Singapore airport-very early flight
 

Has anyone stayed at the Ambassador Transit Hotel or Lounge?

Yes. Very basic. Rooms are clean, quite small, each room has to twin beds (rather hard) and very thin towels in the bathroom. I only use it when I am flying in after midnight and departing in the morning before 7 or 8.

Singapore is so small, the taxi ride from your hotel to the airport will be under half an hour no matter where you are staying. So for me, it's not worth the bother to stay at the transit hotel rather than spend another night at my hotel in Singapore.

I've stayed at the transit hotel. It's clean, quiet, and you have a place to sleep and shower. It's extremely useful if you have several hours between flights and want to catch up on some sleep and clean up.

The transit hotel is airside, so in most cases you would need to be changing planes in Singapore. I suppose you could use the hotel if you had no checked baggage and could print your own boarding pass.

MY daughter and I stayed there last month. it was just as described above..Clean, basic, quiet, with a good shower. I don't think there was anything except towels and soap; no shampoo.

The rooms are rented in 6 hour blocks, then per hour after that. For our double it was $92 for the six hours from midnight to 6 am. Worked perfect for us, and we were happy to find lots of restaurants open all night.

Make a reservation. They can be cancelled up to a day or two beforehand, if I recall.

We've stayed there also and I second the comments above. We didn't sleep very well, mostly due to jet lag. If you have enough time to go through immigration and customs, I highly recommend the Crowne Plaza which is directly linked to Terminal 3.

Since our flight leaves @ 6:30 AM, we would like to stay there and sleep from, maybe, 10PM-4AM. Seems better than staying at a hotel in Singapore proper. Thanks for the help!

I think (as DonTopaz says above) that you would have to check in for your flight in order to use the transit hotel, as it is airside. Will your airline allow you to check in that early?

virginiafish: do you understand that you must check in for your flight before you can access the transit hotel, because you will need a boarding pass to clear security? If you have luggage to be checked, you might not be able to check in at the airport the previous evening, and you certainly will not be able to take that luggage with you to the transit hotel.

So are you in transit or coming from time in Singapore? - can't tell from your previous posts...

If coming from time in S-pore, Crowne Plaza is the way to go. If not, do the transit hotel.

We are coming from time in S-pore.

The crowne Plaze was 50% more but was very comfortable and since we wanted restful sleep we thought it was worth the extra $75 on a $5000 trip.

You are all correct. we can only check our bags in 4 hours before.

If you are already staying at another hotel in Singapore, why waste all the time moving hotel, packing and unpacking, checking in and out - all just to get up 30 minutes later?

Stan, you must have gotten a great deal if the Crowne Plaza was only 50% more than the Ambassador. I just checked a random date in November, and the Crowne Plaza was more than three times the price of the Ambassador.

Virginia, I expect your hotel in Singapore will be the same price or less than the Crowne Plaza, so it doesn't seem to be to be worth moving hotels. At that early hour, it will likely be 20 minutes to the airport from your in-city hotel.

Kathie-we are staying at the Marriott, with 2 free nights and paying $350 for the third, so I think we will hang out at the 24hr Starbucks until we can check our bags at 2:30 and go to the rest lounge or something. We'll have plenty of time to sleep on the plane. Thanks, so much, everyone!

Mixed feelings on this. It will be 25 minutes to the airport even at the best of times - sorry Kathie. Walking to the terminal from your hotel is great - switching for the last day is not. Given all of the new info I have now, I would probably bite the bullet and stay put at my S-pore hotel rather than changing. Sleep on the plane...

Posted before seeing your latest. Is it not worth it ON VACATION to spend the extra $$ for the night before your flight to get some sleep and to have a shower before the long flight home (no matter where you stay)? What if your flight is delayed or cancelled?

Well, it's been a few years since we were last in SIngapore, and the traffic certainly could have gotten worse. We usually clocked it at 20 minutes from the Grand Hyatt to Changi when we were catching that United flight out of Singapore. We'll get a chance to clock it again this year - sounds like we should leave a bit more time.

We haven't yet booked our Singapore hotel - seriously considering the Intercontinental in one of the Shophouse Club rooms, in part due to your rave review of the Club, Craig. The last of the contractors left today - so it's time to devote myself to trip planning.

The flight is at 6:30a. I seriously doubt there's major traffic at 4:30 in the morning.

The Transit Lounge at Changi airport has nap rooms and showers. That's what we will plan to use. Thanks for all of your help and insights, as per usual.

What airline are you flying? You sure there will be check-in counters open at 2:30a?

