Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (Pool Suite)

The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport has long been one of my top three favourite hotels in Singapore. During my last visit to this amazing property sometime in March, I stayed in a Deluxe Club Room (with direct pool access). Since I have covered most of the property in my previous trip report, I will place more focus on the accommodation this time. 

Click HERE to check out my previous review of the Deluxe Pool Room with Club Access.

I stayed in the crème de la crème of the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport during my latest visit in August - the Pool Suite with Club Access. The King Suite is the best room type (in terms of size) you can get but having it with pool and club access truly is the icing on the cake. As mentioned before, the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport truly exceeds expectations in being an Airport Hotel. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that the property is definitely one of the top few luxury hotels in Singapore. The Singapore Changi Airport may not be the first place many couples of individuals will think of in terms of a staycation venue but if you are looking for a unique retreat, this is it! This is also the perfect layover hotel in Singapore and it is extremely convenient to get around by train or taxi. 

King Suites are 72sqm in size and comes with a powder room for your guests, a living area which doubles as a meeting area, a bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe as well as an extremely luxurious bathroom (with two sinks nonetheless)! There are also two 37" Plasma TVs and ample working space for the business travellers on the road. I really like the sitting area along the big glass window which offers great views of the swimming pool (although you do have to be mindful of privacy). It is a great place to lounge around with a good magazine (think Kinfolk or Monocle) and some good tea (think Gryphon Tea Company). 

Since I stayed in a Pool Suite, my bedroom offers direct access to the swimming pool. While it isn't exactly difficult to make your way down from your room to the pool on level 3, it is truly a luxury to having it literally in front of your bedroom. The plush King-sized bed is a pleasure to sleep in and the reading lamp really allows you to enjoy a good book while soaking in the pretty swimming pool view. There are separate air-conditioning controls in this suite - one for the living area and one for the bedroom. Waking up to the pool outside your door step is an amazing feeling (and one that everyone should at least experience once).

The walk-in wardrobe offers a great deal of space for you to store your belongings. In fact, I was slightly intimidated with the amount of space and I deliberately made it a point not to put my stuff everywhere - it's easy to lose things when you do that. You will also find two sets of robes in the wardrobe - one for the pool and one for lounging. This is uncommon in most of the hotels I have been to as the same piece usually serves the same purpose. Remember that you can get pool towels from the other end of the pool should you require more. That being said, the bathroom already comes with a lot of towels! 

There are two sinks (instead of the usual one) so you can share the bathroom with your partner should you both need to wake up at the same time. In fact, you won't even need to fight over the bathrooms since there are two (although you might have to give up the more luxurious one for the powder room if you happen to be the guy). 

Bathroom amenities are provided by The White Company. Unlike my previous stay in the Pool-access Deluxe Room where I got smaller 30ml bottles, the Pool Suite comes with larger 50ml ones! You will also find them on the countertop and in the shower. I really like the refreshing floral scent and I think it is an excellent choice taking the property's location into consideration.

Choose between the regular shower-head or the rain-shower (obviously the latter) from Hansgrohe. I really like how clean the partition between the shower and toilet area is in the bathroom. There is a clear glass between these two places and therefore I would not recommend sharing this bathroom at all (remember you have two!). 

If you are hoping to find a Nespresso machine here, you won't. The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport delights you further with exclusive coffee capsules from illy. Teaming up with Francis Francis, illy brings the perfect cup of coffee to you with a touch of a button. The coffee machine is also extremely fancy and it has a unique and minimalist design. You will not find a built-in milk frother here but you should really have your coffee black anyway! The coffee capsules (and tea bags) are replenished during the evening turndown service so you do not have to worry about rationing so you'll have some the next morning. Tea bags are provided by Dilmah so nothing exciting going on there. 

I spent most of my afternoon reading one of my favourite magazines while sipping on my favourite tea - the Nymph of the Nile (which contains organic white peony tea with Persian pink rose and Egyptian basil). Time truly passes quickly when you are enjoying it as I soon proceeded to the club lounge for evening (alcoholic) drinks and canapés. 

