Vancouver - Los Angeles - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore - Dubai - Doha - New York

Join me as I travel around the world in 9 days
on four of the world's five-star airlines

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Singapore Airlines...it's the little things

Maybe not surprising, Singapore Airlines is like the country it represents. Welcoming. Industrious. And driven. But before we get to my Singapore Airlines experience, a few comments about Singapore's Changi Airport.

Originally built in 1981, the airport handles more than 36 million passengers annually, and has climbed into the top 20 busiest airports (in terms of passengers) in the world. If LAX was a dump as I wrote earlier, then Singapore's Changi Airport is anything but. There is good reason why it is considered one of the best airports in the world. It's the kind of airport, where you may miss your flight, because of the wide range of things you can do.

Orchids and koi ponds in the terminal building. It's just the beginning. Want to catch a movie before your flight? Then head to terminal 1 or 2 for a free film. Looking for some quiet time before your flight, then check out the orchid, cactus, fern, or sunflower gardens. Play games or watch television in the entertainment lounges, catch up on your email with free internet terminals throughout the terminal. And what airport offers a free 2-hour city tour for passengers with more than 5 hours before their flight?

I arrived at Terminal 2 for my flight to Dubai, and checked-in within four minutes. I aksed for a window seat, and the agent was almost apologetic that the only window seats were at the rear of the Boeing 777 aircraft. I guessed the flight must have been heavily booked. My trip through immigration was just as quick.

Once at the gate, I was surprised at how few passengers were waiting for the flight, and then almost very casually, the we were invited to board the aircraft. The minute we boarded, the infamous Singapore Airlines service began. The first person I met smiled, welcomed me aboard and looked at my boarding pass, directing me to my economy class seat by name.

Turned out the passenger load was quite light on this flight, so in the rear cabin everyone had a lot of space to spread out. The seat was comfortable and had some extra support that most airlines don't offer. Before take-off, we were offered hot towels. Real towels...not the wipes that some airlines offer.

As we climbed away from the airport, I looked at the hundreds of ships in the water below, and realized why Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world. Once we leveled off, flight attendants came through with a menu card and offered passengers a drink. I ordered a Singapore Sling, which according to the menu card was created in 1915 at the Long Bar of Singapore's Raffles Hotel. It is a concoction of dry gin, Dom Benedictine, Cointreau and cherry brandy, shaken up with lime and pineapple and a dash of Angostura bitters and Grenadine.

Now before you think that the flight attendant was making like Tom Cruise in the movie cocktail, the drink was pre-made, so all she had to was add a few different things. It tasted great, nonetheless, as we flew across the Indonesian Island of Sumatra.

I had often commented that there was one big difference between economy and business class. Okay, there's more than one diffrence, but only one really counts. In business class the buns are warm, whereas in economy they are cold (good luck trying spread cold butter on a cold bun). But Singapore Airlines shattered this notion, because my dinner bun was warm. Damn Singapore Airlines for wreaking all my great theories.

Malaysia Airlines has a great in-flight entertainment product, but Singapore Airlines kicks it up just a notch. Choose from 80 movies, 106 tv shows, 180 CDs, and 60 video games. You can even play some games against other passengers. When opening multi-player games there is an option for other passengers to join. I clicked on the Tetris game, but then realized with such few passengers, I'd be waiting a while for a challenger.

And the telephone that airlines have at the seat that no one ever uses, you can actually call another passenger on the aircraft. Admit it though, you've always wanted to make that call from the airplane to one of your friends. The conversation would go something like this. "Hey Geoff (or Sean), how are you doing?" "Great, Ken, but you seem a little far away." "Oh, that's because I'm currently 38,000 feet above the coast of India." We all would like to do that until we learn that it will cost us $6 per minute. Mind you, that's what I paid once to call home from a train stration in Zurich.

For good reason Singapore Airlines is a 5-star airline and with continuous innovation and excellence, I don't expect them to lose that distinction anytime soon. I tried hard to find a fault, but I came up empty. The Singapore Airlines service is genuine and polished, and I don't mean in that rehearsed sort of way.

In the next few days, I have two more airlines to experience, and since the sun has just come up in Dubai, it's time for me to go out and explore the city.

The Fairmont Singapore...great view, great food, great service

Danny dropped me off at the Fairmont Singapore, my home for the next 24 hours, and said he would return in the afternoon for our tour of the city. As one would expect from a Fairmont property, the 5-star service begins the moment you step out of your car. Someone is ready to open your door, and another will take your luggage and show you to the check-in counter. The hotel was formerly known as the Raffles Plaza, and has recently been branded a Fairmont. They even asked me at check-in what newspaper I would like delivered to my room in the morning. I assumed they would not be able to deliver the Vancouver Sun, so I opted for The Straits Times, the city’s major English daily.

The bellhop led me to my 23rd floor room, and happily gave a tour of the rooms amenities, including the buttons by the side of the bed that turns the lights on and off and opens the curtains. A sliding glass door opened to a narrow balcony offering a fantastic view of the city, including the stunning $600 million Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, and the hotel’s inviting swimming pool below.

I met up with Jacqueline Chen, the hotel’s marketing representative in the lobby for a tour. One of the first stops was the spa, which has a relaxation room, pools, steam room and sauna, and treatment rooms. Jacqueline asked if I would like to try one of their treatments. A shame that my Singapore stop was too short, because I would jump at an opportunity to experience the spa. I remember fondly my first spa treatment a few years ago at the Marriott Resort and Spa in Sanya, on China’s Hainan Island.

