Tom If you have read our post on 48 Hours in Changi Airport Transit Area, you’ll know that despite Singapore Airline’s check-in website that says it is possible, our feedback from the ground is that entry can only be done 24 hours prior to the flight. Hence, continuing from the previous review, we arrived back at Changi Airport on Saturday morning (flight on Sunday morning) to find out more about what travellers can do at Changi Airport transit area if you’re spending an extended period here…
24 Hours Before Planned Departure for Entry Into Changi Airport Transit Area
“Counter check-in
If you are departing from Singapore Changi Airport, you can check in at our counters up to 48 hours in advance and spend some time exploring one of the world’s most awarded airports. The check-in counters will close 40 minutes before your flight departs—however, we recommend arriving three hours early, especially if you have baggage to check in.”
Even though the above paragraph was extracted from Singapore Airline’s website, we were denied entry to the transit area on Friday morning. This morning (Saturday), we returned and were able to enter the transit area quite smoothly at 1030am. Although the immigration officer did remind us that we cannot exit after entering the transit area…
Prior to entry, we stopped by Changi Lounge on the airside for a quick snack and drink before entry. Upon entry into the transit area of Changi Airport, we stopped by Ambassador Transit Lounge
There we had a quick bite of the lunch offerings with Hokkien Mee and Whiskey & Coke. We noticed that the food offerings at Ambassador Transit Lounge did improve a little since our last visit. There were 2 coupons given for alcoholic drinks at this lounge. We also visited the shower facilities. Remember to get towels from the counter being using the showers here…
After a quick bite at Ambassador Transit Lounge, we dropped by TranSpa right opposite the lounge to get a haircut. There is no reservations allowed at TranSpa, only treatment on a first-come-first-served basis. Also, do note that you can only use the treatment via Priority Pass once within a 24 hours time frame. Nonetheless, we were told by the staff that some guests who have other lounge access membership such as Lounge Key and Dragon Pass do have more than 1 treatment during their visit.
We found the skills of the staff at TranSpa to be pretty good. We had a haircut as well as a wash and dry. Duly pampered at the start of our exploration at Changi Airport Transit Area. Do note that TranSpa is located inside Ambassador Transit Hotel. After our haircut, we walked past Enchanted Garden (T2) before taking the Sky Train to the other attractions at T1…
Attractions at Changi Airport Terminal 1 Transit Area
To be honest, it was also our first time checking out all the attractions within the transit area of Changi Airport. At Changi Airport T1, we first visited the Discovery Garden…
At Discovery Garden, there are tree-like sculptures and raised walkways where visitors can enjoy the outdoors and diverse foliage here. Nearby, there’s a Snooze Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1 as well…
We also passed by a food court that features Singapore Hawker Food and for international visitors, Popeyes Fried Chicken!
At T1, we also enjoyed the Water Lily Garden and Cactus Garden…
Before leaving Terminal 1, we headed over to Plaza Premium Lounge (T1 Changi Airport)…
We were pleasantly surprised by the offerings at Plaza Premium Lounge at T1 of Changi Airport Transit Area. Not only was there draft Tiger beer on tap, we also enjoyed the ala-carte menu of chicken rice, which was pretty good with achar and premium black soy sauce. Of course, the view of the runways were amazing as well. Next, it was time to check out the public attractions at T3 of Changi Airport Transit Area…
Attractions at Changi Airport Terminal 3 Transit Area
One of the biggest attraction inside Changi Airport transit area has got to be the Butterfly Garden at T3…
The Butterfly Garden at Changi Airport T3 transit area is a magical and enchanted place. You’ll be able to see various species of butterflies roaming the enclosed space with a mini waterfall that enhances the overall experience of this visit. It’s little wonder that Butterfly Garden is one of the top attractions for visitors transiting inside Changi Airport transit area.
Nearby, the viewing mall also has a nice little pond with many live Kois within…
At the transit area of Terminal 3, you’ll also find the Movie Theatre that has comfortable seats and a good schedule of movies throughout the day…
If you’re in the transit area for a period of time, you may want to head over to the Movie Theatre to first check out the schedule, shop/eat before returning to catch the movies.
There’s also a Singapore Food Street as well as another Snooze Lounge at T3…
There’s also a new Fidget Climber playground at Changi Airport Transit Area. Definitely looked like the kids were having loads of fun exploring this new attraction…
Sending Letters from Changi Airport Transit Area
To give Kate a surprise, Tom decided to write a love letter sent from Changi Airport Transit Area. However, there were a couple of things that he had to resolve. Firstly, he had to find a store that sells post cards. Secondly, a venue that sells stamps and thirdly, the location to post the post card within the transit area.
Thankfully, all three things were possible. First, Tom found a souvenir shop that sells post card. However, it is a post card that comes with a magnet and costs $8.9. He searched the remaining book stores and news joints but they didn’t sell any post cards. Hence, he had to settle for the $8.90 post card. Next, he headed over to 7-11 to buy a stamp for 70cents. This was rather straightforward and can be done at the 7-11 next to the Singapore Food Street. Lastly, after asking the customer service officer, he was able to locate the mail box inside Changi Airport Transit Area at Terminal 3, close to the customer service booth, next to the elevator as shown below…
Tom wrote the letter at Marhaba Lounge T3 and was also able to discover The Chocolate Block red wine, which is one of the most premium red wine at Priority Pass Lounges at Changi Airport. However, shower at Marhaba is not really good because usual toilet users use the same cubicles as people who shower. Hence, you can imagine the floor being a little more “soiled” than usual as compared to shower cubicles dedicated to showers only.
Before returning back to T2, we wanted to try out Kaveri Indian Food at the Singapore Food Street of T3. However, it was too crowded. Hence, we headed to T2 instead…
Attractions at Changi Airport Terminal 2 Transit Area
This time, we chose Masala Dosa – combo 1 and it was so good! Just like an Indian version of a pizza. There was even cheese pull – the cheese had game. Freshly made, crisp and delicious. Definitely recommended for Indian visitors looking for a vegetarian option at Changi Airport Transit Area.
We originally wanted to stop by TGM as well. But to our surprise, TGM closed at 3:30pm on a Saturday! Hence, we continued to check out the other attractions within the transit area of Changi Airport Terminal 2…
To round out the evening, we visited Priority Lounges such as Marhaba, SATS and Plaza Premium Lounge before turning in at the snooze lounge for the evening.
The next morning before boarding our flight to Kuala Lumpur, we headed over to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao to try out their Priority Pass offerings but were slightly disappointed…
Taste and quality of the noodles were not as good as what we had expected. Surprisingly, Crystal Jade Go at T4 was so much better.
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All in all, we had a fantastic time visiting the attractions within the transit area of Changi Airport. Of course, the unlimited Priority Pass access to the lounges also added to our experience. If you’re transiting via Changi Airport overnight or over an extended period, be sure to check out the things to do and attractions at the transit areas of Changi Airport Terminal 1, 2 and 3!
