Diane&Bob

manchester flights to Adelaide arrive at Singapore at 6:30am and depart for Oz at 10:30pm. Can anyone answer me:
Can you leave the airport and explore - how far out of the city is the airport?
how hot is it in September - is it very humid?
Do they do double baggage for migrants and how do you get it?
Any other tips on how to spend the time?

Thanks
Bob & Diane

goodwnsherratts

Hi Diane & Bob
I seem to remember reading somewhere in the loads of books & magazines that if you have a stopover of more than 5 hours then there is a free tour of Singapore that you can take.It leaves outside the airport hourly I think and you can get on and off it as you like and pick up the next coach etc. Also remember reading that you can visit one of the hotels to use their pool, gym etc at a charge of course but dont think its too expensive. This info might be on singapore airports website !!!

Hope thats some help
Jill.
PS will try to dig it out and send it on to Diane
.

sundarize

We're flying from Manchester to Adelaide, via Singapore on 31st August.

We booked through Lees Travel and booked one night in a hotel. This means we have two full days to relax / explore. The hotel is £18 per night per adult, and its supposed to be UK 4 star standard.

Theres a free courtesy bus from the airport and back again. Its 20km away.

After 13.5 hours with 2 kids on the plane, we think we will appreciate the rest.

I'm not sure if you can get your bags / leave the airport when in transit or if you have to sit there all day and wait, but for £36, a two day break seems the obvious thing to do.

When do you fly?

Alan Collett

Hello Bob and Diane.

Changi Airport is (in my view) one of the best I have visited (I'll be seeing it again on Friday when I return to Melbourne), although I'd not want to spend 16 hours there. The Airport is about 15 minutes from the City, and I would think about leaving your luggage at the Airport, catching a taxi to Mount Faber, catching the cable car across to Sentosa, and then spending the day on the Island. There's a monorail to take you around and a fairly good aquarium to visit.

You can then catch the ferry across to the mainland and perhaps have some dinner at the hawker stalls at Newton Circus before returning to the airport.

The weather in Singapore is almost always hot (30 degrees all year round) and humid, although most places are air con'd.

Hope this helps.

hevs

I certainly wasn't prepared for the humidity. Getting dry when you get out of the shower can be a real problem! We had some cracking ( ) thunder storms though..........

scrawni

I kept the little book that came with tickets and it says:

If you stop for 5 hrs and more you can join a free singaore tour. You register for a 2-hour sightseeing tour. The tour includes a bumboat cruise down the historic Singapore river. The run daily 10am till 7pm (last booking 6.30pm)

They also have a gym, rooftop swimming pool and jacuzzi located T1 Transit hotel level 3. Poolside aromatherapy and foot reflexology 7am - 11pm. They even have a nursery. You can also surf the net.

Mandy

smithone

When I flew to Auckland I got 40kg weight allowance because I was emmigrating.

Baggage Allowance - You need to let them know ASAP and get it in writing in case you get any grief with the check in staff either at the UK or in Singapore.

My wife had 1 day stopover in Singapore and she was fine on the London-Singapore leg but when she went to check in for the Singapore- Auckland leg she was told that she only had 20kg allowance. She didn't have it in writing that she had 40kg so she had lots of grief.

They will want to see a letter from the Immigration department as proof that you are actually migrating and not just on holiday.

Singapore is very hot and humid and after a long flight I wouldn't recommend doing anything too strenous as the heat can easily exhaust and dehydrate you.

I'd catch a cab into town, go for some food down the waterfront then go and hang out at the pool and then spend a few hours enjoying the airport

Jolyn

Luggage - you need your travel agent to fax a copy of the visa to Singapore Airlines and get it sorted before ticketing. The right number of kg needs to be on the ticket or they won't do it.

Check out Singapore Airlines website. Transit passengers with more than 5 hours can get a free tour of Singapore (takes 2 hours) or the island with the beach (can't remember its name) but sounds good. Can only go on those two tours - can't wander around unaccompanied as you won't have actually cleared customs. That's if you've checked your bags straight through and are just wandering about with hand luggage.

They have transit hotels too within the airport - cheap and you can nap, shower and just feel human again! Book the hotel room ahead - you get it for 6 hour blocks, clean, towels provided etc. Again see www.singaporeair.com (I think). Plus there's plenty of food, shopping, swimming pool on roof and so on.

smithone

Luggage - you can get the extra weight it sorted after your tickets have been issued but you'll need a letter from Singapore Airlines that you can show to the check in staff.

