|
THE ALVIATOR'S VERDICT
Lounges at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport are generally uninspiring, and this is no exception |
3.0
|
As part of my Etihad business class ticket from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, I had access to one of several Miracle Lounges at Bangkok Airport. Now, sometimes I’m in one of those moods where I’d have loved to review every single Miracle Lounge at the airport, write a separate comparison post, and describe how you should spend your time at either. In this case I just wanted to go to bed, so decided to check out what my research regarded as the “best” Miracle Lounge at the airport, located in Concourse D (this also happened to be the Miracle Lounge closest to my gate).
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Location Access and Opening Hours
This Miracle Lounge Bangkok reviewed in this post is located by gate D6, a 5-minute walk into the “pier” containing the D gates. The “D” gates are located in the center of the airport and connect the junction of the A, B, C piers and the E, F and G piers (otherwise a 20ish minute walk from each other), so it’s unlikely to be too far a walk from immigration. That being said, it still took me about 15-20 minutes to walk to my flight gate, which departed from gate E5. The A, C and G concourses also have Miracle Lounges, though I didn’t check those ones out. All lounges are open round the clock.
The Miracle Lounge Bangkok is open to passengers from various airlines that contract out the lounge for use, including Etihad Airways, which I was flying. You’ll be able to tell if your airline provides access through their website. The Miracle Lounge Bangkok is also a Priority Pass lounge.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Location and Entrance
I had nipped out at Bangkok Airport with some free time to spare, so checked in landside, despite having just landed from a Cathay Pacific flight a few hours prior. First and business class passengers flying any airline are allowed to use the Fast Track immigration lane, located by aisle A – I indulged (Etihad never gave me an invitation, though I was admitted without issue).
Fast Track Area Bangkok Airport
After I was through the fast track area I found myself in the center section of the airport’s airside region, where the D gates are located. This lounge is located by the D gates, and there’s decent icon signage heading towards the lounge.
Signage to Miracle Lounges Bangkok Airport
Sure enough all I had to do was head down an escalator. It was quite a walk from there, but I did eventually make it to the Miracle Lounge, located right outside gate D6.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Exterior
I handed over my lounge invitation, and headed into the lounge.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Seating and Atmosphere
Contract lounges can feel a bit sad, and this lounge was on the more nicely decorated end of that. Most seats were taken when I entered the lounge (many of these passengers seemed to be heading to Abu Dhabi), but the lounge did clear out after a short while.
The lounge itself features two rooms connected by a corridor, where the entrance is located. To my right was a relax area with beige and brown armchairs, as well as a halal food section.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Seating
Then to the left was a more formal “dining” area, featuring restaurant-style seating and bar seating.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Seating
There was an elevated section of the lounge, which featured a further set of more comfortable-looking seats.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Seating
The lounge felt a bit worn and dated, though I did appreciate the bright colours. The entrance of the lounge also featured a bookstall of sorts – can anyone advise if there’s a theme throughout the book spines you see in the photos below?
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Decor
As far as contract lounges go, there are lounges that feel like themed waiting rooms, and there are lounges that provide a mind-blowing variety of seating options and facilities. I’d say this lounge fit somewhere near the upper end of the former category – it’s certainly better than some of the Thai Airways lounges at the same airport.
I was in the lounge for just under an hour (from around 6-7 PM), and the lounge stayed fairly crowded – there were brief pockets of time where I could take the above photos without disturbing anybody, but those were far and few.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok WiFi
Getting WiFi at this lounge was a process, as it involved acquiring a slip with a personalised access code at the lounge’s entrance. The WiFi itself wasn’t fast by any means either. That being said, WiFi at Suvarnabhumi Airport isn’t particularly easy to connect to, so at least it’s a more pleasant process than acquiring WiFi at the terminal.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Food and Beverages
Most of the lounge’s food and beverage selection was located by the “dining” area. There were some tasty-looking options, including a pastries, soups, and pork satay. From previous reports I’ve seen made-to-order noodles served at the noodle bar – while I did spot a noodle bar, I reckon the made-to-order offerings were scaled back post-pandemic.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Food Spread
There’s also a much more limited halal food selection by the lounging area.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Food Spread (Halal)
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Facilities
There isn’t much in the way of facilities at this lounge, though the lounge does feature a shower room. This was readily available throughout my stay – there wasn’t even anyone manning the shower room. The shower room also looked fairly nice.
Miracle Lounge Bangkok Shower
Conclusion: Miracle Lounge Bangkok
This is a decent lounge to kill some time before a flight, though I’d see no reason to come early or pay my way in. The decor is fairly nice and the food selection is fine (presumably I’d have thought more highly of the food selection back when made-to-order options were available), though it isn’t particularly comfortable to sit in, the lounge is fairly crowded, and the WiFi isn’t fast.
If you’ve got a Priority Pass membership with a limited number of lounge visits per year, I probably wouldn’t waste my time or money visiting the lounge, unless I were starving. I’m really being objective here, rather than complaining – the Miracle Lounge’s management group doesn’t have a particular incentive to offer a spectacular lounge service, and some of the food options are good. I’m just saying I probably wouldn’t spend time here.
Are any of the other Miracle Lounges at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport hidden gems, and more worth visiting?
