Transit hotel is impossible for those using the budget terminal...you go through immigration and customs to exit the budget terminal, where there is no transit hotel. The transit facilities are inside the secure area in T1-2, impossible to access without clearing immigration, for which you need to be in transit for. Budget terminal passengers cannot be in transit technically.

Good point Kim - I'd overlooked the fact that skittle is flying into the budget terminal.

Thanks All
I did not realize that we would not be able to use the Transit Hotel but the name should have given me a clue because I knew we would not have access to other transit facilities as a budget passenger.
Does anyone know if we would have access to the pool? I thought maybe it would be nice to come back in the afternoon and lay beside the pool with a book.
We will not be as tired as those of you who fly from the US(I hope). We are also used to being sleep deprived as we have 4 children. Smile.

The gym and pool are located in Terminal 1 - also in the transit area.

I didn't realize that a budget terminal even existed. You learn something new everyday. Smiles. Happy Travels!

OK...Plan B...You could get a room at the YMCA International House Hotel at 1 Orchard Road....telephone 011.65.6336000...ymca.org.sg. I always call them as I don't like the internet reservation system.

I've stayed there for nearly a decade and it's really nice and there's a pool on the roof and breakfast is included in the price. A standard room is about US$60.00. It's private and has a
bathroom, shower,toilet, and sink and there's a fridge.There are 2 twin beds in each room.

If you book the room for the day before you arrive and then tell them that you will check in around 7AM on the day of arrival, then when you arrive to the hotel at around 7AM, the room will be ready otherwise I think it's a 2PM check-in time. You can then shower, rest, and go to sleep for a while a get up and be out by the 12 noon check out time.

After you check out, you can then go and do all of your Singapore sightseeing and then catch a cab at around 5:30PM and head back to the airport for your 8PM flight. Or take the MRT back to the airport.

A taxi to the YMCA Hotel from the airport cost only about $S20.00 if that. I have gotten off the plane, gone through customs, picked up luggage(which you won't have), exchanged money in the airport, and arrived at the hotel all within an hour. Singapore is highly efficient. Plus the YMCA Hotel is almost next to the Dhoby Gaut MRT subway station which is a great location. It's about 2 stops from the heart of Orchard Road in one direction and 1 stop from Clark's Quay and 1 or 2 stops from Raffles City Shopping Center which has the Chjmes complex...food/shopping across the street in one direction and the Raffles Hotel in the other...where the Long Bar is located. You could always just taxi to and from as taxis are quite inexpensive and since you would be in the heart of things distances will be shorter. Hope this has helped. Happy Travels!

Thank Guenmai
I have just spent a few hours looking on the internet for a cheap clean hotel to do exactly as you described.Why will I not have to collect my luggage? I think it will be too early to be allow to check in for my evening flight and all budget flights are point to point so you are responsible for your own luggage. If I want to leave it at the airport I would have to but it in storage over at terminal 1 or 2. This discount ticket is getting tiresome and I haven't even left home yet! I am hoping that a little homework before we leave will make things a lot smoother on the trip.

The hotel idea is a good one. Then you wouldn't have to store your luggage, and you could save time by not having to go to the main terminal twice, once to store and once to pick up. You are right, budget terminal, no checked through bags, so you have to collect luggage after flight 1 and recheck it when you check in for flight 2.

Thanks for confirming this for me Kim. I have not flown on a discount airline(except domestically) before and I was not sure that I had read the fine print correctly. Of course I read the fine print after I booked the tickets. The price was so good I think I would have booked them anyway.

I didn't know that you would have to pick up your luggage. I see that this budget system is different than what I'm used to.

What I do,if I'm in Singapore for only 24-plus hours, is when I check in in L.A., I have the airline check my main luggage through to my final destination which is Bangkok. Then when I arrive into Singapore early in the morning, I just get off the plane with either a carry-on bag or a carry-on suitcase and then take a taxi to my hotel where I stay all day and overnight before returning to the airport the following morning for my flight on to Bangkok. That is what I was referring to. I thought with your long stop in Singapore, you wouldn't have to deal with luggage since I was thinking that it would be checked through to your final destination. Happy Travels!

But even with luggage pick up, it's still very fast in Singapore. Happy Travels!

Thanks everyone.When I read the terms and conditions of the tickets it didn't immediately sink in how that would effect us in each place. Another disadvantage is if they are running late they have no obligation
to help you if you have missed a connecting flight.
This is what we have decided to do in Singapore.We have booked at a backpackers in Little India called the Inn Crowd. They get good reviews on many,many sites and I had already started to make inquiries with them before I recieved your suggestion Guenmai.The cost is only S$66 for the three of us in our own triple room. They were extremely helpful by email and they have a great website??? They have ten self-guided walking tours on the website that all sound good and for $6 extra we can us the facilities(showers) until we leave in the PM.
Will let everyone know on our return if it was a good idea.

Skittle, your situation is a good example of how flying a discount airline may not be worth the trouble for the money saved. While I often warn people about the luggage limit issues and that the discount airlines will not rebook you if you miss a flight (even if they cahnged the time), you've run in to things I'd never thought about.

I'm glad you've been able to work things out. I happened to glance at the YMCA's prices and they have had a significant increase in price. I paid a max of about US$60. the last time I stayed there, but now they're up to S$190. They do however run good specials.

That YMCA Hotel is on prime land and the vulturs have been swarming around it for years. Also the YMCA Hotel in Hong Kong is on prime land which the developers have also been swarming around so I've been told. I've known the rooms manager at the Y, for many years, and am kept up on what's going on.

Please let us know how every thing turned out for you. Happy Travels!

Kathie, the airlines don't actually say they won't rebook you but they make it clear that they don't have to. We have been very careful to choose a travel insurance that we hope covers us if this should happen. I'm hoping that I will not be able to report how they handle things like that and that all our flights will be on time. We did not plan to take a trip next year so the discount flights allow a bonus trip. I am going to wait a see how things go before I decide whether it was a good idea or not.
Guamai, The Y is still excellent value compared with the other hotels in the same area. It also seemed as though there would have been a problem getting a room for 3.

Skittle...For future reference...the YMCA International House has family rooms...ymcaih.com.sg. or ymca.org.sg and then scroll down and click on International House in the bottom left column. Happy Travels!

Topping for HANK. Happy Travels!