Singapore’s humidity is legendary, often necessitating multiple showers a day. If you haven’t showered, checked out of your hotel, and arrived at Changi Airport only to find you are again drenched in sweat, have you even been to Singapore? Not everyone has access to airline lounges, so I am excited to take a tour of what must be Changi’s cheapest showers. They are at Hub and Spoke, an outdoor adventure zone and cafe outside Terminal 2. A shower starts at $5.55 plus taxes, with single-use towels available for $4.99 from a vending machine. Shower and dine bundles start from $17.75 and include shower access, a disposable towel, and a $10 food and drink voucher to use at the cafe. Showers are open until 10pm and can be found and booked via the Changi Airport app. They are a good 10-minute walk from T2, so might be best used in the evening.

I’m on a three-night media familiarisation tour of the airport and staying at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, so fortunately don’t need to book a shower this trip. Upgraded to 575 rooms in 2024, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is landside at Terminal 3. Last year it was named the world’s best airport hotel and the best airport hotel in Asia for the 10th consecutive year at the Skytrax World Airport Awards. I’ve landed a premier runway view room which provides a front-row seat — or should that be sleep? — to flights coming and going and the busy Skytrains shuttling passengers between Terminals 1, 2, 3 and Jewel from 5am-2am. The room’s huge windows are perfect for some fun time lapse photography, and I also enjoy floating in the resort-style pool while planes take off into the clouds overhead. Day-use rooms can be booked from $288 for six hours, or $310 for eight hours, including the use of wi-fi and all facilities. Regular room rates start at $400. There are also family rooms with bunk beds for the children.

Whether you need somewhere to freshen up or a nap, Changi Airport has many options. Aerotel at T1 is the world’s only airport transit hotel with an outdoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, poolside bar, and fitness corner. Have a dip and a drink overlooking the runway while enjoying a last blast of humidity. This is still one of Changi’s best-kept secrets; the Aerotel website doesn’t mention the pool pass but you can book via the Plaza Premium Lounge page. Pool access costs from $30 per adult (including taxes), and it’s open from 10am-10pm. Aerotel itself offers a mix of clean, quiet and private rooms in single or double with shared or private bathrooms. Tea and coffee, Wi-fi and a meal are included. Rates start at $240 for a solo room and $260 for the double plus with two beds; advance booking discounts are available.

You’ll find similar short-stay offerings at The Ambassador Transit Hotel in T2 and T3. Stay airside to use Aerotel or Ambassador transit hotels, but you will need to clear immigration for Yotelair at Jewel. A booking of four hours here starts from $111 via the Changi app. Jewel’s Changi Lounge offers three-hour access from $31 including free-flowing snacks, while $55 gets snacks, a shower and a hot meal. Nap pods are bookable from $16.65 an hour on top of a package.

The Changi app is almost essential if moving between terminals, especially when many shops and restaurants have more than one outlet. I wish I had used it, and not Google Maps, to help me find Foodies’ Clan at T3, one of the two “secret” staff canteens that offer hawker food to the public. The palaver finding stairs and a lift to get to this location above a carpark was not worth it to save a few bucks, especially with the abundance of great food all over the airport. The app also lets travellers browse and buy duty-free through the iShopChangi portal for easy collection on departure. If you’re a regular visitor to Singapore, there are lots of deals in the app, and you can earn points to redeem against food, drinks, services and attractions.

+ Sue Yeap was a guest of Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication. fact file changiairport.com changiairport.crowneplaza.com

Sue Yeap

Navigating Changi by app