Chapter Wanderlust: Singapore Airlines The Private Room Changi Airport

Writing this 36,000 Ft in the air, currently on-board SQ26 to Frankfurt, it is a dream come true and also gleaming at the Suites. I have always wanted to try the Suites since it was launched back then in 2007, now I can finally say I did it! Before I start sharing all about the Suites experience and get crazy I shall share a little on the ground experience first.

After almost a year of planning and finishing up my national service just last week, I am so glad to be embarking on this Europe trip of mine. Close to almost 44 days in Europe and then an additional 25 days in the States, it is gonna be a blast and especially an adventure. I also expect it to be a culture shock and many life experience. Before even you get on board the actual suites, the experience starts from the moment that you drive into the driveway of the dedicated First Class Check In located at Changi Airport Terminal 3. This is why it is always A Great Way To Fly, since they handle everything for you and makes it so fuss less. I made it a point to arrive at the airport way early prior to my departure time to fully experience the lounge. I had an airport transfer arranged thanks to the Citi Prestige Card that I hold. The drive was less than 10mins, given that I was staying close to the airport. The whole check in process took less than a min.

In the First Class Check In that I was in, I was promptly welcomed, there were agents station right at the entrance to welcome guests. I just had to inform them of my booking reference and pass them the passport. Everything else was taken care off. They might be even slightly more enthu, they tried to even check in my carry-on baggage. The whole process was fast and efficient, both the renowned golden boarding pass and invitation to The Private Room were in my hands within seconds. The check in facility is also kind of like a lounge where there are many comfortable seats which I took advantage of to spend some time with my parents before entering the transit area.

From the facility you could head to customs via a private entrance and then straight to the Silverkris Lounge and then The Private Lounge. Basically you could be in the lounge from arrival at the airport in less than 5mins. Upon presentation of your boarding pass to the agents at the entrance of the lounge I was escorted pass the Business Class Lounge, then the First Class Lounge before entering The Private Room. Speaking about exclusivity! It is really a maze and hard to find if you hadn’t been there! If you are unsure of the lounge of Singapore Airlines in their hub, there is the Krisflyer Gold Lounge where Star Alliance Gold or Krisflyer Gold members can access when they are flying in Economy. The Silverkris lounge where PPS club members and guest in business class or first class can access. The first class section is actually only used by Star Alliance partners first class passengers and SQ passengers gets access into The Private Room.

The person that was escorting me enquired on my preference to have dinner first or simply just lounge at one of their couches, I took the option to dine first before checking out the lounge itself. The lounge is basically one long stretch, with the dining facility located at the end of the lounge. It is just like a restaurant set up with tables of 2 or 4. Something like a fine dining facility where upon seated waiters will immediately come over and present you with the menu. While the agent wasn’t really polished since he did not suggest to take my coat or my carry on, although unnecessary, was something that I would expect at the best lounge of a 5 star airlines in its flagship self-operated lounge at its home hub, the servers in the restaurant were! He invite me to have a drink first and while I look thru the menu. Krug was suggested and you definitely couldn’t say no.

I shall share a little on the dining first before the rest of the lounge. Together with the champagne, evian water was provided as well. You can check out the menu here. The menu basically consists of two parts. Dinner which starts at 6.30pm and also the Chef Station, which is served after 12pm. Besides that there is also the Vegetarian menu and also various beverages menu, including a super detail TWG tea selections.

Feeling famished after waiting for the whole day! Together with the server’s recommendation, I got the Tomato Lemongrass Soup, Baked Cod Fish with Green Peas and Tomato Mango Confit, Wok Fried Lobster with Braised Wanton Noodles, as well as Satay. No one could say no to Singapore Airlines Satay! It is really that amazing. Satay and Garlic Bread, no one could do it better than them. The soup, which is one of the server’s recommendation was really good. I like how appetizing the soup was and also the combination of tomato and lemongrass, it somehow cut thru a little of the sweetness. If I am to fault the soup was a little on the salty side. Perfect for getting your appetite started.

Next on came the Wok Fried Lobster with Braised Wanton Noodles. Who can resist this, a combination of the east and west. The lobster was done perfectly and the glaze or sauce was great. I just wish that they would be more generous with the sauce as it is really delicious especially going with the noodles. Perhaps the preference, but if I knew I will ask the dish to go without the beansprout.

Baked Cod Fish with Green Peas and Tomato Mango Confit, this was by far the most impressive and my favourite dish off the menu. The portion is just nice, especially when you want to try a couple of dishes. The fish was flaky and done just right. It is well seasoned and the tomato mango confit is really good. And another preference, green peas is just not my thing.

Last but not least I had the satay, which was always a favourite. A couple more glasses of Krug couldn’t hurt either.

Lastly was the blackforrest cake that I had for dessert, but that was nothing amazing!

After feasting for some much, I guess it is time to check out the rest of the lounge, previously mentioned, the lounge consists of a long room, which is separated by little walls that makes it more private. The lounge was never too crowded and despite me being there during the peak period there is never more than 20 people. The seating mostly consists of comfy armchairs which were really nice to lounge on. A slight negative point was that, not all the seats have a power plug. Although the restaurant is the main dining area, basically you could dine wherever you want in the lounge.

I also had the opportunity to check out the bathroom and the showers. There were individual shower rooms and they were huge and well maintained. The water pressure was also excellent in the rainforest shower. If you know me personally, you will know that I hate lousy water pressure. Just one thing that I really dislike was the usage of shampoo and soap dispenser. Come on, you are a private first class lounge of one of the best airline in the world or the best airline in the world and you can’t provide individual bottles of soap to your highest premium customers where a suites ticket to the states might cost easily 20,000 dollars. That is just cheap or a total overlook to me. Dispenser are actually so disgusting

The flight was delayed due to weather in Singapore, although I was a little worried since I had a train connection after arrival in Frankfurt. There is no other place I would love to spend the delay. The staff were great though and immediately inform me about the boarding status. Instead of having announcement, the staff will inform guest individually. A little preference in The Private Room was it being too quiet, without any background music. This makes it a little awkward to talk. It will be nice to have some soothing soft music at the back. The staff was great and I could also keep my baggage there while I head to the shops to get some stuff.

After this visit for now, I am unsure how can I survive in other lounges. Looking forward to trying out more lounges, hopefully I can find one that is better than this. Looking forward to be back very soon! Stay Tuned for the next episode which I will share on the other lounges that I visited in Changi Airport T3. Let me know on your thoughts if you have ever been in The Private Room. Stay tuned for my upcoming few series where I will check out the rest of the lounges in Terminal 3.