My recent changi experience with family

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hrs027

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Having made many trips over the years to the subcontinent through changi I have always been amazed at the overall functioning of Changi airport although my last few trips have been through other south east asian airports.
Recently I had a trip where I was flying back to MEL with a long transit in Changi. I was flying back after school holidays with the family (2 kids 6 and 2 years).
We landed in Changi at 3am local time and our onward flight to MEL was at 1945 hrs. We were in J.
Only after landing did I realize that I had overlooked the incoming time with such a long transit and not planned ahead was a huge mistake.
As I had not booked the transit hotel, it was fully booked and I was told to wait until 9am for any availability.
I also had not looked at the opening hours of Qantas lounge (we were flying QF out of SIN).
Thankfully as I had priority pass, I could access one of their lounges for 3 hours and they were helpful to let our kids sleep on their couches.
In the morning we took the available room at the transit hotel which was $180 for 6 hours. After that we could access the QF lounge which by then opened.
This was a hard lesson learned by me for my assumption that everything in Changi was open 24/7.
So henceforth I will make sure to book the transit hotel way in advance if I have an overnight or red eye flight.
Don't know if there are many others like me but I thought of sharing this so others in the same boat could benefit.

P.S - Even though the transit hotel was expensive, it was very comfortable and clean and very quiet for a good nap.
 
A room at the Crowne plaza was $345 per day as I did inquire about it. It is within the terminal though but have to go through immigration. We didn't take that option as we were quite tired at 3 am and had to walk a lot to cross immigration to go to the hotel (the inter terminal trains don't operate between 2-5 am).
 
hrs027 you are not the first to make a boo boo and you will not be the last - planning is paramount. I hope the whole exp as not too painful for little ones.
 
Wow, that would have been a bit heart wrenching. Personally, as much as I would have struggled with the unplanned expense, $180 to get the kids (and yourselves) a bit of sleep is money well spent - I doubt you would have enjoyed the onward leg much with that much overtiredness. Can I ask why the transit time was so long - was it separately booked legs? A cheap flight? Did you book at the last minute?
 
I normally avoid lengthy stopovers, but had a recent one in Changi and just assumed I could rock up to a transit hotel at midnight and grab a 6 hour room.

Lesson learned - need to book...

Thankfully the larger SQ J lounge had a small handful of couches that could be slept on in the back corner.
 
After we rested at the transit hotel in the morning, we were ok. To our surprise, the little ones were well behaved despite having to walk a bit at 3 am.
The long transit was a result of cheap J fares. While i planned and booked t tickets in advance, I had completely overlooked the time we were landing at changi and the availability of lounges and resting arrangements. Lesson well learnt.
 
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Thanks for sharing. We're flying through Changi in April this year although we land at 6am and fly out at midnight(ish).
We have a few friends living there we're planning on catching up with, and we are considering not getting a hotel room for the day. Hopefully we could spend our time going around town, come back to the airport a few hours before departure, take a shower in the lounge? It's still 18h layover and during daylight hours, no children, so I hope we will be fine and tired enough to sleep the good part of the flight to Munich .
 
Thankfully the larger SQ J lounge had a small handful of couches that could be slept on in the back corner.
Even the smaller SQ lounge has some couches one could use for sleeping.

Have another transit through SIN next Sunday but this time no lounge access. Arrive ~11:00pm and depart ~7:15am. The transit hotel rates are daylight robbery.
 
Have another transit through SIN next Sunday but this time no lounge access. Arrive ~11:00pm and depart ~7:15am. The transit hotel rates are daylight robbery.

Wouldn't say daylight robbery, just lacking in value is the SIN transit hotels today - well for me personally.

I personally need 2-3 hours to wind down before I actually can sleep, so 6 hours to me = 3 hours sleep.

So I need to have at least 9 hours to have a worthy sleep - but at $90 for 6 hours and $18 per extra hour, it easily is a 12 hour at $180 booking ...... or book at a hotel near Little India for $80 overnight.

Arriving without plans at SIN isn't ideal, but isn't worst place to do so........ unless F1 weekend
 
For you? The darl? The bubba?Daylight robbery for 6hrs = what Johnny?
Baby sleeps well in pram. Daddy takes her for long walk and she is fast asleep and daddy gets his step count up and mummy gets nice sleep without having to worry about taking care of bubba.

$120 or $180 for 6 hours is daylight robbery. Can get nice room in Geylang for ~$70/night but too much stuffing around with short transit.
 
I don't weigh up the cost of a transit room in dollars but the benefit I will get.

$120 (or $20 an hour) for 6 hours of quiet time, the ability to lie down and have a shower and get changed is worth especially if you've been in Y and/ or don't have lounge access with showers. It also sets me up for the rest of the trip, ensuring I am not arriving wrecked.

Realistically if if I was killing 6 hours in the terminal I'd spend that and more on shopping.
 
I learned a harsh lesson on planning back in the 90's as a student. Flying CDG>HKG>MEL I inadvertently packed my credit/ATM card in checked luggage. 10 hrs in the old airport, no local currency, no credit cards, no lounge. Couldn't leave the airport, couldn't buy any food or drinks. Slept on the old red plastic chairs and filled a discarded plastic bottle with water from the public bathroom. What made it worse was I didn't eat on the CDG>HKG leg because CX had run out of food in Y...
When I boarded the HKG>MEL leg I hadn't eaten for 24 hours and had only consumed water. I don't know what was served on the flight in Y but it must have been an horrific sight for my seatmate to witness as I scoffed the whole tray in record time, then looked longingly at her tray...
 
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My cost earlier this month was USD38.

Must have had a S Room at T1.

For me personally - I read $90 + (20*3) = $150 min for a 9 hour stay min - so I tend to just book 2 x 6 hour blocks for $180 if I were to use the transit Hotel. Just booked my stay at Hotel 81 Dickson for $73 SGD all inc ($64 ++) for Wednesday night, yesterday. Doubt I could book a transit hotel now for 3 days time for overnight - which is my other reason I don't rely on them in any shape or form or bother looking at them as an option. Arrive MU at 8pm, depart EK following day 3:15pm - common SIN transit for me.


There current rates are:

Terminal 1:
S room


Single SGD 55 (6 hours block charge)

Twin SGD 80 (6 hours block charge)

Additional hour: SGD 20
M room
Single SGD 90 (6 hours block charge)
Twin SGD 110 (6 hours block charge)

Additional person SGD 25
Additional hour SGD 20
L room
Family SGD 160 (6 hours block charge)
Additional person SGD 25
Additional hour SGD 20

Terminal 2 & 3:

SGD 90 (6 hours block charge)

Additional hour: SGD 20
 
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