Singapore’s Changi Airport: Arguably The World’s Finest
When one thinks of long layovers in between a long-haul flight across the Pacific, generally a sad, inevitable malaise sets in, especially among business and frequent flyers. A few weeks ago, following a red-eye from the Maldives and prior to a 15-hour flight to LAX, I was faced with a very long, 14-hour layover.
When Tom Hanks played Viktor Navorski, a stranded man from post-coup Krakozhia – a fictitious former Soviet republic – in Stephen Spielberg’s movie The Terminal, Hanks was most certainly nowhere near Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Hanks as Navorski may have had a hard time living nearly endlessly on cracker and mustard sandwiches in that make believe terminal. However, I’m quite thankful my long layover was instead at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Spending time in Singapore itself or in nearby Sentosa for a few days is always an enjoyable interlude, but this time I had to get back to the U.S. That said, any length of time waylaid at Singapore’s Changi Airport is truly a delight. Whether it’s entertainment, retail therapy, culinary delights, or wellness, that floats your boat, you’ll easily find it at all at Changi and its immediate environs.
The Bed
The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore has an extremely enviable location, literally a three-minute walk from the international arrival gates in Terminal Three.
Sleek and chic, the Crowne Plaza design marries modernity and comfort with a side of incredible convenience. My spacious and lovely room had a comfortable king size bed, Nespresso machine, and hot pot, 60-inch flatscreen television, walk-in shower, freestanding deep soaking bathtub, and environmentally sound Antipodes products.
The third-floor swimming pool was a palm-fringed verdant oasis that helped shake off my red-eye flight and quickly reset my circadian rhythm. The fitness center with Technogym equipment and free weights, open 24-hours daily, permitted guilt-free dining. And this is important as dining pretty much anywhere in Singapore is basically a national sport, worthy of Olympian consideration.
The Meals
As George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” Perhaps nowhere is this truer than in Singapore.
The Crowne Plaza’s Club Lounge was one of my first post-workout stops with its lovely breakfast spread, including pastry items, charcuterie, cheeses, yogurts, cereals, and made-to-order items, including egg white omelets with all possible accoutrements and naturally, the all-important eggs Benedict. There’s also a delightful afternoon tea that even boasted a delicious cheesecake worthy of NYC’s lower east side, and a happy hour complete with top shelf cocktails and canapés.
The Crowne Plaza is also a three-minute walk to Jewel, where natural wonders unabashedly elope with retail therapy and dining choices to satisfy every possible culinary desire. There are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Bornean, and continental restaurants, as well as oyster bars, beer pubs, cafés, juice bars, and tea lounges. It was here I was fortified by my second breakfast of the day, since no one can be in Singapore and not have Singaporean kopi – local coffee, white and sweet – and toast with creamy, delectable kaya – coconut jam.
At Jewel’s Food Republic, one can experience all manner of Singaporean hawker stall street food. As I am in a deeply committed relationship with food, the succulent roast duck at Kam’s Roast Express made for a perfect afternoon tryst.
Later in the day, for a sweet tooth fix, Andersen’s of Denmark fit the bill with ice cream made from all natural ingredients and served in house made waffle cones.
On an acquaintance’s recommendation, I went to Le Shrimp Ramen – located at level B2 in Terminal 3 – providing true comfort food and devoured a truly fabulous prawn curry ramen served with picked cucumbers and green tea. Having enjoyed a nearly record-breaking four meals, afternoon tea, and two coffee breaks in 14 hours, I again was appreciative of Crowne Plaza’s gym.
The Finds
At Jewel’s Shiseido Forest Valley through its several walking trails, I enjoyed a multi-sensory journey of lights, water, and music, where Japanese aesthetics traverse in harmony with nature and art. There are countless plants from the world over, and both touch and scent sections.
At Canopy Park, a Nirvana for children of all ages, including those in their 40’s and 50’s, there are discovery slides, a colorful topiary walk, an abundance of orchids, a mirror maze – where I was handed one-third of a swimming pool noodle to negotiate the mirrors while preserving my nose – a hedge maze, and a jungle walking and a bouncing net.
At Jewel’s retail section, where in addition to many international stores, such as Sketchers, Footlocker, and Nike, there are also some cool local and regional shops. Those needing any travel related items will want to pop into The Boarding Gate selling all manner of excellent, jet-setting travel and lifestyle gadgets. Those journeying with kids will want to pause at the massive Pokémon store, and for Crocs lovers, there’s a shop entirely devoted to jewelry for the popular footwear.
Travelers wishing to have a complete executive health screening or simply check their cholesterol levels can head to Minmed Wellness Collective. Screenings take from a few minutes to two hours for the most comprehensive evaluation.
After all that exercise, eating, and retailing, I opted for an hour-long deep tissue massage at Natureland Spa. An extremely talented Malaysian masseuse named Scan skillfully made me forget entirely about my red-eye flight and put me into a deep state of bliss. From here, a wash and blow out at nearby Couttour completed the late afternoon.
While perhaps not a legitimate tourist ‘destination,’ any traveler worth his or her salt will marvel at Jewel’s public bathrooms. Outfitted with Toto toilets and state-of-the-art water conservation faucets, these spaces are so sparkling and so spotless, a surgeon could easily and safely use them as operating theaters.
The penultimate stop of this perfect day was Terminal Two’s Wonderfall, where an all-digital waterfall cascades in a melodic dance coupled with music by Jean-Michel Blais. After collecting my luggage back at the Crowne Plaza, my final stop prior to my Terminal 3 departure was the Butterfly Garden, the first of its kind in an airport with over 40 species and 1,000 of these tropical fluttery fliers, complete with a nearly 20-foot grotto waterfall.
The Lesson Learned
Regardless of where you are headed, or how long your layover is at Singapore’s Changi Airport, you are likely to be quite sad when your onward flight is called. However, channeling into that sadness, you can then commence planning your return visit to the lovely Lion City. Happy travels!
Julie L. Kessler is a journalist, attorney, and the author of the award-winning memoir: “Fifty-Fifty, The Clarity of Hindsight.” Her work has appeared in several major publications, including The LA Times, The SF Examiner, The Asia Times, The Jerusalem Post, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Travel&Leisure and Money Inc among many, many others. She can be reached at Julie@VagabondLawyer.com.
