Qantas International First Lounge, Singapore

A getaway to Singapore isn’t truly complete without dipping your toes into the city-state’s eclectic and vibrant dining scene. Similarly, a visit to the Qantas International First Lounge is the perfect way to end your trip in style when it’s time to say xià cì jiàn (see you next time) to The Lion City.

Opening in late 2019 – just before COVID-19 forced it shut again – Singapore is the latest chapter of Qantas’ upscale First lounges. Those who make it past the frosted doors will usually be flying in First Class or toting a frequent flyer card with a platinum tinge.

Curious to see what awaits within the white marble walls? Here’s our take on the Qantas International First Lounge in Singapore.

Lounge location and details

The First Lounge is located in Terminal 1 of Singapore’s Changi Airport. From immigration, simply turn right towards the D-gates and follow the signs towards the first set of escalators on your left. You can’t miss the dazzling marble exterior of the Qantas First Lounge.

You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see this wall.

From T1 immigration, turn right and follow the signs.

The lounge is open daily from roughly 3:00 pm and closes when the last Qantas service departs. This is usually just before midnight when QF1 makes its long voyage to London.

Lounge layout and seating

Inside, my partner and I are quickly welcomed and offered a table at the restaurant. Despite having no exterior views – a common issue with lounges at Changi – the Qantas Singapore First Lounge is simply beautifully designed and lit. We’re both quite impressed.

The designers’ touch

With room for 240 passengers, the lounge’s fit-out is the brainchild of Sydney-based design firms Caon Studio and Akin Atelier. The 1,000 sqm floorspace certainly gives the directors of both firms, David Caon and Kelvin Ho, plenty to play with.

The Qantas First lounge seems to ooze luxury thanks to the use of Carrara marble, European oak and brass as the three main defining materials. There’s also no cheap, tacky furniture in sight. Your bottom will rest easy here with some pieces by Gebrüder Thonet, Carl Hansen & Søn and Walter Knoll.

Looking at the feature bar while seated at the restaurant.

Plush carpets and designed chairs, including some by Carl Hansen & Søn.

Main lounging area

Immediately to the right as we walk in is a ‘VIP room’, which can be cordoned off should the need arise. During our visit, it was open to all, though. A Coelux skylight embedded in the ceiling emulates a blue sky and gives the impression of natural light. It can also transform into the night sky, moon included.

The effect is pretty cool – but it’s even more amazing in the shower suites, which each have their own skylights as well (more on that later).

This is the ‘VIP area’ which can be cordoned off when needed.

The Coelux skylight dazzles with imitation sunlight.

It can also change into the night sky, along with a detailed moon (best seen in person).

Further along, there are more spaces to rest and work. For solo travellers, the dark green pods are a standout for lounging and tapping away at your computer. The mix of seating also includes communal work tables and comfortable sofas for more social encounters.

The zones are partitioned while still maintaining an open-air atmosphere.

Make yourself comfortable in these oversized solo work chairs.

These island stations are a good place to set up shop.

This part of the lounge looks like a warm, cosy living room.

Restaurant and bar area

The rest of the lounge is taken up by various sections of the restaurant and bar seating. The dining room is massive and consists of three different sections. Evidently, Qantas expects most lounge visitors to spend time on a leisurely meal rather than just sitting around near the front. Tables are elegantly set for two or four but are quickly adjusted for solo diners or larger groups.

Right at the rear end of the lounge is the open kitchen. You can even choose to dine here and watch the expert chefs in action, if you fancy.

Inside one of the main restaurant sections in the lounge.

Dine at the bar if you want a different view.

Each table is set up already.

Another dining section in the Qantas First Lounge.

The restaurant team, hard at work.

In this lounge, the drinks come to you. But on the off-chance you feel the need to wander around and order something at the bar, you’ll find your destination in the middle of the lounge. It’s well-stocked with a sizeable variety of spirits, beer and wine.

The main bar at the Qantas Singapore First Lounge.

Looking at the feature bar while seated at the restaurant.

Wining and dining

Our dinner, our way

Just like Qantas’ International First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, Singapore also has a la carte dining. It features a mix of cult favourites (salt and pepper squid, anyone?), familiar western dishes and Asian-fusion treats.

My partner and I indulge in a seated multi-course dinner, including:

• Prawn wontons with black vinegar and chilli
• Chef Linda’s shrimp paste chicken wings
• Salt and pepper squid
• Signature laksa with crayfish
• Crispy roast pork belly
• Coconut and mango sorbet with palm sugar and toasted coconut
• Pandan and kaya sponge with pineapple, lemongrass and champagne jelly

Want to browse the full menu? You can read it here →

Prawn wontons with black vinegar and chilli.

Chef Linda’s shrimp paste chicken wings with smashed cucumber and calamansi.

Salt and pepper squid with green chilli dipping sauce and aioli.

Signature laksa with crayfish, rice noodles, bean sprouts and egg.

Crispy roast pork belly with braised cabbage and hot mustard.

Coconut and mango sorbet with palm sugar and toasted coconut.

Pandan and kaya sponge with pineapple, lemongrass and champagne jelly.

Every dish is excellent, though some are more excellent than others. Chef Linda’s shrimp paste chicken wings are a clear standout and we even order seconds.

The crayfish laksa is a luxurious – if slightly bland – choice. It could do with more kick, though I understand it’s a delicate balancing act to cater for more people. The pork belly is crisp and actually pairs quite well with the mustard on the side! (Mustard is not commonly used in Asian cuisine).

