Suvarnabhumi International Airport - Arrival: International, Domestic, Immigration & Lobby

Suvarnabhumi International Airport ushers a traveler arriving in Thailand. The airport is a tourist-friend commune; a transient community of people with places to go. International arrival understandably takes a little more time due to the immigration formalities. You arrive and rush your way to the immigration counters with your filled-up forms. Queue til you get your turn then hand in your passport and immigration forms, then a departure card is stapled to your passport which is given back to you. A photograph is also taken of you so be sure to take off eye glasses, bonnets, hats, etc. Some nationals are asked to show return tickets so you might as well have them with you, just in case.

Just after the immigration counters are rows of foreign exchange counters... the same hall where you claim your checked in baggage. You may choose to buy some Thai baht there, but there are several more counters at the arrival lobby... and the exchange rate isn't all that different. Changing money may be a little better once you're in the city, but they're hard to find if you arrive after midnight. You do have to pay your taxi in cash... so make sure to buy some Thai baht for your fare out of the airport.

Domestic arrival is obviously faster since there's no immigration formalities to deal with. What's more, if you arrive in daylight, you get to see the beautiful garden as you step into the baggage claim hallway.

The Arrival Lobby is located at the 2nd level of the airport. This lobby has information counters, as well as a Tourist Information of Thailand (TAT) at the extreme end of the hall. If you have queries, someone will be there to help you get some answers even at 2AM or 4AM. They also have free brochures and maps to some of the more popular destinations of the country.

This lobby also has the Left Luggage, a Tourist Police Assistance Center, several foreign exchange counters, and shops like 7-11, Family Mart, Boots Pharmacy, The News, etc. You can take a taxi from the first level of the building (via elevator, escalator or walkalator if you're using carts with over-sized bags). ATM machines and toilets are available in the same level.

Taxis are preferred instead of limousine service. These metered taxis are available in taxi counters just outside level one (1st floor). The city link trains are available between 6AM to 12 midnight, and you can access this from the 1st level area. It's cheap, fast and convenient. Most one-way ticket to the city center won't cost you more than 40B. Do NOT get return train tickets unless you will return within the same day. The ticket counter will ask you if you want a return or not. A train ticket is good only on the day of purchase.

Have a safe and fun time in Bangkok.

This is the Eye in the Sky!


Walkalator upon your arrival in Suvarnabhumi.


Queue at the Immigration Counters. Photography is prohibited. Be discreet if you're taking photos (like me) and shut the flash! This explains the blurred quality of these immigration photos.


Queue at the Immigration Counter. these counters are labelled accordingly for Local or Foreign Passports.


The view after passing through immigration: getting stamped in!


Claim your baggage at the International Baggage Claim. These baggage stands have signs containing your flight number and your city of origin.


There are 2-3 foreign exchange counters right after immigration, but there's more at the arrival lobby. These counters are open even at 3AM.


Baggage Counter at the Domestic Arrival Hall!


Amazing view of a lush garden upon arrival at the domestic wing.








Lobby at Level 2.





Rotating entrance at Level 2


Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) information booth


Arrival Lobby, 2nd level


Some shops at the arrival lobby.


7-11


Boots Pharmacy


Family Mart - there's another branch at the 3rd and 1st level. This is a 24-hour convenience store.


Left Luggage near the Tourist Police Station at the 2nd level.


Tourist Police. They have good visibility especially during the day.


General Information and a little history of Suvarnabhumi - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2008/04/bangkoks-suvarnabhumi-international.html

Walkalator to the 1st level if you're pushing a cart with you. You can get your taxis there. This is also the way to the trains.

NAIA Terminal 3 Part 6 - Blessed John Paul II Chapel, Left Luggage & Viewing Gallery

Viewing Gallery at Terminal 3

As a continuing series that tries to update our post on Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, here are parts of Terminal 3 we haven't mentioned before: the Viewing Gallery, the Blessed John Paul the Great Chapel, and the Left Luggage which is now fully operational.

VIEWING GALLERY

The viewing deck is a novel idea that allows welcoming well wishers to view the arrival of the passengers at the terminal. A long hallway is designed for this. However, most "sundo" and fetchers actually prefer to meet their arriving guests at the exit point of the arrival hallway (1st floor). This Viewing Gallery is located at the mezzanine floor (where administrative offices are), a midlevel area between the Departure Level and the Arrival Hall, accessible through a stairway at either side of the building. It was initially thought to generate funds - viewing guests would pay a minimum fee upon entry. However, the idea didn't exactly fly, thus the "ticket booth" remains unmanned.

BLESSED JOHN PAUL THE GREAT CHAPEL

The Terminal Chapel is an oasis for the religious. KLIA, LCCT, Suvarnabhumi have their own religious corners, thus allocating a chapel for the Catholics is a welcome idea. This is dedicated to the memory of the former Pope John Paul II, now billed Blessed John Paul the Great. Though small, the chapel looks adequately maintained. It's very bright. It's also punctuated by images of Pinoy favorites: Padre Pio de Pietrelcina and San Lorenzo Ruiz, the country's first saint. There are prayer notes for St. Gertrude so I actually thought the lady saint was patroness of travel. She isn't; she's actually invoked when people want the offer prayers for the souls in purgatory (but catechism has since denied the existence of purgatory, right?) The Blessed John Paul the Great Chapel is accessible through the left stairway at the mezzanine floor, the same floor where the viewing deck and administrative offices are.

