The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge at Soekarno-Hatta is a joint venture between Plaza Premium Group and the Indonesian lounge operator, Saphire. This lounge is just one of two lounges available in the international section of Terminal 3. It newly opened back in end-November 2022 and replaces the old and overburdened Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge near Gate 4.

Lounge Access Rules

This lounge is the contract lounge for First and Business Class passengers on most non-SkyTeam airlines departing Terminal 3. This includes, amongst others: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, ANA, China Southern, Emirates, etc. The only few exceptions are Qatar Airways, Philippine Airlines, and JAL, of which all three direct their premium passengers to the Garuda Indonesia Lounge. Note that Business Class passengers and oneworld elites travelling on JAL have the option of both lounges.

Apart from airline invitations, Dragon Pass holders are also admitted. Access to this lounge can also be bought online at a rate of IDR808,000 (£43) for three hours. Alternatively, a Plaza Premium 2-Visit Pass can be bought for USD59. Even with a visit pass, I honestly think these entry prices are absurdly high for what they offer.

Location

The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is located airside in the international section of Soekarno Hatta Airport’s Terminal 3. The lounge lies physically across from Gate 7, placed on the left-hand side when walking towards the end of the terminal. The entrance features a sizeable lobby with large signage, making it difficult to miss.

The lounge reportedly has a size of ~3400 sqm, which I believe would make it the largest at the airport.

Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge

Once inside, the friendly lounge reception staff scanned my boarding pass and took the lounge invitation I got at check-in. I had access by virtue of my Singapore Airlines Business Class ticket.

Across from the reception table are 10 translucent luggage lockers. A manned storage room looked to be available, in addition, to the left of the entrance. Following this, the hall leads into a foyer with a few sofas, where the lounge separates into several parts: the regular Plaza Premium Lounge, Plaza Premium First, and a shower and massage area. I will explain a bit about the Plaza Premium First section towards the end of this review.

Lounge Seating and Amenities

The regular section of the Plaza Premium Lounge is composed of one large, high-ceilinged room. While there are a few seating options available, most seats are arranged in rows facing each other in the middle of the lounge. The quality of furniture is just about what you’d expect at a Plaza Premium Lounge – that is to say it was decent.

The large ornament on the ceiling supposedly emulates the shape of the roof of the Minangkabau rumah gadang, which is an interesting choice for Jakarta. The design of the lounge, however, looks like a cross between a terminal at Singapore Changi Airport and a lodge in the Rockies. Not a lot of Jakartan influence, but fair enough I guess…

Perhaps the best seating option is these nice pod chairs set along the windows. The chairs’ high back gives it a bit more privacy, reminding me a bit of Ilse Crawford’s Solo chairs at Cathay Pacific lounges. They are complemented by an ottoman and a small table. Notice that the lounge does not have apron views, as it faces the terminal’s car park instead.

Bar and Table Seating

Table seating is also available at the far end, which also features high-top bar tables and a couple of standalone booth tables. This area is also placed conveniently next to the food stations. Actual bar seating is also featured at the bars placed at each end of the lounge.

Café Seating

Finally, a more relaxed café-style seating option is available near the exit to the foyer. Apart from the pods, I think these seats are the most comfortable in the lounge. They feature more padding and have a slight bit more privacy. This is also where you’ll find the coffee bar featuring barista-made drinks. Very nice!

Children’s Playroom

Also nearby is a children’s playroom, which is nice to have for families with young children. Sadly, that didn’t stop many young kids from running around the lounge and screaming… (sigh)

Dining

Interestingly, the lounge does not feature a hot buffet. All hot dishes are ‘made-to-order’ and available at the lounger’s single kitchen station. Available options included spaghetti bolognese, two local rice dishes, as well as bakso, an Indonesian meatball soup. Whilst this theoretically could be a live-cooking station, all the dishes had been cooked when I visited.

I tried the bakso soup, which was quite nice as far as Jakarta airport food goes.

In addition to the ‘made-to-order’ hot food, there is also a buffet of cold foods available. Next to the kitchen station, was a small salad and fruit bar, which also has some sponge cake and a wrapped tuna sandwich. Funnily enough, cereal and toast were also available in one area, despite my evening visit.

A self-served coffee machine is offered, along with two choices of artificial-tasting juices. There is also a good selection of soft drinks in cans and bottles in the chillers. Likewise, bottled water is available, which is convenient before a flight.

Impressively, barista-made drinks are available at one of the bars. Service can be quite slow, but the bar staff was friendly. Alcoholic drinks can also be requested at the bars, although it was limited to red and white wine as well as beer. The wines weren’t great.

Despite the limited selection, I thought the food at this lounge is a lot better than the offering at the International Garuda Indonesia Lounge. As such, this is probably the best lounge dining at the airport, although the standard was never high, to begin with.

Toilets

The toilets are located near the exit to the foyer and are separated by gender. It was bright, well-kept, and regularly cleaned. If not for the bright lights, I would imagine the grey stucco walls looking rather grim.

Showers

The lounge has a handful of shower stalls accessible from the lounge foyer. The entrance to the showers is shared with a paid-massage facility. Towels are provided at the shower reception.

I imagine this will be much appreciated by passengers waiting to get on any long-haul or redeye flight. The showers are bright and clean and feature an ensuite sink and toilet. I think this is easily the best shower facility at Jakarta Airport (except perhaps for those at the elusive Garuda Indonesia First Class lounge).

Plaza Premium First

The Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta will also have a higher-end section called Plaza Premium First, similar to the offering in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. This section was closed when I visited and there wasn’t an indication as to when it would open. However, between the lack of windows and the average-looking furniture, I’m not sure if it would be a great place to spend time.

Dining will be said to be done à la carte in this section, which sounds nice. However, if my experience at Plaza Premium First Kuala Lumpur taught me anything, I don’t the food would be a vast improvement to the normal section. I’d love to be proven wrong, though.

Overall

I’m honestly very impressed by this lounge. I think it’s the best Business Class-tier lounge we’ve had in Soekarno-Hatta Airport in a very long time. Whilst the variety of food options could definitely be improved, I think the lounge is quite good overall. For one, it is a lot more comfortable than the plastic benches near the gates, and a far cry from the terminal’s often-packed restaurants.

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