TOP 10 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT

One Thing that comes to our mind when we hear “Airport” is a place meant as a checkpoint or a destination to fly in and out of a location.

Changi Airport in Singapore has redefined the meaning and the nature of an Airport from the basics itself.It has created a persona to be known as one of the World’s Best Airport.Changi Airport isn’t just a Airport,Its a World by itself.I have been to singapore 3 times in the last couple of years and given a chance, i would just prefer changi as a destination to visit and it has everything a tourist destination should offer.Even after 3 Visits to Singapore’s Changi Airport,I am still amazed that i haven’t even discovered the airport to its fullest glory.

I was elated when Changi Airport had invited Top Travel Bloggers From India for one of its Kind Experience at Changi Airport.”Changi Challenge” is touted to be the Treasure hunt that was planned by the officials of Changi Airport which is the best way to Explore the hidden gems of Changi Airport.

5 Fellow Travel Bloggers had to compete in various interesting tasks in each of the terminals of Changi Airport which currently has 3 Terminals.As the Treasure Hunt kick started,We had various tasks to perform and each task led to the clue of the next clue. This Activity was really interesting and different compared to the regular FAM trips because of the interactiveness of the campaign where we need to take photos of each task and once we complete it, We need to share the update with pics on our social media channels and engage with our followers and friends.

1)“Slide At T3”: The First Task was at the Slide which is a popular attraction at Changi Airport which is Located at Public area of Terminal 3.This is Singapore’s tallest slide and the world’s tallest slide in an airport which is 4 storeys tall.This is not just for kids, even adults can slide and have fun and our first task was to slide just like we did in our childhood but with a twist,The Clue for the ext task was inside the slide with scrambled letters and we had to unscramble it.

Trust me,I had so much fun sliding after such a long time that i actually didn’t concentrate much on this round and enjoyed my slide ride:)The fastest you can travel is 6 metres per second!For accessing the slide, 10 SGD shopping at Changi Airport is mandatory.A maximum of 10 rides per receipt can be redeemed on the same day and Participants have to be at least 1.3 metres tall and Maximum height allowed is 2.0 metres tall.

Location: Arrival Hall, Level 1, Public Area
Opening hours: 12.00noon – 10.30pm daily

All the bloggers had fun sliding down and unscrambling the words too and it led to the next clue which was one of its kind Attraction “Butterfly Garden”.

2) “Butterfly Garden”: Trust me when you actually visit this place, you would feel like you are in some national park.This is the world’s first Butterfly Garden in an airport which has more than 1,000 tropical butterflies from as many as 40 species .I was still awestruck by the 2 storied Butterfly garden which has 6 metre waterfall in it and natural plants and flowers as well to make the butterflies feel like home.

Our Task here was to capture 5 different types of butterflies and share them on our social media channels.I did ace this Task with my iPhone 6s Plus and got some nice macro shoots of the butterflies.

Location:Terminal 3,Departure Transit Lounge, Level 2 & 3,Transit Area

3) “Movie Theatres”: One of the easiest way to pass time is to catch a flick.A airport like Changi airport is not a regular airport which has 2 movie theatres .You can catch your favourite movie during your leisure time at the airport.Our Task here was dumb charades and we had to enact movie and the other bloggers had to decode it.We had some much fun here.

Terminal 2
Departure Transit Lounge, near the Sunflower Garden, Level 3, Transit Area

Opening hours: 24 hours.Movie Theatre, Terminal 2 will be closed for weekly maintenance between 2200hrs Thursdays – 0400hrs Fridays.

Terminal 3
Departure Transit Lounge North, near the Ambassador Transit Lounge, Level 3, Transit Area

Opening hours: 24 hours.Movie Theatre, Terminal 3 will be closed for weekly maintenance between 1300hrs – 1800hrs, every Thursday.

4)“Duty Free Shopping”: DFS or Duty Free Shopping in Changi Airport is 2 storied tall which showcases the top single malts and liquors and also has the biggest liquor collection in the world.

The uniqueness of DFS is that it has a Long Bar by Raffles which is operated by the famous Raffles bar in Singapore which is well known for the world famous Singapore Sling cocktail was made exactly 100 years back!Ask for free samplers of famous cocktails/mocktails available there and have a sip while you wait for your flight.

The Bartender was kind enough to show us how the Singapore Sling is perfectly made and our task was to make a perfect Singapore sling as well and my previous experience in doing so came handy and we were literally high by seeing the humungous collection at DFS.

