theDIBB - Slings, spins and other things - Singapore 2019

Saturday 14th September 2019 and Sunday 15th September

Cast:

Shaun - me, 50's, loves travelling
Alison - wife, 50's, loves travelling

Index: HERE

So, here we are and our leaving day. We were up at 7am to ensure we have plenty of time for packing and a decent breakfast before we get going. For some reason there’s more people here than I thought, perhaps people are moving out before prices go through the roof for the F1 weekend.

I went back to the room and Alison went off to the MTR station to the refunds on our tickets but when she came back she said that the station wasn’t open at this time! No big deal as we should be able sort things out once we get to the airport.

We ordered a Grab car (as Uber isn’t allowed in Singapore) to take us back to the airport – we kept our fingers crossed that it wouldn’t be busy on the roads at this time in the morning. Our driver was really lovely and chatty and it transpired that he was an ex-jockey and told us a few good tales whilst we exchanged notes about London and Singapore.

Funnily enough he said that Singapore was a 'Fine City' – you get fined for smoking, fined for spitting, fined for chewing gum and so on and so on! (Obviously an in-joke)

He couldn’t believe London house prices and we couldn’t believe the cost of buying a car in Singapore and the whole process of gaining car ownership.

Once at the airport Alison went off to the MTR station and got our refunds whilst I wandered around some unusually named shops! Talk about lost in translation!

We went through security and into the lounge for a coffee and to charge our phones up. It wasn’t anything special but suited our needs for a short while. We headed to the gate and cleared passport control there and soon enough we were boarding the plane. Lovely Q Suite (double) waited for us and we both settled down with the obligatory champagne and nuts.

After take off we had a couple of drinks (more champagne for me and a So Jennie non alcoholic cocktail for Alison), then had lunch – Soup and Pasta for me and pongkau chicken and noodles for Alison.
variety of food pics here:

After a few more drinks we both dozed off – no surprise really. I pretty much slept all the way but Alison (having drunk a bit less) watched some films – American Hangman, Independence Day 2 and then Frozen – and she also had afternoon tea!

We landed back in Doha and found the lounge to be extremely quiet this time round, much more how I prefer it.

Luckily there was plenty of shower rooms available for both of us. Surprising just how refreshing a post and pre-flight shower can be.

We had a couple of soft drinks and deli sandwiches

before heading to gate C3 (nice and close compared to the other times through Doha recently!)

and boarded the plane to get back to Stockholm. It was another Q suites flight, but we sat individually this time – in window seats. They felt surprisingly more claustrophobic after sitting in the middle seats which were very open (with a closed door, if that makes sense!).

Food is available ‘on demand’ so we both asked for dinner at 7pm, then enjoyed champagne before take off then gin and tonic and nuts after take off.

We both had leek and potato soup (delicious)

but the mains weren’t great for me (I had veal and Alison had a lovely pasta).

As we weren’t that hungry it didn’t matter too much! Alison ploughed through some more films (2 different versions of A Star is Born, Grease and Planet of the Apes) while I just slept!

The sunset was lovely

We arrived at Arlanda at around 8.30pm and gathered up our bags before taking the walk through to the Clarion Hotel which is in the airport terminal. After a quick check in, we headed to our room (nice view from the window) and flopped.

Sunday 15th September

We had the alarm set for 5am and wandered down for breakfast which was surprisingly busy this time in the morning, no idea why.
We collected our bags, checked out then slowly made our way to the gate for the 7.30am flight back to Heathrow. Boarding was on time and the flight was uneventful. I didn;t eat but Alison picked at a meal

Arrived back in the car park via the shuttle bus (we were the only people on it!) but didn’t think to look for the rest of my damaged glasses but no big deal. Quick chug round M25 and home – Phew!

Final thoughts

STOCKHOLM – No disrespect but I’ve done Stockholm now thanks very much, seen and done everything that interests me. The only other option would be to stay a bit longer and head off to another city or area.

QATAR AIRLINES & Q-SUITES – love, love, love - especially the double bed option. Service by cabin crew maybe a touch lacking in personal engagement.

SINGAPORE – Hot and humid, perhaps a little too humid for me. Super clean, litter free and almost still has a post-colonial feel. Although I really enjoyed it here and glad that I didn’t just have a stop-over my preference is for something a little more “rough around the edges”.
FULLERTON HOTEL – in a word – Exceptional! – ok, we paid top dollar as a bit of a splurge, probably won’t ever do it again but never experienced service like it before.

MARINA BAY SANDS HOTEL – Loved the architecture but I’m glad that we didn’t stay here. OK, the infinity pool would’ve been a cool experience but the whole place seemed more a tourist destination. It was great looking at it from over the bay!

SENTOSA – loved the beach and a great location for young families but maybe a bit too commercial for my liking. At least it’s all contained in one place and not spread over the entire city. We really enjoyed our day here

CHANGI AIRPORT / THE JEWEL – stunning, simply stunning, turns an airport into a destination in its own right.