When I return from breakfast, I have a rather curious and obviously very vain cockatoo prancing around my balcony like he owns the place. I spend the morning watching the little guy’s antics and packing my bags for my return to Europe. This has been such a lovely holiday. I managed to see and do quite a few things, but still feel totally and utterly relaxed.

Getting to the Airport

I check out of the Manly Pacific at eleven in the morning and make my way down the Corso to Manly Wharf. These last few days the sea has been quite rough, especially between the heads at the entrance to the harbour, which the ferry has to cross en route from Manly to Circular Quay. As a result, the regular ferry I wanted to take has been cancelled, so I’m going to have to take the fast catamaran. I briefly wonder why, if the scheduled ferry can’t handle the swell, things should be any better on the catamaran. But to be honest, I have more pressing things to worry about right now – like keeping my breakfast down during the crossing.

At Circular Quay I alight on shaky legs and transfer to the railway station to catch an airport bound train. The total journey time door to door takes me close to an hour.

Check-In

Singapore Airlines checks in on row E. There are four separate queues for Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and Suites. Two counters are available for Suites passengers.

Both counters are busy when I arrive. Immediately, the supervisor comes out to greet me from behind her desk and escorts me to a Business Class counter that has just become available. The agent makes quick work of issuing my boarding pass and tagging my suitcase. She gives me instructions to Fast Track security and then sends me on my way.

The airside concourse at Sydney’s international terminal looks a lot like one of the big glitzy shopping malls in the city.

Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge

The Singapore Airlines lounge is located above gate 57, which is from where the flight to Singapore will board later on.

I am warmly welcomed when I arrive at the lounge reception and the lady asks me if everything went well at check-in. She then inquires if I would prefer to board early or just before departure and then escorts me to a seat by the window.

A waitress appears out of nowhere with the menu and a hot towel. I order the Laksa. In addition to the items on the menu there is also a nice buffet with hot and cold dishes. After the Laksa, I help myself to the salad, which tastes fresh.

After the meal, I ask for a cappuccino, which is served with the chocolate powder shaped in the Singapore Airlines logo. I mean, how cool is that!

Boarding

At 14h20, one of the lounge receptionists approaches me to let me know that boarding is about to start. She inquires if I’ll be needing her to escort me to the aircraft, but I decline and tell her I should be fine. I pack up my things and head downstairs. There is a separate queue for boarding for Suites passengers on the far right of the gate which leads to the airbridge for the upper deck. I step aboard, where a male flight attendant welcomes me and asks his colleague, Sarah, to take me to my seat.

The Cabin & Suite

This is the first time I’m not sitting on row 3 in Singapore Airlines’ A 380 Suites. Today I’m on 1A. In the take-off position the seat faces the bulkhead and the windows are slightly behind the seat. This means that when I turn my seat for it to point toward the window, it does a 180 right turn, so that I’m flying facing toward the rear. The layout of the Suite on 1A makes a lot of sense. What’s more, being further away from the galley means that the Suite is a lot quiter than row 3.

The Service & Crew

The crew on this flight are lovely and a lot more laid back than the crew on my way to Sydney. Sarah quickly takes my jacket and hangs it in my private closet. She explains where everything is and brings me the vanity bag and an XL size pajama. To drink I have a Perrier. The crew on this flight are also noticeably more disciplined with keeping the door to the suite shut.

We push back on time. Just ahead of us, the Speedbird service to Singapore and London is slowly taxiiing out for departure.

The Meal – Late Lunch

When I checked online before my flight, there wasn’t really anything that looked interesting on the menu, which I why I decided again to book the cook.

Right after departure, the crew serve drinks and warm nuts. I have a glass of the Bollinger La Grande Année 2015, which is very nice.

The table is then set for the meal.

Before the meal begins, the crew pass through the cabin with the breadbasket. Later on when they see I’ve finished my bread, the crew ask me if I’d like some more. The bread is served with a choice of butter, olive oil and vinaigrette.

We start with the caviar service, which is always nice and comes with some of the fluffiest blinis I’ve ever had.

Next, I have the scallops with brussels sprouts, which are very nicely presented. This is a very fragrant and tasty dish, but the scallops have turned rubbery and are a bit difficult to cut.

For the main, I’ve booked the lobster, which is served with asparagus and fragrant saffron rice. Again, the lobster is very rubbery, to the point that it’s difficult to cut and chew.

And for dessert I have the cheese with crackers and nuts. The cheese are Camembert, Cheddar, and a blue cheese. To drink I have a glass of port. And then to finish off the meal, I have a cup of coffee.

Once everything is cleared away, I grab my pajamas and go to the washroom to change, while the crew make up the bed. I don’t actually sleep, but it’s nice and cosy to lie in bed reading my Kindle.

The Second Service – Dinner

About ninety minutes out of Singapore, the second service begins. I’ve ordered the Asian vegetarian meal. Now, this is excellent. It’s Upma, which is made of semolina. On the same plate there are also two rings which I think are made with chickpea flour. On the side, I have a dhal and a chana masala, both of which are fragrant and have just the right amount of umpf, if you know what I mean.

Arrival

At 20h00 local time, our A 380 starts to slow down and begins its descent into Singapore. The cabin crew start preparing the aircraft for our arrival. The captain announces an outside temperature of 30 degrees celsius. From our parking stand it’s just a short walk to immigration and what must be the biggest immigration hall I’ve ever seen. The impression of size is enhanced by the apparent lack of passengers.

It only takes about ten minutes for the suitcases to start arriving and mine in the fourth or fifth to appear on the belt.

Getting into the City

I’m staying at the Raffles Hotel near City Hall. To get there, I take the airport train link to Tanah Merah, which is two stops. And then from there I take a train directly to City Hall. My plane from Sydney landed at 20:30. By 21h50 I’m already at the hotel.

Conclusion

And just like that, Australia already feels very far away. The day time return flight on Singapore Airlines to Singapore was a lot more pleasant than the outbound, which was a night flight. The crew were not so stressed out on this flight and the pace of the service overall was much more agreeable. The crew on this flight were an absolute delight and very charming. This was more like the legendary service that people have come to expect with Singapore Airlines.