After the tour, we were joined by Belladonnah Lim, who is the Fairmont Singapore’s Director of Marketing, for lunch at Inagiku, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant. I ordered the Ebi Tendon—salad, miso soup, mouth-watering sashimi, and the largest prawn tempura I have ever seen. Belladonna then ordered us all a slice of Japanese monk melon. This light green melon is similar to cantaloupe, but don’t confuse this with your everyday melon that you get from the supermarket. The Fairmont brings it in from Japan and costs about $30SG ($20) a slice. That’s four dollars a piece, Belladonnah said, with a smile, as I bit into piece. It’s the small details of course that make for an enjoyable stay at the Fairmont. Like how someone had closed the curtains in my room while I was out in the evening. How the newspaper came in a cloth bag in the morning. And how even though I had a late check-out someone still made the bed. The Fairmont is conveniently located to many of Singapore’s sights.

photo courtesy of Fairmont Singapore

Singapore doesn't disappoint

I left one award winning airport in Kuala Lumpur, only to land in another. Unlike many airports in Asia, Singapore’s Changi Airport isn’t new; however, their pursuit of excellence has gained it the distinction of consistently being rated one of the world’s best airports. It is the only airport I have been to where a dish of candy greets passengers at the immigration booth, and few airports in the world can match the park-like setting as you drive into the city. Stands of rain trees and palm trees, and flowering bushes line the highway. But don’t think for a moment that these trees are simply meant to impress visitors. Drive anywhere in the city, and you’ll see rich and verdant greenery.

The first time I heard of Singapore was when I was nine or ten years old. A school friend’s father was in the Navy, and once after a trip to Asia he brought back for his daughters, a silk jacket with an embroidered dragon and the word, Singapore, on the back. To this day, I can still visualize that jacket. Then, Singapore seemed like an exotic, far away place.

When Carrie and I first visited Singapore seven years ago, we were captivated by the city. To be sure, Singapore is clean and orderly, but really who would want otherwise. We were drawn to the unique neighbourhoods—Arab Street (which is more than just a street), Kampong Glam, where the Sultan once lived, Little India and Chinatown. Here you’ll find colourful, two story colonial buildings, and merchants selling spices, and carpets, and textiles, and woven baskets, and other goods. So began the anticipation of returning to Singapore.

I was met at the airport by Danny Lorenzo, who would be my guide for the next 24 hours. You’d think that with a name like that he’d be from Brooklyn or Miami, or L.A.. In fact, Danny was born in Singapore, and in many ways represents the face of Singaporeans, many of whom are of mixed origin.

While ambling through the narrow shop-filled lanes of Little India, I spotted the words, Dream Big, on a plastic placemat (you know the ones that your grandma might have bought for you). Dream Big—this could be Singapore’s motto. In the early 19th Century, Sir Stamford Raffles dreamed of a new trading port in Southeast Asia for the British. It was in what has become Singapore, an island at the end of the Malayan Peninsula, that Raffles and others after him have created one of the world’s great cities. And that small trading port is now one of the largest in the world.

In some ways dreams are all people had. Singapore is relatively small with few natural resources—even today water is piped from neighbouring Malaysia—but what the city lacks in natural wealth, it makes up for in ingenuity. Not only does it boast one of the world’s best airports, but Singapore Airlines has oft been the benchmark that others measure themselves by. The airline operates the world’s longest non-stop flight, a 19 hour service from New York to Singapore, and was the first airline to operate the Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jetliner. This from a city that has a population of just four-and-a-half million.

Our first stop after lunch was Chinatown, which is graced with a number of beautiful, old buildings, while the sidewalks are filled with vendors selling mostly tourist wares. What started off as a sunny day, soon gave rain to a torrential rain storm, which didn’t let up for several hours. This didn’t dampen the tour, as we jumped in the van, drove over to Little India, and wandered through the shops. Danny pushed back our visit to the Singapore Flyer, hoping the rain would let up. Next we went to Arab Street and drank sweet tea in a small cafĂ©.

The Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest observation wheel, is Singapore’s latest attraction. With the weather looking as good as it was probably going to get, we climbed aboard for the 30 minute ride As one could imagine, the view was amazing, even on a rainy evening.

Dinner was supposed to be outside at Makansutra Glutton’s Bay to savour local street food, but because of the unpredictable weather, Danny quickly altered plans, and made reservations at the Banana Leaf Apolo, an Indian restaurant, appropriately enough in Little India. Its popularity was displayed by the number of people that were virtually spilling out of the restaurant. We took a table on the covered sidewalk. I ordered the Chicken Tikkal. Danny the Tandori Chicken. We traded travel stories and shared some laughs.

The next morning Danny and the driver picked me up at the hotel and we drove over to Chinatown for a light breakfast at Ya Kun Kaya Toast. The specialty here is toast with Asian jam, and eggs that are cooked very briefly, so the whites and yolk are quite runny. After a delicious lunch at True Blue, which specializes in Peranakan cuisine, a blend of Chinese and Malay, it was time to go the airport for my next destination, Dubai.

Singapore is a pleasing and comfortable city with a lot to offer. As I did the first time I visited, I vow to return.