Just back from Singapore holiday

Well back from visiting my son/wife & grandson in Singapore. Here is a 'small' of things we did -

1. Walked through Bukit Timah Nature Reserve "again" (don't feed the moneys)

2. Did stand up paddle boarding at Silosa Beach on Sentosa.

3. Took our grandson to Singapore Zoo (as one does) - if you visit this great zoo make sure you see the giant Arapiama (not sure of spelling) fish being fed.

(I won't say anymore, it just worth seeing)

4. Visited Gardens by the Bay (again - it really is outstanding) and also the "Skywalk" is a must (remember to take a hat)

5. Peranakan Museum - if you have time, this is a really interesting museum.

6. Marina Bay Sands Hotel Concourse (loads of restaurants, swanky shops, even a water course down below with gondola rides)

7. Singapore Zoo & Bird Park - both worth visiting.

8. Do your own thing - walk around Parliament House, Stamford Raffles Landing site/statue, Fullerton Hotel (very nice), Singapore Cricket Club (all very close to Singapore River) # look out for a local chinese guy near a bridge who sells ice cream (various flavours) for $1

9. If you have time - visit Fort Canning Park - see the site where they are digging up ancient artefacts etc. You can also visit Battle Box in this park

The actual site where the Australian/British generals were directing the battle, just before the fall of Singapore in WW2.

Depending on how long you are in Singapore, it pays to buy an Ezi-Link Card from a MRT Station, then top it up (again at an MRT Station). We used ours all time, all over the Singapore Island, from the zoo, bird park, etc etc, - usually only costing a few dollars each trip. We bring our MRT card home (the balance on the card stays on - and when visit again we use up balance & top up the amount again. A great cheap transport card, on one of the safest, cleanest, cheapest rail systems in the world)

Singapore has a come a long way since the days of the Singapore Sling, its now one of the most modern/cleanest/safe transport- cities in the world

Thanks for that, we are there next week..

Jason12 - something I didn't mention was you can buy an Ezi-Link card for $12 SGD, and it only $7 SGD on the card. After buying the card look around on a wall near where you bought the card and you will see a machine that looks like an ATM, but say "Top Up". Make sure you have SGD dollars on hand, then just follow the "easy" instructions, it will tell when to put the card in, then ask how much you wish top us, etc, etc,

Also get an MRT map (small enough to go in your shirt pocket), walk over to the platform you will travel on to your destination, place the Ezi-Link card against the reader, it will recognise which station you got on, it will open its gate allowing you to pass through, then when arrive at your selected station, you pass through the exit gates, and reader beeps & lets you know how much the journey cost, usually only a few Singapore dollars.

There are plenty of lit up MRT journey maps inside each train. This is one of the safest, convenient, air-conditioned trains in the world.

Jason12 - depending how much time you will have in Singapore, I can give more advice on other issues, sights, transport (MRT/buses or taxi's), places of

interest, eating out, where to get a nice coffee, or where to buy good wine, or wine/beer at a reasonable price.

Attractions - places I thought were good value or interesting (depending on your interests). Singapore is a bit glitzy, if you know what I mean, but believe me there are some great places to visit, and also unusual, that a lot of tourists don't get to see or do.

Thanks for posting.

We will be staying a night in Singapore in November on our way to Venice and again on our way back home.

We will arrive in Singapore at 3.05pm and leaving 11.10pm the next day. The number one on our list to do will be the Gardens by the bay and the skywalk. Do you think it is possible to do this the afternoon/evening of our arrival. I've heard it is spectacular at night. Do you know the cost?

We thought of using the hoho bus the following day and just have a look around.

Jason12 - depending how much time you will have in Singapore, I can give more advice on other issues, sights, transport (MRT/buses or taxi's), places of

interest, eating out, where to get a nice coffee, or where to buy good wine, or wine/beer at a reasonable price.

 

Attractions - places I thought were good value or interesting (depending on your interests). Singapore is a bit glitzy, if you know what I mean, but believe me there are some great places to visit, and also unusual, that a lot of tourists don't get to see or do.

Thank you very much, your info is very welcome, my wife is a wheelchair user so taxis will be our mode of transport, going to finalise our list of thing to do this weekend..

