Monday 16 November 2015

Pure Relaxation at the Civil Service Club Changi

We recently stayed at the Civil Service Club @ Changi and I must say that it was a very relaxing experience for our whole family. The new Civil Service Club (CSC) at Changi is very happening and posh and nothing like the raggedy, second-rated chalets that we're used to when we were younger.

Civil Service Club @ Changi

We drove for about 1-1.5 hours (Changi is so far from where we live!) via the PIE before we finally arrived at CSC at Changi. On arrival, we parked our car and headed to the check-in/admin office at Block E to check-in.

Very tiny waiting area for checking in and out of the rooms
(Personally, I find the space very cramped. If there are a lot of people, it could really be chaotic here)
Left: A club for civil servants;
Right: Free orange juice for guests while you wait
Wearing our matching mother-daughter outfits

After we got our keys, we headed to the chalet block to check out our room (the family suite).

Information on the free shuttle service to CSC displayed in the lift

The family suites are all located on the second floor. My first impression of the room was, "wow, this place is freakin' spacious!"

Paranomic view of the kitchen to the balcony
The spacious living and dining area

A staff will come by almost immediately after you have entered the room to do a logistics check with you (just to ensure that your room has everything that it is supposed to have). Do make sure that you pay attention because you don't want to have to pay for something that was presumed that you lost when it wasn't even there in the first place.

Clockwise from left: Good size fridge (you can definitely squeeze all your BBQ food in there), microwave and even a baby chair for your baby or toddler;
Coffee and tea, including the Nescafe Dolce Gusto capsules, are complimentary;
Cutlery, utensils, pans, knives, etc (remember to count and make sure that they tally with the logistics list).
Spacious and open kitchen and nice breakfast bar

Each family suite can accommodate up to 4 adults and 2 kids and has two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, TV, safe and hair dryer. Social media addicts will be happy to know that there is free wifi as well.

Left: Master bedroom on the left, the other bedroom on the right. Common toilet in the middle has 2 doors and can be conveniently accessed by the second bedroom;
Right: Simple set up of the TV and dressing table in the second bedroom.
The second bedroom with twin single beds aka the kids room
Clockwise from left: The common toilet with shower facilities;
Each bathroom comes with standard toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, shower cap and cotton buds;
The master bedroom toilet, which is the mirror image of the common toilet.
The master bedroom
The master bedroom is nicely situated next to the balcony so you can enjoy the sunrise conveniently in the morning =)
Media centre
Left: You can request for a cot for your baby =)
Right: The balcony stretches from the master bedroom to the living room. Comes with two sets of outdoor furniture for entertaining.
The kids love hanging out on the balcony!
Beautiful view of the sea and the swimming pool from the balcony

When the girl saw the pool, she couldn't contain her excitement and clamoured for us to change her into her swim suit. "Let's go NOW!!!" It was a good thing we did because it started raining about 30 minutes after we got to the pool.

The not-so-nice thing about the pool is that everyone above the age of three needs to pay $2 each to use the pool (there is free entry only for CSC members). Shouldn't chalet guests get at least a couple of complimentary coupons?

In any case, it was a good thing I brought some money with me and in we went.

Pirates ship playground next to the pool
My girl loved the playground!
Clockwise from left: Girl enjoying a refreshing splash in the kids pool;
The adult pool;
The excitement on my girl's face. Need I say more?
Water fountains along the edge of the kid's pool

All the pools were good but nothing beats the jacuzzi pool with water jets, warmer waters and the best view of the sea =)

Clockwise from left: Girlee peering over the edge of the pool curiously;
Cautiously threading into the pool;
Baby Boy was initially a bit frightened of the water jets
(this pool can be quite deep for toddlers so do watch out for them).
Hubby and Baby Boy, who was in a great mood
Me and my two babies

Almost on cue, it started to drizzle! We tried to brave the drizzle as we were enjoying ourselves too much to leave but it soon became apparent that we had to go. Sigh =(

After washing up, we went to pick the mum-in-law from Pasir Ris MRT before heading to the famous Changi Village to da pao (take away) our dinner. I mean, why squeeze with the crowd when we can dine in air-conditioned comfort back at the 8-seater dining table of our family suite?

We had such a nice and relaxing (not to mention delicious) dinner that I had completely forgotten to take pictures of it! You'll just have to take my word for it! =)

We finished with drinks and chit-chat at the balcony under the (limited) stars (thankfully the rain had stopped). It was a great time of fellowship! =)

View of the balcony at night

As there are a total of 3 TVs (that can access the internet and MIO Stadium) in the family suite (and our family is made up of TV addicts), each of us was kept entertained with our favourite shows.

Top, left to right: Hubby watching his favourite Chelsea vs Liverpool match in the living room;
Girl watching someone fix up the Lego Elsa's castle on Youtube;
Baby Boy watching his favourite cartoon of all time, Pocoyo, on Youtube;
I finally get a turn when Baby Boy got bored and watched my favourite The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Youtube.

Soccer-deprived hubby was so happy that he watched his matches until past midnight! Me? I slept soundly with Baby Boy until the sunshine peaked into our room the next morning! =)

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. The close proximity to good food (i.e Changi Village) and entertainment makes it a great place to spend a weekend. Even the mum-in-law was impressed and said she wouldn't mind coming back again =)

Another thing I liked about the family suite was the large open space. It was so big that people can hold birthday parties here (case in point, the room next door held a 1st birthday party while we were there. Gave us an idea to hold a small wedding party there next year).

Do consider booking a family suite for your family at CSC Changi, I'm sure you will enjoy it. If you're a civil servant and/or a Civil Service Club member like me, you'll get to enjoy special room rates as well! Each family suite cost only $298 per room per night for CSC members. Do book early though, especially if you're looking at peak periods, because the rooms get fully booked really quickly!

We'll definitely be back and might even stay at the 3 bedroom seaview villa the next time. Can't wait! =)

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This post is part of my Family Staycations collection in my Fun in Singapore Guide!

   


Click each staycation destination below to read about our staycation experience:

           

       

You can also stay up-to-date with our staycation experiences on Instagram via the hashtag #mpmstaycations

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Disclosure: Complimentary one night stay at the Family Suite was received from The Civil Service Club for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.
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