Given how long it has now been since global travel was accessible, we think it’s fair enough that even airports have started to give us a sense of wanderlust!
However, this is especially understandable when it comes to the Changi Airport, Singapore.
Changi isn’t just any airport. It’s an incredible indoor oasis, home to a wide range of diverse and high-quality eateries, a great spot to indulge in a little retail therapy, a space to unwind with a variety of spa treatments and even a sculpture park displaying some of Singapore’s greatest large-scale pieces.
With that in mind, it’s well worth taking a detour on your next trip to experience perhaps the world’s coolest airport.
Should you find yourself at Changi to catch an interconnecting flight, the first thing you’ll notice is the lush green gardens that fill the space. These gardens are maintained beautifully by the airport’s in-house horticultural team, who ensure that every single one of the 500,000 plants at Changi thrive in this unusual environment.
Amongst the greenery, passengers can find rare cacti, tropical plants and trees, grand orchids and even a water lily garden – and, of course, this oasis attracts some truly beautiful breeds of butterfly. There’s also no shortage of garden bars where those visiting the airport can relax and take in this unique environment with a premium cocktail.
Passengers also marvel at the breathtaking large-scale art on show in the airport, including Coming Home by celebrated sculptor Han Meilin. The sculpture features a father, mother and a child, crafted beautifully from steel, bronze and gold respectively – the sculpture as a whole comes in at an incredible 9000kg in weight!
Another charming installation found within the airport in Baet Yeok Kuan’s Birds In Flight, a blue stainless-steel flock inspired by the Arctic tern, a species of bird with one of the longest migration flight paths on earth. It’s a piece that Changi Airport describes as ‘a metaphor for the modern traveller’.
One thing that isn’t all too often associated with an airport layover is the chance to truly relax. At Changi, however, there are opportunities to unwind at every turn.
However you choose to find your zen, there’s a spot for you at Changi. Those who like to let off steam with a little exercise can take advantage of the airport’s fully-equipped 24-hour gym, while those who prefer something a little more chilled can peruse the long menu of treatments available within the airport’s spa facilities. Massages, manicures, facials and more can all be enjoyed without stepping foot out of Changi.
If you can’t wait until you check in at the hotel to enjoy a break by the pool, you’ll be pretty pleased to find out that you don’t have to – Changi Airport has a rooftop pool and jacuzzi of its very own.
Then there’s the restaurants and bars, many of which are open around the clock. As a checkpoint for passengers around the world, the team at Changi have ensured that they have catered for a diverse and far-reaching range of tastes, with a vast variety of local and global cuisine on offer to passengers. From a quick bite and a coffee to a three-course meal, whatever you’re in the mood for can be found in one of the airport’s hundreds of restaurants.
It wasn’t always such a bustling global gateway, however. Starting out in 1959 as Paya Lebar Airport, Changi was once a fraction of its current size and certainly without the modern day facilities that have seen the building win over 500 awards. The oldest of the buildings on the site today was constructed in 1979 and marked the beginning of Changi’s mission to become the world’s greatest airport – a mission that it would appear that they have achieved.
So, could you be taking a detour through this artistic oasis during your next vacation? With Changi serving passengers from over 100 countries, you very well might be.
Just don’t enjoy yourself too much and miss your flight!
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