Review: Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta T3

General details

Opening times: 24 hours
Showers: Yes
Bar: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Multi-standard power sockets: Yes
USB charging sockets: Yes

Video review

Here’s our video review of the lounge:

Location

The Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is located in Jakarta’s newest Terminal 3, in the International Departures area on Level 2 near Gate 5.

After you descend the escalators from the immigration and security checkpoint, head towards gate 5 and you’ll find the lounge just beyond it on the right side.

It looks like (and basically is) a box shape built inside the terminal.

Name confusion

There are probably two reasons to be confused by the name of this lounge, the first being that they spelt “Sapphire” wrong (don’t tell JAL!), and the second that all the other third party lounges in Jakarta Terminal 3 are also called “Saphire”.

The following other third party lounges exist in this terminal:

• Saphire APS Blue Sky Lounge
• Saphire Blue Sky Lounge
• Saphire Lounge

None of those are this lounge however, the “Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge”.

Whoever thought this was a good idea has given the ‘lounge dragons’ a career for life.

Lounge access

While the above three lounges we listed are accessible using your Priority Pass and LoungeKey / Lounge Club programs, this one is not. Paid access is also only available in advance, there are no walkup rates.

Charges for access (booked online at the lounge website), are as follows:

• 30 mins (shower only): US$16 (S$22)
• 2 hours: US$39 (S$54)
• 5 hours: US$60 (S$83)

This lounge is primarily focused on providing access for full service airlines not in the SkyTeam alliance (who all use the Garuda lounge). Under contract lounge arrangements you’ll be able to access this lounge if you’re flying Business or First Class, or hold various alliance / partner status levels with:

• Cathay Pacific
• Etihad Airways
• EVA Air
• Japan Airlines
• Qantas
• Thai Airways

For example if you’re flying on Qantas to Sydney in Economy Class and hold Qantas Gold, Emirates Skywards Gold or oneworld Sapphire (spelt correctly) or Emerald status, you’ll be good to access this lounge.

For Singapore Airlines the lounge is accessible for those travelling in Business Class or First Class, and to PPS status holders flying Economy Class.

KrisFlyer Elite Gold members flying in Economy Class are instead given a voucher to use at seven restaurants in the terminal, an arrangement we first outlined in our November 2018 article here.

Our visit

We visited this lounge having arrived from a long-haul flight from Muscat on Oman Air in their excellent Apex Suite Business Class on the Boeing 787.

Our onward sector to Singapore was a KrisFlyer award flight in Singapore Airlines’ 2006 First Class seats on the Boeing 777-300. A terrible value redemption, we know, at 25,000 miles each (booked pre-2019 devaluation), but we needed to tick it off for a review (coming your way soon).

Quiet Zone

The lounge is configured in an ‘L-shape’ around one corner of the terminal building, as shown in the map above. To the right side after you enter is a smaller ‘Quiet Zone’ where you can’t make telephone calls etc.

This includes some of the productivity pods and a few rows of low armchair style seating.

There are a couple of more secluded corners in this section that may be ideal for travellers who value additional privacy.

Along the window side in this zone are seats with footstools, designed for relaxing or even taking a nap.

Main lounge area

This area features more productivity pods and a selection of both high and low chairs with tables that are suitable for dining.

There is no shortage of seating options and the areas are nicely divided so even when the lounge became slightly busier, it did not seem particularly noisy or crowded.

There are long wooden tables, these are the perfect spot for getting some work done and potentially eating at the same time. A comfy seat, good lighting and an abundance of power options here.

The remainder of this area was dedicated to the most common seating type in the lounge – the low armchairs in groups of two, three or four.

Lounge bay

An additional smaller and slightly sunken seating area around the corner of the lounge ‘L-shape’ is available after the buffet area, before the showers, toilets and prayer rooms.

It remained empty for our entire stay and doesn’t have the best views of the airport but it’s nice and quiet.

These benches appear to be a good place to perch if you have to wait for shower availability (just to the left of the following photo).

Productivity pods

The latest trend in lounge seating is the ‘productivity pod’. We’ve seen these appearing in the latest Singapore Airlines lounges in Bangkok and London, albeit with a classier design in that case, and also in the Plaza Premium lounge at Changi T1.

They feature a small table with enough space for a laptop, a drink and perhaps even a small plate of food, with good privacy shielded from the rest of the lounge guests.

An adjustable reading light and both USB and regular multi-standard power socket are also included.

Lounge decor

The lounge has been very tastefully decorated with a number of artistically designed panels, ornaments, wall art and attractive lighting designs giving it a classy feel.

There has clearly been a good effort here by Plaza Premium to try and differentiate the facility from your standard third party airport lounge.