I've stayed there several times and have had absolutely no problem staying there. It's clean, the showers are strong and the water very hot, and the front desk does wake-up calls. Plus, it's pin-drop quiet. I prefer to stay right there in the airport when my flights land in Singapore (from L.A.) at 2:30AM-ish. And then I'm usually on to Bangkok the same day, but in the late morning or early afternoon.

Happy Travels!

Forgot to add that one can pay the bill at the transit hotel in US dollars cash, if one wants to.
Happy Travels!

Thanks! Yes, I called United and check in is 4 hours before the flight. Thanks for thinking about this, though.

I didn't read all the above comments before posting. I just read your initial question. I now see that you will have already been in Singapore and then on your way home. Happy Travels!

3:30a. They used to open at 4:30a, now an hour earlier. But not 4 hours before flight. You were told wrong:

http://www.united.com/web/en-us/cont....aspx?Region=3

Check the newest posts on Flyertalk. Again, it's 3:30a.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ey-open-6.html

BTW, are you flying SIN-HKG or SIN-NRT?

Singapore to Hong Kong. Wow, thanks for the information. That is not what the person on the phone told me...

I was in Singapore twice last year and went to the airport several times and from the balmoral area of Singapire ( near Newton) it took approx 20 minutes to get to the airport. ( and it certainly won't be busy early in the morning. If it were me ( and it isn't) I wouldn't let the very early flight persuade you in to thinking you need to stay at the airport, I would still say in town.

Also Singapore is one of the most efficient airports I know, you do not need to be there 4 hours before. 2 would be fine. 2.5 if you feel nervous about it.

I am shocked to hear that someone received incorrect information from one of United Airlines' fine telephone agents.

Funny, Don...

Maybe my watch was running fast when going back and forth to the airport? Doesn't matter really - 20, 25 minutes is not a long time.

Given the latest info, spending the $$ for the extra night at your original hotel so you can nap and/or shower before your flight makes a lot more sense than hanging at S-bux for hours on end, waiting for United's check-in to open. I just wouldn't want to end my vacation that way...

Craig, totally agree, it would take a really special reason to spend the last night of my holiday at a hotel airport!!!!

I hear you all, but $350 is a lot of money for 1/2 a night... We can shower at the airport and sleep for hours on the plane. And, we may purposely go to the night safari in S-Pore the night before, which goes to 11 or 12.

Alternatively you can visit the new Gardens By The Bay. The outdoor gardens close at 2am. There's a walkway linking it to the Marina Bay Sands. It might be easier to get a cab to the airport from there.

http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/co...b/en/home.html

I've done this many times at various Asian cities and even if I went to the night safari, I would still want to return to my hotel and shower...and then move on to the airport. I can't see doing the airport hotel for just a few hours. Put the money aside no matter how much it hurts - we are thrifty as well but this approach makes sense...

I have taken early morning flights out of Singapore many times and I agree with Craig. Find a hotel, a cheaper one, and stay there! Leave the hotel at 4:00 AM and you will be at the airport by 4:30 from almost anywhere in Singapore.

"virginiafish on Jul 31, 12 at 2:59pm
I hear you all, but $350 is a lot of money for 1/2 a night... We can shower at the airport and sleep for hours on the plane. And, we may purposely go to the night safari in S-Pore the night before, which goes to 11 or 12"

Switch hotels if you want to stay at a hotel in Singapore City. I switch hotels all the time and especially in a situation where I wouldn't want to dish out $350 for half a night. That's when I switch over to a cheaper hotel.

I've been to Singapore a lot and although I have stayed at various hotels, from the Hilton to the Fullerton, to the Raffles Plaza, etc....the one that I've stayed at the most is the YMCA International House. Love it. I've stayed there, from time to time, since 1998 and have watched it transform itself with all of the renovations.

It would be less to book oneself in there for half a night than to dish out $350., even though the Y has gone up in price. It's in top real estate territory at #1 Orchard Road and is directly across the street from the Rendevous Hotel and at Dhoby Gaut MRT station which is 2 or 3 stops from the main part of Orchard Road. And I've never had a problem flagging a taxi from in front of the Y.

http://www.ymcaih.com.sg/Web/main.as...5-49d7b9c9c8c4

Happy Travels!

We too have a 6AM flight out of Singapore. The last night I'll just have an early dinner & go to bed early. (This will be our 4th night there) We are staying at the Conrad Centenial-how much time should we allow a taxi to take us there to get there @ 4AM? At least we're Business Elite on Delta-to NRT to SFO. I called Delta & the flight home has the lay down seats-AHHHH

Ask your hotel for their recommendation. My experience is that 30 minutes is more than enough time from in-city hotels, but I've never stayed at the Conrad.