Staycation at Yotelair Jewel Changi Airport
With options almost negligible to travel overseas for holidays during the pandemic, there is no stopping us from travelling or holidaying domestically, well, minus the airplane. Using the Singapore Rediscover voucher to offset some of a staycation cost, a holiday in an airport mall may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But then Changi Airport and Jewel is unlike any other airport or shopping mall.
One can get apprehensive staying in an international airport, albeit landside area, coming into contact with travellers, but the airport terminals were closed. Plus, it was during a heightened alert where dining-in was not allowed and so we thought it was going to be kind of dull. We were wrong!
So, let’s start with the check-in into Yotelair. It was a breeze. After filling-up a simple health declaration form, we were given our room keycard. The cabin room is kind of small, but has almost everything that you may need, but then staying indoors in a hotel room for the whole stay was not the idea in a complex full of attractions! The bed is adjustable with a button at the side so you can watch the big full-screen TV with international channels and cables or do some reading at inclined sitting position.
There are so many food options that we sometimes could not decide! It would be even better if the airport terminals at T1 and T3 are open as we will have even wider food options to add to the mix. Would be great to have an afternoon tea and crispy appam at T3 food-court, but it is not a deal breaker. There is a complimentary freshly brewed coffee machine, plus hot water/ water at Yotelair lobby which makes it perfect. The hotel staffs gave out paper cups.
One of the main attractions at Jewel without a doubt is the rain vortex, which at 40m (131 ft.) high is the world’s tallest indoor man-made waterfall. This stunning waterfall is designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie who is also the designer behind iconic Marina Bay Sands.
This amazing rain vortex greeted us everytime we come out of the hotel or rather yotel. Surrounding this tall waterfall is a lush indoor forest called Shiseido Forest Valley. There are walking trails all the way to Canopy Park on the upper floor or all the way down. So, the complex is full of nature as well.
But Jewel has much more than just the waterfall. Canopy Park at the top floor is a paid attraction together with bouncing and walking nets, the garden and mirror maze and the canopy bridge. But the staycation package included all these, which was great. Just outside the airport you, if you are a dinosaur's fan, there is a Jurassic Mile with more than 10 life-like displays of dinosaurs.
You have to walk a bit to het to Jurassic mile, but it was a pleasant walk as you will pass by some greeneries with big sunflowers and our national flowers, Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim. However, with the netting over the jurassic mile it was no longer easy to capture a good photo before the netting was up (due to golf balls flying in).
There is also Hub and Spoke bicycle rental shop if you fancy a ride around the terminals. The good walk to Jurassic Mile took up a morning. The Changi Airport Connector is a 3.5km (2.2 miles) of cycling and jogging paths link Changi Airport to East Coast Park and the rest of Singapore's Park Connector Network.
There is also Changi Experience Studio inside Jewel at the top floor, another paid attraction worth visiting, which you can also use the Rediscover voucher. But we skipped that as we have enough things to do, and I have already been there.
Apart from eating, which is a national pastime here, not being able to dine-in in hawker centres or food-courts can be quite hard for many. But with the staycation dining-in in the hotel room it was not an issue. There is a small foldable table and chair inside yotel and we ate and watched the Olympic Games or movies at the same time.
So, while retail therapy might do for some, where one can easily spend the whole two to three days shopping or browsing around, Jewel and Changi Airport certainly has lots more to offer in terms of fun attractions and activities. Well Jewel touted itself as a retail and lifestyle complex. If you need for more shopping there is Changi City Point, next to Expo MRT Station, which is just a short one MRT stop away from the airport.
There are movie theatres at Jewel but with many cables on TV in the hotel room, which we hardly had time to watch anyway, going to theatres is not in the list. Plus, the stay coincided with Olympics 2020 Games, so we watched some of the live shows, while having our meals or in the evening.
It was quite refreshing to watch the Olympics, albeit on TV, during the pandemic and some international news as well as if we were overseas. Isn't it wonderful to go up and down, in and out, and pass by the waterfall anytime we want? :)
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable three days/ two nights staycation. The Covid-19 blues is gone by this simple weekend getaway just an MRT away. We were a bit jealous to see some travellers with luggage checking-in and staying at Yotelair. Hoping the next time, we stay at a hotel or yotel, there is a real luggage with us.