The Club Lounge at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is one of my favourite lounges in Singapore (just after the Pan Pacific Singapore) during evening drinks (5.30pm to 7.30pm). The food quality is excellent and the level of service is impeccable. After being showed to my seat and asked for my room number, my drink orders were quickly taken and fulfilled. I chose a seat along the edge of the lounge which offers me great views of the swimming pool. Staff in the Club Lounge were also extremely polite and shortly addressed me by name after getting my room number - always a nice touch! 

Having been to quite a number of Club Lounges and Executive Lounges in Singapore, I have to say that the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport serves the best looking canapés around. Carefully placed and individually portioned food deviates away from the usual messy impression of self-serviced food.  

You will find a variety of canapés that will cater to your sweet or savoury cravings. As someone who enjoys savoury over sweet snacks (I choose bacon over cakes), I did also enjoy the sweet desserts surprisingly. 

You will also find a selection of cheese, dried fruits and nuts that will go well with your wine here. I lost count of the number of cashew nuts I had while I was there. Since it runs until 7.30pm, the lounge food is sufficient for those who are craving a light dinner. If you are still hungry after snacking, the Changi Airport has a wide selection of restaurants and you will find a supermarket located approximately ten to fifteen minutes walk away. 

Also, while the lounge serves a pretty neat Shiraz, don't forget that you can also order other alcoholic beverages that are on the house. When in doubt, check with the friendly staff! In Singapore where alcoholic drinks can cost quite a bit, I cannot emphasise how important it is to get lounge access. Remember that if you happen to book a room with the club access, you can always enquire at check-in and pay a nominal fee for club access. 

I got back to my room after the cocktail hour and found the most ridiculous plate of fruit platter ever. It was not ridiculous because it was bad but it is just slightly extravagant to have so many fruits on perhaps the biggest platter I have received ever. Apart from the usual suspects, you will also find gooseberries, strawberries and sweet plums. 

I chose to have breakfast at Azur instead of the Club Lounge since variety over intimacy has always been a trait of mine. The 150-seater restaurant offers a selection of Eastern and Western dishes with a show kitchen concept. However, the restaurant seems rather short-handed this time I visited as the tables took pretty long to be cleared. I also had trouble locating a restaurant staff to take my drink orders. 

Food quality at the Azur restaurant is great but nothing compared to the standard of canapés at the Club Lounge in the evening. I should really choose to have my breakfast at the Club Lounge one day so I can better judge the differences in food quality (if any). 

Fitness buffs and road warriors worry not about gaining weight from the food here because the gym is well equipped with a range of machines and free weights to keep you in shape. Being on the road doesn't mean you have to give up on fitness (in fact you should be more motivated to do so since you get to work out in such a beautiful environment). 

I particularly like the treadmills which overlook the garden scenery outside and you'll be able to spot the occasional plane that is landing. 

The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport truly is a class of its own. I can definitely see why this property is being rated as one of the best Airport Hotel in the world by seasoned travellers. A hidden oasis in the Changi Airport that offers a luxurious retreat experience (especially after a long flight) is extremely attractive from the standpoint of a business traveller. Singaporeans who wish to escape the city life can most definitely benefit from a staycation at one of the most unique staycation spots in Singapore - the airport. 

Rooms that faces the runway enjoy spectacular views of this otherwise (relatively) restricted strip. It is an amazing feeling to watch the planes take off and land from the comfort of your bed - all aviation enthusiasts need to take note of this. 

Platinum IHG members are treated well here at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. You will receive a welcome drink and a 4pm late check-out (that is subjected to availability). Having more time to use the beautiful pool and the hotel facilities extends your vacation a little bit more. I really enjoyed my time in the Pool Suite at this amazing property. Perhaps the only issue I had with my room is the lack of a make-up room button (or door hangar). That being said, it truly isn't that much of an issue since you can pick up one of the phones in your room to ask for a turndown service. Once again, this property delivered on its service and product offerings, making my weekend stay a memorable one (and one that I hope to revisit again soon). 

Book your next Crowne Plaza Changi Airport visit HERE.

Remember to click HERE to check out my previous review of the Deluxe Pool Room with Club Access.

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
75 Airport Blvd, Singapore 819664
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