Power sockets

As with most new lounges, plentiful charging options are available throughout. Between most seat pairs you have a dedicated multi-socket offering two USB charging ports plus Australian, European and US / Japan style outlets.

The power outlets in the Productivity Pods are slightly different, and also support Type G (Singapore / UK) 3-pin plug types, which many of our readers will find useful.

Reading materials & flight information

A small selection of magazines is located near the entrance of the lounge beside the noodle bar. It’s not particularly extensive but you might pick up something here of interest.

Throughout the lounge there are a number of flight information screens, so you won’t have to walk far to check on the latest status for your departure.

Wi-Fi speed

The lounge was relatively empty while we were there, so we expected the Wi-Fi to be fast.

That was an understatement. After no trouble connecting, with the password provided at reception and displayed in a few other locations inside the lounge itself, we recorded the following speeds.

These extremely impressive download and upload rates make the Saphire Plaza Premium our new record holder for a third party lounge, with similar speeds to those we recorded in the (busy) Qantas Sydney First Class lounge.

Indeed it was faster than we achieved in the Cathay First lounges in Hong Kong and miles ahead of anything we’ve ever managed in a Singapore Airlines lounge.

Food and beverages

Hot food selections include a live kitchen preparing three fresh items on demand, plus a general buffet area featuring salads, a few hot food options and desserts.

At the live cooking station the options during our visit were:

• Bakso Sapi (meatballs with Noodle & Beef stock)
• Spaghetti / Penne Pasta (with tomato or bolognese sauce)
• Ayam Penyet (Pan-fried Chicken with Hot Chilli)

Hot options at the buffet section included:

• Corn and Chicken Clear Soup
• Broccoli with Mushroom
• Mee Hoon
• Chicken with honey sauce
• Roasted potato with cheese

(Photo: MainlyMiles)

(Photo: MainlyMiles)

(Photo: MainlyMiles)

(Photo: MainlyMiles)

It’s at the buffet area you’ll also find the main fridges stocking soft drinks and juices.

You’ll have to approach the manned bar if you would like a beer or glass of wine. These are complimentary however (see below).

Eddie decided to try the Ayam Penyet, which was small but excellent. It is also available with rice.

Having eaten what felt like my entire bodyweight in Arabic Mezze on the Oman Air flight we had just stepped off, and knowing another sizeable meal would be served on the Singapore Airlines flight, I opted for some salad from the buffet.

It was fresh and tasty, with a selection of dressings on the side.

There is a manned bar alongside the live kitchen serving two types of beer (Heineken & Bintang) and both a red wine and white wine option.

Here’s how the wines offered rate on Vivino (out of 5):

White:

•  Luis Felipe Edwards Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (3.2 out of 5 on Vivino)

Red:

•  Luis Felipe Edwards Merlot 2017 (3.2 out of 5 on Vivino)

These are fairly basic but still decent wines, with ratings similar to those we saw for those provided at the Plaza Premium Singapore Changi T1.

Shower facilities

At the very back of the lounge, through the far end of the ‘L’ shape you’ll find the shower rooms and prayer rooms.

There are three shower suites in total, with an attendant refreshing each one in between use.

When we arrived at the lounge in the morning after a long flight from Muscat all three showers were immediately available with no wait, so we could both shower and change into some fresh clothes straight away, which was a nice bonus.

The shower rooms are equipped with a fresh towel, hand towels and hand soap, shower toiletries and a hairdryer and shaver socket.

There are three hooks on the back of the door to hang your things, though there is also a shelf and some floor space if you have a small suitcase with you for example.

Overall the shower rooms were reasonably spacious, clean and well maintained, though of course the lounge is relatively new so time will tell in this regard.

Summary

The Saphire Plaza Premium lounge in Jakarta T3 lives up to the high standards we’ve come to expect from similar facilities by the same group, including our recent review of the Plaza Premium Lounge Singapore Changi T1.

The decor is fresh and modern, large windows across an entire side overlook the aircraft parking area and runway from almost all parts of the lounge, seating options are varied and plentiful and there is fast Wi-Fi and ample multi-standard power outlets (a must in any new lounge, Turkish Airlines please take note).

Assuming you have access, for example as a Singapore Airlines Business Class passenger, we would recommend making an effort to reach the airport early to experience a bit more time in this lounge prior to your flight.

Shower suites are spacious and well kept and the food and drink selection was good.

Review Summary
Review:	Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta T3
Summary:	Plaza Premium continues to impress with the Saphire lounge at Jakarta’s newest terminal, a contract lounge for Singapore Airlines passengers.
Author:	Andrew
Visited:	March 2019
Among third-party lounges:
Rating:	4 out of 5

See also:
Plaza Premium Lounge Singapore Changi T1
Blossom Lounge Singapore Changi T4 (a Plaza Premium / SATS joint venture)

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)