Note added by RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels, at the request of the OP:

This review was taken automatically from a post made on July 16,2006, roughly 9 years before the date associated with the review.  Since that time, among other things, the hotel has been fully renovated.

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Before I get caught up in the details of this report, I should tell you that I was ill for most of this trip. I wasnt so sick that I couldnt have a good time, but I need to mention it because it involves the drug Ciprofloxacin. At the start of our trip, I was diagnosed with a UTI and was prescribed Cipro. The irony is that even though Cipro is the drug most prescribed to treat travelers stomach upset, I got Bali Belly on my 2nd day on the drug. I didnt identify it as Bali Belly right away (after all, I was on Cipro!) It wasnt until the last day of my trip, after reading a newspaper article that said Cipro was only 60% effective in Indonesia, that I got a doctor to prescribe a more effective antibiotic. In hindsight, I can see that my immune system was probably shot from the UTI and the jetlag, but there is a good lesson here for people traveling to Indonesia who want an antibiotic in their back pocket just in case pack something other than Cipro.

Flights and Airports

We flew Singapore Airlines 25/26 from JFK to SIN in Raffles class. The flights were as pleasant as always with the best features being the lay-flat (angled flat) seating and the on-demand entertainment system. The layover in Frankfurt was efficiently managed and when our first segment was delayed getting out of JFK, they made up for it by cleaning and turning around the 747 in Frankfurt in just 45 minutes.

Silk Air (a Singapore Airlines regional carrier) flew us into Solo City, Java. The plane was a full size Airbus and the service was very friendly. I would equate it to one of the better American carriers in amenities and service and would definitely recommend it as an alternative to Garuda.

We didnt know what to expect for the Solo airport. It turned out to be reasonably advanced except for the baggage claim system, which consisted of one small door between the tarmac and the 10 x 10 designated baggage area. Bags were carried through the door one at a time while over 100 passengers waited several yards behind, unable to see anything through the throngs of people. We later learned that the only way to get your bag in less than an hour is to tip (read: bribe) one of the bag boys who will then id your bag as one to be brought through the door sooner rather than later. This tipping process ended up looking more like an auction, with the locals waving money in the air and literally shouting instructions to the bag boys in the hopes their bag would be next. Unsure of this process, we decided to wait and our bags were indeed the last ones through the door.

Short Review

SINGAPORE (RITZ CARLTON) 1 DAYS
This was our second stay at the Ritz Carlton and our first on the club level. We booked a Millennia Suite and the view of the marina was beautiful. However, my husbands parents (who joined us on this trip) were staying in a corner Premier Suite which we found more appealing for the especially panoramic views and unique layout. We found that the Millennia Suite had wasted space for our needs (particularly the separate dining room). Both rooms had daily tropical fruit arrangements with a great little guidebook to tell you what unusual fruit you were eating, and there was a club level food presentation at all hours of day with lots of variety. We were a tad disappointed that there werent any champagnes chilling alongside the decent wine selection. But then again, we never asked for any so its possible there was a bottle hidden away.

While in Singapore, we had a very tasty lunch at Doc Chengs (Raffles Hotel) and went to the Jurong Bird Park. The park, while currently undergoing some renovation, was very nice and there were many opportunities to interact with the birds inside massive aviaries. We especially enjoyed the suspension bridges and loud and colorful birds in the Lory Loft. The Waterfall Aviary, with the worlds largest manmade waterfall, was also quite beautiful. If you go, dress light. This place, like all of Singapore, is hot!