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I recently flew to Singapore to visit Bawah Island – an exclusive eco-resort set in Indonesia’s remote Anambas archipelago. The private island is everything you’d expect from a five-star luxury resort. There are overwater bungalows, a fine dining restaurant in the treetops, a luxurious day spa, and friendly staff on call. The island itself isn’t the only drawcard – part of the adventure is the journey and your arrival, which is as luxurious as it gets.
The journey begins in Singapore, where you’re greeted by a chauffeur and then taken to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. After a short 30-minute ferry ride to the neighbouring Batam Island, you’re then met by a private seaplane. The highlight of the journey is touching down on the island in the clear aqua lagoon in front of a palm-fringed beach. All in time for a gourmet lunch made using locally caught seafood and produce grown on the island.
With such a luxurious journey and island destination ahead of us, it was only fitting that the rest of our airport travel be the same. Luckily, travelling with a Priority Pass membership is like flying business class, even when you’re flying economy. So flying out of Sydney and Singapore was a relaxing, stress-free and enjoyable experience – I actually look forward to my time at the airport now.
See how I arrived in Singapore and back in Sydney in style, with experiences that rivaled my luxury island destination:
Priority Pass at Sydney International Airport
Mach2 and Peroni Bar – Terminal 1
While it may look like I’m constantly travelling, I live in Sydney and always return to my home base in between trips. So with Sydney Airport being my main airport, I always make sure I arrive a little early so I can take advantage of the Priority Pass Membership benefits. What I love about using my Priority Pass Membership at Sydney International Airport, is that you don’t just get you lounge access. Priority Pass also partner with a range of restaurants and bars at the airport to give members the best value. Rock up to your favorited restaurant or bar, show your Priority Pass Membership card and you’ll get AUD$36 credit off the final bill. With my boyfriend Jason also having a Priority Pass membership, we had a combined credit of AUD$72 at each dining partner to work our way through.
I have the same routine before every flight. I try to avoid eating food, so sitting down to a delicious meal before my flight is a top priority. After checking-in, we always head straight to Mach2 – it’s at Terminal 1 before customs near check-in counter H. Mach2 is an offshoot of Bar Machiavelli in Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay – they’ve got a great menu and wine list. We enjoyed an early dinner of grilled snapper with steamed broccolini, and penne with chicken in a tomato sauce before taking on the often hectic customs and security screening process.
If you’re a regular follower of my blog and social channels, you’ll know that I have a very important pre-flight ritual. Once I’m through security and I’ve made those essential duty free purchases, I always celebrate the start of every trip with a glass of Champagne. The best place to do that at Peroni Bar – it’s positioned near gate 56 right next to the window, so you can toast to upcoming adventures while watching the planes take off.
Priority Pass at Singapore Changi Airport
SATS Premier Lounge – Terminal 1
After spending a magical weekend on Bawah Island in Indonesia, it was time to head back to Singapore and back to reality. But with our Priority Pass Memberships, reality could wait. Instead of killing time around the airport waiting for our late night flight back to Sydney, we headed straight to the SATS Premier Lounge – a 24-hour lounge equipped with all the pre-flight essentials you could need.
There’s a buffet with a delicious range dishes on offer, as well as an amazing range of drinks including wine, beer, spirits, juices and soft drinks. But what really caught my eye (and stomach) was the make your own Fishball Kway Teow Soup station. A hawker staple in Singapore, Fishball Kway Teow Soup is a soup dish with the most flavoursome chicken broth. They serve it in the lounge as it’s the perfect dish to prepare your stomach for a flight ahead. It’s special touches like this, that makes airport travel so much more enjoyable. I paired my delicious bowl of soup (and second and third servings!) with a glass of Chardonnay while Jason enjoyed a French red.
The Fishball Kway Teow Soup isn’t the only special touch on offer. In the SATS Premier Lounge, it’s all about the massage chairs. With only three on offer, you might have a short wait. But let me tell you, no matter how long the wait, it will be worth it. These massage chairs are some of the best I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never boarded a flight feeling so relaxed in my life and with it being an overnight one, I was asleep before we even left the tarmac.
With so many exciting overseas trips on the horizon for 2019, I can’t wait to see where we’ll be travelling with our Priority Pass Membership next.
Want to become a Priority Pass member?
Discover a membership to the world’s largest independent lounge program with access to more than 1,200 airport lounges in over 500 cities and 140 countries worldwide.
- The Standard (US$99) – first year 20% discount (US$79)
Gives you access to any lounge in the PP network for US$32 per person. - The Standard Plus (US$299) – first year 10% discount (US$269)
This membership comes with 10 free visits annually. - Prestige (US$429)
Gives the member unlimited free access to the Priority Pass network for a year.
Find out more about this great membership here.
