Dear Friends and Family,
In case you thought we were going to be spoiled by our fancy schmancy Kuala Lumpur hotel, fear not: we spend this edition of the newsletter sleeping in an airport.
But sleeping at Singapore Changi Airport is pretty great as far as sleeping in airports goes.
This episode comes as we travel from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to the island of Bali, Indonesia. We’ll come back to Singapore for a complete visit after Bali.
For today, though, why exactly were we sleeping in the airport? Let’s dive in…
Perry’s Travel Diary
Why are we sleeping in an airport?
Yes, the answer has something to do with miles and points.
We needed to get from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Denpasar International Airport on the island of Bali, Indonesia.
While shopping for the best points redemption options to get us there, I found an incredible opportunity: two saver tickets were available on Singapore Airlines for just 8,500 points and just over $15 in fees each (17,000 points and $31.50 for the pair). Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner with all major credit cards, making it easy to accumulate and transfer the miles for their award tickets.
But the catch was that this flight had a twenty-hour layover at the Singapore airport. (As the crow flies, Kuala Lumpur to Bali would be about a 3.5-hour direct flight.)
We’re traveling on a budget, so we took the risk and booked the tickets anyways. Worst case scenario, my research suggested that the Singapore airport offered a number of free lounge chairs for anyone to take a nap in.
Best case scenario? Singapore Airlines is part of the Star Alliance. I have Star Alliance Gold Status this year thanks to my frequent flights with United Airlines, which means I can access Star Alliance Gold lounges free of charge on international flights. I crossed my fingers that their Singapore lounge would have comfortable seating – and it paid off.
Singapore also has several Priority Pass Lounges, of which we visited one. Priority Pass membership is included with several travel credit cards, including my favorite, the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Anyways, we left Kuala Lumpur bright and early, and had our taxi drop us off at the airport’s terminal 1… and then we took a train to the correct terminal, terminal 2 (oops – check your tickets and your Grab map pin if you’re flying out of Kuala Lumpur, folks), and hopped on our flight to Singapore.
I was excited to try Singapore Airlines’ economy class, as they tend to get very high marks for their service. It was a bit nicer than your normal economy class, with average legroom and a brand-new seat. Unfortunately, the breakfast included the worst plane eggs I’ve had in a long time. All-in-all, Singapore’s economy class isn’t bad, but their lounges are much better.
Pete’s Travel Diary
What to do with 20 Hours in the Singapore Airport
Few things are as dour as the prospect of sleeping in an airport. The absence of comfort suggests that the same psychos who build anti-homelessness park benches also cut their teeth designing airports.
The Changi Airport in Singapore, on the other hand, makes greater efforts to try and create a more comfortable – or at least engaging – environment. The giant complex may be an airport in title, but it also touts the largest indoor waterfall complete with light shows, butterfly gardens, movie theaters, and a humongous mall.
Lounge Lizards
Perry is thrifty to a fault, which means we don’t always live extravagantly but we aren’t without creature comforts in our journeys. With her knack for gaining us lounge access, we were fit as fiddles… tired but well-fed fiddles.
Our First Stop: Singapore Airlines’ Krisflyer Gold Lounge (accessed via Star Alliance Gold Status)
This lounge sports high-quality food, A-grade Twinning’s tea (I can neither confirm nor deny pilfering some of the Silver Moon tea bags), a machine that pours the beer for you, a variety of open-access liquor/wine, and a spot to sleep for the night. There was a full buffet that served both breakfast and lunch/dinner items.
This lounge offers 24-hour access and while it didn’t have the comfiest furniture, the bench/couch I claimed was long enough that I could stretch out my legs fully. A godsend for a tall man in a foreign land. Perry got plenty of sleep; I did not.
Interruption from Perry: The fact that this lounge had full-length couches was thrilling for our overnight adventure. I thought the couch was reasonably comfy. It’s a bit firm, not unlike a hostel or budget hotel bed. I snuggled up with the five things I can’t travel without and had two wonderful 4-hour naps. I would happily stay here again given the cost of lodging in Singapore.
The lounge is open to the terminal below, so the lights stay on and noise is present throughout the night. You must have an eyemask and earplugs to sleep here. There was a quieter corner with a lower ceiling around the corner from the buffet that might be more comfortable.
After our day of adventuring in the airport, I used the lounge’s shower to clean off before tucking in for the night. There was a waiting list; an attendant added my name and handed me a restaurant-style buzzer to summon me when my shower was ready. They supplied soap and towels, and the showers were cleaned between each use. I have to say it was an excellent shower that really improved my comfort before sleeping on the couch.
Back to Pete: Even without lounge access, there are options for sleeping pod hotels within this labyrinthian airport, or a variety of benches/ottomans laying around that are neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. They simply are, which as airport furniture goes, you can’t beat.
Our second stop: SATS Premier Lounge (accessed via Priority Pass)
This lounge only permits a 3-hour stay, and while the food is cling-wrapped sandwiches and an open bar, it has its charms… and by charms, I mean massage chairs. About a half dozen of them.
After being pampered in Thailand with massages, one becomes accustomed to the improved blood flow and absence of aches and pains. While unable to tie you in knots like a Thai masseuse, these chairs will at least remove the few you’ve built up on the flight to this airport. I managed to steal an hour’s nap in one, which is impressive for me.
