Today I’m reviewing the Sama Sama Express Lounge at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1. I dropped in here whilst waiting for a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong (full review here). This lounge is also part of a transit hotel and has a good amount to offer. So I’ll cover all the good and bad features below. I was able to access for free with my Priority Pass, though the standard price is MYR 170 / £29.
Kuala Lumpur Airport & Lounges
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is a pretty massive airport. Serving 60 million passengers at its peak in 2018, it has two terminals. Terminal 1 (where I was today) is used by Malaysia Airlines and most other large international airlines like Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad etc. Meanwhile Terminal 2 is used by budget airlines, mostly Air Asia. Terminal 1 is made up of the main terminal building used for smaller planes, plus a satellite terminal used for long haul planes. The two buildings are usually connected by a train, but currently it’s being upgraded so is closed. Instead you need to catch a shuttle bus which runs every few minutes. It’s a bit less convenient, but only takes a few minutes (and some walking) extra.
Despite the large size of the airport though I wasn’t massively impressed by the lounges on offer. There are several airline lounges for Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and a few others. But if you’re like me who wasn’t flying Business and don’t have any airline status then there are only 2 real options in Terminal 1. First, the Plaza Premium Lounge which is in the main terminal building. Secondly, The Sama Sama Express Lounge which I am reviewing today. Ideally I would have preferred to visit the Plaza Premium Lounge as frankly it looks a lot better. But sadly for me, I wasn’t able to access it for free with Priority Pass or Amex Platinum, so I headed to the Sama Sama Express Lounge instead.
Lounge Access
I was able to acess the Sama Sama Express Lounge for free using Priority Pass (which I get as a perk of the Amex Platinum Card). The other option is to pay MYR 170 / £30 per person which you can either book in advance or pay at the counter. As a rule of thumb I would generally never pay for lounge access so don’t think it’s worth that price tag. With the exception of if I had an overnight layover where a place to shower and eat is a necessity.
Below is what their website looks like when making a booking. Entry is for up to 3 hours, after which you would need to buy another ticket. In theory at least, in reality I imagine you could stay for longer and nobody would notice. The Sama Sama Express Hotel meanwhile ranges from MYR 320 / £55 for 6 hours up to MYR 620 / £106 for 12 hours. So if you’re staying longer definitely go for the hotel as you get a nice private room and bathroom.
Seating
The lounge is seperated into two areas. Firstly the main area by the entrance which has seats, a big tv, food and tables to eat at. If you head down a nondescript corridor next to the food there’s actually a more secluded, more modern and much calmer seating area with views out over the airport. The chairs here are nice and new, though not the comfiest in the world. There’s also a lack of power sockets, with just a few by the wall and on the floor.
Seating in the main lounge area on the other hand was a bit strange. I didn’t manage to take a good picture, but basically they’d just setup about 5 rows of armchairs facing the tv. The image on their website below just shows a large dining area, but in reality the dining area was less than half that size. The good news is that they were showing the Roland Garros French Open on the tv so that was entertaining at least.
The chairs also weren’t that comfortable and felt very old and worn out. Quite a few also have multiple food stains on, so not very impressed by the seating on offer in here. To make things even worse, there were hardly any power outlets in this main room. If you needed a power socket you would need to sit by the wall, or head through to the second seating area.
Food
Overall I found the hot food selection to be limited, though what they did have was tasty. The food is also skewed towards Indian food. In fact, besides a roast potato poutine and some boiled vegetable every hot dish was Indian. I’m not complaining though, it tasted pretty good. There were plenty of vegetarian options too. But if you prefer blander food, or non-Indian food, this lounge probably isn’t the place for you.
When it comes to cold food, you don’t have many options. There are some croissants, bread rolls and sliced bread. Then a very small selection of salad, literally just some sliced tomato, cucumber and leaves. And lastly, some crackers, biscuits (cookies for American readers) and small sponge cakes. I suppose it’s enough to make a meal out of, but definitely lacking compared to other airport lounges I’ve been to.
I ended up getting a small selection as none of it looked very appertising. But I was pleasantly surprised and ended up going back for seconds. The pilau rice, chicken (can’t remember what sort), and poutine were the standouts. Apologies for the poor picture quality. I wasn’t paying attention and the lighting was bad.
The beverage selection is better though. You have the below selection of canned drinks to choose from, two coffee machines, hot/cold water machine and fruit juices. There’s also a few flavours of yoghurt and a freezer full of ice cream.
Though with Malaysia being a muslim country the alcohol selection was very limited. They do mention they have “free flow of beer” on their website. But in another section of the site they mention it’s limited to 3 drinks per person. And I didn’t actually notice any alcohol at all (though I wasn’t really looking). Bottom line, if you’re looking to load up on booze before a long flight, this is the wrong place.
Everything Else
If you’re staying longer than 3 hours I would recommend the Sama Sama Transit Hotel which is right next to the lounge. You can either book in advance or at the front desk. Though best to book ahead in case it’s full on the day. Prices start from MYR 320 (£55) for 6 hours and you can extend up to 12 hours. For that you get a large bed, bathroom, tv, coffee/tea, in-room dining and free internet.
The Sama Sama Express Lounge does also have showers, available free of charge for guests. As far as lounge showers go it’s quite nice nice and spacious with a large rain shower and toiletries. Very useful if you’re here overnight or have a long layover. You just need to ask for towels at the front desk.
Finally, if you go into the seperate lounge area you do have quite a good view outdoors. Unfortunately you can’t see any runways but there were quite a few planes passing by throughout our stay.
Final Thoughts
Overall I think the Sama Sama Express Lounge is just fine. Being able to take a shower during a layover is great. The food options were very limited, but actually quite tasty so I left satisfied. The main seating area is a bit weird and lacking in power sockets. Though the seperate seating area is more secluded, has better seats and good views if you fancy some plane spotting.
I managed to enter for free thanks to my Amex Platinum Card so it was definitely worth it for me (my referral link is below if you’re interested in signing up). But unless you plan on staying a few hours and eating a lot I don’t think it’s worth paying the MYR 170 price tag. Especially considering for an extra MYR 150 you can get your own bedroom and stay for 6 hours in the Sama Sama Express Hotel. At least when I was there the KLIA satellite terminal was very quiet so there was loads of seating available throughout the airport.
More from me…
Please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:
- Malaysia Airlines Economy A350-900 – Great food on a 13 hour flight
- Singapore Airlines Fantastic Regional Business – Saigon to Singapore on a 787-10
- Singapore Airlines Economy from London to Singapore – As Good as People Say?
And if you fancy earning some fantastic rewards and Avios points through American Express, please use my referral links below:
- The Platinum Card – You Receive 35,000 Membership Reward points after spending £6,000 in the first 6 months: https://americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral/fREDEGgRA5?CPID=100493012
- British Airways Card: You Receive 8,000 Avios after spending £1,000 in the first 3 months: https://americanexpress.com/en-gb/referral/fREDEG42lN?CPID=100503089