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My stopover trip in Singapore

Updated: Jan 9, 2020

My November 2019 birthday trip was Vietnam which has been increasing in popularity the last 10 years or so. My “stopover” trip was Singapore which if you have never been to is a wonderful place to transit through. I did one day on my way to Vietnam and about another 2.5 days on the way back.


I chose to fly on Singapore Airlines which is one of the best airlines in the world and rightfully deserves that title. They have a direct flight out of Newark (no Coach class available, and their Premium Economy is the best I have traveled so far). They also offer a special 24 hours transit deal, so if you have limited time, check it out.


Make sure you leave plenty of time for the Singapore airport because that can take at least ½ day to explore! They even have a movie theater! & don't miss The Jewel-the newest garden attraction


Tips & Hints:

· Singapore is one of the cleanest places in the world. Chewing gum is banned! Including importing and exporting it.

· It’s not cheap. Because it’s such a hub in Asia, with such a large population of expatriates, it’s an expensive city.

· It’s a foodie haven! Because of such a blend of cultures, the variety of food is amazing! Make sure to visit the various hawker markets, where you can get a full meal for very cheap. https://www.visitsingapore.com/editorials/the-street-food-of-singapore/

· Chili crab and cracked pepper along with chicken and rice are the specialties-so be sure to try them out!


Top attractions which I visited:

· Botanical Gardens https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbg

· Clarke Quay-bars, restaurants and mall by the water

· Singapore airport


Days 1 & 2

18 hours of flying time, plus the time difference put me in Singapore on a Tuesday evening. Exhausted (mainly because I don’t sleep well on planes), I got a quick dinner, and went to bed to get a good night’s sleep before starting the next day. I opted to stay at a hotel not too far from the airport since I was only in Singapore for a day.


Day 3

After waking up early, my main goal for that day was to visit the Gardens by the Bay.


Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares of reclaimed land in the Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden. Most of the spectacular pictures that you have seen featuring Singapore have been of this garden mainly at night where they have an amazing light show. It can take you a good 3-4 hours to cover the gardens and attractions depending on how much you want to see so be prepared from a time standpoint.


Besides the various gardens scattered throughout, I visited 2 other attractions:

The Flower Dome-have special exhibits depending on the season, and you can also get a free 15 minute guided tour. They were showcasing Nordic Christmases when I was there, and it was both interesting and entertaining.


Cloud Forest (my favorite) is a must see! I can’t even begin to describe it. Pictures and videos are worth a thousand words, so to see more look at my Instagram and Facebook pages.


The other must see is the Supertree Grove (Supertree Observatory & OBC Skyway). Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to do this because both times I tried to visit it was raining heavily, and the attraction is then closed. I also did not get to see the spectacular lightshow at night (generally 2 viewings), because they don’t do that in the rain either. If you do want to do this, make sure you get there early enough because it does get very busy.


After getting rained out around noon at Gardens By the Bay, I got a quick lunch with a few newfound friends and then proceeded back to Marina Bay hotel. The hotel itself is quite beautiful to see and many dining options but as expected quite pricey. One of the attractions at Marina Bay is the observation deck which costs about $17 USD. Alternatively you can get into CELAVI skybar which offers you and entrance and drink for about $20 and shorter lines. This is what I opted for. Don’t forget to try the Singapore sling.

Since the weather showed no sign of clearing up, I opted to go back to my hotel for an early night before flying to Vietnam the next day.


Day 3

I stayed for a longer time on the way back, and the Singapore zoo while pricey is considered one of the best and another must see (even if you don’t have kids!)


The one challenge with this is that there is no good public transportation to get there, so I did take a “Grab” which is the Singapore version of an Uber & works quite well. You probably need a good 4-5 hours to visit, so plan your day accordingly. I went on a Sunday in the off season, so it wasn’t too crowded, but be prepared for crowds in high season.


The zoo is set up by each area of the world and is quite large. There is a shuttle option, but it’s fairly easy to walk around as well which is what I landed up doing. Like other zoos they have shows etc as well, and an opportunity to get a picture with 2 of the orangutans!

There are a total of 4 separate admissions which you can buy separately or as a bundle:

  • Zoo

  • River Safari (I considered this more as an Aquarium), but you can do a quick 15 minute boat ride-you basically see the same animals at the zoo but from the water. There is a also a wonderful monkey experience included which was a high point for me.

  • Bird park (I did not visit)

  • Night safari (highly promoted, but based on people I have spoken with not worth it)


After the zoo, I got a chance to meet up with a former colleague of mine at the world famous Raffles bar for one of their signature cocktails. It does get quite busy, but we were able to get in. I advise going at an off-peak time to avoid a wait.


Dinner was next. One of the Singapore specialties is chili crab and salt and pepper crab. My colleague recommended Jumbo seafood restaurant location not too far from where we were, and I can honestly say this meal was my favorite on the entire trip! Warning-it is pricey, but worth it.


Day 4

Singapore has plenty of gardens, so the next day I headed over to the Botanical Gardens. Though not as extravagant as the Gardens by the Bay, these gardens have their own beauty and seems to be very popular with the locals for walking and exercising. They are also quite big, with many different paths. One of the musts sees is the beautiful Orchid garden. It’s about $3USD entry fee, but well worth it.


After spending about 2 hours there, I headed back to my hotel to checkout, and next stop was Chinatown. After walking around for a bit, it was time for a late lunch, so I hit up Maxwell Hawker Center where I had some delicious Indonesian food.


After a long lunch mainly because of pouring rain, I decided to take the MRT over to Clark Quay which is considered the “expat/tourist” hangout. Unfortunately, between the rain not really letting up, and it being quite early, it was quite dead with most places closed. The best time to visit is after 7/8pm. I did have quite an enjoyable cappuccino and cake at a coffee place, and then walked around in the mostly covered areas which has a few bars. Managed to take advantage of happy hour and some live music which was nice way to end my evening before heading to the airport.


Final thoughts-I’m hoping to stopover in Singapore again to check out the places and food which I missed! Cracked pepper crab, and sights at Changi Airport (like the butterfly garden) top that list!





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