Singapore's "Private Room" and Singapore Business Class on the A350

Upon landing in Singapore it was time to make use of my "golden ticket" or rather my invite to The Private Room.

This room is restricted to passengers traveling in or out of Singapore in suites class.  To get to in, you go to the main lounge and from there enter the first class lounge.  From inside the first class lounge you then go through another door to enter the Private Room.  Singapore really seems to place a focus on making things feel exclusive.  The Private Room was certainly private.  It wasn't that large compared to other lounges, but there also weren't more than a dozen people in the lounge.  There were several seating areas and a dining room.

Similar to the lounge in Sydney, you could either eat from the buffet or order off a menu.  I again did both!

After the meal I took a shower in one of the shower suites which was quite refreshing!

Shortly after the shower it was time to head to the gate to board my flight to Johannesburg.  This flight was on a new A350-900.  While very comfortable I didn't go crazy with the photos coming off of the suites experience.  I was also feeling pretty tired.  Though the business class seat was very private, and had a new and snappy entertainment system.  Much nicer than anything US carriers offer in business.  The remote control resembled a smart phone and had a display screen that mirrored what was on the big screen in front of you.

Dua Lipa is everwhere

After the meal (yes, I'm still eating and I've lost track of what meal I'm even eating) I was able to sleep for most of this flight which was great as I was landing in South Africa in the early morning.

Once I got to Johannesburg, I made my way to my 3rd lounge of this leg of the journey before boarding my short hop on a South African Express propeller plane to Hoedspruit.

Hoedspruit was just a 30  minute ride from the safari camp I was staying in bordering Kruger National Park. That is up next!

Singapore Suites on the A380 - Sydney to Singapore

To get from Australia to South Africa, I was flying in Singapore Suites on the A380 from Sydney to Singapore and then in Singapore Business class from Singapore to Johannesburg on a new A350.  The flight in suites was probably the flight I was most excited about for the entire trip.  Though before we get to the plane we've got to check in and visit the lounge!  The Singapore experience started off right with no wait to check in.  It was kind of crazy to see 5 separate check in lines.  From left to right the lines are Suites, Business Class, Premium Economy, Internet Check in and Economy.  As you can see they literally roll out the red carpet for the Suites class.  That gave me a chuckle.

After checking in I spent some time in the Singapore first class lounge in Sydney.  The lounge lobby is the same for both first class and business but when I showed my boarding pass they literally press a button on the side of the desk and a hidden door opens up and you are escorted into the first class lounge as opposed to the normal business lounge.  The lounge was very nice with a dining area and several seating areas, one of which had a view over the tarmac.  I really liked the look of the high back chairs.

It was time to start up on the champagne again!  Though not too much because I knew what they'd serve onboard was even nicer than what was on offer in the lounge.  There was food and drink available from a buffet but you could also order off a menu.  I had a bit from the buffet and then ordered some chicken satay.

When it was time to board I headed to my gate which was pretty crowded.  The A380 seats about 400 passengers and boarding had just begun.  Consistent with the the Singapore experience thus far, there was an empty line at the front next to a sign that said "suites."  I walked up and was immediately escorted to the jet bridge.  After walking part way down there was a another sign for suites passengers where I boarded through the forward cabin door.  Before I even reached the plane two crew members stepped into the jetbridge to welcome me.  There are only 12 suites in the cabin, but on this flight there were only 4 of us, which made it feel that much more private.  The seat is hard to photograph in one shot, but I was impressed!

I was offered my choice of Dom or Krug champagne.  I started with the Dom and perused the rest of the menu.

I also checked out the Bose noise cancelling headphones, amenity kit and Singapore Airlines branded PJs!

How could we forget the restroom!

As I mentioned, there were only 4 of us in the cabin and there are 12 seats in total.  There are 4 seats on either side along the windows and then two rows of two in the middle section.  Here's an image of the layout of the suites cabin.

The four seats in the middle were all vacant and these are the seats that if booked together can be made into a double bed.  Since everything I'd read about Singapore was that they'd basically do anything you ask them if you're in suites, I asked the flight attendant if I could try out the double bed after the meal service.  He was very happy to accommodate the request and said he'd make the bed up right then.  So off he went while I changed into my Singapore PJs.  About 5 minutes later he told me the bed was ready.  He was very nice to take a photo without me even having to ask though I'm sure he spotted me earlier taking pictures of everything.  After he took the photo he the shut the door to the suite and told me he'd wake me for dinner.  It was such a neat experience to be in an enclosed suite, with a door, on an airplane.  After taking like 20 selfies, I watched an episode of Veep on the entertainment screen and then took a quick little nap.  :)

After a short rest it was time for the meal service.  Rather than convert the double bed back into a seat I just moved back to my window seat.  So I was basically occupying three first class suites on this flight.  I literally can't even.

