Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s never great when your flight is delayed and you miss your connection and are thus stuck overnight in an airport... BUT if this is going to happen to you, the Singapore Airport is probably the best place ever for that to happen!
One of my besties had causally mentioned that the Singapore Airport was a destination all on its own but for some reason that didn’t really register for me and somehow, I hadn’t heard anything about it before!
My travel to Bali was 3 legs...
Denver to San Francisco...
San Francisco to Singapore...
Singapore to Bali.
Things went awry on the second leg. We were delayed getting out of San Francisco, but I was hoping with it being such a long flight (17+ hours) that we would make up time in the air. But alas, weather wasn’t having any of that! The weather wasn’t awesome, so the Pilots decided to reroute to avoid some of that which made the route even longer. As such, we arrived into Singapore just a little too late for me to make my connection. And when I tell you I sprinted to the next gate I am not even kidding. I didn’t want to miss a single night in Bali if I could help it! But even an Olympic Sprinter wouldn’t have made it. However, literally only missed it by 10-15 minutes. Ugh!
So there I was, on Christmas Eve at 10 pm at night, stuck in an unknown airport for 8+ hours I didn’t plan on ...
Turns out, it turned into an adventure!
For starters, let me say how much I appreciate that most International Airports have their airline airport lounges remain open ALL NIGHT LONG! For International Travel this is so helpful especially! In the US they all close at 10 or 11pm in general so if you’re stuck overnight, you can’t spend time in the airline lounges which would make life much more comfortable.
I first wandered to the Singapore Airlines lounge (code share flight with United and is Star Alliance) which I had access to in order to check out what options existed. I wasn’t tired at this point so I didn’t really want to just sit so after getting a lay of the land, I set off to explore!
At Singapore airport, for a small fee you can store your baggage (with the exception of your laptop, cash, etc.) which is AWESOME! I wanted to be able to walk all around the airport and that is just more difficult when pulling a rollaboard which is something I always do “just in case” there are checked baggage issues (foreshadowing–good thing I did!) so being able to ditch that and just carry my shoulder bag was a total bonus. It was only about $15 and they will hold it for you for up to 24 hours. So I stashed my bag and off I went!
When people think of things to do in an airport, they usually think of shopping because that’s sort of the standard thing. (Though admittedly I have a lot of questions about people who want to go do high-end shopping at an airport...hmmmm....) This airport certainly has no shortage of shopping from local to high end and many many many places to eat. They had one place that particularly surprised me–Garrett’s Popcorn! As a Sweet Home Chicago gal, this one made me smile but I didn’t feel the need to pick any of that up here.
What’s unique is that this airport has experiences and actual things to do!
They had a bunch of different gardens you could visit such as a sunflower garden and a cactus garden! While admittedly it was hot and humid out, it was also nice to be able to step outside and get some fresh air. And I appreciated that I could do this no matter the time of day/night.
These gardens were in addition to really pretty plants and koi ponds they had in various areas inside the airport. Everywhere you walked, it was really quite beautiful and honestly, in some ways you forgot you were inside an airport!
They also have a movie theater that runs movies 24/7, and good ones! No charge! Just come in, sit down, and be entertained! (I do suspect more than a few people end up catching a nap as they try and watch a movie overnight. I hope they set an alarm!)
I walked 6-7 miles all around the airport and yes I did some laps in the scheme of things but there was just so much to see that I was happy to keep walking around. Not to mention I needed to move after being on a plane for nearly 18 hours! But then I realized I probably did need a nap and was thrilled that the Singapore Airlines lounge had a quiet room designed for just that!
While I certainly hadn’t planned to explore the airport on my way to Bali, it turned into a bit of a while unexpected, fun, adventure.
On my way back to the US, I did have a long layover at the airport, and I explored some different things on that leg of the journey since it wasn’t overnight. You can even leave the airport to do a tour of the city but I chose not to do that this trip because I thought it might cut it just a little too close for my comfort.
I did however visit somewhere I never would have thought existed at an airport – a rooftop pool! For ~$20 you get entrance and they give you a towel and a locker to use to store anything you need to. The weather wasn’t the greatest but I didn’t care–I needed to take advantage of this unique opportunity to try this out! The pool area was a great space with not only lounge chairs but also tables and chairs where you could also order food.
There was a bar, of course, and I decided if I am at a pool, on top of an airport, I sort of feel like I should go all-in on this experience and have a beverage. So I did. And when looking at the menu of adult beverages there was clearly only one answer of what to order... a Singapore Sling!
Sadly the sun didn’t come out for me and then it started to rain so I didn’t get to enjoy the full potential of this cool opportunity but it’s one I certainly would do again if I was in the airport for an extended period of time again during the day! The other place I visited this time that I wasn’t able to visit in my first bit of time here was the Butterfly Garden. It was really cool to see these beautiful creatures flying around in the midst of the chaos of an airport. Peaceful.
Hands down–the Singapore Airport is the most incredible I have ever been in and I have been in more than a few airports! (Please don’t ask how many - I don’t actually know! The answer is a lot! Ok, not as many as a flight attendant or airline pilot but still a lot!)
So if you find yourself stopping through this airport, be sure to pack your walking shoes ... because you can choose to have yourself a bit of an adventure!!!