Don't forget to put your request in for seats early. Singapore are normally very good at getting you the seats you need. I swear by the emergency exit seats because of the extra leg room but not sure if you can sit there with kids

chippy

Yes, that aquarium is bloody brilliant! The rest of Sentosa is a bit synthetic/touristy though.

Alan Collett

Your intrepid reporter here, with a despatch from Singapore!

For those who are interested and who have laptop PCs, there is wireless internet access at Changi, but you should ideally be signed up with a company such as iPass beforehand ...

Best regards.

jery_wang

There is now MRT (Mass Rapid Transfer) that stops at Changi Terminal 2 and goes directly to city which takes about 20 - 30 minutes.

But that means you have to get out from immigration check point and check in again. It may be too short for you. And the shops at Orchard (down town) only opens around 11 am to 12 am. This to avoid your dissapointment.

The tour for stopover passenger may not start that early. You can check though.

And yes, the sun here shines at around 7 am. 6:30 is still dark. When you reach everywhere at around 8 am, you will find a lot of commuters (go to work) and the shops are still not openning.

I think you won't have much time too enjoy, it is still too early and too short. If you just want to see the down-town take MRT, Changi all the way to City Hall station and you can come out here or take the interchange to Orchard MRT Station. Going back is easy, Orchard - City Hall - Changi. Be careful not to take to Pasir Ris. There are two trains, one to Changi and one to Pasir Ris. You will hear the announcement when the train comes, make sure you take Changi destination when you are at City Hall.

We only have two seasons here:
Wet
and
Wet

So yes it is humid.

Spend time? You mean from 6:30 am to 10:30 am? You got to be kidding. Spend a day to explore Singapore.

Ceri

Singapore is more often than not around 32c all year round (sometimes 34) except when it rains heavily - it will then drop down in the 20's somewhere - 26c, 28c etc. Humidity is all year round, it's one of the most humid countries in the world as it being close to the equator, about 130 kilometres away . Sept and on you can get quite a bit of rain - I remember one year at Christmas - it rained non stop for two weeks.

I don't think most people are really prepared for how humid it actually gets there , that's why I never moan about the humidity in Brisbane - it's got nothing on Singapore's humidity. The most humid part of the day I found was around 7 pm - after the sun went down.

When I first arrived in , Sing - I suffered dehydration one day, (it was the first week I got there) - after walking around for almost two hours my legs became weak. stupid really , I did not recognise I had dehydration - someone pointed it out to me. Make sure you drink a lot while there if you are walking around outside for a length of time.

Things to do - if you only have a couple of hours - go to Orchard RD. There are plenty of huge shopping centres which are air-conditioned, and plenty of places to eat and drink - if you have quite a bit of time to spare: besides Sentosa .... Tang Dynasty, Croc Park, Zoo, East coast, marina bay and my favourite Pulau Ubin , you take a bum boat from Changi ( but that may be a bit too energetic - the island is undeveloped, or it was when I lived there- it's a beautiful place, one of the last undeveloped parts of Sing, you get round by hiring bikes, or an old taxi)... or you could take a taxi to Arab St, it's one road which sells Batik, silks, basket ware etc - that's not too tiring and can be done in a hour or two.

But looking at your timetable - you have not got a of time, plus you will be tired - try Orchard road for a browse around the shops (you'll never get around each and every shop/shopping centre - they're that big)- you can just take it easy then, plus there are plenty of cafes to relax and enjoy a rest.

hope this is of some help
Cheers

Diane&Bob

Thank you all for great information, I'm excited already - we will be sure to make the most of our day.
Diane :scared:

Ceri

I've just thought of another one - go to the westin Stamford hotel. It's the tallest building/hotel in Sing - and it used to claim it was the tallest hotel in the world (not sure if this record still stands today) .

If you take a lift up to the top floor (your ears will pop going up - it's that high) there's a restaurant on the top of the building (the Compass Rose restaurant) The view over Singapore is amazing - you're surrounded by glass windows. The restaurant holds buffets in the afternoon (high tea) which was not expensive at the time - around $20 per person. The food is really good - little pastries and such. And you can enjoy a Sing sling and get to keep the Merlion drink holder.

I used to take all my guests up there - as the view is amazing! It's something not to be missed. Make sure you take your camera .

Cheers