• JX732 SIN-TPE – Economy (A350-900)
• Taipei Hilton Sinban
• Galactic Lounge, Taoyuan Airport
• JX731 TPE-SIN – Business (A350-900)

I was super excited to check out this flagship lounge and thanks for APEC card, I was able to somewhat breeze through the chaos that Taoyuan Airport is at 530am.

To get to the airport in time, Hilton Taipei Sinban quoted me a fixed rate of TWD1,300 for a cab to depart from the hotel at 4:30am which seems reasonable. They also asked if I would be paying cash or with a credit card which I thought was useful for pre-empting unpleasant payment situations.

Starlux’s check in is at Row 6 at Taoyuan International Airport, so I was there bright and early at 5:00am, but counters were not yet opened even though there were a few of us already waiting.

At around the 5:05am mark, the crew came into sight and started setting up the lines and queue poles etc – this is the first airline that I see having to physcially set these up in order to open the counters – don’t these stay in place when they close for the day instead of putting away and re-setting up each day? In any case, inclusive of staff briefing etc, I was checked in at the 5:30am mark eventually.

There were also no dedicated lines for business class so everyone gets into the same queue which was quite weird. Wonder why.

At check in, there was also a slight miscommunication about my 25.5kg luggage as the staff didn’t realize I was on business. I was also given an invitation to the Plaza Premium Lounge and was explained to that the airline is expecting a full crowd at the GALACTIC Lounge and perhaps I can head to Plaza Premium instead. My heart dropped for abit, but I figured I’ll just try to chiong as early as I can to beat the crowd as after all, what is experiencing Starlux ex-TPE without trying GALACTIC Lounge?

Location – its website even has direction on how to get to the lounge at Taoyuan.

Opening hours – 5:00pm-7:00pm

Access rules – Passengers flying Starlux’s Business and First Class. Passengers who are COSMILES Explorer status and above can also bring in one guest or two (for Insighter) with them.

The lounge itself was easy to find with its shimmering logo and shining brown tones. So pretty!

I was the first pax at 5:45am and was able to get decent shots of the space without any interruptions. Plenty of seats to choose from at this point and I was ushered to the solo booth seat which accorded plenty privacy. Otherwise, there are more communal seating options available, including a section equipped with a TV and magazine selection for viewing pleasure.

A small buffet is laid out in one corner featuring the usual breakfast nosh.

Drinks on offer were Asahi on tap, spirits, wines, and a fridge of non-alcoholic options.

When the staff ushered me to my seat upon arrival, I was presented with a small menu of cooked-to-order items which looked really interesting. I decided to try both the Specialty Ramen (kosong) and the Fuhang Soy Milk Set: Ramen was ….really salty. Soy Milk set was not bad – awesome soya milk as well!

For those who mind, there are no dedicated toilet facilities in this lounge so you’ll havve to exit the lounge to find a common one in the terminal.

Lastly, I was advised to leave at 7:10am for my 8:10am flight as my gate was D2 which is further away so I left the gorgeous spot after 1.5hrs of chillax a little sad but onwards to the last and most exciting part of my trip!

In summary,

happy to have braved the 8:10am flight time for this experience!