One can get apprehensive staying in an international airport, albeit landside area, coming into contact with travellers, but the airport terminals were closed. Plus, it was during a heightened alert where dining-in was not allowed and so we thought it was going to be kind of dull. We were wrong!
So, let’s start with the check-in into Yotelair. It was a breeze. After filling-up a simple health declaration form, we were given our room keycard. The cabin room is kind of small, but has almost everything that you may need, but then staying indoors in a hotel room for the whole stay was not the idea in a complex full of attractions! The bed is adjustable with a button at the side so you can watch the big full-screen TV with international channels and cables or do some reading at inclined sitting position.
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| Rain Vortex and Forest Valley |
The staycation does not include breakfast (well as mentioned no dining-in allowed except in hotel room) but food-wise there are food-court, cafes, restaurants to suit every taste and budget which were operating as usual as a take-away, which we brought up into the room. These are all conveniently just a few steps or floors down outside Yotelair.
There are so many food options that we sometimes could not decide! It would be even better if the airport terminals at T1 and T3 are open as we will have even wider food options to add to the mix. Would be great to have an afternoon tea and crispy appam at T3 food-court, but it is not a deal breaker. There is a complimentary freshly brewed coffee machine, plus hot water/ water at Yotelair lobby which makes it perfect. The hotel staffs gave out paper cups.
 |
| Yotelair room |
This amazing rain vortex greeted us everytime we come out of the hotel or rather yotel. Surrounding this tall waterfall is a lush indoor forest called Shiseido Forest Valley. There are walking trails all the way to Canopy Park on the upper floor or all the way down. So, the complex is full of nature as well.
But Jewel has much more than just the waterfall. Canopy Park at the top floor is a paid attraction together with bouncing and walking nets, the garden and mirror maze and the canopy bridge. But the staycation package included all these, which was great. Just outside the airport you, if you are a dinosaur's fan, there is a Jurassic Mile with more than 10 life-like displays of dinosaurs.
 |
| Futuristic-looking Yotelair lobby. |
There is also Hub and Spoke bicycle rental shop if you fancy a ride around the terminals. The good walk to Jurassic Mile took up a morning. The Changi Airport Connector is a 3.5km (2.2 miles) of cycling and jogging paths link Changi Airport to East Coast Park and the rest of Singapore's Park Connector Network.
There is also Changi Experience Studio inside Jewel at the top floor, another paid attraction worth visiting, which you can also use the Rediscover voucher. But we skipped that as we have enough things to do, and I have already been there.
 |
| Jurassic Mile Dinosaur |
While Singapore is indeed a small city state, there are many places we can go to and activities that we can do. A couple of days in Jewel might just rejuvenate you. Officially opened in October 2019 it is touted a retail and lifestyle complex. With an oversupply of shopping malls in Singapore some may wonder if it will be sustainable. The pandemic just made it harder.
Apart from eating, which is a national pastime here, not being able to dine-in in hawker centres or food-courts can be quite hard for many. But with the staycation dining-in in the hotel room it was not an issue. There is a small foldable table and chair inside yotel and we ate and watched the Olympic Games or movies at the same time.
So, while retail therapy might do for some, where one can easily spend the whole two to three days shopping or browsing around, Jewel and Changi Airport certainly has lots more to offer in terms of fun attractions and activities. Well Jewel touted itself as a retail and lifestyle complex. If you need for more shopping there is Changi City Point, next to Expo MRT Station, which is just a short one MRT stop away from the airport.
 |
| An elephant at Canopy Park's Topiary Walk |
It was quite refreshing to watch the Olympics, albeit on TV, during the pandemic and some international news as well as if we were overseas. Isn't it wonderful to go up and down, in and out, and pass by the waterfall anytime we want? :)
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable three days/ two nights staycation. The Covid-19 blues is gone by this simple weekend getaway just an MRT away. We were a bit jealous to see some travellers with luggage checking-in and staying at Yotelair. Hoping the next time, we stay at a hotel or yotel, there is a real luggage with us.
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