which are available on request.
There was a bit of dead space near the entry to the lounge so they just filled the area with a bunch of seats, which was really the most boring part of the lounge.
In the center of the lounge was a massive bar and drinks area featuring various wines and cocktails except Krug (that really seems to be all that people care about and really the only expensive bottle I know of). And yes you can apparently order the famous Singapore Sling here.
The counters in the lounge were decorated with Gingerbread houses and red flower arrangements indicating that it was the holiday season.
The lounge featured a buffet area as well as an a la carte menu, which was proactively offered along with drinks upon being seated in the lounge. Since it was in between lunch and dinner, the menu mainly consisted of snacks of which only one dish was vegetarian.
The buffet itself had some noodles, sauteed vegetables, dim sum, fruits, and various small cakes. I just snapped a quick picture or two and I really must say it really wasn’t much to write home about.
As soon as we sat down, we were offered an a la carte menu and drinks. I believe it was the fried mushroom dumpling with tabasco sauce that I ordered, which ended up being crunchy, and not really filled with any flavor. Rather disappointing for the only vegetarian item on the menu at the time. I hear the menu rotates based on the day of the week and time of day so your experience may vary.
There were some additional alcoholic beverages (mainly wines) arranged next to the coffee/tea machine, which appeared to be available for serving oneself in case the attendant isn’t able to help.
My favorite part of the lounge had to be these comfortable lounge chairs that every person dreams of having in a library. I just sat down and enjoyed finishing my book after I finished taking the few pictures that I did.
The lounge also featured a good assortment of magazines and newspapers to carry onto the flight or just finish in the lounge. In terms of other entertainment, there really wasn’t much. Oddly there were only 3 TVs within this section of the lounge. I’m guessing that’s because they wanted to give the lounge a warm, quiet library feel. The WIFI connection in the lounge was decently fast though I expected it to be faster considering how fast the internet in the airport itself is.
Bottom Line:
The Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge is a decent lounge for a quick shower, and a light meal (depending on time of day). The seating is very comfortable, the ambiance is quite nice, and the staff is super courteous and responsive to guest requests. It is a pity that the lounge doesn’t feature any natural light or views of the tarmac considering the airiness and well lit nature of the Hong Kong airport. Would I go out of my way to visit this lounge? Probably not, since the airport terminal itself is really one of the nicest there is anywhere.
Yes, it is perhaps the best Star Alliance lounge at the airport, but comes nowhere close to the likes of oneworld lounges inside the airport (remember though it’s not a Star Alliance hub). The Cathay and Qantas lounges continue to be the gold standard for Hong Kong Airport lounges.
Next up: Singapore Airlines Business Class HKG-SIN…….