Jason12 - something I didn't mention was you can buy an Ezi-Link card for $12 SGD, and it only $7 SGD on the card. After buying the card look around on a wall near where you bought the card and you will see a machine that looks like an ATM, but say "Top Up". Make sure you have SGD dollars on hand, then just follow the "easy" instructions, it will tell when to put the card in, then ask how much you wish top us, etc, etc,

 

Also get an MRT map (small enough to go in your shirt pocket), walk over to the platform you will travel on to your destination, place the Ezi-Link card against the reader, it will recognise which station you got on, it will open its gate allowing you to pass through, then when arrive at your selected station, you pass through the exit gates, and reader beeps & lets you know how much the journey cost, usually only a few Singapore dollars.

 

There are plenty of lit up MRT journey maps inside each train. This is one of the safest, convenient, air-conditioned trains in the world.

Thanks for the advice, very helpful. we will be arriving in Singapore on Sunday night and plan on using the MRT to get around to the various places we are going to visit.

The 2 Domes are approximately $18 SGD per person, and it doesn't take that long to do the walks. If you love plants, flowers etc, you will be in 7th heaven. I would allow 1-2 hours for each.

I believe the cruise ships berth at Harbourfront, near the walkway to Sentosa Island, well that's where I saw a cruise ship berthed when I was there recently.

Remember, there are plenty of taxi's at most attractions to take you back to your cruise ship, which is not far away.

If you walk into Cloud Forest, to view the tropical rhodendrons - I would point out something of interesting, the vast majority of these plants, came from a nursery in Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia (near Coffs Harbour) where a friend of mine grew & supplied them to the Singapore Government.

I would allow 1-2 hrs for each dome, and 1/2 hr for the Skywalk, which goes between the domes.

Fantastic view (day or night) from the Skywalk looking back onto Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which looms above the gardens in the distance.

If your cruise ship berths at Harbourfront, then you are very close to

Sentosa Island, which is a bit "glitzy" if you know what I mean, a bit artificial.

However my choices for a short stop at Singapore on a cruise ship would be

the following -

Gardens by the Bay, Skywalk, stroll through Marina Bay Sands Hotel (has various levels of shops, restaurants, etc, even a watercourse down below for gondola rides)

If those places listed above are not your choice, then consider these places

* Clarke Quay (nice stroll) , Peranakin Museum, Fort Canning Park & Battle Box, Singapore Flyer, Government House, some of the swanky hotels.

* A lot of tourists think they have to go into Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling drink, if you do want to do this, go into the courtyard area of the hotel, for the drink. Another very nice place is the Raffles Cafe, for coffe & cake.

* The Fullerton Hotel is my choice for a special occasion.

Hope the above information is of help, take care, and have a good cruise/holiday.

Thank you so much for your information. It has been a great help.

The Orchid Garden inside the Botanical Gardens is well worth a visit. Wandering through Chinatown is quite fascinating. It is totally different than Chinatowns found on most other continents.

We just came back from two weeks in Singapore, and I did hardly any of those things, except for Gardens by the Bay, which was wonderful (and don't forget the hawker centre nearby.)

I did wander through Raffles and around the colonial centre of town. We spent two mornings in the Asian Civilization Museum, and would go back in an instance, didn't see everything.

I commuted weekdays into the city from the outskirts where my husband was working, and I agree the MRT is a wonderful resource. I just bought single fares at a time, since I didn't have to take any buses. It worked out fine. I did see passengers on wheelchairs, but I believe they are still working on station accessibility--you should be fine in the downtown core.

Areas I liked--Chinatown, including the Buddha Tooth Temple, the Tian Hock Keng Daoist temple, and the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple. Great tourist browsing, the food street on Smith Street, and there's the Maxwell Street Food Centre as well. Kampong Glam, the old Muslim district was also very nice, great shopping, restaurants, etc. Along the river is nice--I didn't do a riverboat trip, but it seemed like it would have been pleasant. Just strolling was pleasant, had lunch in one of the tourist traps along Boat Quay.

My two cents. Mind the heat--it's no fun--seek refuge in the numerous malls!

