Singapore was a breath of fresh air after India... literally. The airport sets the tone with quick and efficient passport control, and bag pick up. It was also the first time we came across our first Christmas tree... with Star Wars figures as decorations!
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| Darth Vader baubles! |
We really enjoyed Singapore and it was a good break from the craziness of India. Singapore is known as a stop over, with most visitors there to break up a longer journey or are using it as a hub, but we thought we would check it out for a few days, take in the sights and catch up with washing!
Instead of staying in a hotel or guest house, we decided to look into Airbnb again for a place to stay. We found a perfect room in a condo just outside of the centre, but near an MRT station, so it was easy to get around. Our host this time was Tom from the UK, and luckily enough for us he was heading out on business whilst we were there so had the whole condo to ourselves! It was even better when we saw the pool, gym and travel cards he had left us - our best Airbnb to date! It was going to be a good few days.
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| A comfy bed...horray! |
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| ..and a pool |
Singapore has a good number of things to see and we thought it was well worth a visit. Some of the sights we visited included the Botanical Gardens, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the bay, Raffles and of course shopping!
Probably the best public gardens we have ever been to. The highlight was the orchid garden ($5 SGD) which was full of different coloured orchids, many of which were named after famous people or political leaders. Not the best place to be in a thunder storm (thanks Tom for the umbrellas!), but still we really enjoyed the gardens, the variety of habitats they had made, from formal gardens, to rain forest. Well worth a visit.
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| Stunning colours |
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| Orchid Photo Point |
Why someone put a surf board on top of three buildings I have no idea, but it works! The Marina Bay Sands is a large hotel which looms over the central marina. We decided to visit in the evening taking advantage of the age old trick of go to the top a high building, find a roof top bar, and you get not only the view, but also a good drink. And boy was it a good view.
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| Cocktail with a view... |
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| ...and what a view it was |
The bar, Flight, was right on the flat end of the surfboard, and our stools looked right over the edge back towards the city. The drinks were good as well. I had the Java Old Fashioned (Bourbon whiskey, cocoa syrup, Aztec chocolate bitters) and Julia had a Raspberry Ginger Daiquiri (Light rum, raspberry, ginger, fresh lime). Both were really nice, but we did agree the Old Fashioned slightly edged it. Definitely worth a trip if you have the time, you don't need to be a resident of the hotel but it is recommended to book.
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| The surfboard |
Take a look at the infinity pool as well... amazing, but sadly only hotel guests can use it.
In the evening they did a nice little light show with lasers and fountains. Not even close to the HK or Xian shows, but still enjoyable to see.
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| Light show in the Marina |
Marina bay sands is easy to get to on the MRT, or just walk around the marina.
Singapore is humid and hot, but don't let that put you off spending time outside and seek the AC of the shopping malls (which are everywhere!). The gardens by the bay are a little Disney/Dubai in style (i.e. a bit artificial), but they are a remarkable area of different 'world' gardens, glass domes, with cloud forests and flower fields, and 'supertrees'.
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| Super trees and the Gardens By The Bay |
You don't really come here for the world gardens, (if you want to see gardens go to the Botanical Gardens), but the glass domes and super trees are unique and well worth the effort.
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| Still "growing" (the super trees have plants growing up them) |
The gardens themselves for free to go in and look around, but to get into the glass domes it is $28 SGD (keep your boarding card slip with you as you can get 10% off!). After wondering through the 'Supertrees' and the German style Christmas market and Christmas stalls, you come to the two large domes. The first one is the flower dome, which has areas devoted to different areas around the world. As we visited in early December, but flower field has been turned into a winter wonderland, with reindeer, toys, snow and nut crackers. It was quite a set up!
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| Christmas has arrived |
The second dome if probably the more spectacular of the two. As you enter you are confronted with a mountain with waterfalls. This was their cloud forest. You are directed to elevators which whisk you to the top and you slowly walk down walkways circulating the structure!
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| Waterfall in the cloud forest |
There is a sound and light show, but we didn't have time to see it. You could be clever and combine the light show with the one from Marina Bay Sands, if you are quick.
The gardens by the bay are well worth a visit if you have time and can easily be accessed from the Marina Bay Sands hotel or the Bayfront MRT station.
What would a trip be to Singapore without a visit to the world famous home of the Singapore Sling! Yes it is an expensive drink ($37 SGD), yes everyone in there is a tourist doing the same as you, but you have just got to do it!
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| A classic |
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| Savouring every bit! |
Shopping
Not that we did much shopping, but we used them to get around the city in AC comfort and for their rather good and extensive food courts. The shopping did look amazing though and we could understand why some people just go to Singapore to shop!
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| A Mall with a canal! |
Getting around
It is hot and humid all year round in Singapore, so walking long distances will make you put a sweat on, so head for the AC. There are electronic travel cards (similar to Octopus, Opal and Oyster cards), which can be charged up.
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| MRT Standing Carriage |
The best way to get around is on the MRT, so look for accommodation with it nearby. Very cheap, very clean and... well excellent!
Taxis are cheap, have AC and are on meter. It seems like the main way to get to and from the airport (around $30 SGD from airport to downtown) and can be picked up from the street.
Buses are plentiful. but we didn't use them.
Accommodation
There are plentiful options, from high end hotels to hostels. The best value is Airbnb we found, with rooms at about £30-50 per night.
Eating
Food and drink is very good but can be expensive if going to high end places. The cocktail scene is really becoming big there and you can find a really great drink... but alcohol is expensive.
For cheap east look for the food courts - there are loads of choice (mainly Asian dishes) and prices are low.
We didn't find many supermarkets, but convenience stores and bakeries are common.
Overall Singapore was a great place to visit and highly recommended!
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