I think it was 2 years ago when I slept in Singapore's airport. It was a layover for a red eye flight to Myanmar. We had few hours in Changi International Airport, so we took our sweet time. I remembered having late dinner at the 24-hour food court, riding the empty connecting Skytrain of Changi Airport, and then finally spotting empty chairs of a closed cafe which we assigned as our "beds" for the night.
It wasn't a comfortable sleep, but we survived. More importantly, it was a story that won me a blog award last year! Haha!
This year, I earned two free flights from my work with the airline SCOOT. I picked Chiang Mai because it's a place that my younger sister Cea had been raving since her own trip with her friends. I invited Ava and Paul to join me, and glad that they were super game to travel! Paul really wanted to hug elephants, while Ava naman said she needed the MomCation (Mom Vacation) which was perfect at that time since the kids were on summer school break.
With little prep time, I was so excited when our small group finally gathered at the NAIA 1. I was thinking, eto na tuloy na tuloy na talaga! I took charge of everything for this trip, including the itinerary and accommodation. It also includes planning on where we're staying during our midnight layover in Singapore.
I did an online research on where we can stay na open 24/7 (since our arrival is almost 12 midnight). This time, sleeping in random couches is out of our option. Our criteria is a place where we can sleep AND shower. There are airport hotels, but they are either out of our budget or already fully booked on our travel date. We ended up exploring the airport lounge option.
The empty Changi Airport at 12mn:
The night before our flight I already searched for the rates of the different lounge in Changi. There are a lot! Pwede naman syang walk-in but may onting fear for me na what if fully booked sila bigla tomorrow night, parang yung Korea airport jjimjilbang experience ko. I cannot imagine letting down my group! Cinareer ko talaga pagiging tour guide nila e, hahaha!
So I checked out their websites, then Agoda. I am not sure how I landed via my Klook app, but swerte na meron din silang Changi lounge offerings na discounted! My credit card won't work in some apps including Klook and Airbnb, so minsan over-the-counter ako nagbabayad ng activities. For the airport lounge, triny ko lang naman if magkano lalabas for 3 persons and if mag pupush yung card ko ....and then it did! Haha! Swerte nadin coz may promo code yung Klook at that time, so nadiscountan pa kami from the discounted rate na! 😄
Here's the Klook Changi Airport Lounge listing we booked:
What To Expect
(according to the app)
Enjoy VIP treatment at Plaza Premium Lounge or TGM at Changi Airport. The only independent lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1 Departure Hall, Plaza Premium Lounge promises a relaxing wait while in between flights. Enjoy unlimited food and hot or chilled beverages, including the signature Singaporean dishes like Singapore Laksa and Singapore Chicken Rice. Each lounge has comfortable couches, free WiFi, work stations and international TV channels, magazines and newspapers. Aside from that, you can also watch the chef as he prepares the dishes in front of you. The lounge also offers three private resting suites, six shower rooms (one is wheelchair accessible), two VIP rooms, massage and nail services - all of which you can avail of at extra cost. If you're only waiting in the airport for a short amount of time, you can also just choose to stay at TGM, where you can get unlimited food and drinks, and have access to the internet, international TV channels, magazines and newspaper - the perfect place to stay if you're looking to work before your flight.
Upon booking via the app, you can choose between 3 hours or 6 hours of stay. Since our flight is still around 9am the next day, we booked for the 6 hours although bitin padin sya sa waiting time namin, pwede nadin. Price is around Php 1800+ per head.
Please note that you also have to pick the date when you'll be using your voucher upon booking.
For the listing I posted above, you also have the option to stay at the Plaza Premium Lounge located at the 3F of Departure Area in Terminal 1, or the BLOSSOM - SATS & Plaza Premium Lounge located at the 2F of Terminal 4 Departure Area. Both are open 24 hours. We weren't able to access terminal 4 because our plane is assigned to Terminal 2 and I think only T4 of Changi is strict na dapat may T4 flight ka to have access in the area. But for T1 to T3, we were able to access so we stayed just at their Plaza Premium Lounge in T1.
During layovers, we don't have to get na our big luggages coz it goes straight to our final destination. But since we're expecting an overnight layover, we had our backpacks or small luggages with us for our toiletries, skincare, chargers, and change of clothes. Sobrang ready naming lahat, nakaka proud travel mom moment haha!
Information booths are open and can be spotted here and there at the airport, so we were able to navigate our way to the Plaza Premium Lounge.
The Lounge
You can choose from these comfortable couches:
Family-sized couches:
Or these small semi-private cubicles:
We picked these tiny cubicles so we can have a private space where we can take out our things, charge our gadgets, and sleep.
You can also pay separate fee for the VIP area (more enclosed space)
Or a small room that has a bed:
The Dining Area
You can get canned soda, tea, juices, and bottled water in the ref anytime you want:
Salad station where they served really fresh ingredients. You can also request for vegetarian meal or a hot meal (usually laksa) at the counter.
Coffee and juices, instant noodles, breads and fruits:
They also offer these nuts and chips, with red wine! I only availed this during our transit back to Manila, and mas naka sleep ako when I had the wine hehehe.
Toilet area and shower rooms are separate. Toilet for men and women are segregated and can easily be accessed (no need for keys) :
Meanwhile, I think they only have 6 shower rooms in this lounge. You have to sign up at the front desk to get a key, and then you have to return the key again once you're done so the maintenance can clean up for next user.
If there's no shower room available at the moment, receptionist will give you a round buzzing pager thing (parang yung sa Coffee Bean) so you'll know when slots are available again. Since group kami, we can also take turns sa isang shower room so we don't have to wait for the cleaner to finish before we can enter.
Amazed ako sa shower room nila because it has everything I needed. A hair dryer, a large towel, toilet with bidet, a box of toiletries with tooth brush, toothpaste, comb, cotton buds, and shower cap, and a hot and cold shower with shampoo and body wash. If biglaan lahat nito, wala akong kailangang dalhin or alalahanin!
What I Like About The Airport Lounge:
1) Overflowing food and drinks 24/7! We were able to have our dinner and breakfast here.
2) Free drinking water-- mahal ang bottled water sa SG!
3) Unli showers (with complete amenities, including towels and toiletries). They also clean the shower rooms every after use.
4) Different couch options: Semi private cubicles, seats where you can stretch, etc.
5) Electrical sockets in ALL seats / cubicles
6) Free and fast WiFi
7) LED screens to show flight status
8) Safe and clean
9) Free wine! ❤
What I Don't Like About The Airport Lounge:
1) Medyo malayo / mahirap hanapin (but this makes it more private, safe, secluded)
2) We only had one lounge option since we can't enter the one in T4.
3) We need to wait for the key to avail the shower room.
4) Nahirapan ako mag sleep on our first night, since it's a lounge most people were awake so they won't miss a flight. It gets noisy sometimes, especially sa dining area.
5) It's a bit pricey, almost same price as small hotel room if you add up yung ginastos naming tatlo.
Overall, I will still recommend Changi's lounge for its convenience (and for the experience!). If neat freak ka, sobrang okay dito! I think just the thought of overflowing food, coffee, and water, plus the chance to take hot showers (I showered pa twice--before bed, and before we left the next day! Haha!), sobrang nasulit na namin yung binayaran namin! Actually, baka nga nalugi pa sila samin, hahaha! 😂
How do you deal with long layovers, especially ones that involve overnight at the airport? What's your most favorite airport in the world?
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