Singapore is a tiny island at the tip of Southeast Asia. There are a wide selection of food from different ethnic groups and cultures and you will also realised that there are tons of shopping malls and restaurant.
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Generally, everywhere is easily accessible by the MRT or Taxis. The beach at Sentosa is quite dirty due to the ships nearby. If you would like to go to better beaches, you can try bintan (it's quite expensive if you're on budget traveling) or just go to Krabi in Thailand. There are also cheap airlines like Air Asia, ValueAir and Tiger Airways which takes you to neighbouring countries - Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand.
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| Favourite spots: |
- Orchard road, this is basically the place where most shopping malls are located. And you can find different types of shops selling things like clothings, shoes, bags, perfumes, household items, etc. Also, a variety of restaurants and cafes. However, in some areas, the cafes and restaurants are always fully booked so it is good to make reservation beforehand if you know which one you would like to go. There are also very high end boutiques and cheap clothings in some shops in Orchard.
- If you want to buy electronic stuff, you should go to Sim Lim Square, then to Funan IT mall after. Loads of electronic goods in Sim Lim Square where you can bargain and get a cheaper price.
- Little India and Arab street are good places to go to eat. In Little India, there is the Mustafa center which is open till late night and you get to see the ethnic houses that people used to live. (Now they are used as shops) & there are very good Indian food in the market place as well as restaurants around.
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| What's really great: |
The food, for example nonya kuehs, peranakan laksa, the eatouts at Far east Plaza and the local market place, Prata and Dosai in Little India and the shopping in Orchard Road + Suntec City.
Other local food includes, Fried Hokkien Noodles, Fried Carrot cake, Hainanese chicken rice, Singapore curry, Hor Fun, Mee rebus, Fried Indian mee goreng (one of my favourite which can be quite spicy) and Rojak. (A type of salad which is mixed with peanut sauce but very very good. Basically Rojak means "mix" and it describes the mix of cultures in Singapore.
You can also find different types of food in Singapore, from American, French, Spanish, Italian, Scandinavian, Chinese, Mexican and fusion. If A place where there are loads of restaurant is Holland Village. I love one of the Mexican restaurant there. Otherwise, you can try local food at the food court anywhere or the muslim food at Far East Plaza. (They are the best..) :)
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| Sights: |
The one place which you should visit is the zoo. There is an open concept so you will almost feel like you're close to the animals. In the children section, you can actually feed and touch the animals too. However, it smells very bad there but that's the authentic part of the visit. Then at night, there is the night safari where you see those animals which sleeps in the daytime and comes out at night. Like the hyenas, etc.
If you're a beach person, pop over to Bintan Island for 3 days 2 nights or something. There are some nice resorts there, you can play golf, enjoy the sandy crystal clear beach, swim with the fishes or just lie on the beach to tan yourself. It's pretty nice but got to warn you that the prices of staying there is expensive especially if you are on budget.
Then finally, go to Chinatown, Bugis, Sentosa, HarbourFront, Cityhall and the Esplanade. You will also be able to see colonial houses at Boat Quay but now it is converted into restaurants and bars.
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| Accommodations: |
Rendezvous Singapore , it is a quiet hotel
Marriot, right in the center of Orchard Road but expensive.
Siloso Beach resort if you are in Sentosa.
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| Nightlife: |
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There are some places for nightlife, for example, Ministry of Sound is pretty big.. And Zouk which is quite popular and one of the oldest well-known places. If you prefer smaller ones, you can try Mohammed Sultan road.. There are a whole stretch of bars, pubs and clubs in that area. You can get drinks for pretty much cheaper price if you go around to check because sometimes they have promotions and Wednesday is often ladies night, so if you're a lady, you get in for free and get a free drink too.
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| Hangouts: |
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Basically, I like to hang out at neighbourhood areas because that is where I feel like a local being home. If you would like to see how the local lives, you can take the MRT train or buses and go to neighbourhood estates. Some very old ones are Ang Mo Kio, Toa Payoh and Bedok. There you will see how the life of many of the locals are daily. Things are also much cheaper there. I like Bishan area :) it's quite new but I hang around there alot.
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| Restaurants: |
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I recommend Komala Vilas and the hawker centers/local markets/Food courts. Check the makan sutra food guide online at http://www.makansutra.com/
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| Other recommendations: |
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Get to know people if you want to learn about the country or culture while travelling and keep and open mind :) Local people are very friendly but it might be difficult to get to know them. You just need time and some effort.
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Published on Tuesday May 1th, 2007
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Sun, May 06 2007 - 07:17 AM
 by marianne
Heather,
I enjoyed reading this, good information and a pleasant read |
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11 votes
