A number of articles on papers even listed out which Singapore hotels offer the best value for money weekend package or most popular amongst the locals. So I was not surprised when I saw a number of fellow Singaporeans at Crowne Changi, which is actually an airport hotel.
I had booked the Deluxe Room instead of the Executive Suite as I was told by the hotel staff that the latter has no runway view, which is the reason why I'm checking into this hotel. I guess business travellers will rather have a peaceful sleep instead of looking and hearing the planes at Changi airport.
Check in is supposed to be at 2pm. We arrived slightly earlier at around 130pm and has encountered no issue. Our room was ready for us. The room was just like what we see on the hotel webiste and has a view of the runway of planes landing. We stayed at room 706 and it'd been better if we get to stay at 710 or further as it's further from the T3 skytrain station and has a clear view of the runway. The standard hotel amenities are available in the Deluxe room - coffee/tea making facilities, satellite TV, bathtub, etc.
For amenities wise, there's a swimming pool, gym, as well as a spa. The spa is a little pricer than the other Aspara branches at Goodwood and Fullerton. For the gym, it comes with 3 treadmills, 1 cross trainer, 1 bike as well as some weights machine. It's a pity that the cardio machines don't face the TV but a "garden" without much view.
I like the swimming pool best. It's a bit resort-style. Another pity is that there's no jacuzzi. But the pool is of decent length to do some laps and excercise. A thing to note, if you're into getting the sun, be at the pool in the morning till mid afternoon. If not, head down to it near evening. Although the sun shines at the pool in the morning, the water is equally FREEZING in either morning, afternoon or evening. So go slow while heading into the pool.
For meal options, there's a few restaurants in the hotel but we didn't get to try them. Instead, we head to the restaurants at T3 for our meals, including breakfast (why pay extra $20-$30 for breakfast when you can get Ya Kun breakfast at less than $5). Some of the T3 restaurants are having promotions whereby GST is absorbed or additional discounts are thrown in. So do walk around. If nothing caught your eye, you can always head down to T1 or T2 for more restaurant options.
At B2 of T3, there's Fairprice (supermarket chain of Singapore). Do go there to stock up your drinks/snacks. But beware that wine selection is rather limited at this outlet.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at Crowne Changi. With the fluffy pillows, big and deep bathtubs, and the "cool' pool, I'd a good rest in this hotel and look forward to visit it again (as an effort to boost Singapore economy...hahaha)
