People had asked us why we were staying in Singapore for five days. ‘You can do it in two, really.’ They said. And they were probably right. Rushing from point A to B to C, you could squeeze the city into 48 hours. Or you could kick back, eat a few more delicious meals, and enjoy it properly.
We haven’t felt bored here. Singapore is a vibrant city, with a lot going on. Yes, it’s a concrete jungle, but it’s also beautifully green, with the most amazing botanic garden I’ve ever seen, and excellent food on every corner. We stayed in Chinatown, which I would highly recommend – it’s central enough that you can walk to a lot of places, and is well connected to the MRT system.
To keep costs down we opted to stay in a pod hostel (CUBE Boutique Chinatown), where our small sleeping cupboard comfortably fitted a double bed, with a small locker underneath for our belongings. It was a little warm at night, and the roller-blind that covered the small entranceway didn’t totally block out the sound of people unzipping and rezipping their bags, but it was less than half the average price for a room in Singapore. And those savings could be directly converted into Chilli crab. Worth it.
Here’s the highlights from our time in Singapore.
Singapore Zoo
Of course we went to the zoo. This is what I’d been waiting to do since we knew we were coming to Singapore. I have such fond memories of this park, and it did not disappoint. The leopard, my favourite, was basking right at the front of her enclosure. The exhibits are spacious and lush, and the park is so big you can easily spend half a day walking around.
Entry costs: $35 SGD pp
How we got there: Caught the North South line to Khatib where we transferred to the zoo shuttle, which comes every 15mins.
Gardens by the Bay
After dinner, we walked to the Gardens by the Bay to see the nightly Garden Rhapsody, where the world-famous ‘Super Trees’ (giant, spidery constructions that reach up into the sky, covered mostly by vibrant plants) are lit up in a light show set to orchestral music. Everyone just sits or lies on the ground under the giant trees, and looks up to the sky. Well, everyone but those few oblivious people who are standing up to take photos. It’s completely free, and very beautiful.
Entry costs: Free
How we got there: walked, but Marina Bay is connected to the Downtown and Circle lines.
Singapore Design Centre
It was Singapore design week when we were there, so we wandered over to the Singapore Design Centre to check out some of the exhibitions that they had on. Adjacent to the university, this area of town is full of small galleries and theatres. Unfortunately, this was where we also discovered that it was imperative to screenshot all of google maps’ walking directions before leaving the hostel. We wandered for a while, and our feet hurt. A cool part of town though.
Entry costs: Free
How we got there: Walked, but this area is near the Dhoby Ghaut station, which connects the 3 CBD lines.
The same afternoon we went to see the Merlion. But he was being renovated. Damn. A small merlion had been set up in his place, but at about the same height as a ten year old, it wasn’t much when compared to the giant alternative.
Orchard Road
We walked the half hour walk from Chinatown to Orchard Road (with a stop at Common Man Coffee Roasters for a NZ-style flat white). The huge malls are beautifully air conditioned and full of the flashest brands. The street is full of shoppers, hawkers selling ice creams, and tourists. It’s nice to windowshop for a morning.
After we went here, we caught the bus to the Old Airport Road hawker centre, which was the most epic hawker centre we visited while we were there.
Cost: Free
How we got there: Walked, but Orchard Road has it’s own stop on the North South line and is well connected by busses
Botanic Gardens
These gardens were amazing. So huge, so beautifully kept. We got there around 2pm, and wanted to leave before dark, but you could easily spend a whole day exploring this lush park. We saw monitor lizards lazily swimming through the ‘Swan Lake’, and giant hornbills in the rainforest area. The gardens are free, but there was a $5 SGD fee to get into the Orchid Gardens. This was totally worth it in my opinion – with Singapore being the home to so many original species of both new and ancient orchids, it was the best flower garden I’ve ever seen.
Cost: Free, but $5 to get into the Orchid Garden
How we got there: Bussed, but ‘Botanic Gardens’ is also a stop on the downtown and circle lines.
Little India
Little India and Chinatown are the two largest ethnic neighborhoods in Singapore. Because we were staying in Chinatown, we managed to explore it pretty thoroughly in our daily searches for food, but we did make a special trip to Little India as well. Unlike most of central Singapore, the buildings in Little India are only two or three storeys high, are painted feverishly bright colours and have their simple wooden shutters wide open to catch the breeze. There’s gold jewelers, huge murals, biriyani shops and mountains of colourful flowers. Worth taking a morning to stroll through the streets.
Cost: Free
How we got there: Little India can be reached via the Little India station (Downtown and North East Line) or Jalan Besar station (Downtown line).
Sentosa island
On our last day in Singapore, we checked out of our hostel, left our bags by the desk, and made our way to Sentosa Island. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this man-made island playground, having heard very mixed reviews about it. Sentosa has three main beaches, and we headed straight for Palawan, the south-facing white sand beach. And let me tell you, it was a great way to spend a day. It was moderately busy, but there was more than enough room for everyone. The water was gloriously warm and very swimmable. There’s plenty of shade to spread your towel out in, and a few nearby snack shops and a 7/11 to grab some lunch at.
Cost: Free
How we got there: We caught the bus in, which stops at Beach Station, a 5min walk from Palawan. We caught the monorail out, which also leaves from Beach station, and stops again at Vivo City.
Singapore is so much more than a stopover. You would be hard-pressed to find diverse, cheap, high-quality food, amazing architecture and beautiful greenery anywhere else in the world. And the chilli crab. You can’t find that anywhere else in the world either.
