After a fantastic holiday in Thailand where I visited both Pattaya and Bangkok it is time to head back home. At the very least, there is still something to look forward to since I will be flying back Singapore in Singapore Airlines Business Class. It is always nice to have something to look forward to even when you are at the end of the trip. I am also looking forward to visiting the THAI Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport. It is the flagship lounge of THAI airways. The lounge is the newest and largest in the airport and specifically designed for the hub.

Access Requirements

The THAI Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge at Bangkok Airport is open from 5am to 2am daily. It is located in concourse D area opposite gate D4. You can also access the lounge right after clearing immigration using the fast track security and immigration lines where it will lead you into the “Annex” area of the lounge. This is a good setup for easy access. The THAI Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge can be accessed by passengers flying in Thai or Star Alliance Business Class and above. Royal Orchid Plus Platinum and Gold status members, and Star Alliance Gold status members can also access the lounge.

Arrival & Location

The location of the lounge is rather central and near immigrations lines. Bangkok is a central you can find the entrance immediately right after the premium lines with a escalator leading you down to the lounge. You can also access it via the entrance near gate D4 which is easier if you are already in the terminal. Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport is a huge facility and it might be a long walk to your gate if you are in one of those far gates. I entered via the D4 entrance of the lounge since I went to get some errands done at the airport first. I was warmly welcomed by the host and ushered to the Business Class section of the lounge on the left after showing my boarding class. The west zone is reserved for Royal First Class passengers and Platinum Royal Orchid Plus members.

THAI Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge Bangkok International Terminal

The Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge spans 2,089 square meters and have two main zones. The one on the left is for First Class and the bigger one on the right is for business class. The First Class portion is reserved for Royal First Class passengers, Star Alliance First Class and Platinum Royal Orchid Plus members. The Business Class portion is reserved for Royal Silk Class passengers, Star Alliance Business Class, Royal Orchid Plus Gold Card and Gold Star Alliance members. The lounge is mainly in a long rectangular configuration that stretches along the terminal.

There are plenty of seatings around the lounge which consists of couches arranging in groups. Outlets are readily available around the seatings. I love the usage of wall panels and greenery feature wall. This makes the whole place more exclusive and private.

The lounge have two main dining area and a bar. I will share about the food and drinks later on. Besides the main lounge area, you can also find an “annex” area that is connected via a door near the bar. This area is also where you first enter if you access the lounge via the entrance right after the premium lines. This area felt older. I will certainly not choose a seat here unless the lounge is full.

You can also find a refreshment counter with some packaged snacks and drinks.

Toilets & Showers

The toilets and showers are located in the middle of the lounge. I did not get the opportunity to check out the showers since they were taken. While I appreciate that they had their own toilets in the lounge, they were rather basic.

Food & Drinks

The are two dining areas in the lounge. The first food counter is located near the D4 entrance, this is also the main dining area. Here you can find proper dining tables. Sadly, there are no a la carte dining and food is served via a buffet line instead.

When I first arrived in the late morning, they were still offering the breakfast service. There are plenty to choose from including a live station where you can order eggs and congee. You can find a salad station, packaged sandwiches, sausages, ham, mushroom soup and dimsum. The food quality isn’t too good. I expected something better and high quality. By the buffet line, there is a instant coffee machine, hot tea and some canned drinks in the fridge. One of my main concern is the lack of alcoholic options by the dining area besides canned beer. They do not have self served alcohol lying around. If you want something stronger to go with your meal you would have to trek all the way to the bar at the back before coming back to the dining area.

Lunch service started around 10.30am and the selection is much better. The quality of the food is also better. It is commendable that they had some local food and the Khao kha mu was excellent. I would pay to have this anytime. The pork was well braised and fork tender. It goes so well with white rice. You have the accompanying condiments too. I love this.

The live station also switch it up and offer wonton soup. You can find other offerings including a couple more hot dishes and a very good coconut chicken soup.

The second dining area at the back of the lounge, nearer to the bar offers halal offerings. It is nice to see that they have specifically cater some options for travellers with this dietary requirements. I tried some of the fish and tom yum soup!

The bar is located all the way at the far end of the lounge and hidden in the corner. I appreciate the extensive bar which offers not only a good drinks menu consisting of speciality cocktails and even barista made coffee. However, my main complaint is that this is the only place where most of the alcohol can be found. Having to trek all the way here for a pour before heading back to the dining area is inefficient. Furthermore, I can foresee that during periods of high occupancy, there will be a line. It seems that the airline is being stingy and wish to control cost on the booze. It is not like the bar is just next to the dining area.

Thankfully, the bartender service is excellent. I tried out some of the cocktails and the prosecco. They have a cocktail menu and all sort of spirits. Red and White wine as well as a prosecco. Check out the menu here.

I tried the Rak Khun Tao Fah and Orchid Margarita which was pretty good. They pack a punch.

Conclusion

To be honest, I expected a little more from the THAI Royal Orchid Prestige Lounge Bangkok given that this is the flagship lounge of the airline. This is the best product of the airline. The lounge is comfortable to rest in and wait for your flight. Staff service are generally good and I appreciate that they had an all day bar that served up cocktails and freshly made espresso drinks. The food offerings though are a little underwhelming. The lounge is huge and I do not see it being full at any time of the day given the sheer space. It also feels as if that the “annex” portion of the lounge is drastically different from the other half. This is still a great option and worth stopping by when you are in Bangkok. With the SQ reopening the SilverKris Lounge recently, you have more than one choice these days. I am looking forward to trying out the SilverKris Lounge the next time I am in town.