I particularly enjoy the unique twist with each dessert such as the palm sugar drizzled on the sorbet, and the pandan and kaya sponge being served ‘Qantas pavlova style’ in a glass with fruits and jelly.

Cocktails, bubbly and more

Singapore may be hot, but you won’t fly out thirsty. During our visit, two Champagnes are on the ice – Duval Leroy Brut Reserve and Taittinger Brut Reserve. There are more than ten other wines across white, red, rosé and dessert varieties, plus beers and soft drinks.

The cocktail list is quite unique too. I order the calamansi mojito, which is superbly refreshing and showcases the local citrus well. My partner enjoys the QF2, made with Tanqueray, Fever-Tree tonic water and a nifty Aperol ice cube. Tea and barista-made coffee can be ordered at the bar, and I notice that iced coffees are quite popular amongst the afternoon crowd.

Two Champagnes on offer in the Qantas International First Lounge.

One of the five red wines on the menu.

Ginger and lemon kombucha (left) and the calamansi mojito (right).

The QF2 cocktail featuring gin, tonic, orange and an Aperol ice cube.

Lounge service and amenities

Bringing out the A-game

In the Qantas Singapore First Lounge, the Sofitel-trained staff at the restaurant are a highlight. Service is very efficient and attentive, and starts with a cold towel once we’re seated. We’re also proactively handed an antiseptic wet hand wipe when we order certain dishes, such as chicken wings.

And in a mildly embarrassing episode for me, I drop my soup spoon into the laksa bowl. After managing to fish it out, a wait staff magically appears by my side, bearing a new soup spoon on a plate. With attention to detail like that, it’s really no surprise that each dish is cleared very soon after we’ve put our cutlery down.

A cold towel is a welcome way to start dinner at the lounge.

Similarly, these wet wipes are also appreciated after eating chicken wings.

Qantas’ Singapore-based lounge management team are very friendly as well. After hearing it’s our first visit here, they offer to show us around and get us seated in the restaurant.

Refresh in the shower suites

Remember the awesome Coelux skylight in the VIP area? It’s even more amazing in the shower suites. The lighting effect is much easier to see here, and the soft glow of the ‘morning sun’ on the marble walls looks very realistic! Want morning, afternoon, dusk, or nothing at all? It’s done with a press of a button.

The nine shower suites are a bit on the small side, but they still feel very opulent. Products from LaGaia Unedited – which are in the Sydney and Melbourne First Lounges – also feature here. The water pressure is decent enough and I have a revitalising shower.

If you need to unpack a bag, you can use the pull-out door from the side that rests on the toilet lid. It’s not the most elegant solution for a First Class lounge, but it works well enough.

The shower suites have very high-tech lighting that can replicate sunlight.

The rooms are small, but luxuriously appointed.

Enjoy a refreshing shower here.

LaGaia Unedited hand products.

LaGaia Unedited hair and body products.

Unpack your bags here if needed.

Don’t need a shower? There are a few stand-alone toilet rooms too.

Work essentials

If your work requirements stretch out to the evening, you’ll find the Qantas International First Lounge to be the perfect place to settle in. Universal power plugs are located throughout the entire space, usually under or between seats. Qantas’ lounge WiFi is impressive, measuring more than 200 Mbps in uploads or downloads. Move aside social media, that’s enough grunt to upload your whole camera to the cloud.

No boarding calls are made, so you’d best keep an eye on your flight.

Charging ports are found throughout the lounge.

There’s also a printer near the working desks.

Lounge access options

The Qantas International First Lounge is a very exclusive space, and the entry requirements reflect that. Having said that, Qantas’ access policy is fairly liberal if you’re a Qantas Platinum or oneworld Emerald frequent flyer. Just make sure you’re on an eligible airline flight departing in the late afternoon onwards, as the lounge only opens from around 3:00 pm.

• Class of travel: First Class passengers on Qantas, Emirates and oneworld partner airlines.
• Airline frequent flyer status: Qantas Platinum and Platinum One members departing on a Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates or oneworld marketed and operated flight.
• Airline partner frequent flyer status: Emirates Skywards Platinum members departing on a Qantas or Emirates flight.
• Alliance frequent flyer status: oneworld Emerald members departing on a oneworld flight.
• Complimentary lounge pass: only with ‘Titanium’ passes from the Qantas Premier Titanium Card, or with ‘P1-Benefit’ passes issued to Qantas Platinum One members.

Summing up

The Qantas International First Lounge in Singapore is another testament to how well Qantas does the premium lounge experience in its major ports. Every detail is considered, from the lounge design features to the furniture and the food and beverage offering.

There’s very little to fault overall – the staff are excellent, the space is modern and most travellers will be quite comfortable having a decent meal and maybe a shower.

It would be nice to have the day spa that Sydney and Melbourne offer, though that would come at the expense of one of the lounge zones. Plus, I imagine Qantas intends the day spa to mainly be for passengers travelling in First, but most of them would likely be transiting in Singapore, rather than originating there.

The lounge is best enjoyed as a passenger departing from Singapore, so there’s time to indulge in all the amenities on offer. Transit passengers will likely find the experience to be quite rushed, especially considering the time needed to walk to and from the gate and to clear gate security again.

Photography by Brandon Loo, who travelled to Singapore at Point Hacks’ expense and accessed the lounge as a regular passenger through his frequent flyer status. Featured image courtesy of Qantas.