jani

The problem with flying business class is that it's usually too darn expensive, but yesterday I found a way to get myself and a friend into an exclusive lounge and then a plush, spacious, high-tech controllable reclining seat with a hostess available at the touch of a button and a humongous screen showing the latest in Hollywood entertainment, all for just S$30 (that's around US$20) per person. The catch? This was all in a Singaporean shopping mall or, to be more precise, the new Golden Village Gold Class movie theater in Vivocity.

The Golden Village Gold Class experience starts when your ordinary movie tickets are slipped into a jet black "Gold Class" envelope, and you can make your way into the Gold Class lounge to relax before the movie starts. Like airport lounges here in Asia, it was guarded by a pretty young thing in a slinky dress, and we were led to plush seats in a spacious room resembling a slightly cheezy nightclub, complete with bar and lots of flat-screen TVs. However, unlike even the crappiest Red Carpet Club in the States, not even the peanuts in this lounge were free -- we were handed a menu where everything had a price, and none of those prices were cheap. (S$15 for a sｈot of spirits!?) But, as we were already this far down the road of decadence and, more to the point, I was hungry, so we ordered a platter of "Turkish bread with dips" (S$7) and two glasses of wine (S$10 each). The guacamole (mm, Turkish!), salsa (ditto) and hummus were straight from a can and the wine wasn't much better, but we scarfed it down and headed to the movies.

The lounge may have been a disappointment, but the seats were something else. Not just a simple up-down recline, the whole seat adjusts it itself from "seat" to "bed" or any point inbetween when instructed and is wide and tall enough for the biggest patron, and you've even provided a nice, warm blanket for insulation against the extremes of Singaporean air-conditioning (and if you think I'm being hyperbolic here, you haven't frozen your butt off trying to watch a movie in Sing). Just don't expect to get too hot and heavy with your partner: each seat is separated by two armrests and a table, making even hand-holding a challenge.

I realized one more advantage before the movie started: with only thirty-odd seats in a normal-sized theater, you can sneak off to the bathroom without unduly disturbing anybody else's movie experience. And, as a cherry on top, the waiters messed up and brought us a second plate of Turkish breads at our seats, which weren't any better, but at least were free.

In all, it's a very nice way to watch a movie, but I'm not entirely convinced it's worth thrice the price of a normal ticket. Maybe I'll try it again when they come up with Golden Village Economy Plus Class or, better yet, let me use frequent flyer miles to upgrade... and hopefully they'll have a better movie than the rather disappointing Casino Royale too.