As I said in my Thailand post, my sister and I took a “sister trip” to visit one of my friends who moved to Singapore for work. It was the perfect excuse to visit Southeast Asia for the first time. Singapore is HOT and HUMID (you can’t walk anywhere without sweating through your clothes) but definitely worth the heat to explore. You don’t really get the “Asia” feel that you do in other places in SE Asia but I think that’s part of its charm.
Singapore is a very safe and clean place to travel. They have almost no crime because the penalties are so bad. Also, contrary to belief it is not illegal to chew gum there… but they are not allowed to sell gum so no one does.
When you arrive in Singapore I recommend taking out cash at the airport. Taxis and some restaurants only take cash. We also ran into issues with places not taking Visa.
Getting Around Singapore:
The easiest way to get around Singapore is Uber (yes they have Uber in Singapore). It is very safe and you don’t have to worry about having cash.
Another easy way to get around is the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). It is very easy to navigate (everything is in English) and is very clean! There are signs all over the trains that say no smoking, eating or drinking, flammables or durians (I never had one, but apparently this fruit smells like rotting garbage… why people would eat that I am not sure). You may wonder why I am telling you about a sign on the train, but it is because people actually abide by the rules. I never saw anyone doing any of those things. People also stand in actual lines to wait for the train based on when you arrived at the station (this blew my mind). We could learn a thing or two from them.
Taxis are also an easy way to get around. You can hail a cab on the street like you would anywhere else.
Things to do:
Gardens by the Bay:
Flower and Cloud Dome
The flower and cloud domes are really fun to walk around (the cloud dome was my favorite)! It’s only $20 to see both.
SuperTree Grove:
The SuperTree Grove has free light shows twice every night with different themes of music. When we were there the theme was Chicago the musical. Definitely something to see when you go to Singapore.
Merlion on the Bay:
The Merlion is located right on the bay (you can’t miss it). There are a ton of restaurants in that area. We stopped at a place called OverEasy to grab a burger and some drinks. Our burger (which we split) and the 2 drinks we got ended up costing $60. Singapore is one of the most expensive cities I have ever visited.
Orchard Street:
Orchard Street has amazing shopping. You can find every store you can imagine from Prada to Zara (there was even a Garrets Popcorn). Around this area is a restaurant called Curry Culture. I’m drooling just thinking about it. If you like Indian food it’s a must.
Chinatown:
China town was the same as what you see in any other city. We did get some adorable (cheap) floral robes and chopsticks. I wish I would have bought more to bring home as gifts 🙂
Shopping on Haji Lane Street:
Haji Lane street is full of cute little boutiques and restaurants! There is even a place called Selfie Coffee that will print a selfie of you on your coffee foam.
Places to Stay:
MBS is the iconic surfboard shaped hotel in Singapore. It’s very expensive and touristy, but it would be cool to stay there for one night to be able to use the infinity pool at the top of the hotel (we didn’t do this since we had a free place to stay).
At the very least go to Ce La Vie bar at the top of the hotel for a drink! The city views are amazing!
Across the bay from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel is the Fullerton Bay Hotel which is smaller and more personal. This is also an expensive hotel (pretty much everything is expensive in Singapore) but my friends parents stayed there and loved it.
Xoxo,
Kirsten