Ever since it opened in 2015, Z Hostel has become one of the go-to places in Poblacion. The hostel became famous because of its rooftop bar & the parties happening there every night. This early, you might think that Z Hostel is only a party hostel or destination. It’s not! The hostel is also a great place to have a solo staycation or a hostel weekend with friends.
Wondering what else you can do during a weekend with Z? Don’t worry, I got you. Here’s a list of what you & your friends can do during your Z Hostel staycation weekend:
Join Hostel Activities & Rooftop Parties
Z Hostel used to host walking tours, sunset sessions & traditional dinners before the pandemic. These activities are currently suspended due to health protocols; these will eventually be offered again once the local health officials allow them.
In the meantime, you & your friends can go to the roof deck & join the fun crowd every night. Don’t forget to check what type of event they have on the night of your stay. Thursdays are for house classics. Fridays are for 90’s music. Saturdays are for the iconic roof deck parties & Sundays are for slowdown sessions. Make sure to order their signature cocktails – particularly May Forever. You’ll love it!
Check Out The Apartment & The Green Door
If you’re not into the party scene & want a more chill environment, you & your friends can check out The Apartment & The Green Door. These are 2 Z Hostel-affiliated bars that feature live band sessions & vinyl DJ sets. Don’t forget to bring your Z Hostel RFID because you’ll need it to enter these 2 bars.
Hop From One Coffee Shop to the Other
Calling all coffee lovers! You can go & check out a few coffee shops around Poblacion. You can start your morning or afternoon with a hot cup of coffee from the famous Commune Café + Bar along Polaris. If this café is full, you may also check out these smaller coffee shops – Coffee ARTea & Good Sh*t Coffee.
Believe it or not, these are just some of the many places you can visit during your staycation at Z Hostel. One whole weekend, or even a long weekend, is not enough to go & visit all these places in Poblacion. Have you been to any of the restaurants, bars & pubs mentioned above? Which ones are your favorites? Feel free to share your experiences & recommendations in the comments section below. You may also send them via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.
Thanks for joining me in today’s P’s List! Before you go, can you visit my social media channels –Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you & watch out for the next one!
After deplaning from my Singapore Airlines Flight SQ 107 from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, I immediately walked to the assigned gate for my onward flight to Manila. This Singapore to Manila SQ 916 flight on Singapore Airlines will be the subject of today’s flight report. Join me as I share with you details about this excellent but turbulent flight back home.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is Singapore’s national carrier. This award-winning world class airline is based in one of the world’s best airports – Singapore Changi Airport. The airline starred as Malayan Airways in 1947; it then re-branded & commenced operations as Singapore Airlines in 1972. The airline has been a top contributor in terms of the world’s revenue passenger kilometers & the number of international passengers carried worldwide.
The airline currently flies to over 60 destinations in more than 30 countries across 5 continents. Singapore Airlines is one of the leading carriers in the Southeast Asian Region with the help of its low-cost subsidiary, Scoot. The airline’s previous regional subsidiary, Silk Air, has been incorporated into SQ’s operations as of March 2021.
Singapore Airline flies a modern aircraft fleet consisting of Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 737 Max & Boeing 737-800 NG. The airline is the world’s largest Airbus A350-900 operator with 60 currently in service & 5 more on order. 7 of the 60 Airbus A350’s in service have the ultra-long range (ULR) premium (only business & premium economy class) configuration. These ULRs are mostly used in the North America routes.
Singapore Airlines is a full-service carrier. It means that every flight includes all the necessary in-flight amenities & services you can think of. All SQ tickets include free check-in baggage, meals & in-flight entertainment. The airline has a frequent flyer program called KrisFlyer & PPS Club. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance – one of the world’s biggest airline alliance networks.
This SQ 916 flight from Singapore to Manila was part of a 4-sector ticket from Manila to Kuala Lumpur & back on Singapore Airlines. The return ticket cost me US$147.69 + 7,665 KrisFlyer miles I earned during my Singapore Airlines flights to Europe in 2019.
My bank charged me ₱7,926.12 including foreign currency conversion charges. This return ticket includes 25 kilograms check-in baggage allowance, 7 kilograms carry-on allowance, inflight meals & snacks, personal entertainment screens on 3 of 4 flights & a 5-star flight experience with well-trained & passionate cabin crew on all 4 sectors or flights.
This return ticket was a great deal considering it was booked a month prior to the scheduled flights. It also gave me all the benefits of a full-service airline. Believe it or not, return tickets on Philippines-based low-cost carriers were more expensive than this SQ ticket!
