As previously mentioned, I tried out the Jetquay arrival service offered by the Fairmont at a discounted rate which included a great car ride to the hotel. For my departure to Denpasar (Bali), I actually got the Jetquay departure service included with my Garuda Executive class flight. All Executive class passengers departing Changi are entitled to this service as per a note on the Garuda website which I was fortunate to find!
I took a regular taxi from the Conrad to the CIP (Commercially Important Person - LOL) terminal, and the taxi driver was as thrilled to be taking a CIP as I was to be taken there. Since my flight was at 9 am, I departed the hotel early at about 7:15 am after my buffet breakfast as aforesaid.
Upon passing through the security gate and check point, I was met at the doorstep where my passport, luggage, and ticket were all taken and processed while I relaxed at one of their computer rooms and made some Ringcentral Wifi calls to clients. I was then taken via buggy for about a 15 minute journey to my departing gate which was at the farthest possible point away from the CIP Terminal. I arrived at the exact right to to board, and got a good tour of the airport along the way. The driver even offered to stop and wait while I shopped, but I declined as there was nothing I had not seen before, although the new terminal was very nice.
As it turned out, the Garuda flight, which I paid cash for since I had no access to use points, was the only empty cabin that I experienced on this trip. I had the entire forward Executive class cabin aboard the new 737-800 to myself.
The economy section was fully packed with passengers however. The reason that I took Garuda was that it had the best departure time (of 9 am), enabling me to arrive at around 11:30 in Denpasar, and then taking the 1 hour or so drive to Amandari, thereby taking advantage of the entire day. Other flights that were available on SQ with points, were evening flights and therefore were no good since I would lose a whole day at Amandari and just be paying for the night. Also, SQ morning flights were exorbitant; well over $1,000 for a one-way business class ticket, which was ridiculous, especially considering that discount airlines such as Air Asia were offering flights for about $100 one-way. So, once again SQ confounded me although I had really hoped to at least try out their business class. It was really hard for me to decide to pay and take Garuda which was considerably more than the discount carriers, but once I saw the the Jetquay service was included, it made it more feasible, and furthermore, I did not want to arrive in Bali frazzled by a cramped discount flight. That being said, I think that the discount flights are great value and would seriously consider taking one of them next time, as the price is just so low and it is a short enough flight to make it practical.
The Executive Class hostess was very gracious and attentive, although it was apparent that although she was trying very hard to please, she was fairly new. This was actually refreshing and I enjoyed this flight immensely. A light lunch was served, and I chose a chicken and noodle dish which was satisfactory. A nice touch was some very tasty dim sum which was served as a surprise prior to landing.
Remarkably, although there was a wide variety of on demand movies and TV shows, I did not see any "Hollywood" selections, so instead I just watched shows on my Ipad.
Upon arrival, I was met after alighting from the Jetbridge, by a private arrival service representative contracted by Amandari, who guided me effortlessly through all the various immigration and security queues in a somewhat chaotic environment. This was an invaluable service and saved a lot of time and a big headache upon arrival. The airport was very, very busy, and being able to jump just about every queue was a god-send. The arrival service is included by Aman, and makes selecting Aman a very good choice, although I understand some arrival services are available for the general public as well. Arrival service in Bali is a must in my opinion.
The arrival service representative assisted me in collecting my luggage, and then passed me along to a white clad Amandari employee who greeted me and assisted me in the rest of the way to the waiting Amandari vehicle. The vehicle was not a luxury vehicle, but was a comfortable and clean mini van, and I was offered a cold cloth, a cold bottle of water, and some peanut snacks for the hour or so drive to Amandari, which is located in Ubud, to the north of the airport. The extremely pleasant and efficient arrival made me feel welcome and extraordinarily well taken care of, and the pleasant drive with a very helpful driver who explained many things about Bali along the way, was an extraordinary way to arrive. It was an appropriate introduction to Aman Resorts.