Booking Singapore Accommodation

[Tranquility Base]

On previous transit days on ships I have headed for the hills.

 

Once to the 'Tree Tops Walk' in the MacRitchie Reservoir Park.

Once to the 'Southern Ridges" walk at Mount Faber Park.

There are a large number of nature trails in Singapore.

 

For a more moderate day, the Botanic Gardens come highly recommended.

 

 

[willsaway]

I've just come across this thread and really have struck gold, so thank you all. We've attempted Singapore twice now. In 2014 off the Celebrity Millennium we were all half dead and sightseeing was impossible, and again a day in port off Explorer of the Seas in 2018 when it took most of the day to even get off the ship, let alone explore. Have booked the Solstice in March 2025 back to Sydney and plan a few days in Singapore to try for the 3rd time. So comments about air con, mrt, night zoo etc and preferred locations are much appreciated. A medium priced hotel, value for money, is what we aim for, and evening drinks a bonus. 

[JohnGc]

Ended up booking into the Voco Orchard Singapore ( IGH ) hotel. it use to be called the Hilton. Apparently refurbishments have been carried out but the reviews say more needs to be done. It is 7minutes walk to the Orchard MRT. It is definitely not an easy job to make your mind up in choosing a hotel. One thing that is good for the wife myself and the daughter is that the hotel has interlocking rooms.You still pay for 2 rooms but it is a great for families. I think what ever hotel you choose you always wonder if you have picked the right hotel.Time will tell.

[windsor26]

On 1/17/2024 at 9:43 PM, yarramar said:

Well, hopefully they have done a refurb since then 🤔

I have used them also recently  just confirming their continued good status

[timtam2]

Book flexible cancellation hotels/rooms. Then from about 6 weeks out, keep checking for a better deal. I've done this on my past 2 trips with success. Last year, I booked a standard room type at the Parkroyal Marina Bay and at 2 weeks out,  I was able to change the booking to a Club room for the same amount of the original booking.

[cruiser3775]

18 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

loved Singapore the first few times I went there, tagging along on Rolf's business trips but these days it's not quite as interesting. Too many big malls all selling the same stuff. Even the airport is full of the same shops. Of course there are still the interesting sights if you seek them out,

If you just want to go shopping, then Singapore is the same as any other large city, and the prices are high by Asian standards.

But that hot steamy tropical climate means that it is the most beautifully green and lush city. I love the outdoor places like the botanical gardens, Jurong bird park, the zoo. Don't spend your whole time scuttling between air-conditoned buildings.  Get out in the open and walk slowly.

[Bizziecruzer]

4 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

If you just want to go shopping, then Singapore is the same as any other large city, and the prices are high by Asian standards.

But that hot steamy tropical climate means that it is the most beautifully green and lush city. I love the outdoor places like the botanical gardens, Jurong bird park, the zoo. Don't spend your whole time scuttling between air-conditoned buildings.  Get out in the open and walk slowly.

Agree! Botanic Orchid Gardens are worth a walk through also.

[cheznandy]

The Botanic Gardens have always seemed to allude us due to weather or just lack of time and tiredness, but it is on the list for next trip.

Some things we have done:

Fort Canning Park, we did a tour of the Battle Box WW11 history.

We walked over to Sentosa Island and made our way to Fort Siloso...more WW11 history.

Visited the Pinnacle @Duxton, a residential complex where you can take the lift to the skybridge for $6 and walk around for great views.

Singapore flyer

We have had cocktails at the top of Marina Bay Sands.

Sunset at Gardens by the Bay

Had a Fish Foot massage!

Visited Changi museum.....prior to The Jewel opening, we disembarked a cruise, dropped luggage at airport and spent the afternoon at the museum, which is close to the airport.

Done a couple of river cruises

We love to eat at Lau Pa sat, Satay by the Bay at Gardens by the Bay, and all the little Asian restaurants around Bugis.

We are not shoppers, but have walked around Orchard road area, Suntec Mall, Vivo city and Gardens by the Bay Shoppes.

Have also seen the Light show at Gardens and light and water show on the bay.

If you like Whiskey we went to the Auld Alliance Whisky bar, where they do tasting type paddles.

So many areas still to visit, the Zoo, Botanic Gardens, I wanted to go to Singapore Turf club for a race day but it is closing in October so will miss that, and there are loads of islands to visit nearby too.

Edited January 19 by cheznandy

[resordanis]

1 hour ago, cheznandy said:

The Botanic Gardens have always seemed to allude us due to weather or just lack of time and tiredness, but it is on the list for next trip.

Some things we have done:

Fort Canning Park, we did a tour of the Battle Box WW11 history.

We walked over to Sentosa Island and made our way to Fort Siloso...more WW11 history.