A few months ago, the Philippine government relaxed entry requirements for those who want to travel to or go home to the country. The requirements differ based on the individual’s vaccination status.
Fully-vaccinated passengers who have received a booster dose are exempted from providing a negative antigen or RT-PCR test result. They only need to provide their vaccination certificate issued by the respective health authorities. Fully-vaccinated passengers who have not received a booster dose need to present a negative antigen test result taken 24 hours before departure.
Unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated individuals need to present a negative RT-PCR result taken 48 hours before the departure or a negative antigen test result taken 24 hours before the flight. They also need to undergo facility-based quarantine, take a test on the 5th day & if negative, continue quarantine at home until 14th day from arrival.
On top of these vaccination or test requirements, all incoming passengers, regardless of nationality, need to register on the One Health Pass website 72 hours before the flight. He/she must also save a printed or digital copy of the QR code at the end of the form.
Please take note that some nationalities still require additional requirements such as a visa (if needed) or proof of onward ticket when entering the Philippines. These requirements can be changed anytime. It’s always best to check the Covid-19 Travel Information page of the airline you’ll be flying with to the Philippines.
Before The Flight
A few days after booking the flight, Singapore Airlines sent an e-mail reminder to check the updated travel requirements of the chosen destination. The e-mail included helpful links where I need to check the updated protocols for both transit area & destination.
Fast forward to a few days before the flight, the airline sent an e-mail about mySQupgrade. It is their instant upgrade program for economy class passengers who want to pay for a business class seat on that specific flight. I didn’t bother to check the minimum upgrade price because I don’t have the funds for it.
48 hours before my Kuala Lumpur to Singapore flight, the Singapore Airlines mobile application notified me that check-in is now available for both flights. I immediately checked-in & chose my seats for both Kuala Lumpur to Singapore & this Singapore to Manila flights. Singapore Airlines allows their passengers to choose their preferred seats for free during the online check-in process.
Flight Information
This Singapore to Manila flight was operated by a 6.5-month-old (at the time of the flight) Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The aircraft, which was delivered to Singapore Airlines in January 2022, has the two-class regional configuration consisting of 40 lie-flat business class seats & 263 standard economy class seats.
SQ 916 took off from Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) at exactly 1:48pm & landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) at 5:13pm. The flight had a smooth & quiet take-off & landing but also had a very turbulent journey up in the air. It experienced several turbulences throughout the 3.5-hour flight. The whole journey from Singapore to Manila took 3 hours & 25 minutes.
Ground & Airport Experience
This Singapore to Manila flight on SQ 916 is a continuation of my Kuala Lumpur to Singapore flight. I did not clear immigration in Singapore & only stayed airside at Singapore Changi Airport.
CHANGI AIRPORT TRANSIT EXPERIENCE
Transit at Singapore Changi Airport is back to pre-pandemic times. The airport does not require a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination during transit. The only requirement they have for transit passengers is to have both flights (to Singapore & out of Singapore) under the same ticket or itinerary & have the passenger’s baggage tagged from the airport of origin to the final country or airport of destination.
My flight back to Manila was booked under the same itinerary. I checked in for both Kuala Lumpur to Singapore & Singapore to Manila flights in Kuala Lumpur. I also had my check-in luggage tagged from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to my final destination, Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines.
SQ 107 from Kuala Lumpur arrived a few minutes behind schedule. After disembarking from the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, I immediately headed to Terminal 3 Gate B9 to board this flight to Manila. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to go around Terminal 3 on this short connection. This transit experience was seamless & hassle-free.
PRE-DEPARTURE
I submitted myself & my carry-on bag for a final security check at the doors of Gate B9 & went to the staff counter to request a seat change. I mentioned in my SQ 107 flight report that I tried to request a seat change during check-in at KLIA. I was advised by the check-in agent that the system doesn’t allow her to do it & mentioned that I can request this in Singapore before I board the flight to Manila. I went to the flight staff & was immediately granted a new seat at the 2nd to the last row – 69B.
I went to the pre-departure area, took a seat & enjoyed the view of the beautiful Airbus A350-900 aircraft that will fly us to Manila. Ah, such a beautiful plane!
BOARDING
At exactly 12:58pm, the ground staff called all business class passengers & status holders to board the aircraft to Manila. 2 minutes later, they called all economy class passengers seated at the rear part of the cabin (that’s us) to board the plane. Shortly after our batch, those seated in the forward economy cabin boarded the plane last. Boarding was done by group & took 28 minutes to finish. The cabin crew closed the aircraft doors at 12:28pm.
