Review of the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Regional at KLIA

I’ve reviewed a lot of the lounges in Terminal 1 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. However, I haven’t reviewed the Golden Lounge in the regional part of the terminal. I’ve now used this lounge a number of times recently and the images are taken over the last 2-3 visits.

The lounge is a nice place to stay before your flight and like all the other Malaysia Airlines lounges in the terminal, has a good food, clean toilets and showers and good service.

Where is the Golden Lounge Regional

If you are departing from Kuala Lumpur, when you walk through departures after scanning your passport to leave the country, walk through some of the duty free and turn left. You will see signs for the lounge on your left hand side.

It is then up the escalators to the entrance where you’ll be welcomed by the staff. It is open from 5am to 10pm daily.

Entry Requirements

To enter this lounge you need to be flying on a business class ticket with Malaysia Airlines or have status with a oneworld airline (oneworld Sapphire and Emerald)

This lounge is designed for passengers flying on short haul narrow body flights to destinations around South East Asia (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Singapore, Indonesia or my flight to Colombo to name a few). There is no way to pay for entry to the lounge.

If you are flying on a long haul service, you’ll go to the satellite terminal and should use the Golden Lounge Satellite there.

Those flying on other airlines will likely be directed to the Priority Pass Lounge close by.

Have access to more than one lounge in KLIA? I show you which one to choose!

Facilities in the Golden Lounge Regional

For a regional lounge, the Golden Lounge is very well equipped.

When walking into the lounge there is a magazine rack on your left and screens showing departure times. The lounge has very high ceilings and has large windows along one side and in the skylight making it feel very spacious.

In front of you as you walk in is a large buffet area with a variety of foods, drinks, snacks, fruits, cakes and more! You won’t go hungry in this lounge!

There is also a bar that is staffed from midday onwards but is rarely busy in my experience as Malaysia doesn’t really have a drinking culture. If alcohol isn’t your thing, there is a stand where you can get barista style coffee.

There is a nap room with a couple of lounge style seats which I have tried to use once but there was someone in there snoring loudly which prevented me sleeping.  There is also a small childs play area for those travelling with kids.

As a side note, close to this area is some retro artwork depicting scenes from the history of Malaysia Airlines which some guests may be interested in.

The toilets have always been spotless when I’ve used them and there are also two showers available (in the mens and I presume the womens as well) and the attendants can provide towels and a toothbrush. The showers contain some lovely soaps and shampoos.

For Muslim guests, there is also a Surau area for prayer.

Seating in the Golden Lounge Regional

When walking into the lounge, on the left again is a wide variety of seating in large single chairs near the window. This runs the length of the window and provides a comfortable place to sit.

If you’re looking to eat, I’d recommend sitting at some of the tables close to the buffet area. These are dining style tables with firm backs and four seats around each table.

There are also some relaxing lounge style chairs if you walk in and turn right.

In the bar area are some high bar stools and some more lounge style chairs, but note it isn’t open before midday.

At a few locations in the lounge are some high top seating with plenty of plug sockets which is the best place for people to work as there isn’t a separate work area or business centre.

Food and drink in the Golden Lounge Regional

I’ve been in this lounge a number of times now at various times of day so have seen a lot of the food options change.

For breakfast there is an excellent selection of Malaysian dishes such as nasi lemak and beef redang as well as Western options of chicken sausages, hash browns, yogurts, fresh fruits and pastries.

For lunch and in the evening, there are some great Malaysian options included noodle dishes, mixed vegetables and curry dishes.

Coffee, tea and juices are available at all times of day although there is a barista available in the mornings. However I have always found there to be a queue (or nobody there) so I just go to the coffee machines instead for perfectly acceptable coffee.

There is a bar in the lounge that is only staffed from midday onwards, however if you would like an alcoholic drink before then, you can ask the staff and they can get it for you. The bar has beer, wine and some basics spirits as well as some sparkling wine. No champagne is available in this lounge.

One thing I have to mention is the cakes & kueh. Kueh is the Malay word for a glutinous rice cake and there are an amazing selection of cakes in the lounge with a mix of options including pandan, a chocolate cake, red velvet and a few others at different times. They are absolutely heavenly and you can easily have 1 or 2. Or even 5 or 6 as they are only bitesize!

Overall thoughts on the Golden Lounge Regional

Overall, the Golden Lounge Regional is a solid lounge and will give you a good first impression of Malaysia Airlines before your flight.

There is nothing that will make you go “wow”, but it is a pleasant space that has everything you need for what is likely to be a short haul flight that is probably between 1-4 hours on a narrow body plane. If you’re travelling longer haul, you should go to the Golden Lounge Satellite in the satellite terminal where your flight is likely to depart from.

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.