Hong Kong to Singapore -- February 15, 2016
2016 HAL Volendam Asian Adventure -- Pre-cruise
Our flight from Taiwan touched down safely at Chek Lap Kok HKIA.
Going through transit was uneventful and again it was quite handy because we were in the E1 area. For this transit we decided to check out the Qantas lounge instead of going to the Wing or the other Cathay lounges. I have read praises about this lounge of their western food offerings and the spacious sitting areas. The problem for us was finding this lounge. I knew that it is located on the opposite side from the Wing but there was no sign telling us where to go when we walked around Level 6 where gates 15 to 19 are at. Finally we took the escalator up and found the entrance off the right hand side of the immigration exit.
Qantas Lounge
Cathay and Qantas are both One World carriers, so we were able to use our CX boarding passes to enter the Qantas lounge. This lounge is indeed much nicer than Wing (besides their First Class section.)
Wide open space with a good view of the tarmac.
Lots of sitting areas.
It was very quiet on this early afternoon because Qantas flights won't be arriving until later in the day.
Work stations with outlets.
Kids area
Decorated for Chinese New Year
buffet with a good variety of hot and cold choices
Everything looked fresh.
I have read that they serve good cheesecake here but I did not try any.
The attendant came and asked if we wanted drinks, so MOR ordered a cappuccino.
I was not hungry at all, and this was what I had.
Flight CX 735
Hong Kong to Singapore
Time to board for our flight to Singapore.
our plane waiting
This was a Boeing 777-300, new regional 2-class plane. We had 16A, 16C, and 16K with ChC all the way on the other side of the plane.
pushing back from gate 2
Up, up and away!
See you in two weeks, Hong Kong!
This was a mid afternoon flight so they were serving 'refreshment' on this route.
Here is the starter--fresh seasonal fruit.
Just loved their garlic bread!
I was going to skip the main but decided to try their shui gaw and choy sum in noodle soup which turned out much better than the bowl MOR had on the flight from L.A. MOR had the braised lamb shoulder rack and he said it was good. Another choice was the Afternoon Tea Set, which I would love to try if I didn't care about my blood sugar level. ChC totally skipped this meal because we planned on having buffet dinner at the Straits Kitchen that evening.
Arriving Singapore in the haze.
Changi Airport
After immigration and custom, first thing was to get some Singapore money from the exchange so we could pay the cab fare. Later we found out that they do accept credit card on the taxi. We also checked with the transportation desk and were told that we can get a car for $60 from there or we could get in the taxi line and get a taxi. The taxi line was quite long but moved quickly and we were able to stuffed everything in one cab. There are staffers at the taxi line to determine which taxi one would be getting. If you have more people or have a lot of luggage they will have you wait for a maxi. It only cost us $26 from Changi airport to the Grand Hyatt on Scotts Road. Much easier than taking the metro or the shuttles.
The taxi line is on the right hand side across from the Starbucks.
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Our taxi dropped us off right outside Grand Hyatt where the check-in staff met us curb side. She then took us inside and checked us in. As platinum members, we were upgraded to a Grand Deluxe King which was spacious enough for the three of us with a rollaway bed. We also asked her to make an 8 o'clock reservation for us at the Straits Kitchen for dinner that evening.
The bedroom
the sitting room
entry way
Our room 840 was in the middle of the building facing Scotts Road on the 8th floor. A nice room using one of our free-night certificates!
The Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt Singapore
I have read about the Straits Kitchen online and also watched Anthony Bourdain's program on Travel Channel that it is a buffet restaurant featuring local hawker food unique in Singapore. We figured that we only have one whole day in Singapore that we might not have the chance to try everything we wanted on this trip and this would give us an opportunity to sample the wide variety of favorite hawker food like satay, Hainanese chicken rice, laksa, and Indian food all at one sitting. Unlike other buffet, they do not serve Japanese food or western food. It cost about $50 USD per person. Food was freshly cooked and made at the different stations and I must say that everything was delicious. Unfortunately, I was not hungry enough to get my money's worth.
Roast duck, yummy! I was glad that they did not give out big portions.
Hainanese chicken rice, surprisingly good!
Inside Straits Kitchen near our table in the back. As I was observing, most people enjoyed their meals there leisurely, taking time savoring the food served there. Most people were there already when we arrived and still there by the time we were ready to leave the restaurant. This would be one of the memorable meals that we will remember for a long time.
After dinner we decided it would be a good idea to check out the area and walk around a little. There are shopping malls, fancy stores all around the corner of Scotts and Orchard.
We were a bit tired after a while and thought it would be a good idea to go back to our room and call it a day. We would be boarding the HAL Volendam tomorrow.
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