The rest of this lounge was pretty average as far as Priority Pass lounges go. It serves its purpose, but it is a bit more crowded and has lesser food compared to the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge.
If you have Priority Pass through your credit card, there are two additional Priority Pass lounges in the Singapore airport. You could easily lounge hop when your time limit is up. We decided not to personally visit the other lounges.
Butterfly Gardens
When traveling, one only needs the essentials. A travel pillow, earplugs, light jacket maybe… Oh, and luxuriously curated butterfly gardens, of course.
Changi Airport has a knack for surprising and entertaining guests. And we needed to break up our time in the lounges. At no additional charge, you can spend as much time as you please in the Singapore Airport Butterfly Garden, open 24/7.
There is a plastic chain curtain to brush off any hitchhikers that may try to follow you out of the enclosure. In addition to the garden itself, they have stands that hold nectar-rich flowers to draw the butterflies within viewing distance of guests.
The gardens boast 40 different species of butterfly, some of which I had not seen in person outside of a museum, and I have been to butterfly farms and enclosures around the globe. This was a rare treat and well worth the extra walk for the entomologically inclined or naturalists of all shapes and sizes.
Just outside of the enclosure is a playground/jungle gym where children can burn some energy before another lengthy flight.
Lights, Camera, Waterfall? (The Jewel Waterfall)
Singapore loves them a light show and we love them all the more for it. If you have a lengthy layover, we recommend checking out The Jewel Waterfall in the mall connected to Changi Airport. In the evening they have regularly scheduled light shows which make the Jewel all the more impressive. It is definitely worth the time and effort if you have the time to spend.
After staring at the waterfall in awe, you can explore the surrounding mall, which has all of your standard mall shops and an extensive food court. We were entertained by window shopping for a couple of hours.
Clearing Immigration in Singapore
Another interruption from Perry: In order to visit The Jewel, you do have to clear immigration and enter the country of Singapore. We’re here to tell you that this process was very easy and not a problem at all.
At the time of our visit, tourists did need to complete a COVID-19 health questionnaire (called the SG Arrival Card ) to enter Singapore. It is a great idea to do this a day or two in advance, but it can be done at the airport if you need to.
The immigration line was empty when we passed through. It took no more than 10 minutes to hand the officer our passport and have our photo taken before we were on our way to explore.
Pete kept his luggage with him and had no problem pushing it around the mall. Lots of others were doing the same. You could check your bags if you don’t want to keep them with you. (The Kuala Lumpur check-in agent was adamant that my roller bag was too heavy to be a carry-on and would have to be checked, so that’s what I did – just not by choice. I’m still unclear as to why my bag was too heavy for the inside of the plane but not too heavy for the other inside of the plane.)
Even though our flight was the next day, we were easily able to re-enter the airport – passing through Singapore’s automated outbound immigration – the same evening.
Singapore doesn’t do security until you enter your flight’s gate at the time of boarding. If you have a shorter layover, make sure to account for your re-entry and security time before exiting the secure area. You’d want at least a couple of hours to make the trip to the Jewel.
Other Things to Do in the Singapore Airport
We were happily busy during our layover, but this isn’t all that the Singapore airport has to offer!
- A free movie theater plays the latest blockbusters in Terminal 3, not far from the lounges.
- There’s a giant slide near Terminal 3’s baggage claim, outside the secure area. Admission fee applies.
- The Jewel has a ropes course and adventure park on its top level. Admission fee applies.
If you’ve done something fun at the Singapore Airport that should be on this list, hit reply and let us know!
Itinerary
Hotel
No hotels were used in this email! That said, if you need a Singapore Airport hotel, we recommend the Crowne Plaza connected to the airport. We’ll cover our stay there in a later newsletter.
Food
We ate lunch, dinner, breakfast, and a few midnight snacks in the airport lounges.
Transportation
We used Grab to get from our Kuala Lumpur hotel to the airport. It was cheaper than a taxi and, for two people traveling together, the train.
Once inside the Singapore airport, we walked.
Currency
Singapore uses the Singapore Dollar. For a layover, there is no need to get cash. Everyone in the airport accepts credit cards.
Public transportation in Singapore also accepts credit cards.
If you do need cash, reputable ATMs are not hard to find. We used an OCBC ATM. You’ll recognize ATMs from Citibank, HSBC, and other international banks.
Other
Potable drinking water is available throughout Singapore. The airport has drinking fountains with water-bottle refills. We even saw one free hot water station near our gate.
Perry’s Travel Tip of the Week
Pack two phone chargers!
This tip is so simple and yet it has been critical: pack two charging cables for your phone!
I carry two cables of different lengths – one that’s short (3 feet or so) for close-range use with a computer or battery, and one that’s long (6-10 feet or more) so that I can always reach that inconveniently-located hotel outlet.
I’ve had my phone charging cable stop working in the middle of a trip, so a second cable is a lifesaver! Having a backup battery is no good if you can’t connect your phone to it. Carrying a second cable takes up hardly any space – and it never fails that phone cables are five times the price when you need one in an emergency.
I last bought this 5-pack of iPhone charger lightning cables for just $7.99. Just do it.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, we’d love it if you would share us with your friends.
All our love,
Pete and Perry