Visited the Pinnacle @Duxton, a residential complex where you can take the lift to the skybridge for $6 and walk around for great views.

Singapore flyer

We have had cocktails at the top of Marina Bay Sands.

Sunset at Gardens by the Bay

Had a Fish Foot massage!

Visited Changi museum.....prior to The Jewel opening, we disembarked a cruise, dropped luggage at airport and spent the afternoon at the museum, which is close to the airport.

Done a couple of river cruises

We love to eat at Lau Pa sat, Satay by the Bay at Gardens by the Bay, and all the little Asian restaurants around Bugis.

We are not shoppers, but have walked around Orchard road area, Suntec Mall, Vivo city and Gardens by the Bay Shoppes.

Have also seen the Light show at Gardens and light and water show on the bay.

If you like Whiskey we went to the Auld Alliance Whisky bar, where they do tasting type paddles.

So many areas still to visit, the Zoo, Botanic Gardens, I wanted to go to Singapore Turf club for a race day but it is closing in October so will miss that, and there are loads of islands to visit nearby too.

Thanks Chez, Great  list. We are in Singapore again end of April. This list has refreshed my mind and given me some new ideas. Kranji War Memorial is somewhere that may be of interest also.. Probably one of the most somber experiences I have had, but one I am glad we went to, more than once. We are staying on Sentosa this time, for a different outlook on Singapore.

[cheznandy]

2 minutes ago, resordanis said:

Thanks Chez, Great  list. We are in Singapore again end of April. This list has refreshed my mind and given me some new ideas. Kranji War Memorial is somewhere that may be of interest also.. Probably one of the most somber experiences I have had, but one I am glad we went to, more than once. We are staying on Sentosa this time, for a different outlook on Singapore.

Yes Cheryle, Kranji Cemetry/Memorial is on the do list, thanks for reminding me of it!!

Always run out of days and as that and the Botanic Gardens are further away we just haven't got there.

We had a lovely day using the shuttle bus around Sentosa, a swim at a beach and lunch. You can do it cheap without cable cars and tours and going to the theme parks etc.

 

[resordanis]

8 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Yes Cheryle, Kranji Cemetry/Memorial is on the do list, thanks for reminding me of it!!

Always run out of days and as that and the Botanic Gardens are further away we just haven't got there.

We had a lovely day using the shuttle bus around Sentosa, a swim at a beach and lunch. You can do it cheap without cable cars and tours and going to the theme parks etc.

 

Hope Sentosa will be ok. We like staying at Swissotel Stanford, but since Covid price very expensive. Got a great deal at Sofitel Sentosa including breakfast and dinner, so worth a try. We don’t do theme parks, and cable car was done many years ago. Botanic Gardens and in particular the Orchid Garden are worth the trip. Sometimes the heat gets to you and your ideas go out the window for somewhere a little cooler to.

[lyndarra]

3 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

If you just want to go shopping, then Singapore is the same as any other large city, and the prices are high by Asian standards.

But that hot steamy tropical climate means that it is the most beautifully green and lush city. I love the outdoor places like the botanical gardens, Jurong bird park, the zoo. Don't spend your whole time scuttling between air-conditoned buildings.  Get out in the open and walk slowly.

Have been to Singapore many time and a great place for shopping it is, especially if you want to buy a cheap watch, especially "copy" watches but here's a warning, watch out for fake copy watches. A friend who was travelling with us bought a "copy" gold Gucci watch. She wore it for years (until the battery eventually died) but the "gold" wore off in a couple of months and the brand name on the watch face was "GUCI"😄

I don't mind the heat. I spent six weeks there in 1970 while doing my Nasho. That was after ten weeks living in tents in Indonesian Borneo - Kalimantan Barat - bang on the equator near a place called Pontianak.

Here's a pic of my Singapore accomodation, occupied mostly by Poms and Kiwis. No aircon in those days.

 

[Tranquility Base]

12 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Here's a pic of my Singapore accomodation,

Nee Soon.

[lyndarra]

10 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

Nee Soon.

Correct.

No MRT in those days if we wanted to go into the city. It was usually by cab. A big surprise was all the cabs were Mercedes. This was an eye opener for us Aussies who were used to Holdens or Fords.

Edited January 19 by lyndarra

[Over from NZ]

2 hours ago, cheznandy said:

The Botanic Gardens have always seemed to allude us due to weather or just lack of time and tiredness, but it is on the list for next trip.

Some things we have done:

Fort Canning Park, we did a tour of the Battle Box WW11 history.

We walked over to Sentosa Island and made our way to Fort Siloso...more WW11 history.

Visited the Pinnacle @Duxton, a residential complex where you can take the lift to the skybridge for $6 and walk around for great views.

Singapore flyer

We have had cocktails at the top of Marina Bay Sands.

Sunset at Gardens by the Bay

Had a Fish Foot massage!

