Singapore is a fantastic city. With english as the official language, western travelers have all the comforts of home- but with the added magic of palm trees, exotic cuisine, culture, Singapore Slings and an unforgettable skyline. Let’s not forget infinity pools and warm weather either!
You can experience so much of Singapore in a 48 hour layover, or mini vacation, so let’s get to it. Here’s an easy guide to maximizing your time in the legendary city…
If there’s ever a place to shell out on hotels, it’s Singapore. Room rates are generally reasonable, and if you’re able to snag club lounge access, you’ll experience the best food and beverage offerings imaginable.
For first timers, pick a hotel near Marina Bay, the Singapore Flyer, Marina Square or anywhere that looks out over the incredible Skyline. The Marina Bay Sands is cool, but you won’t get the iconic building in your view. Our picks: The Pan Pacific, Ritz Carlton or JW Marriott.
The gardens by the bay are truly outstanding-whether you’re a “garden person” or not. You may recognize the astounding SkyTree’s from BBC’s Planet Earth II, which highlighted the amazing structures. Originally built with man made materials, the “super trees” are now inhabited by countless plant and animal species, and at night, they offer a captivating light show. You won’t regret it, and psst, you don’t have to pay to walk around them…
Singapore is known as a sleepy city full of business, business and more business, but that’s not totally accurate. Tiong Bahru is consistently ranked as one of the hippest neighborhoods in the world, with vibrant nightlife, dining and cocktail scenes, not to mention incredible art galleries. They have real life hipsters too. Grab a cab and wander, you can’t go wrong. If you’re looking for a great bar, try “Coq & Balls”, the #1 ranked bar in the area.
Haji lane is the perfect place to begin your Instagram stardom. The eye popping- colorful streets are lined with countless clothing shops, art galleries, coffee bars and iconic “chicken rice” restaurants, making it the ideal place for a stroll, some shopping or some food, any time of day. Singapore is an incredibly safe city, so just wander around and find the best Singapore Sling. When in Singapore, right?
Though most of the best Singapore pictures involve looking at the Marina Bay Sands, one view clobbers them all. The view from the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool, with a true infinity edge overlooking the city, Marina Bay and (optional) sunset are worth whatever it takes to get in. It’s one of the ten best rooftop pools in the world, literally. Entrance is theoretically limited to hotel guests and their guests, but there are ways to get around it. Just get your thinking cap on…
Singapore is home to 3 of the world’s top 15 bars, and countless more gems. If a good tipple is your thing, you’ll love it here. There’s everything from speakeasy style locations to belle epoque style grandeur.
The best: Atlas. From there, Native, Operation Dagger, 28 Hong Kong and on down the list will show you an incredible time. . At any of these spots, expect rare rums, gins and other spirits, infused with Asian spice and ingredients you won’t find in a punch bowl anywhere else. Expect New York prices, but hey, you get what you pay for…
Yeah yeah, it may be a bit touristy, but the view- oh my. The Singapore Flyer, much like the London Eye (in London) is a towering ferris wheel, boasting some of the very best city views. The best part? It’s open late, so if you’re clever, you can queue up ahead of sunset to enjoy a truly elevated view of all the major attractions. As a nifty aside, you can even set foot on a real life F1 Grand Prix track en route.
Did you catch any of those headlines about the guy who’s $3 a meal “hawker stall” won a Michelin star, an thought it was a joke? We’ve eaten there, and it’s amazing.
Singapore is known for being an expensive city, but if you head to the “Hawker Center”, there are serious bargains to be had. Visitors can expect to find endless “hawker stalls”, the city’s famous small scale, pop up restaurants offering world class curry, Singapore Noodles, or the city’s famous “Chicken Rice”, a dish originating Hainan with roasted chicken, rice and soy. It’s incredible.
Lol. You don’t speak english in singapore. Its singlish. If you order a tea, you’ll be served milk tea. A plain tea is oolong tea. And if your taxi’s driver is chinese descent, there’s 50 percent chance he can’t understand your hotel name. Oh and beware of chewing gum. Lol
What’s the easiest way to collect 40,000 Marriott points for a UK based person? I’d like to stay the Marriott hotel, but my partner wants to stay in The Marina Bay Sands for the pool. Am I right in thinking The Marina Bay Sands has no loyalty program that gives free nights without already staying right?
No more ‘epic’ please.
It is worth staying at the Marina Bay Sands to actually use the pool. Room rates are comparable with the other hotels. If you do stay there, go up to the pool at 6:30 am when it opens. I did this and had the entire pool to myself! It was magical to swim in the pool while watching the city lights dim and the sun rising. Also I had a hot tub to myself. It was so peaceful, unlike later in the day.
picture of ‘Tiong Bahru’ is actually picture of Tanjong Pagar
Thanks for sharing these tips.
Regards, Alastair Majury.