I hate airports. I hate the long lines through security. I hate chronic flight delays. I hate the crowds at airports. I hate overpriced airport food. You know where I am going with this. I just hate airports, PERIOD! I must confess that there’s one airport that I love, Changi Airport, Singapore! What is it to like about this airport? EVERYTHING! I have flown in and out of Changi airport before, but I have never bothered to explore it. With a five-hour layover en route to Bangkok from Indonesia, I was frantic what I will do with all that time. Will my devices run out of juice? Is there good wifi I can connect to? Will I find a comfortable place to sit and work or rest?

I have traveled through more than three dozen airports around the world, no airport offers anything like what you get at Changi. If you have a very long layover, the airport provides a free 2.5-hour tour of Singapore. The shuttle takes you from the airport, gives you a tour of the city, and brings you back to the airport. This service is entirely free, and it is offered five times a day for those with layovers of 5.5 hours and over. I did not have enough time to avail myself of this tour, and besides, I have been to some of the places in the city that the tour covers.
So what did I do with my five hours at the airport? The five hours went by quickly. In fact, I wished the layover was a little bit longer. How many times do you get to say that about an airport layover?

First, I got a wifi code from the information desk. They give you a free three-hour code. Take your passport along to the information desk as they have to scan it for the system to print the code for you. If you are spending more than three hours at the airport, do not worry, you can always get another three-hour code.

I visited the Orchid Garden and sat for a few minutes. The garden is beautiful, and you can watch the fish in the pond around it. From here, I visited the Sun Flower Garden which is on the rooftop of the building. There is more sitting around the garden. I sat there for a while just watching the planes take off and soaking the beauty of the flowers, and warming up in the sun.

After a while of sitting outside, it was time to go see a movie. I went to the movie theatre, and Skyscraper was playing. The film was almost finishing, and so I decided to go to the pub and get a drink and chips before the next movie. Beer and chips were really pricey. What do you expect? It is an airport! I went back to the theatre and watched Christopher Robin. Okay, it is not a movie I will ordinarily go see at a theatre, but what the heck, it is free and I had some time to kill. I totally enjoyed it! I expected to see more kids, but it was mainly adults. The theatre was full with some people just sitting on the floor. I will estimate that they were about 25 comfortable chairs in the theatre.

After the movie, it was dinner time. There’s a section of the terminal named “Straits Food Village.” You can find different foods for different palates here: Japanese, Indian, Chinese, American, Singaporean, etc. Of course, there is a McDonald’s serving burgers and French fries, with some local adaptations. I opted for Indian food. It was not the best Indian food I have eaten, and it was not the worst either. Interestingly, the worst Indian food I ever ate was in London, a place supposed to be a Mecca for Indian food. Prices at the Straits Food Village were reasonable. The meal including a drink cost less than US$10.

After the movie, it was dinner time. There’s a section of the terminal named “Straits Food Village.” You can find different foods for different palates here: Japanese, Indian, Chinese, American, Singaporean, etc. Of course, there is a McDonald’s serving burgers and French fries, with some local adaptations. I opted for Indian food. It was not the best Indian food I have eaten, and it was not the worst either. Interestingly, the worst Indian food I ever ate was in London, a place supposed to be a Mecca for Indian food. Prices at the Straits Food Village were reasonable. The meal including a drink cost less than US$10.

By the time I finished dinner, it was time for boarding. At my boarding gate were foot massage stations. I just assumed you have to pay to use one of them. I was wrong! As I was looking and figuring if I have some local currency left, a young European guy who was using one of the massage chairs said to me, “Try it, it is free, and it feels good!” He was right. It felt really good.

The airport offers several other amenities that I did not try. They have the Experience Zone with pods where people can just relax and take a nap; video games; gym, etc. You can access a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi at the airport for US$13. I say it is a reasonable price! There is a baggage storage facility at the airport. If you are participating in the free city tour offered by the airport, there is a special flat fee of SGN $5 (US$3.70). Otherwise, baggage storage is SGN $10 for a bag below 10kg and SGN $15 for a bag above 10kg.

My five-hour layover at Changi did not feel excruciatingly long. I felt relaxed, and it went by quickly. I love YOU Changi Airport!