A grey, humid, cosmopolitan city with a real mix of cultures going about their business. Cheap and reliable transport system and a melody of food that will have you never wanting to leave. Arrive hungry!
Singapore was our first international move back in 2009, before we were married and had children. It allowed us numerous travel opportunities and gave us our first real glimpse into expat life.
We lived as locals, Phil teaching in an all boys government school, Claire as an administrator in a recruitment agency earning starter salaries and paying extortionate rental fees to stay in a pokey, bare, HDB (Housing Development Board) apartment in Toa Payoh. But…..we had a ball! We made good friends, dined in hawker markets, drank cheap bottles of Tiger, rode our way round on the MRT and somehow managed to travel Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia finishing with a 6 week trip to Australia and Fiji for the Ashes in 2010.
Singapore is city of opportunity, full of hard working corporate folk working incredibly long hours and finishing their nights paying sky high prices for pints in Clarke Quay. There is a materialistic element to their success with new Chanel bags and Armani suits on full parade with Orchard Road full of high end, exclusive malls and a constant stream of shoppers.
All that being said, Singapore is clean, safe, friendly and overall a very easy place to live, many happy memories were made there. My brother now lives there with his young family, and we took the opportunity to visit them in 2018 and revisit a city that will forever hold a piece of our hearts.
Here are some of our favourite things to do in the city.
Swissotel
Always our first tip for visitors to the city. Head to the bar on the 70th floor for sundowners. An amazing view of the skyline changing from day to night watching the sun setting over the city. Unfortunately not a bar that you can take kids to, but if you’re kid-free make it a stop to enjoy a cocktail or two.
Gardens by the Bay
This opened in 2012 after we had left Singapore but we visited in 2018 and were impressed. It is located down next to the Marina Bay Sands Resort and easily accessible by MRT. We visited during the day time but we have heard that the gardens are equally spectacular during the night with the added bonus of light shows. We particularly enjoyed wandering the Supertree Grove and across the Skyway taking in the views.
Lau Pau Sat
The FOOD! This was a firm favourite for a real taste of Singaporean food culture. It is a big hawker market right in the CBD (close to Raffles Place MRT). In the evenings they close off the streets and have ‘satay club’ where lots of satay BBQs cook on the streets, mounds of fresh seafood is bbq’d including the famous Singapore crab and people sit on long tables on the road drinking jugs of Tiger. There is a plethora of other food to try from Sushi, Dim Sum, Chicken and Duck Rice, Noodles, Soups and cuisine from many countries around the world. It is your opportunity to try all the weird and wonderful food on offer – arrive hungry!
China Town
A tourist trap full of tat; waving cat souviners, red dragons, fans, magnets and cheap t-shirts. There are numerous packed restaurants, temples and guide tours but yet it still remains a place of fascination and attraction for us. We loved pulling up a plastic stool, ordering a freezing cold tiger and plate of chicken satay and watching the world go by.
Little India
A vibrant town full of colour and smells. Watch women making flower decorations, wander markets full of colourful and peculiar fruit and vegetables and stop and try some paratha and daal at a food stall eating it with your hands and washing it down with a cold tiger. The backpacker hostel – The Prince of Wales – is a good spot for a beer and to chat to other travellers, they often have acts singing or playing guitar and finish with a more familiar curry in the banana leaf apollo restaurant.
Boat Quay
The quieter of the Quays, it is more casual and less crowded than it’s neighbour Clarke Quay. This is where office workers fall out of work and go for an after work pint, you can find hawker stalls in the streets behind selling cheap food, decent happy hours and still have the wonderful views over the water.
Botanic Gardens
A green haven on the outskirts of the city. It is a popular place to walk, jog or just relax on the grass and escape the city. There is a lake, an orchid garden and plenty of paths and greenery to explore, best of all, it’s free to enter.
Sentosa Island
Sentosa island is a resort full of expensive hotels, theme parks and man-made beaches. It is a strange place but also quite nice to escape the city and spend a day feeling like you’re on a resort. The best way to get across is on the cable cars, an experience in itself then visit palawan beach, stop for some food and check out one of the beach clubs on Siloso beach.
Arab Street
As the name suggests this is a street full of arabic textile shops, perfumes and restaurants serving arab food and shishas. This place is full of character and charm, if you are getting fed up of local food and want to try something different then this is definitely a place we would recommend. Next to Arab Street is also Haji Lane where you will find street art, independent fashion shops and quirky cafes – a unique place in the somewhat sterile Singapore.
Please get in touch if you are looking for any advice on Singapore, we have picked just a few of our favourite things to do here but there is also so much more to explore. Arrive with a full wallet and empty stomach and you can enjoy everything the city has to offer.
Where next?
Singapore is an amazing travel hub with connections to Australia, Bali, Dubai as well as the rest of Asia – Thailand/Malaysia etc. We flew from Singapore to Hanoi and continued on a 3 week journey around Vietnam. Here you can find our itinerary and travel experiences.
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