Marvelous Mekong River Cruise…part 1

In this first of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Singapore’s Changi Airport and the beautiful Avalon Siem Reap ship as part of her Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River cruise.

In February of 2020 I had the pleasure of sailing on my fourth Avalon Waterways river cruise. The Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River was my first river cruise outside of Europe. This time my adventures took me to Cambodia and Vietnam on the Mekong River. Of the five Avalon river cruises I have done (so far!), this is my favorite. Because there are so many wonderful stops along the way, this series is broken up into several parts. This first post highlights the Singapore Changi Airport and the Avalon Siem Reap ship.

Look for the following upcoming posts in this series:

• Spotlight on: Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Cruise itinerary, first half: Cambodia
• Cruise itinerary, second half: Vietnam
• Spotlight on: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Singapore Changi Airport

I was originally scheduled to fly through Hong Kong to Siem Reap, Cambodia. But this was February 2020, when Covid-19 was just starting to rear its ugly head and impact global travel. Just days before I was scheduled to fly, the Hong Kong airport shut down! I was forced to find a new route. Luckily my trusted travel advisor was at the ready, and he had me completely rebooked quickly. My new flights in and out of the United States now routed through Singapore’s Changi Airport. The inbound flight to Cambodia included a rather long layover in Singapore. I initially thought this would be a problem, until I learned about all of the wonderful things in this amazing airport!

Jewel Changi Airport

The true jewel of the airport is the Jewel. It is an amazing combination of nature-related attractions and a large retail mall, all rolled into one! Here at the Jewel you can shop, dine, play, and explore. In order to get to the Jewel from the main airport terminal area, however, you do need to exit the secure transit area and pass through customs. You will then need to pass back through security to get back into the main terminal area. So allow plenty of time to get out and back in to catch your connecting flight.

The centerpiece of the Jewel is the HSBC Rain Vortex, which is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. The mesmerizing waterfall cascades down more than 130 feet into the basement. When the sun catches the spraying water, rainbows are on full display. All around the Rain Vortex are numerous seating areas tucked into the lush green foliage. There are also many colorful, tropical plants on display as well. It is a wonderfully relaxing place in the middle of a very busy airport.

On the periphery of the area, tucked behind all of the greenery, is the shopping and dining area. It is very much like any standard shopping mall in any mid- to large-sized city. There are over 100 shops here along with over 100 dining options to grab anything from a quick bite to eat to a full sit-down dinner.

Beautiful Flowers, Gardens, and Ponds

Another wonderful feature of Singapore’s Changi Airport is the myriad flowers, gardens, and ponds available throughout the entire facility. As I wandered through the different terminals I came across several different garden areas, many of which also included large ponds stocked with colorful koi. I enjoyed visiting the Butterfly Gardens, where hundreds (if not thousands) of beautiful butterflies were gracefully flying through the enclosed area. The Orchid Garden area was also rather lovely.

Sunflower Garden

One final area of Singapore’s Changi Airport that I enjoyed on the layover during my return flight back to the United States was the wonderful Sunflower Garden. This area is outdoors and is right next to part of the gate area so there were planes taxiing in and out mere feet away. The sun was setting and the lights were on, which gave the entire area a quiet and peaceful feeling to it.

Avalon Siem Reap Ship

Another aspect of this wonderful Mekong river cruise to highlight in this first post is my home away from home for the majority of the trip. I stayed in beautiful hotels both pre-cruise (in Siem Reap, Cambodia) and post-cruise (in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). But most of my time on this trip was spent on the gorgeous Avalon Siem Reap. At the time of my trip this was one of two sister ships, along with the Avalon Saigon, that sailed the Mekong River for Avalon. The ship has only 18 staterooms, which means there is a maximum of 36 passengers on these itineraries. We had a total of 25 passengers (and 24 crew) on my cruise in February 2020.

The ship is beautifully decorated with nods to both Asian and French colonial influences. The wonderful wood floors and ceilings, the abundance of artwork, and the pops of vibrant color that accent each space all make for a warm and welcoming home away from home on the Mekong river cruise.

Exterior

This small but mighty ship is simple yet elegant from the outside. The wonderful thing about such a small ship is that it is able to get into many areas and ports that other larger ships cannot. There are two primary levels of the ship – the Mekong Deck (lower level) has 12 Panorama Suites, and the Tonle Deck (upper level) has six Panorama Suites and the public areas such as the dining room, the lounges, and the reception area.

Interior – Stateroom

The Panorama Suites (the only stateroom type available on the ship), are gorgeous. Each suite measures 245 square feet and is fully air conditioned. The large wall-to-wall panoramic window in each suite opens wide to create an open-air balcony. There is a full screen that covers the window to keep the pesky bugs outside while you relax and recharge in the comfortable seating area. The luxurious bathroom is large and very well stocked with L’Occitane bath amenities. The suites also include an in-room safe, USB ports, an alarm clock, and bathrobes and slippers.

Interior – Public Spaces

The public spaces throughout the ship are large, comfortable, and welcoming. The majority of the time onboard is spent on the upper deck in one of the two lounges, either the open-air observation lounge at the front of the ship or the indoor (and air conditioned!) Panorama Lounge and bar. There are plenty of comfortable seats in both lounges, and passengers congregate here to rest and recharge between excursions and before and after meals. This is also the best spot on the ship for a Wi-Fi signal, so that brings everyone out as well!

There is one dining room, at the rear of the ship, where all meals are served; breakfast and lunch are buffet-style, and dinner is a sit-down four-course a la carte meal. All meals are a good mix of local food and more typical Western fare. I always recommend trying the local meals as often as possible, and the Mekong river cruise is no exception!

The lower deck also has a small Fitness Center available for all passengers. But between the hot and humid weather and the walking on the excursions, very few of the passengers on my cruise were even aware that there was a fitness center on the ship.

Clean Shoes, Clean Ship

The crew are very proud of the beautiful ship. One thing they do to help keep the gorgeous wood floors in great shape is ensure everyone’s shoes are clean. Every time passengers return to the ship after an excursion, a few of the smiling crew members will be waiting at the main entrance. They collect everyone’s shoes and whisk them away to be cleaned. Once cleaned, the shoes are neatly lined up in a hallway where passengers can return to collect them a short time after returning to the ship. The complementary slippers in the staterooms come in handy to wear around the ship during the shoe-cleaning time!

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful Changi Airport in Singapore. There were many things there to do and see, which makes it a great place for a long layover. After the first few days of the trip I boarded the Avalon Siem Reap. While this post highlights these first few items, please join me in future posts as I explore more of the cruise itself and all of the fantastic experiences along the way. Stay tuned for more detailed posts about my Avalon Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River cruise!

Links

Click the button below for further information about Changi Airport (Singapore):

Click the button below for further information on the 2023 Avalon Fascinating Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River itinerary:

Note: I fully funded this trip on my own and received no compensation or any other benefits from any service providers I used along the way. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am not being compensated by any service providers.