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Singapore

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Singapore is a gem within Asia. The city-state is a clean, pleasant place to visit or do business. It's also one of the safest meltingpots of tourists, expats and locals in Asia.

Must-do's include trying the local chili-crab, going on the night safari, and shopping, especially during the Great Singapore Sale in June or July. Walk from City Hall, along the river and see the old restaurant stalls and nightlife. Singapore's government has gotten much more relaxed. Dancing on top of the bar, and chewing gum are legal again (though you might need a doctor's prescription for your chewing gum fix!). Singapore also has some of the best Karaoke in Asia, in case you ever had the desire.

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Tips for: backpackers • business travelers • luxury/exotic travel • hitchhikers • families • seniors • LBG travelers • pet owners

Navigation

[edit] Hotels and lodging

  • The signature hotel in Singapore is Raffles - It's been declared a national monument. The Singapore sling drink was invented at the Long Bar. There's a great antique snooker table for those who enjoy the game.
  • The Ritz Carlton offers a perfect view of the harbor, from sunken hot-tub size baths in your room. The buffet is also "to die for"
  • Shangri-La Hotel
  • Four Seasons Hotel
  • The Oriental
  • Clarion Collection Rendezvous
  • The Sentosa Resort & Spa, Sentosa Island
  • Pan Pacific Singapore, Singapore
  • The Regent
  • InterContinental

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Shopping

Mustafa Centre is Little India sells just about everything. 145 Syed Alwi Rd
The Great Singapore Sale is well worth the trip - bringing together thousands of merchants who offer special discounts to encourage tourists to fly in.
Visitors Card offers many discounts and is worth picking up!
There is a shopping mall EVERY block in Singapore, but Orchard Road, China Town, Bugis Street and Little India are the best areas.
Singapore is known for cheap electronics, as a port city customs are low/non-existent

[edit] Maps and transportation

[edit] Getting to Singapore

Singapore airlines has consistently been ranked as THE best airline in the world. Their business class seats tilt to 180 degrees, and the stewardesses are incredibly friendly and attired in beautiful local garb. The food on-board is good and the service is excellent. The flights leave and arrive on-time like clockwork

[edit] Exploring Singapore

Local Trains are excellent, clean and on time
Cabs can be called via sms from cab stations all over the city. Look for the cab station number and dial away!
Downtown is very walkable - especially along the riverfront.

[edit] Practical information and resources

[edit] Restaurants

River-Boat Quay has 30+ small restaurants
Clarke Quay - has beautiful water views, and the best chili-crab and black-pepper crab you can imagine. It's a singapore specialty and all visitors are taken here by locals.
Stop by Raffles hotel, for a singapore sling, THE drink of Singapore and a snack

Traditional dishes you should definitely try include: Bak kut teh, Char kway teow, Hokkien mee, Ketupat, Laksa, Nasi lemak, Rojak, Satay

[edit] Text with links to user-reviews on other pages

User Review Site | Singapore Review

[edit] Nightlife

  • Loof is an open air bar near North Bridge Road
  • Divine Wine Extraordinaire is a great lounge with live music every Mondays to Fridays from 9p.m to midnight. The band plays a variety of music, from pop to jazz standards. Check out the mesmerising singer Umi Yushida. She sings only on Tuesday and Wednesday nights there.
  • There are many ethnic festivals during the year
  • Zouk (17, Jiak Kim Street, 6-738-2988), a hugely popular club, which has been compared with some of the best in Europe, plays mainly techno, house and hip hop to a mostly young crowd. Zouk's music is spun by its seven resident DJs, while regular live acts from visiting artists such as Galliano, Chemical Brothers, Heart and Kylie Minogue are an added draw. Wednesday is Mambo Jambo night, when the club shakes off its techno garb and plays a mix of 70s to 90s pop. For those with an aversion to heavy techno, the Zouk establishment also houses Velvet Underground, where the crowd is slightly older and the music is mainly Soul and Garage. The mood here is sophisticated and futuristic - the walls are adorned in velvet and hung with original modern art works, and the furniture has a Bauhaus feel.
  • Adjoining Zouk's main building is Phuture, where the music is a more eclectic mixture of trip hop, drum 'n' bass and down tempo. The decor is a futuristic, space-agey blend of steel, liquids-in-glass-vials and state-of-the-art lighting. As the real action at Zouk and its sister discos don't begin until midnight, the popular place to hang out in the meantime between dinner and dance is the Zouk Wine Bar. This stylish bar is a great place for people-watching.

Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are dotted with restaurants as well as pubs, so the mood here is slightly laid-back and the crowd mixed. The pubs are old Chinese godowns and shophouses given a heartening facelift.

  • Harry's Bar (No 28, 6-538-3029), Singapore's best-known jazz joint. The live jazz here is of the more classic variety, although sometimes the music branches out to acid jazz. Harry's is a popular haunt of expatriates, especially those working in the towering skyscrapers nearby. Nick Leeson, the infamous trader who brought down England's Barings Bank, frequented Harry's. They've concocted a drink there in his honor - it's called the Bankbreaker.
  • Molly Malone's (42, Circular Road, 6-534-5100) an Irish pub and grill that won the Newsweek International World's Best Bar accolade in 1996. The decor is so authentically Irish that you'd be forgiven for thinking yourself in Ireland, while the mood is friendly and mellow.
  • Take a bumboat to nearby Clarke Quay and go to Brewerkz Restaurant & Microbrewery (30 Merchant Road, #01-05 Riverside Point, 6-438-7438). The crowd here is mostly yuppie and expatriate, and the menu consists of pizzas, salads and burgers.
  • Crazy Elephant (3E River Valley Road, #01-07 Traders Market Clarke Quay, 6-337-1990) has live blues and rock n' roll bands playing every night. The decor is warm wood, and graffiti.

Orchard Road:

  • Venom (Pacific Plaza Penthouse, 9 Scotts Road, 6-734-7677) boasts a state-of-the-art dance floor and a sweeping view of Orchard Road. The theme changes every night, and the music ranges from pop to retro to house.
  • Brix (Basement Level, 10-12 Scotts Road 6-730-7107), which is situated in the luxurious Grand Hyatt Hotel. The underground place is lit up with candles, and the decor is warm and woody. The pub's resident band plays every day, and the place also has a great wine bar. Another trendy spot is Bar None (320 Orchard Road, 6-831-4656) at The Marriott Hotel. Bar None's resident band, Energy, is often said to be Singapore's best homegrown music group.
  • Sparks (391, Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre, 6-735-6133). This huge entertainment complex houses a dance floor where retro music booms loud and clear, as well as many karaoke rooms.
  • Emerald Hill part of Orchard Road. Peranakan-style shophouses allow you to cradle a glass of Beaujolais at the Que Pasa wine bar (7 Emerald Hill, 6-235-6626), or a mug of frothy Tiger at No. 5 (5, Emerald Hill, 6-732-0818) or Ice Cold Beer (Emerald Hill, 6-735-9929). The latter's specialty is beer - it has over 35 varieties -- chilled in ice tanks. There's also the carnival-like atmosphere of Papa Joe's (180, Orchard Road, Peranakan Place) with its colorful decor and catchy dance music.

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