We just came back from two weeks in Singapore, and I did hardly any of those things, except for Gardens by the Bay, which was wonderful (and don't forget the hawker centre nearby.)

 

 

 

I did wander through Raffles and around the colonial centre of town. We spent two mornings in the Asian Civilization Museum, and would go back in an instance, didn't see everything.

 

 

 

I commuted weekdays into the city from the outskirts where my husband was working, and I agree the MRT is a wonderful resource. I just bought single fares at a time, since I didn't have to take any buses. It worked out fine. I did see passengers on wheelchairs, but I believe they are still working on station accessibility--you should be fine in the downtown core.

 

 

 

Areas I liked--Chinatown, including the Buddha Tooth Temple, the Tian Hock Keng Daoist temple, and the Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple. Great tourist browsing, the food street on Smith Street, and there's the Maxwell Street Food Centre as well. Kampong Glam, the old Muslim district was also very nice, great shopping, restaurants, etc. Along the river is nice--I didn't do a riverboat trip, but it seemed like it would have been pleasant. Just strolling was pleasant, had lunch in one of the tourist traps along Boat Quay.

 

 

 

My two cents. Mind the heat--it's no fun--seek refuge in the numerous malls!

Thanks, we are stopping at Clarke Quay so quite near most things within walking distance, and I agree with the heat, drink plenty and wear a hat.

We will be in Singapore next year for three days so any other ideas please share. Thanks for the info so far.

We will be in Singapore in November, and wondering if anyone can share their experience on the Singapore Flyer. It is worth it? Day or night?

My wife & I were staying at our son's apartment, very nice gardens, big resort type pool, a driveway where taxi's often used to drop off residents or pick up passengers. The apartments are situated on Bukit Timah Road (with Bukit Timah Nature Reserve not far away for a mornings walk or MacRitchie Reservoir, another nice walk. About 15 minutes walk up the road is the multi storey shopping centre, with supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, wine shops, etc. (very handy for us to walk for our morning latte coffee & do a bit of food shopping). We were fortunate, in that our son, employs a Phillipino house maid/cook, so were spoilt in that we didn't have to cook.

At the nearby shopping centre, are ATM's such as UOB which accepted my ANZ Debit & Visa cards, which allowed me to withdraw SGD's for each days outing, then it was a matter of getting complex courtesy bus ($2 SGD per person) down to Holland Village shops/MRT station, then onto the MRT line, to travel all over Singapore (well most of it) just by following each numbered or colour coded line. We were able change lines etc to visit places like Harbourfront (Sentosa), Singapore Zoo & Bird Park, City (downtown), in fact, you can even get the MRT out to Singapore International Airport.

I forgot to mention - in Singapore City (not far from Clarke Quay & the Indochine Restaurant (very nice dining) there is a little bridge across the river, look around to see a little chinese guy with trolley selling icecreams.

They are only $1 SGD each. He has various flavours, and the icecream is placed between two wafers. This has to be cheapest icecream in Singapore,

with city views all around you. Each time I visit Singapore, I try to look up this ice cream vendor.

Hi Widebay,

So glad to hear you had a fabulous time in Singapore, especially with your Grandson.

Once again you have given some great ideas to those who are about to travel there. I enjoyed the evening my daughter and I visited Holland Park, it had a great atmosphere. I know the ice-cream seller you mean, while I didn't have one he was very busy gent, with lots of happy youngsters gathered round.

Cairns Local

This is just my opinion, but if I would rather pay less and go to the Marina Bay Skypark, where you get a much better view of Singapore, and where you can stay up there for as long as you like. Some people on TA have some good tips of when to go and how to do it for free;) BUT in answer to your question, going on the Singapore flyer is beautiful just at twilight time when all the lights of this gorgeous city come to life.