Inflight Hard & Soft Product
SEAT FEATURES
This Singapore to Manila flight was operated by one of Singapore Airlines’ newest Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The plane sports the regional seat configuration with 40 lie-flat business class seats & 263 standard economy seats. According to SeatGuru, each business class seat has a 60-inch seat pitch & 28-inch seat width. The seats have a 1-2-1 configuration, with each seat having direct aisle access. All business class seats are equipped with a large personal entertainment screen paired with noise-canceling headphones. Each seat also includes a pillow, a blanket, several storage spaces & a large tray table.
Business Class SeatEconomy Class Seats
Economy class seats have a seat pitch of 28 inches & seat width of 18 inches – slightly bigger than the Boeing 787-10’s 17.5 inches seat width. Each seat comes with a spacious leg room, an adjustable headrest & a personal entertainment screen. Seats also feature a seat pocket with inflight safety cards, a fold-able tray table with mirror, a coat hook, small storage space below the screen, a fold-able cup holder, a USB charging outlet & a universal power outlet in between seats. Pillows, blankets, face masks & disinfectant surface wipes are now available by request.
The seats on this Airbus A350 aircraft are complete & comfortable enough for a short-haul international flight. It has more than what a normal economy class passenger needs for a 3-hour flight.
INFLIGHT MEAL
Singapore Airlines served complimentary hot meals on this 3-hour flight to Manila. The airline has removed the physical menu cards & integrated the whole food & drink information in the flight’s onboard connectivity service. Passengers had the option to choose between Herb Crusted Fish Fillet & Roasted Chicken Rice. The main dish came with a bread roll & butter, ice cream & a drink of choice – coffee, tea, wine, beer, water or juice. The crew went around again to offer a second round of drinks & offered water, coffee & tea to those who want. Check out the full menu below.
I admire the airline for using metal cutlery & recyclable food containers during the meal service. It helps a lot in eliminating solid waste; it is environment-friendly. I hope they can find a sustainable alternative to plastic cups.
I chose the roasted chicken rice meal with a glass of red wine & enjoyed it. The rice, chicken & vegetable portions were just right. For dessert, we had Udders Dark Chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was thick & tasty; it was probably the star of the lunch service.
Immediately after the meal service, I asked for roasted nuts to help me finish my small glass of red wine. After this, I asked for the airline’s signature cocktail, Singapore Sling. I think I had 2 more glasses of this drink paired with their roasted cashew & almonds. Don’t worry, I didn’t feel tipsy or what.
INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Krisworld, Singapore Airline’s entertainment system, offers thousands of options to choose from. They have hundreds of movies & TV shows to watch, thousands of songs to listen to, games to play & a few local media content to check out. All these options can be accessed via the touch screen personal entertainment screens found in front of every seat. The touch screen screens were responsive & easy to navigate. It also showed the flight path & even details of onward connecting flights. The provided earphones were alright. They aren’t noise canceling but they did its job.
Krisworld also gives frequent flyers the option to personalize their experience. The system asks for the passengers KrisFlyer membership number & then shows the passenger’s favorites or the last song, movie to television show he/she watched / left unfinished. I hope Singapore Airlines install cameras in their A350’s which passengers can access / view during flights.
INFLIGHT CONNECTIVITY
Singapore Airlines offered Wi-Fi service on this flight. PPS Club members & business class passengers are given 100MB of data to use up during the flight. The airline also gives complimentary 2 hours of messaging service to KrisFlyer members in economy class. Non-members can opt to either register to KrisFlyer to avail of the data plans on board.
Sad to say this, but the Wi-Fi on this flight was close to not working. I had to try a lot of times before having access to the inflight food & drinks menu. I didn’t get to use the free 2-hour messaging service because I always got the ‘network error’ or ‘service unavailable’ notification.
LAVATORY
The rear lavatory on this Airbus A350 was spotless & well-maintained. It was clean; it had the amenities needed for a 3-hour flight. The sink had cold & warm water & had hand soap & tissue beside it. The lavatory console had a moisturizing hand lotion & the drawer had more amenities.
Cabin Crew Service
The cabin crew service on this flight was excellent. The cabin crew welcomed all passengers with their best smiles & wished us a pleasant & enjoyable flight. Upon arriving at my seat, I saw that the tray table had leftover crumbs. I notified one of the cabin attendants in the back. The cabin attendant apologized & immediately got back to me with disinfectant wipes & tissue.
