In March 2018, Malaysia Airlines opened its new MAS Golden Lounge KLIA and it is a great lounge to relax in during transit and before flying out of Kuala Lumpur airport.
It’s a large lounge with many places to sit, food to eat and drinks to drink! There are multiple zones and it’s easy to find a moment of peace or activity as well as a place to charge your electronics.
Below, you will find an overview of the KLIA MAS Golden Lounge and our thoughts on whether you should use this lounge on a KL stopover or departure. There’s also a full video walk through so you can see everything at the Golden Lounge.
This article was first written in 2019 and then updated in August 2023. It seemed the same post-pandemic shut-down as before.
Note: Malaysia Airlines has several lounges in KLIA. This Kuala Lumpur Golden Lounge overview and review is specifically about the Golden Lounge located in the satellite terminal. This is an international lounge.
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MAS Golden Lounge KLIA Review
This KLIA Golden Lounge operating hours are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so no matter what time you are flying, you can stop by here.
Golden Lounge Kuala Lumpur International Airport Location
Finding the Golden Lounge MAS KLIA can be confusing the first time you try! Mainly because you can see the lounge when you hop off the train to the satellite terminal (see top of photo below which I took straight after getting off the train), but then you have to walk away from it to get to the lounge entrance.
However, as long as you follow the signs, it’s very straight forward to get to the Golden Lounge KL.
Simply follow the crowds walking away from the train (and lounge) and follow all airline lounge signs. This means you will turn right after getting off the train, turn left then turn left again straight away when you see the following image.
Once you are up the escalator, walk back to where you saw the lounge. There are signs and I promise this is straightforward!
Inside The MAS Golden Lounge
Overall, the Golden Lounge Kuala Lumpur Airport is a modern, good looking lounge that has everything you need for a very comfortable airport stopover. It hasn’t aged during the pandemic and is one of the better lounges I have visited.
The first thing we noticed on entering was all the space and great looking seating areas. There’s a bar to the left as we walked in that was empty during both my visits and then a colourful dining area, many different seating zones and options and, of course, many places to get food and drink.
You can basically choose between high bar seating, dining table seating or very comfortable lounge seating either with or without a view of the tarmac. The lounge is light filled and airy.
There’s a family area to the side of the dining area. However, it’s just a couple of seats and quiet TVs playing cartoons. Not at all like the family areas you can find when flying through the Middle East and somewhat pointless since it opens up to the lounge and doesn’t include anything for families really except maybe a tiny bit of space if you have a crawling baby.
I saw one mum and baby hanging out at the bar at one point. Since no one else was there, I think this is a better choice than the family room for hanging out with kids!!
There are many international power points. Pretty much any seat, other than at the dining areas, has them. This is way above the level of power and USB points I have experienced in any other lounge.
The bathroom area is large – many showers were free when we visited. There is also a napping area which is one of the best I have seen. It’s split by male and female and has long lounge style seats where you could easily lay down. You can get blankets and you can arrange to be woken up!
It’s dark but right next to the main lounge so not all that quiet. It’s a shame it’s not further removed. Still, I can imagine taking a quick nap here between long haul flights.
Finally, there is a luggage storage area when you first walk in.
Dining Options
There are a few different dining options.
To start with, there is a noodle bar when you first enter the main lounge. It looks great with two chefs to whip up your perfect noodle combination.
Then there is the main buffet area with hot and cold areas. It is much like you would find at a hotel breakfast buffet with great pastries, fruit, yoghurt and Malay options. I had the nasi lemak and it was maybe the best one I have had. So good!
My daughter loved the waffle station and filled up there. The pastries are very good as well.
For drinks, in addition to the bar, there are fridges with cans of soft drinks and juice and water available. I wished the water had been by the botttle instead of by small glasses but otherwise, I have no complaints.
When I visited for lunch, it was much the same but with more lunch-like options. I made myself a great three course meal with cream of tomato soup, a great chickpea dahl and a mango cream puff and strawberry cheesecake. It was all great.
Golden Lounge KLIA Video Walk Through
KLIA Golden Lounge Access
If you are wondering how to enter Golden Lounge KLIA, it is quite straightforward.
To be allowed access you need to be:
- Flying business or first class on a One World airline
- Be a Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald frequent flier
- Be a SkyTeam Elite Plus member flying China Airlines, KLM, Korean Air or Vietnam Airlines
- Be a Vietnam Airlines LotusMiles Gold member flying Vietnam Airlines
- Flying Malaysia airlines in another class – more details below.
If you are not a business class traveller, but travelling on a Malaysia Airlines flight, you can purchase a pass to access this lounge here.
At the time of publishing, entry was RM279 if you buy online beforehand (walk-in passes are also available that cost more) which I think is not worth it unless you really want a lounge experience or have a lot of time to kill, although entry is only for three hours maximum.
In saying that, this is the best lounge I have visited at this airport by far so I can imagine being tempted to pay this in future. When I travel with my family, it’s cheaper to book a room at the transit hotel instead for some downtime. You can read about that here.
If you are a Malaysia Airlines frequent flier, you can also use miles to purchase entry.
Final Words
This is a nice lounge to visit and we are glad we picked it over our other choices. I first accessed it as a SriLankan Airlines business class passenger and it’s definitely a few steps above the Plaza Premium lounge we were offered access to.
It’s a nice, big lounge, although not huge like some reviews had me thinking it would be. The resting areas are a nice touch, although the family room seemed somewhat pointless to me. All the international power points are awesome!
The food is great – we loved what we ate. We did not try the bar and no one else was either, making this the best place to go for quiet!
Overall, we recommend it as a great lounge at KLIA and in the Asian region in general. It definitely eases the pain of an airport transit 🙂
Have a longer stopover? Find more KLIA and KLIA2 hotel options here or read our full guide to KL’s airports here (including other lounges).
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
