Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris first class lounge, Sydney
Hidden by a discreet door, Sydney SilverKris first class lounge is a secret worth uncovering.
By Sid Raja , March 5 2024
Country
Australia
City
Sydney
Airport
Sydney - Kingsford Smith
Alliance
Star Alliance
Airline
Singapore Airlines
Cabin-class
First
Notes
The Good
- Buffet and à la carte dining
X-Factor
- Refined, intuitive service
Introduction
Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris first class lounge at Sydney International Airport is rather well hidden. If you’re not on the ‘guest list’, you probably wouldn’t even notice it was there.
For those on the inside with a first class boarding pass in hand or perhaps a top-tier Solitaire PPS Club member card in their wallet, there’s rather a lot to enjoy, from its feeling of a private club to the à la carte menu infused with the flavours of Singapore.
Exclusivity is perhaps its biggest selling point though. Given SQ’s A380 features just six First Suites, and Solitaire PPS Club status isn’t overly common, you rarely see more than a dozen people in the lounge, meaning it’s always peaceful and serene.
Location & Impressions
You’ll find the Singapore Airlines SilverKris first and business lounges by following signs to gates 51 and above. It’s the same neighbourhood as high flying hangouts from Emirates and Star Alliance member Air New Zealand.
Once you reach the centre of that pier, take the escalator up and you’ll soon spot the lounge entrance. Both first and business share a common reception, and if you're eligible to access the first class space, staff will buzz you through a subtle door to the right.
That door to the right is your exclusive entrance.
Glide through and you’ll enter what’s essentially a living room featuring a smattering of comfy lounges and fabric lamps, four high-backed seats angled for conversation, plus a very large television (which is curiously positioned away from the lounges).
Your first sight on entering the lounge.
These same high-backed chairs are also found over by the windows.
This is separated from the timber-floored buffet and dining area by black metal screening, and beyond that, a business nook with individual sunflower yellow booths, each involved by high privacy walls, and ultimately window side seating.
Screening creates clearly defined zones without them feeling enclosed.
Those business booths double as both work spaces and more private dining tables.
Booths are designed for privacy, though you can still converse with the adjoining visitor.
Restrooms and two showers are well-appointed and stocked with fresh flowers plus an array of toiletries, so you can start your journey not only feeling fresh but smelling great too.
Access
Sydney SilverKris First Lounge is exclusively for first class passengers on Singapore Airlines or its Star Alliance partners, as well as Solitaire PPS Club members. Each lounge-worthy visitor is entitled to one guest.
It’s a rather tight entry list, and a stark contrast to Sydney Qantas First Lounge, which welcomes Platinum-grade frequent flyers of Qantas, Emirates and its Oneworld equivalent alongside travellers seated in first class.
Dining
As you’d expect, Sydney SilverKris First Lounge is a delicious step up in the culinary stakes from its business neighbour, plating up both a buffet and à la carte menu.
Our morning visit saw breakfast in full swing, with Korean-style pumpkin and corn congee, sauteed mushrooms and roast tomato, in addition to yoghurts and buttery pastries laid out on the stone buffet top.
The leather-bound menu listed smashed avo, smoked salmon benedict and eggs your way, together with Singaporean classics such as Kaya toast, seafood congee and chai tow kway ‘fried carrot cake’ (it’s nothing like Western carrot cake).
Smoked salmon Benedict with poached eggs and salmon roe.
As the morning rolled on the all-day menu came into play: chicken satay, prawn and egg maggi goreng, and a soup of the day with a crusty bread roll were a few of the standout options.
Over at the buffet were Thai-style fried rice, chicken korma and party pies, plus an assortment of dips, salads and cakes for the sweeter-toothed travellers out there.
It's a small buffet selection but each dish is packed with flavour.
Salad or cake? It's a tough decision.
Taittinger Brut Champagne was the sole Champagne on offer, complemented by a list of seven wines (three red, three white and one rosé), spirits and cocktails.
Help yourself to juice, soft drink or a steaming hot cup of tea.
Juices, barista coffee and tea were of course available too.
Work
You won’t find a business centre in the lounge. Instead, your best place to get a little work done is the booth seating, which each houses a large bench and desk-level AC and USB power.
There's no chance of running low on juice thanks to two AC and two USB outlets.
The L-shaped seat allows you to easily swivel around and face outward when work is done, transitioning from business to leisure mode without changing seats.
Fast and free WiFi reached speeds of around 240 Mbps during our visit.
Verdict
As expected, Singapore Airlines' first class lounge is a supremely inviting space to spend a couple of hours, yet it’s not just the food or Champagne that set it apart (though they are certainly appreciated). It’s the refinement – the service and serenity.
Singapore Airlines is well-known for its intuitive hospitality, and in this particular lounge, the first class experience begins long before your feet even leave the ground.
04 Sep 2019
Total posts 67
As always, better than qantas first lounge
Never crowded with more than a handful of other guests
03 May 2012
Total posts 120
I much prefer flying airlines that limit access to lounges according to the class of travel. QF First is already expensive enough that the value proposition is immediately downgraded the minute you walk into a crowded First lounge. It is even worse if you are flying Business class and have to negotiate the under resourced, over packed lounge. Struggling to access showers during transit at international lounges is annoying
I realise that the Qantas business model depends on people racking up status credits on domestic flights in order to utilise them for international trips, including with the family, and I don’t begrudge people taking advantage of that. However, when you shell out big dollars for tickets, you want a serene and personalised experience. This is why I like Oneworld lounges eg JFK that are normalising class of travel limits to lounge entry.
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