Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Perth

At the end of Feburary 2024, Singapore Airlines opened the doors to its brand new SilverKris Lounge at Perth International Airport, which occupies an expanded space vacated by the former Qantas Business Lounge. 

This serves passengers on all four daily flights from Perth, with a modernised look, enhanced facilities, and twice the capacity of the previous lounge. I recently had the chance to visit the lounge when flying out from Perth on SQ216, the final flight of the day, and found it to be every bit a worthy upgrade from its predecessor.

Opening Hours & Access

The SilverKris Lounge at Perth International Airport is located in the International Departure Terminal (T1), opposite Gate 52. This is a short walk from the previous lounge, which was located opposite Gate 54, and is next door to the Air New Zealand Lounge, so eligible passengers can sample both if they have the time (though note the difference in opening hours).

The location really couldn’t be better because SQ’s flights usually depart from Gate 52, so you’re literally steps from the boarding gate. Who needs in-lounge boarding, eh Emirates?

The SilverKris Lounge opens three hours before each of SIA’s four Perth flights, and closes 30 minutes before departure:

• 3.50 a.m to 6.05 a.m
• 10.45 a.m to 1.25 p.m
• 2.10 p.m to 4.50 p.m
• 10.10 p.m to 12.50 a.m

Access is available to passengers departing on a Singapore Airlines or Star Alliance flight in:

• First Class (+1 guest)
• Business Class
• Premium Economy or Economy Class, with any of the following status (+1 guest):
  • Solitaire PPS Club
  • PPS Club
  • KrisFlyer Elite Gold
  • Star Gold
  • Virgin Australia Velocity Beyond, Platinum or Gold (must be flying on SIA)
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold (must be flying on SIA)

Solitaire PPS Club members flying on Scoot are also entitled to visit the lounge, together with one guest.

All guests must be travelling on the same flight as the eligible passenger, per Star Alliance policy.

Lounge Overview

Singapore Airlines has been talking about refurbishing its overseas lounges to harmonise the décor between the outstations and the flagship lounge at Changi Terminal 3, and they’re certainly keeping their word. 

The choice of colours, furniture and finishes means that if you didn’t know better, you might think that this lounge were an organic extension of the one in Singapore. That’s not a bad thing, mind you- it’s a much nicer aesthetic than the old, tired facility it replaced, and full marks to DP Architects for making it feel inviting and warm despite the lack of natural lighting or windows. 

The expanded lounge now accommodates a total of 135 passengers, with separate areas for dining, working and relaxing. The dining area has a mix of bar seating and dining tables, mostly in four-top configurations but with a smattering of two-tops thrown in. 

The lounge is segmented down the middle by a phalanx of seven productivity pods, each semi-enclosed with a reading light and power outlets.

Over on the other side of the lounge are seating areas with communal tables and individual armchairs. Carpeted floors help dull some of the noise, and provide an additional splash of blue. I also love the curvature of the ceiling, which gives the space a visually striking look. 

For those travelling solo, a long wooden bench made from a Western Australian Blackbutt tree provides communal seating along the wall of the lounge, with power outlets built into the underside.

The lounge doesn’t really have areas for sleeping, but if you want a bit more peace and quiet, arriving early will help you snag one of the two wingback chairs at the rear of the lounge, or one of six recessed booth seats (whose subtle batik flora pattern is a dead ringer for the SilverKris First Class Lounge in Changi).

Food & Beverage

The SilverKris Lounge has a large buffet area with a live cooking station, serving a mix of local and Singaporean favourites. 

Cold options included cold cuts, cheese, bread and pastries, as well as some very tasty cheesecake. Cut fruits, sandwiches and tartlets were also available.

Hot items included creamy lemon barramundi, roasted brussels sprouts, beef rendang, and sambal vegetables. Nasi lemak rice was also offered, though I would have preferred a plain steamed rice option for those already nursing their calories after a whole week of Margaret River boozing and dining. 

