Positioning Dilemma

Discussion in 'Travel Tips & Strategies' started by CraigS, Feb 11, 2019.

  1. CraigS

    CraigS Member

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    I've got a trip to SE Asia planned. Singapore and Bali... My long haul flights are to/from SIN.

    The bulk of the trip is straightforward. 1 week in SIN and 2 weeks on Bali. However I'm not quite sure WHEN to position back to SIN. Flight costs are the same but here are my options:

    1. Stay one last night on Bali at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport. 5,000 point bargain. Fly up to SIN in the morning and sit around Changi until my evening flight. Unfortunately I'll probably have checked bags so I'll have to wait landside until T-3 hours for the TK desk to open for check-on.

    2. Fly to SIN the prior evening and stay in town (already got a whole week prior though). Would need a much more expensive hotel to get a late check-out.

    Pros / Cons

    Option 1 is far cheaper and a Hilton stay credit always comes in handy. However if everything runs to schedule I'd be stuck at Changi for several hours.

    Option 2 is safer. I always prefer to position the day before, and with Bali prone to volcanos, earthquakes, etc. this route is even more sensible than normal I'd say. But it seems a bit of a pain to head into Singapore for less than 24 hours. And obviously the hotel costs 10x more... But a late check out means I just check out and go to SIN at my leisure and check-in as standard...

    Thoughts? Anything within shouting distance of SIN that I haven't thought of doing/visiting?
     
    JoeD likes this.
  2. JoeD

    JoeD Well-Known Member

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    For the sake of a few quid/points, I'd always rather be at the place my long haul flight is leaving from the night before.

    Yes, Singapore hotel would be more expensive than Bali, but the HGI there is only 20,000 Points, so 15,000 more. Being hilton, you'd still get late check out etc.

    On the other hand, I imagine Changi has somewhere you can leave your bags for a while, and there's plenty to do at the airport and nearby (maybe even hop across to pulau ubin), so arriving same day would still be an enjoyable day - as long as your flight to SIN wasn't horribly delayed/cancelled.
     
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