Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
IME the SIN airport transit hotels are fine. They're quiet, very clean and modern, although the en suite bathroom reminds me more of a hospital than a spa (lots of simple white tile) and only has a shower (plus toilet and sink with mirror, and lots of space, but no bathtub in the regular rooms) and you won't find a sofa or comfortable overstuffed armchairs in the rooms. However, you will get a reasonably comfortable bed, adequate towels, basic hotel toiletries (soap, shampoo, shower cap, IIRC wrapped disposable plastic glasses, bottled water, and a kettle with tea bags and instant coffee). Lighting and internet are good, and there's a desk with a flatscreen TV on the wall (CNN/BBC/channel news Asia in English IIRC). The more attractive (ask, but it seems to be luck of the draw as it's the same room category) rooms have a window. I spent one night in what must have been the T3 transit hotel with a SQ A380 parked right outside my window, which was fun and I think I've also stayed in T1. Be sure to check which of T1/2/3 your flights use and perhaps more importantly the renovation status of the transit hotels (avoid rooms with shared facilities down the hall). It's nice to stay in the airport and have time to enjoy the butterfly garden, restaurants, etc. when you're not sleeping, or even the big heated indoor pool if their opening hours are convenient for you. Also, the price is right for the transit hotel.
The CP is landside and doesn't seem to be walkable from the terminals even through it's right at the airport. It's expensive at about three or four times the price of the transit hotel for a reasonable overnight stay.....and SIN really doesn't have other airport hotels that are close/convenient/reasonable.
Thanks very much. You seem to "get it", and have captured some key issues, so it is very much appreciated.
Yes, this is a slightly weird situation, especially given that price really isn't a key issue here, given the choices being discussed. It's the convenience and chance to get to sleep *fast*, and to sleep as long as possible until the moring flight.
Now, on the
very off chance that I slept for 17 of the 19 hours (ha!), and we decide we want to go dancing downtown (not something we'd ordinarily do no matter what, these days), we can always leave and catch a taxi for a quick evening tour, right? (I mean, this is an airside
hotel, and not a jail...) This would be a huge surprise, and of course, quite a nice one, but we put the probability as close to zero as one might see for something that isn't actually totally impossible.
It sounds like DH might enjoy wandering around if he doesn't collapse also. He hadn't thought he was tired last time, but he slept the same hours I did. It was all very strange, and as I mentioned elsewhere, we'll see soon if a travel clinic physician has anything to suggest. In the past, he focused on vaccinations and extra meds to keep with us.
And YES, if he suggests any sleeping aids for the flight (or any new meds at all), we'll try them at home first!
About the terminals, etc.: We'll be arriving on that non-stop from EWR, and leaving the next morning on the flight to AKL (all on SQ).
Can the terminals (or even gates) be predicted? This would be mid/late November, in about 2 months.
Does this affect which of the airside hotels we should use? (Is there more than one?)
And I assume that DH will be able to find some sort of simple food to bring back to our room?
Thank you all.
Flyer Talk is quite a resource!
GC