I loved the Plaza Premium Lounge in Jakarta (CGK) Terminal 3, which offers a tranquil environment with a wide selection of food and drink as well as excellent coffee.
Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta Review (CGK)
If you are looking for the best lounge at CGK, look no further than this one. While not a leading lounge of the world, it is a very solid lounge with many attractive amenities.
Hours + Access + Location
After a quick visit to the Garuda Indonesia International Lounge, we headed over to the Plaza Premium Lounge, located near gate 6. It is open 24/7. Many carriers use this lounge for their premium cabin guests and it is also part of the Priority Pass network (your Capital One card and American Express Platinum card will also grant you access with two guests).
When I wrote briefly about this lounge during my live SAS Million Mile trip report, there seemed to be some confusion as to how I got to access this side of the lounge…I don’t know what to say other than that I was directed there…I used my Captial One Venture X card for one visit and a lounge invitation from Xiamen Airways for the other visit.
I did notice a separate lounge area that appeared reserved for special guests called the Sapphire First Lounge…I did not attempt to go in there (and it appeared closed anyway).
Barista Coffee
Yes, I’m a sucker for good coffee, but it really made my day to see the coffee station at the bar. Forget the alcohol, there’s excellent coffee here and I enjoyed two wonderful flat whites each visit.
I should have checked more closely on the alcohol available, but I did notice some exotic-looking rum, gin, and whisky available…
There was also a German-style beer tap, though it dispended Anker beer (an Indonesian beer):
Seating
The lounge is one large room that feels a bit like being outdoors…the lights are turned down, the ceiling is dark, and the ambiance is inviting. I quite liked the lounge. The main part of the lounge is just chairs facing one another, but there are tables around the periphery.
Children’s Room
My son Augustine kept himself occupied for a couple of hours in the kid’s room…I shudder to think how dirty the floor was, but pulled a Sergeant Shultz (“I see nothing!”) and just let him enjoy it…
Food + Drink
The food spread at 9:00 pm included Nasi Goreng (made to order), chicken biryani, a salad bar, fresh fruit, vegetable spring rolls, curry puffs, peanuts, crisps, sandwiches, and pastries.
Soft drinks included a Coke machine and a tea station:
Showers + Restrooms
Shower facilities are available (no extra charge) on a first-come, first-serve basis. Bathrooms were clean. Massages are theoretically available…I was so pressed to get work done during my stay that I did not explore that option further.
Smoking Room + Prayer Room
A prayer room and seprately-ventiled smoking room are availblae. Since both had several travelers in them, I did not take pictures.
CONCLUSION
Yes, it was the coffee that was the big draw for me, but this was a very nice lounge in many respects and served as a great space for both me and my son to wait for our flights to China…first to Xiamen and then again two days later to Shanghai.
This is the best lounge at CGK and you should bypass the Garuda Indonesia Lounge and head directly here.
This may sound contrarian but kids need to be around dirt and germs to build and maintain a healthy immune system. If your kid makes mud pies, don’t sweat it.