A few items could be cooked to order; during the supper slot I visited, options included char kway teow (order it with the chilli for an unexpectedly hot kick), dim sum, vegetable spring rolls and creamy Tuscan shrimp pasta. 

In terms of drinks, there’s the usual assortment of tea and coffee (skip the machine and head to the bar for a barista-made beverage), as well as juices and mint-infused water. 

Inside the fridge was the usual assortment of soft drinks, plus beers from Beerfarm, an independently-owned Australian brewery located in the Margaret River region. There’s of course Tiger and Heineken, should your tastes veer less adventurous. 

Over at the bar was an extensive selection of wines and champagne, featuring many Australian winemakers from the region and beyond:

• NV Mumm Marlborough Brut Prestige
• NV Piper-Heidsieck Brut champagne
• 2023 Vasse Felix Classic Dry White Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
• 2023 Rocky Road Sauvignon Blanc
• 2021 Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Merlot
• 2022 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz
• 2022 Happs Fields of Gold Chardonnay
• 2022 Credaro Five Tales Chardonnay
• 2023 Happs Moscato

If wines aren’t your thing, the cheerful Japanese bartender (whose name I can’t remember) would happily whip up your choice of cocktail, including several special concoctions made with a local twist, such as Old Young’s Pavlova Vodka. 

The bar isn’t just for boozehounds. In addition to barista-made coffee (available every hour of the day), guests could choose from a selection of specialty tea blends, offered in conjunction with Teassential, a highly-acclaimed tea house in Perth. 

I tried a little bit of everything, and found the quality to be very good. I’d probably rank this as the second best outstation lounge for food, after the SilverKris Lounge in Bangkok.

Power & Productivity

The SilverKris Lounge Perth’s Wi-Fi network clocked in at a lightning fast 158 Mbps down and 38 Mbps up, making it more than adequate for all kinds of tasks, whether video streaming or video calling.  

Power outlets were in plentiful supply, though they were Type I plugs instead of universal ones (I didn’t recall seeing universal power sockets in any of the hotels I stayed in either; maybe they’re not permitted in Australia?). Each also had 2x Type-C USB ports built into the face plate. 

Bathrooms & Showers

The SilverKris Lounge has both male and female washrooms, which were stocked with the same Penhaligon’s Quercus amenities you’ll find in the Business Class lavatories. 

In addition to this, there were two shower rooms: one accessible and one regular. The accessible one seemed to be available most of the time, and upon inspection I figured out why- it’s not particularly nice for showering given the layout, and there was a bit of a smell coming from the toilet (even though it looked spotless). 

So I waited until the regular shower room became available, and found it much better. Shower suites are decked out with the same white and grey marble panels you’ll find at the flagship lounge in Changi, with attached toilets (no bidet hose or seat).

Be careful to lock the door properly though! The showers don’t have traditional door locks; instead, you’ll need to use the touch sensitive buttons on a wall-mounted panel. One occupant forgot to do this, and now I have a mental image I can never erase. 

The bathing area had both a rain shower and hand shower, though you could only operate one at a time. Water pressure was adequate, but not as strong as I would have liked. Wall-mounted Salus Body shampoo and body wash was provided, with geranium and juniper scents. You can request other amenities like dental kits from the staff.

Conclusion

The new-look SilverKris Lounge in Perth makes great strides from its predecessor, and I’d go so far as to say that this is now Singapore Airlines’ best lounge in Australia (and should be for some time, given that the Sydney lounge’s renovations will be incremental at best, and no plan has been announced for Melbourne). 

The décor is on point, the F&B selections strike the right balance between Singapore comfort food and local options, and the staff were among the friendliest of any outstation lounge I’ve been to. 

Small gripes include the single shower suite (assuming you don’t want to use the handicapped one) and lack of tarmac views. It would also have been nice to have a dedicated rest area with slumberettes for those taking the red-eye flight, though I understand that given the space constraints, the loss of seating capacity might not have justified the addition.

What do you think of the new SilverKris Lounge in Perth?