Trend

I would always recommended to first time travellers the Hop on Hop off bus to have a look around Singapore and get a real feel for the city. This can give you an idea of where you would like to visit. It covers all the major and not so major areas of interest in Singapore. I always enjoy a visit to Little India, which has a grittier feel to the rest of Singapore, and the Arab Quarter is lovely with some fabulous bars and restaurants. I would also encourage a visit to Tiong Bahru, an original housing estate with a fabulous food centre with cheap, but delicious food. There is so much to do here in this city, and if possible stay close to a MRT so it is easy to get around

We will be in Singapore in November, and wondering if anyone can share their experience on the Singapore Flyer. It is worth it? Day or night?

We didn't do the Flyer, so I don't know, but several locals said they thought it was very boring. It's quite slow I think. But then again, locals often don't appreciate the views of their own city that visitors enjoy.

BTW, we had lunch in the Indochine that's attached to the Asian Heritage Museum. And it was, in fact, very nice.

Thanks for all the ideas you have given.

Wendy you will love the Paul Gauguin we have done it twice, last time was Nov. 2012.

We did the Flyer at sunset and my husband got some lovely pictures. There was no line up either which made for ease of boarding. We are glad we did it, but would not do it again. We went to the park where the famous trees are and were not all that impressed with it. We felt it was too expensive for what was offered. Different tastes for different folks. We thought the Botanical Gardens were way superior.

I first visited Singapore about 30 years ago, so different from today. Chinatown felt like Chinatown, and so on.

DW & I haven't been on the Singapore Flyer, however, we will get to do it ( at sunset, of course, when the city lights up, I guess that's the only time)

Just found out we are both required to look after our grandson in Singapore this coming July/August (his school holidays - he goes to the Canadian International School in Singapore)

Because we have covered so much of Singapore, we intend to visit the following places next July/August school period - fly up to Tioman Island (short flight from Singapore) & stay for 5 days. Apparently it has excellent beaches & clear water for diving.

Two trips ago to Singapore, DW & I took a break from Singapore & boated over to the Indonesian Island of Bintan for 5 nights stay, most pleasant. Very nice sitting outside in the twilight enjoying a cocktail/beer looking over the water to the nearby Indonesian kampongs (fisherman's huts built on stilts) The sand on Bintan was very white, and the colour of sea was aqua blue. There is another Indonesian island nearby, called Batam, but it has a naughty reputation, if you know what I mean.

Well, must be off, DW & I are walking down to the beach soon for a swim or might take our stand up paddle boards (on the car) - very calm at the moment, hardly a breeze, so it should be nice for a paddle.

Enjoy your day, wherever you are.

The wonderful thing about tripping around the world, is that "each" person will will either enjoy the same attraction, or enjoy something different from other people's choice. That's what makes this planet & travelling so enjoyable.

I have travelled Sth East Asia quite extensively, but I know I haven't seen everything yet. Perhaps I only need to see the "best" or the "most interesting" or perhaps my interests are different, therefore, what I like could be completely different to what other people want to see & visit.

My postings are only designed to give other travellers, both first time & seasoned travellers, "ideas" of something they may not have visited before.

Well, must be off, have a good day or night, wherever you are.

The wonderful thing about tripping around the world, is that "each" person will will either enjoy the same attraction, or enjoy something different from other people's choice. That's what makes this planet & travelling so enjoyable.

 

I have travelled Sth East Asia quite extensively, but I know I haven't seen everything yet. Perhaps I only need to see the "best" or the "most interesting" or perhaps my interests are different, therefore, what I like could be completely different to what other people want to see & visit.

 

My postings are only designed to give other travellers, both first time & seasoned travellers, "ideas" of something they may not have visited before.

 

Well, must be off, have a good day or night, wherever you are.

It's people like you make this world a great place to travel, thanks for all the information,

I wish other CC members would offer great advice instead of moaning about meaningless dribble. ;)

Thank you Jason, how nice of you to say that. I like to think that there are numerous people on this planet, who appreciate helping others whenever they can.

I like to think if I got a buzz out of enjoying something, then perhaps someone else might get a buzz also.

My wife & I always when leaving a jet airliner, say to the staff, "Thank you for looking after us on this flight" - its amazing the smiles you get from saying this to a staff member, who has had to put up with numerous passengers, with likes & dislikes throughout the flight.

I just had a most enjoyable evening - my son, his wife & their two children called over to our place tonight, wore DW & myself out, but we loved it.