Visited Changi museum.....prior to The Jewel opening, we disembarked a cruise, dropped luggage at airport and spent the afternoon at the museum, which is close to the airport.

Done a couple of river cruises

We love to eat at Lau Pa sat, Satay by the Bay at Gardens by the Bay, and all the little Asian restaurants around Bugis.

We are not shoppers, but have walked around Orchard road area, Suntec Mall, Vivo city and Gardens by the Bay Shoppes.

Have also seen the Light show at Gardens and light and water show on the bay.

If you like Whiskey we went to the Auld Alliance Whisky bar, where they do tasting type paddles.

So many areas still to visit, the Zoo, Botanic Gardens, I wanted to go to Singapore Turf club for a race day but it is closing in October so will miss that, and there are loads of islands to visit nearby too.

Agree with much of that. Add to it - 

 

The zoos. Last time there, we did all 3 in one day (they're located beside each other). The night safari zoo was brilliant - being towed around the zoo in the dark seeing the animals at night and looking like you're right there with them. 

 

Singapore River cruise by night is excellent. 

 

Raffles Hotel. You can go there to their cafe if you're not a drinker (most go there for the "Singapore Sling". 

 

Clark Quay (and the other 2 Quay's) for dinner, nightlife etc. 

 

The Botanic Gardens are very good (Fort Canning is nice too). 

 

Wander through Chinatown, check out little India, Haji Lane etc. 

 

Gardens by the Bay to see the (free) light show was fabulous! 

 

Just off the top of my head. 

 

 

[lucymorgan]

There were many of these in the botanic gardens if you like wildlife 🙂 .   

Edited January 19 by lucymorgan

[OzKiwiJJ]

Over the years I've been to many lovely places in Singapore but most of the trips were actually business trips for Rolf so we had no choice of hotel (but we got to stay in some excellent ones). However some weren't close to MRT stations, especially the earlier trips I did before some of the MRT lines were built. I got quite adept at using connecting shopping malls and underground arcades to move around parts of the city in cool air-con. Initially there used to be some interesting shops to window shop as I went past but slowly they changed to the same-old same-old high end brands and became boring. 

 

But food! Ah, food! Singapore is food heaven. Simple and cheap, or high end. Take your pick! One of Rolf's ex-colleagues was once asked what his favourite restaurant was. This guy had actually live in Japan for a couple of years and was known for his love of Japanese food. However to our surprise his reply was just "Singapore!".

 

We were also very lucky in that one of Rolf's ex-colleagues, whom we still keep in touch with, lives in Singapore so we always knew the best local restaurants to go to and they weren't the expensive ones.

Edited January 19 by OzKiwiJJ

[yarramar]

One place that I found to be worthwhile visiting especially with the effort it takes to get there is Bollywood Veggies, now called Bollywood Farms. It is not on the usual tourist circuit, probably because of it's location.

 

What fascinated me was the gardens which you can walk around and the huge number of banana species that there are.

The shop sells produce in season and the bistro serves delicious organic meals.

 

Our son was living there for 3 years so we got to visit lots and he was able to drive us places when we were there. His condo had 3 bedrooms as well as maids quarters and the BBQ pool area was amazing.

 

Now we have to find a hotel when stopping there. 😢

[JohnGc]

All this info is brilliant. Have to thank every one that has been to Singapore and taken the trouble to pass on their knowledge. Anything I should be aware of and any tips about embarking on the Quantum from the Cruise centre Singapore ?  Last time in Sydney boarding on the Ovation we spent some time in Manly then got the ferry back to the terminal and rocked up in the afternoon to go aboard.We walked straight through the terminal with no Queuing and was on board in about 15 minutes. Any chance that would work in Singapore ?

[SingBill]

Does anyone have updates on the hotels they stayed at.  Just beginning my search so thank you for the tips regarding making sure the hotel is in close proximity to MRT locations.  

[resordanis]

1 hour ago, SingBill said:

Does anyone have updates on the hotels they stayed at.  Just beginning my search so thank you for the tips regarding making sure the hotel is in close proximity to MRT locations.  

Swissotel Singapore is above a MRT. An amazing hotel, but a bit expensive these days. You can walk underground for a long way and avoid the heat too! There are many hotels I am sure that are close to MRT’s but this one is our favourite.This time was are staying at Sofitel Sentosa for a different look at Singapore.

[SingBill]

34 minutes ago, resordanis said:

Swissotel Singapore is above a MRT. An amazing hotel, but a bit expensive these days. You can walk underground for a long way and avoid the heat too! There are many hotels I am sure that are close to MRT’s but this one is our favourite.This time was are staying at Sofitel Sentosa for a different look at Singapore.

Thank you for your feedback. I see the Fairmont is next door so will take a look at that one as well as V Lavender and Furama