Location : T3, Transit Area

5)“Sunflower Garden”: Our Next Clue was a visit to the Sunflower garden and this Airport is so much full of surprises that just amazes me.Located on the roof of the Terminal 2 which features several varieties of sunflowers grown in Changi Airport’s very own nursery.The View is stunning with the flights taking off and landing over the horizon with sunflowers gleaming in glory.Our Task was to bask some Vitamin-D, basically which means count the number of Sunflowers in the garden and this was quite a task.None of us got it right, but the closest one won.By the time, We finish this task, it was lunch time already and we never knew how the time flew and the treasure hunt kept us on our toes constantly.

Departure Transit Lounge, Level 3, Transit Area

6)“food court”: Food Court at Changi Airport offers a melting pot of all cuisines catering to all types of travellers.Being a veggie, i decided to try the Kaveri Restaurant which is pure vegetarian restaurant which offers some amazing authentic indian delicacies such as Indian food like Samosa, Dosa, Idli and Biryani and gulab jamun.

For food lovers who would like to try local street food of singapore,there is an auto food ordering system in the food court where u can select the food item u need, and make the payment via card. Once the payment is done, automatically order goes to the kitchen. My token number is displayed when the order is ready.It is hassle free and no communication issue as well.

7)“The Social Tree”: One of the most innovative and popular attractions in Changi Airport is the Social Tree which is nine metres tall, The Social Tree is Changi’s largest interactive installation which reminds me of the trees in the movie “Avatar” and we can Share and store our photo and video memories of Changi on this avant-garde memory capsule and be part of the history for decades to come.Whenever you visit in the future even after a decade,You can find your old memories.Our next task was to pay the animation multiplayer game with the social tree and i was lucky to get the highest score among the bloggers.The Social Tree is shut down for its daily maintenance routine from 1.00am – 5.00am.

Location:Terminal 1,Central Piazza, right after immigration counters, Transit Area

8)“Bengawan Solo”: A household name in Singapore, Bengawan Solo is synonymous with traditional cakes and kueh made with time-honoured methods of preparation.This Sweet shop is known for its signature offerings such as Kueh Lapis Sagu (rainbow layer cake), Ondeh Ondeh (coconut-coated glutinous rice balls filled with molten palm sugar), Kueh Lapis (spiced layer cake), and other butter cakes and cookies.Our Task here was an interesting one,We were blindfolded and had to taste the biscuits and savouries here and guess the ingredients.Loved it so much that i was lost with each bite. Do take These delectable cakes back home for your friends & Family.

Location:Departure Transit Lounge West (Near C Gates)
Opening hours: 6.00 am to midnight daily
Tel: 6242 3072

Departure Transit Lounge North, Level 2, Transit Area
Opening hours: 6.00am to 1.00am daily
Tel: 6315 8090

9)“Plaza Premium Lounge”: It was a long eventful and exciting day for us and we were already tired by then,and we were handed our final clue,We were relived that we were offered a spa treatment at Plaza Premium Lounge which was music to my legs rather than ears ;). The Lounge allows access for spa treatment, shower and work stations as well.You can work and relax here while you wait for your flight.
Plaza Premium Lounge Offers award-winning facilities and services, where you can savour delectable selections comprising signature dishes such as Singapore Laksa and Chicken Rice, or relax in private resting suites and enjoy refreshing showers with full amenities.

Terminal 1 – Plaza Premium Lounge
Location: Level 3 Departure Transit Lounge (above Gate C-1)
Operating Hours: 24 hours
Tel: +65 6443 2730

10)“Free Singapore Tour”: If you are transiting through Singapore and have more than half a day layover,Do not miss the Free Singapore Tour offered by Changi Airport where You don’t even need to apply for a Visa. It is a guided tour where you will be taken in Air conditioned buses to 2 popular Singapore destinations.

Finally,Our Treasure hunt and Tour of Changi Airport Comes to an end.Honestly, it was an exhausting day where my Fitbit recorded more than 30,000 Steps that day ,but totally enjoyed the experience and was excited about the announcement of Winner for the #ChangiChallenge.Last but not the least,We stayed at Crowne Plaza which is the Airport Hotel at Changi Airport connected from T3.Loved the hospitality at Crowne plaza too with brilliant pool view and runway view rooms as well.

So here is the list of top 10 Things you shouldn’t miss at Changi Airport when you are there.

The officials finally had arrived at the result for the #ChangiChallenge and i was lucky to win the first prize.

Next time, you visit Changi airport, Make sure you have ample time to have a treasure hunt trail all by yourself.