During my complicated travel itinerary that saw me pass through Manila twice within a week, I had the opportunity to visit the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Manila twice in the space of week. I also was able to visit in the early morning before SQ915, and the late afternoon before SQ921. This allowed me to sample the lounge offerings at two very different times of the day.
This was not my first time in this particular SKL, but after the two visits in 2024, I am in no hurry to return. The food offerings were odd, uninspiring and rather low quality. The design of the lounge is also starting to look dull and outdated, especially when compared to its newer siblings elsewhere. That said, given the mayhem that NAIA tends to be, the SilverKris Lounge Manila still offers a peaceful respite from the crowds and noise in the gat areas below.
Read on to see what was good and not so good about the SilverKris Lounge Manila!
Access
The SilverKris Lounge Manila is open to all Singapore Airlines Business Class passengers (no more First service from Manila), Solitaire PPS and PPS Club members and KrisFlyer Elite Gold members. It’s a also a Star Alliance Gold lounge, so Star Alliance Gold and Business Class passengers travelling on other Star Alliance carriers out of NAIA Terminal 3 can also visit the lounge during its opening hours. For both my trips out of Manila, I was in Business class, but my KFEG membership would have gotten me in otherwise regardless.
The SilverKris Lounge Manila
The Manila SilverKris Lounge is located on level 4, above the gate areas. The most convenient way to get there is to head towards gate 115 thereabouts and take the lift up. There’s stairs too, but the lift is much preferred. The entrance to the lounge is unmistakably Singapore Airlines, and as aforementioned, still conforms to the “Home away from Home” concept like in Sydney, rather than the Batik Wall seen outside the new T3 SKL or Perth SKL.
The Manila SKL is roughly a L-shape. Past the entrance and lounge dragon, there is a lounging area typically used by larger groups and passengers needing wheelchair assistance.
There was a small display of SQ memorabilia, which was quite nice.
Forming the rest of the shorter side of the L-shape were productivity pods by the wall, before the space opens to the main seating.
The bulk of the seating was made up of individual armchairs with side tables. There were also a handful of high-backed chairs, while by the window were some face-to-face armchairs. A few more productivity pods were located at the furthest end of the lounge. The side tables have a built-in universal power outlet plus a couple of USB-A ports. The seats by the window have the outlets built into the wall instead.
The dining area has a few small tables, but otherwise it’s mainly just the communal high table or pseudo bar counter overlooking the long side of the L-shape.
While the lounge was fairly crowded during both my visits, more so for SQ921 then SQ015, there was ample space for all passengers. The lounge was also generally clean and well-maintained, except for some areas by the window. In the morning before SQ915, it did feel rather dark and gloomy, but maybe it was the early timing getting to me. It felt more alive in the afternoon when I flew out on SQ921. However compared to its newer sibling in Perth or the T3 SKLs, the Manila SKL feels like it’s lost its sparkle.
Disappointingly, the Manila SKL doesn’t have a shower. This is similar to its other regional sibling in Bangkok. I understand the logic that it’s just a short regional hop to Singapore, but for passengers at the end of the long, hot day in Manila and with a tight transit in Singapore, being able to shower at their origin would be welcome. So while I understand the thinking, I disagree with it.
Food & beverage
The F&B is the weakest part of the Manila SilverKris Lounge, in my opinion. In some respects, the food choices were downright weird. The first of my trips out of Manila was on SQ915, that being a 7am plus departure. While there were some typical Asian and Western breakfast items available, other options were more odd. For example, there was tomato soup and a nacho bar on offer. I love nachos and cheese as much as the next person, but that’s not something I’m looking for at 6am. Other than the nachos and tomato soup, there were some steamed dim sum, corned beef hash, vegetable egg muffins and rice pilaf. Also available were cereals, fruits and cold cuts. Of all the breakfast items, I only found the corned beef hash acceptable, albeit rather salty.
I also found that some items continued to appear even in the afternoon before SQ921 (including the nacho bar). To me, that’s just pure laziness to not have menus more tailored to the time of the day. I guess it was too much effort for Manila station management to work out something for the morning.
In the afternoon, there was the same dim sum, cold items and chicken arroz caldo on offer. New items included stir-fried noodles, roast chicken and Szechuan tofu bowls. The chicken and tofu were at least decent tasting.
Beverages-wise, there was the usual selection of soft drinks, sparkling wine, 2 types of red and white wines each, plus a small selection of spirits. There was a coffee machine and hot water for tea as well.
Overall, I found the F&B rather disappointing. The items on offer in the morning were odd, and the quality was average at best. I also felt SQ could do a better job having differentiated offerings for breakfast and daytime. From what I saw in the past, SQ didn’t use to pay very much for the lounge staffing and catering. I don’t know the current situation, and I’m sure inflation has changed things, but SQ should really look into upping the food offerings in this lounge.
Conclusion
The Manila SilverKris Lounge is a welcome sanctuary from the usually chaotic NAIA public areas. It offers ample and comfortable seating. However, the F&B offerings felt lazy and odd. The lounge could also do with a shower, especially given a Manila sector isn’t that much shorter than Hong Kong, where the SKL has a shower. I rate the Manila SilverKris a decent spot for a drink and mostly peaceful relaxation before a flight, but I wouldn’t count on getting a decent pre-flight meal here.