For completion, here's St. Gertrude's Prayer (for the souls in purgatory and for your departed loved ones):

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today for all the Holy Souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere in the Universal Church, those in my home and within my family. Amen."

AVOID MARY GRACE CAFE

And just so you avoid delays, if you're taking a meal or snack at the Food Court, we feel we need this special mention. Avoid Mary Grace Cafe. The place is messy, the servers take forever to serve you and they forget orders.

LEFT LUGGAGE

Lastly, the left luggage facility - called "Luggage and More" - at the ground floor (Departure Hallway) has finally opened. It's still located at the right wind of the hallway near the escalator, although the room has changed. A toilet is nearby. Rates for big luggages start at P350/day. They also have an hourly rate, but it's kinda expensive so why not charge it for a day? The facility is open daily from 6AM to 11PM - so make sure you take note of the time. Rates are available at the photo below.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Viewing Gallery

Arriving guests claim their check-in baggage.

Visitors' Fee Booth at the Viewing Gallery

Blessed John Paul the Great Chapel

San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint.

Padre Pio de Pietrelcina

Mass Schedules at the Blessed John Paul the Great Chapel. They have two masses on Sundays.

The stair leads to the mezzanine level which hosts the airport chapel and the viewing gallery.

Luggage and More left luggage facility.

Other posts on NAIA Terminal 3: 

Arrival Hall - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2011/02/naia-terminal-3-departure-hall-up-close.html

Shopping and Dining Complex - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2011/02/naia-terminal-3-shopping-complex-dining.html

Pre-Departure Area - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2011/02/naia-terminal-3-getting-through-pre.html

Departure Hall - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2011/02/naia-terminal-3-departure-hall-up-close.html

Domestic Pre-Departure Shops - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2011/02/naia-terminal-3-pre-departure-shops.html

International Pre-Departure Shops - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2012/02/naia-terminal-3-international-pre.html

More on NAIA 3 - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-naia-terminal-3-and-rude-skies-of.html

General Information on NAIA Terminal 3 - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2009/08/naia-terminal-3-manila.html

Covered Parking - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2014/09/naia-terminal-3-covered-parking.html 

NAIA Terminal 3 Takes in Some Color - http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2014/10/naia-terminal-3-takes-in-some-color.html

GOOD NEWS: Major International Carriers Move to T3

(July 2014 Update)

Starting July 2014 , NAIA Terminal 3 will be accepting major international carriers: Delta, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Emirates, Singapore and Cathay. ANA has also been using this terminal a while back. This makes the terminal fully operational, which used to only operate a mere 50% of its facility and services. They've in fact opened the once-empty right wing. These new airline companies will also be posting shuttle bus services for its passengers with connecting flights to other terminals (1,2,4) - for free! Travel between these terminals usually take 30 to 45 minutes. These will give tourists arriving with these carriers a better impression and a more relaxed arrival in Manila. Three other carriers are slated to move from Terminals 1 ans 2 to Terminal 3 in the coming months. This was made possible after the settling of the long-running court cases related to the construction of NAIA Terminal 3.    

Rates for the left luggage facility.

Fernbrook Gardens in Alabang - Fairytale Land for Weddings

This would be the perfect place for tying the knot. It’s designed like some fairytale Italian countryside with dome-shaped churches (called mini-basilica), a gentle stream with a Pinoy-inspired gondola parked nearby; a gazebo under creeping foliage, a fountain with Venetian structures decked with green mermaids; a golden carriage fit for Cinderella; and all the trappings straight out of a dream. In this dreamland, too remote for leisurely visits, a friend got hitched and exchanged her vows. It was a marvel.

Impeccably planned, exquisitely tendered like sketches of a fantasy. Even the food was delectable. The venue hosts a church and reception areas patterned like Byzantine dreams or that Victorian splendor. The place itself connects you to some of the best wedding specialists. If you're from Central Metro Manila, it's a bit of a struggle to get here. Alabang, after all, is far. And the place outside weddings, as earlier mentioned, feels a little too remote. Get there by car because taxis might not take you to your location - and it's understandable why. If you're still commuting, get your taxi ride from Alabang Town Center. Here are snippets from my friend's wedding and reception at Fernbrook, Alabang.

Getting there is tricky but here's the link for the direction: http://fernbrookgardens.com/main/index.php/location/directions

We are not associated with Fernbrook Gardens so PLEASE do not ask us for quotations. Contact them through this numbers:  (632) 710-8545, (632) 710-8608, Mobile Number: (63917) 564-3159

It's a beautiful place for that special event.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Notre Dame de Vie Chapel

Bridal room where guests wait while waiting for the church to officially welcome you.

Notre Dame de Vie Chapel's mini-basilica and altar