The food was delicious.  Singapore gives you the option to select your main course in advance and I went with the Lobster Thermidor.  Throughout the course of the meal I sampled both champagnes and I have to say the 2004 Krug was my favorite over the 2006 Dom Peringnon.  I also tried the whites and reds that were on offer, of course.

Lobster on a plane!

After dinner I headed back across the aisle to my suite and watched this cutesy film I'd never heard of with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, Friends with Benefits.  Though I'm sure all the champagne and wine helped make it much more amusing that it really was.  After the movie I took another little rest.  Before I knew it, it was time to eat again as we were about 90 minutes outside of Singapore.  I chose the noodle soup which I thought was better than the noodle soup I'd had a few weeks ago on Cathay Pacific.

After the snack it was almost time to land and the most amazing flight experience I'd ever had was sadly coming to an end.  Everything from the seat, the double bed, the service, the food and the champagne was exceptional.  They really do an amazing job providing a high level of personalized service and I certainly won't forget the experience anytime soon.  I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves to fly.  The easiest way to fly in Suites is to save up some Chase points and then transfer them directly to Singapore's frequent flyer program.  My one way from Sydney to Singapore in Suites and Singapore to Johannesburg in Business was just under 90,000 points.

Up next I spent some time in Singapore's "Private Room" before my flight from Singapore to Johannesburg.

Sydney CBD and beyond

Beyond the beaches and the harbor I spent a good amount of my time in Sydney just wandering around the CBD and nearby neighborhoods.  One of my first stops was a spin studio; I was certainly past due!  Sadly I didn't photograph it, because really, who walks around a spin studio taking pictures?  It was similar to my favorite DC studio in that your "score" is up on the board at the front of the class and you can compete with the other riders.  At this studio they also projected a "race course" on two giant screens at the front of the class which is different for every class.  For this one, we were climbing Mt. Fuji.  Kinda neat, though really it was just a 2 lane road going up the mountain the entire time and didn't really add to much to the workout.  All the music was American which so far has been the norm just about everywhere I'd been.  It really is amazing how American music seems to dominate in so many countries throughout the world.

After spin class I stumbled upon Queen Victoria Market.  The "market" was a shopping mall with cafes and other stores in an old building.  I may or may not have had a donut that pretty much cancelled out my 45 minute workout.  Oh well!

After the market I came upon the city hall and St. Andrew's Cathedral.

I wanted to keep wandering but figured I should probably shower before entering any buildings, but snapped a few more photos of the CBD along the way.

On another morning  I spent some time checking out Market City, which is a market that sells just about everything from food to clothing to home goods.  It was on the side of the city adjacent to Chinatown as well as another harbor area called Darling Harbor.  The market's Halloween section did make me miss home and a little sad I wouldn't be dressing up this year. I almost bought a mask or another diner waitress costume but there is no space for that in my roller bag! #intheweeds

After the market I took a stroll through Chinatown.  It was pretty large with lots of restaurants and shops.

Adjacent to Chinatown was Darling Harbor.  I have to say, I really don't see what was so darling about it.  Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday, but it was mostly tourists going to and from places like the wax museum and chain like restaurants.   Though there were some nice views of the city skyline and lots of green spaces.

I did spot one establishment that gave me pause.

On one of my last days in Sydney I walked through Hyde Park where there are several monuments,  the Archibald fountain and St. Mary's Cathedral.

Anzac War Memorial

Bullet Sculpture

St. Mary's Cathedral

Archibald Fountain

Being over halfway through my trip I was in need of a haircut, so I continued south from Hyde Park to a neighborhood called Surry Hills.   It was a pretty trendy neighborhood with lots of cafes, shops and restaurants.  I visited a shop that was recommended to me by my current barber back in DC.  I was pretty happy with it and the shop certainly had some character.

After the cut I stopped for a snack and a coffee at a cafe called Bill's.

Sydney also had a pretty fun nightlife scene and being back in Australia from New Zealand I again was reminded around almost every corner about the upcoming marriage equality vote.

With that, my time in New Zealand and Australia came to a close.  The first month of the trip really flew by, but I was looking forward to South Africa next!