The crew had to pause meal service a few times due to turbulence. They kept apologizing to the passengers every time the meal service was halted. They continued with the meal service after the turbulences. The guy who served my meal was polite & attentive. He asked what meal & drink options I preferred & gladly served it.
After the meal service, I asked for a glass of Singapore Sling. The cabin attendant misunderstood it, & thought I asked for a Bloody Mary. She came back & apologized that they don’t have Bloody Mary onboard; she also immediately offered to mix a special drink for me. I told her that I actually requested for Singapore Sling. She again apologized & came back with my requested drink with 2 packs of roasted nuts. Lovely!
Several members of the flight crew went around the cabin throughout the flight & attended to every passenger’s requests. They even went around & offered glasses of water to those who want.
The assigned crew on this flight showed true Singaporean hospitality. They served the passengers with their best smiles & catered to every request throughout the flight. They made sure that passengers had an enjoyable flight onboard Singapore Airlines. Their top-notch service made the flying experience a lot better. Cheers to the crew on this flight!
Disembarkation & Baggage Claim
All passengers disembarked in an orderly manner. The ground staff checked every passenger’s One Health Pass QR code & instructed where to fall in line for verification / scanning. Immigration didn’t take long & check-in bags were available as soon as we arrived at the baggage claim hall. Believe it or not, I finished the whole arrival process (from stepping out of the plane to the arrivals area) in less than 10 minutes.
Final Thoughts
It was another excellent flight with Singapore Airlines. Both the hard & soft products stood out on this 3.5-hour flight from Singapore to Manila onboard their new Airbus 350-900 aircraft. I’d like to point out a few things that actually made this experience a great one.
First, the transit experience at Singapore Changi Airport was seamless. No requirements, no whatsoever. I just went from one airport gate to the other. Second, both the ground staff & cabin crew provided excellent service. The ground attendants in Kuala Lumpur & Singapore were polite & accommodating. Those in Singapore station even allowed me to change seats last minute. The cabin crew teams onboard the flight were hospitable & service-oriented.
Third, Singapore Airlines’ hard product on the Airbus A350-900 is modern & solid. The seats are comfortable; they have good leg space. The personal entertainment screens area big; it has thousands of entertainment options to choose from. The cabin also feels very spacious.
The airline’s soft product on this flight was as awesome as the hard product. Cabin crew service, as mentioned above, was top-notch. The inflight meal portions were just right. They also offered a long list of drinks for economy class passengers. I particularly liked the dark chocolate ice cream offered as dessert. Lastly, I also noticed the airline’s sustainable efforts by using recyclable food containers, providing metal cutlery & getting rid of physical menus.
This flight was not perfect. It also had some drawbacks which I hope the airline can improve on. First, the onboard Wi-Fi was close to not working. It only worked when I tried to access the inflight menu. Second, the airline still uses plastic cups for the drink service – particularly for water, wine & other alcoholic beverages in economy class. I hope they can find an environment-friendly alternative for it.
Third, I somehow felt a downsize in economy class service compared to how it was before the pandemic. Pillows & blankets are no longer provided to every seat & the towel service in economy class has stopped. I hope they can find a way to re-introduce them in the future. Lastly, not entirely the airline’s fault, but this flight was very turbulent. The meal service had to stop several times due to turbulence. I think the seatbelt sign was turned on for more than an hour in total. The frequent turbulence somehow affected the overall experience on this flight to Manila.
Putting these aside, I still enjoyed this flight with Singapore Airlines. I wish the flight time from Singapore to Manila was longer than 3.5 hours. Will I fly them again in the future? Definitely! In fact, I am already considering taking them again for another set of flights for next year.
Here are some geeky details about this excellent 3.5-hour hop from Singapore to Manila:
Airline: Singapore Airlines Flight Date: 7 July 2022 Flight Number: SQ 916 Route: Singapore (SIN) to Manila, Philippines (MNL) Duration: 3 hours & 25 minutes Seat Number: 69B Aircraft: Airbus A350-900 Aircraft Registration: 9V-SHW Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Trent XWB Age: 6.5-month-old Delivered: January 2022
Have you flown with Singapore Airlines recently? How was your flight? Please share details about your experience in the comments section below. Do you have questions about this flight or anything related to the airline? You may post them below or send them to me via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com if you are shy to comment.
Thank you for joining me in today’s trip report. If you’re interested in my previous flight reports, feel free to check them out under the flight report category. I hope you’ll look forward to the next one. Also, before you go, can you visit my social media channels –Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you & see you in the next one!
