Photo tour: Plaza Premium Lounge, Adelaide

Are you heading overseas from Adelaide in the morning? The Plaza Premium Lounge awaits with the promise of a hot breakfast, fresh coffee, showers – and even a glass of wine, if you’re up for it. Currently open from 7 am to 10 am daily, the lounge is used by Singapore Airlines for its Business Class and elite status members.

But any passenger on the morning Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Air New Zealand departures can purchase access or use various card and lounge memberships for entry. Point Hacks also understands that the lounge is in discussions with Qatar Airways to open ahead of the evening flight to Doha.

Plaza Premium is Adelaide’s only international lounge after the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge shut several years ago. The lounge also has the distinction of being a guinea pig for Plaza Premium’s new lounge fit-out style – something we’ll see replicated in the future if the trial succeeds.

We don’t see why it won’t. The Adelaide Plaza Premium Lounge oozes class and practically glows from an abundance of natural light. During a quick transit in-between flights, we took the opportunity to check out the Plaza Premium Lounge. Join us as we take you through a photo tour of this fresh, new space.

Lounge location and details

You’ll find the Plaza Premium Adelaide Lounge just after immigration and security. From the main domestic departure checkpoint, turn left and follow the yellow signs for international departures. Take the escalator down and clear international security screening and passport control.

But don’t go any further – the Plaza Premium Lounge is located immediately on your right after passport control. The lounge is currently open daily from 7 am to 10 am, with an evening opening in the works.

Welcome to the Plaza Premium Lounge, Adelaide!

Find the lounge straight after passport control.

Head down towards the international departures area to find it.

Lounge layout and seating

With seating for just under 140 passengers, the Plaza Premium Lounge is just the right size for an airport like Adelaide. The new design ethos is striking and elegant with bright pops of orange and smudges of navy and olive green against a predominantly white-and-black backdrop.

The first feature as we walk through is a line of six solo working booths, each adorned with a snapshot of Australia. Moving forward, we come towards the tended bar on our right. Here, you can enjoy barista-made coffee as well as a wide range of beverages.

As we veer left, the main lounge opens up. You can choose from a range of traditional seating options including at the communal work desk, perched on the barstools by the windows, or at the leather sofas. The views are of the airport entry and Atura Hotel rather than the apron, but it’s better than not having windows!

Looking at the lounge from the back (buffet area) to the front.

Variety of seats to choose from.

You can also choose to chill on the communal table or by the windows.

Look out for charging points located on some pieces of furniture.

Enjoy some peace and quiet from the solo booths.

You’ll find a passageway to the bathrooms and showers in the middle of the lounge, and the buffet area towards the end of the lounge.

Lounge food and beverage

Our visit was after the lounge closed to the public for the day, so we didn’t get to experience the full range of food on offer. But Plaza Premium kindly kept aside a few platters of cold dishes from the breakfast spread, so you’ll know roughly what to expect when you visit.

In the morning, look forward to a range of healthy or decadent options including fruit platters, warmed pastries, cheese boards, yoghurt pots and more. Roberto, who is showing us around, highly recommends the detox juice (the middle, green one) – though he’s also seen a few passengers mix it with the sparkling wine!

There are also hot food options available, which aren’t pictured here. Expect a typical selection of eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans and so on.

Sample breakfast cold items including fresh fruits and juices.

The warm pastries are fresh and crunchy.

Staying hydrated before a flight is important, so Plaza Premium has you covered. (Okay, that mantra probably doesn’t include coffee and alcohol, but both are clearly integral to the lounge experience). The bartender on hand can whip up an excellent coffee, which you can also take away and bring to the gate if you’re in a rush.

As for what’s behind the bar, you can indulge in a range of complimentary beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. As with most other Plaza Premium Lounges, this one also has a premium drinks list at extra cost. Those higher-tier wines are from the Grant Burge, St Hallett, and Hardys collections, while top-shelf spirits include Archie Rose and 78 Degrees gin.

Drop by the bar for a range of beverages.

Standard spirits, wines and beers are complimentary.

Some premium drinks are available at additional cost.

There’s also a 0% alcohol wine if you want stay level-headed for the flight.

Take a coffee to-go if you’re in a rush.

Lounge amenities

Equally warm and inviting as the rest of the lounge, the bathrooms are kitted out with Appelles hand products. There are two shower rooms that most guests can use free of charge (more on that below). Power sockets are readily available at most seats, including some outlets cleverly built into the furniture.

The lounge free WiFi is a tad on the slow side, with speeds on my phone averaging around 4.27 Mbps for downloads and 6.38 Mbps for uploads. It’ll be usable for most applications, but don’t expect blazing-fast transfers if you happen to be uploading or downloading large files.

Take advantage of the large mirrors and bright lighting to look your best before the flight.

Most lounge guests can access the shower for free.

The lounge offers free Wi-Fi with average speeds.

Who can access the Plaza Premium Adelaide lounge?

The following passengers can access the Plaza Premium Lounge during its opening hours:

• Class of travel: Business Class passengers on Singapore Airlines.
• Frequent flyer status: KrisFlyer Elite Gold and PPS Club members on Singapore Airlines (with one guest, same flight).
• Alliance status: Star Alliance Gold on Singapore Airlines (with one guest, same flight).
• Pay-per-entry: Any international passenger can pre-book online for $39pp for one hour (shower is a $22 extra charge), or $71pp for two hours (shower is included).
• Credit Card: American Express Platinum and Centurion Card Members (with two guests)
• Lounge membership: Priority Pass membership from 20 June 2023, as well as DragonPass membership. Members of Smart Traveller may be able to buy passes/memberships or use Arrture Points towards lounge access.

Access to the showers is complimentary for all the above customers, except for those purchasing a one-hour access pass for $39. A $22 surcharge applies to use the shower in that case.

Summing up

Plaza Premium’s Adelaide lounge is undoubtedly now the most well-appointed entry in the company’s Australian network. The new styling being trialled in Adelaide is a step up from the previous designs and we look forward to it being rolled out in future Plaza Premium lounges.

It’s always great to see businesses synergize with local producers. In this case, the Plaza Premium Adelaide Lounge features a ‘wine wall’. We’re told it will eventually offer tastings from the local vineyards of Grang Burge, Hardys and St Hallett. A wine flight certainly sounds like a fun precursor to an actual flight!

Photography by Brandon Loo, who travelled through Adelaide at Point Hacks’ expense and visited the lounge as a guest of Plaza Premium.