forkandknife

I know, you are there and i am here but..........

I am just about to book a flight for me and my other half to Oz, and i am asking all you obviously very experienced OZ residents who have flown the flight; can i have a little bit of advice, with regards to flight intinary etc?

I am going with Singapore Airlines i think, i mean i will book with them, why; they seem the cheapest and most regular, anyway!

1) Fly from Heathrow, is it best to spend 24 hours in Singapore for a rest, then fly on to Brisbane?

2) Is it best just to fly to Singapore, sit for around six hours, then get the flight to Brisbane.

Cost is a factor, but i hate flying, i hate travelling these types of distance, but i want to have a look before i commit to a new home!

A night in Singapore in a hotel seems to be a good idea, but have you got any recommendations for a hotel in Singapore for a stopover? Thats if this is a good idea?

I do not want to arrive in Brisbane feeling like i have had a big bag of magic mushrooms, and looking like i was just dug up from the garden? You know that Sunday morning look after an all nighter, when you were young?

Any advice please post, thanks Fork!

Mrs Jackaroo

I dont think this is necessary - we flew with our 6 year old daughter and found flying all the way through not a problem at all.

I think thats just dragging it out to be honest - just get it over with - we stopped for about an hour I think - I was just glad to get back on the plane for the last leg.

Grayling

If you are going with Singapore airlines then check out their stopover scheme.....subsidised hotels, free tour bus, free transfers etc....well worth it if you want to break the journey.

G

grossenbol

I have to agree with Mrs Jackaroo (Imo) We flew SA , had 1 hr stopover in Singapore with a 9 and a 6 yr old, i think it just drags it out too, and the 2nd leg of the journey was the easiest for us, the 4 of us slept right through it,
And SA was absolutely fab. Couldn't fault them 1 bit, would go with them every time. We arrived in Brissy at 7.30pm which was great as we all went to bed about 9pm and got up feeling good, no jetlag.
Hope u love Oz as much as we do!!
Fiona x

Simpleton

We've flown a couple of times with Singapore airlines, they're a great service from what I remember. They seem to offer the most leg room anyway.

The airport we stopped at in Singapore was amazing, more than enough in there to keep us entertained during our two hour refuelling stop.

We've always gone the full journey with just a couple of hours refuelling, and although it is tiring travelling so far, I'd rather get it out of the way and be in Aus! If I was going to do a stopover at all I'd prefer to have at least a few days to travel around and see the sights.

harrip

Personally I prefer a stop over if possible and its a way to explore somewhere else, making the most of the air travel. I feel more refreshed when I arrive too. Maybe look at JAL - they often include the cost of the stop over in Narita in their price, but appreciate it depends what their fare is like as to whether this is an affordable option.

moneypenny20

We came over with Singapore. We did a four day stop over, as Grayling says, they offer great deals. We thought it would be a shame to miss out on what Singapore has to offer and had no idea if or when we would pass that way again. It also helped us (no idea about other people ) sort of say goodbye to our UK lives and chill a bit before starting our Aus lives.

Oh and it's not a stupid question

wardy2

We also flew with Singapore had a couple of hours in airport before last leg to Brisbane arrived early evening had something to eat and went to bed.

We woke next morning and didn't suffer any jet lag.

I hate flying and i'm such a wuss I can usually be seen crying on take off so embarassing if I had stopped over all I would be doing is thinking of the next flight I like to get it out of the way asap.

I'm already worrying about flight and haven't even got the visa yet.

bcworld

Have you been to Singapore before? Would you like to have a look around? If so do the stopover. but I'd stay 2 nights rather than one.

SQ have 3 flights a day from Heathrow to Singapore - avoid the day flight at all costs, think it leaves at 1200. It's much better to do this long flight overnight, so take either the 1800 or 2200 flight. Often the 1200 is a bit cheaper but that really is because it's much less desirable.

I would suggest:

-take the late flight from London (arrives Singapore in the evening)
-stay in SIN for 2 nights (gives you a full day to explore)
-take a day flight to Brisbane which leaves SIN in the morning and gets you to BNE in time for bed again

Re Hotels in SIN, I've stayed in the Swissotel Stamford & Hilton Orchard Rd and would recommend both - or any of the big hotels on Orchard Rd really.

quoll

Nah, get it over and done with! I always blank out the full day on my calendar and go straight through. The second half is always easier than the first half IMHO. I always try and get a late leaving flight and work really hard during the day so that by the time I get on the plane I am knackered. Last but one time I came back I was asleep before the wheels were up and woke up just in time for the meal before landing in Bangkok.

I've been to Singapore several times and it isnt as good as it used to be, especially for duty free stuff so unless you desperately want to get another stamp in your passport just get the whole trip out of the way in one hit.

You are going to feel a bit woozy when you land anyway. I find that if I land early in the morning I can keep going until about 5pm then I need to go to sleep for the night.

muffinoz

Hi there ... personal view but I'd either do three nights in S/pore or go straight thru to Brissie ... there's plenty to do for three days you won't see enough of it in one day ... Sentosa Island is a full day on it's own ... S/pore is the most westernised of the Far East cities but still enough character to be interesting.

Haven't flown S/pore recently but were fairly good about 7/8 years ago, last year I used Cathay and stopped over in Hong Kong, 2 or 3 times before that we used Emirates ... for two reasons ... they were very good and they flew from B'ham which was handy for us ... don't know where you are in the UK but Emirates fly from Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham as well as LHR ... maybe more places now.

My OH used Qantas last year ... she thought they were ok ... but not nearly as good as Emirates ...

Good luck ... David

dugongs

we've done this trip a few times now and used a few airlines. we prefer to fly through now as short stopovers seem to make the end jetlag worse when you get to oz. picking the flight times is good advice imho.

also if you are going to fly singapore if you book directly with them as we have just done for a trip downunder next year 1). you can choose your seats on booking for all legs which helps coping if you have an ok seat and 2). quidco give 1% which is better than nothing.

Rosscarbery

If you're doing a reccie I would fly straight through on the way out and treat yourself to a couple of nights in Singapore (if you're going to stop, you really need 2 nights) on the way home. Singapore Airlines are fantastic and you can get some great hotel deals if you book with them. I would recommend the Marina Mandarin in Singapore if you want something nice. If I've got that completely wrong and you're coming out one way do what we did and spend a month in Singapore/Thailand en route - you'll never do it again

Nerine

We're thinking about stopping over in Singapore next year, has anyone here ever got shirts/suits made to measure whilst there and where are the good places to get them done?

ulpul

The 1200 is the best to get in my opinion. I can get that, land in Singapore by about 6.30am the next day and get my 10.00 connection through to Melbourne which lands at 1900 or 2000 depending on daylight savings. That ensures minimal jet lag and straight into the time zone. Have done this 7 times now and this suits me the best.

Getting into Singapore at 06.30 ish gives you a full day in Singapore also and a large part of that flight is in darkenss also enabling sleep.