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Singapore so far -- comments?


Unibok
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I'm planning ahead for a Feb 2019 embarkation from Singapore -- and planning is part of the joy of travel for me. I would love to hear your collective wisdom and perspective on my choices so far. Right now I'm looking at arriving Monday for a Friday embarkation, so it will be 4 nights/5 days.

 

Lodging: I'm thinking Little India/Kampong Glam areas. Wanderlust looks fun (although I worry a bit that the bright Pantone rooms will give me a migraine), but I'm also considering the Mayo Inn. I see that there is a Hilton Garden there (for which I could use points), but it isn't showing any available rooms -- perhaps because it is too early?

 

Activities: I am likely to spend all or most of a day in the Gardens by the Bay. I'm also thinking of a day that combines the Botanical Gardens with the trippy-sounding Haw Par Villa. I expect to explore Tiong Bahru Estate, and will definitely check out the hawker scene at Lau Pa Sat and Satay St. The National Museum has a Food Gallery section, and I also hope to check out the Asian Civilizations Museum and/or the Perakanen Museum -- would love your advice on doing one or the other, or both. Somewhere in there I anticipate a quiet day exploring Pulau Ubin island park.

 

What I'm purposely not doing for various reasons: Orchard St, Raffles, and Sentosa. What I've suggested so far fulfills my most keen interests: nature, food, pre-colonial/indigenous cultural and spiritual history.

 

Transportation: it looks like the Singapore Tourist Pass for bus and train will be my best choice.

 

I'll be arriving from another Asian country with only a 2-1/2 hour time difference, so there is little need to factor in jet lag. After embarking, we have a sea day, so I'm not worried about wearing myself out before a 14-day cruise.

 

Your thoughts? Wisdom? Suggestions?

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Looks good so far. Would suggest the cable car from mount faber to vivo city for incredible views. There's also a beautiful walking trail at mount faber. Another possibility is visiting the Merlion and take a water tour of the city. There are two companies that offer them. One in a modern boat and one in the old-fashioned type boat.

 

It sounds like you may be on my cruise. Feb 15th sapphire princess. If so i suggest you join the roll call. Emma

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I just returned from my trip to Singapore earlier earlier in the month. I was there two days before the cruise and 3 days after staying at Park Hotel Farrer Park for the two night stay before sailing and then staying at the Marina Bay Sands the 3 nights afterwards. MBS was nice but also $$$.... But the epic pool made it "worth it".... Although, honestly, for the price and value... I would probably stay at Farrer Park again, rather than MBS.

 

Haw Par Villa was amazingly confusing but doesn't take more than an hour to walk around. Gardens by the Bay were fantastic but I only needed a few hours there. I could see people wanting to spend a day, but it was hot and I was sleepy, so after a couple of hours, I was ready to go back to the hotel and relax/visit the pool.

I also spent almost a full day at the Universal Studios there. Nice park but small ...and some of their operations were less than desirable. Especially when used to the Orlando park operations.

 

Haw Park Villa photos https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969518085957853184

 

Universal photos

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969410096475209728

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969432337443274753

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969474613926354944

 

Gardens by the Bay

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969057485645647872

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969099573070196736

 

And random photos from Singapore

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/966974213167841280

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/966884329660928009

https://mobile.twitter.com/CanobieFan/status/969555674295361536

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Great pics, CanobieFan! Haw Par Villa looks just as trippy as I imagined -- can't wait. And thanks for the tip on the Gardens.

 

You actually stayed at MBS??? Wow. Sounds like a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

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We’ve been in Singapore twice in the last year and have stayed at the Fairmont both times. It is quite expensive but is very central an immaculate. Very close to the City Hall metro station.

We really like the Gardens by the Bay and the Biological Gardens. The free evening light show and China Town are great fun.

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Your plan sounds pretty amazing and you may wish to consider the "Baba House" in your plan (it's a restored heritage home, free entry/guided tours). Check out Tripadvisor reviews. It's a absolute gem.

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I like staying in Chinatown, very near everything. Good prices and lots to do. But in Singapore I am no longer demanding about things like hotels. In the past stayed at Sands, Ritz Carlton, Intercontinental, but I find to be a waste. As I spend very little time in my hotel room.

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I like staying in Chinatown, very near everything. Good prices and lots to do. But in Singapore I am no longer demanding about things like hotels. In the past stayed at Sands, Ritz Carlton, Intercontinental, but I find to be a waste. As I spend very little time in my hotel room.

 

True. Chinatown is a bustling place. Lots to see and eat.

[YOUTUBE]ENvSZzR9YAc[/YOUTUBE]

 

Which hotels do you stay at in Chinatown?

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  • 3 weeks later...
arriving Monday for a Friday embarkation, so it will be 4 nights/5 days.

 

Lodging: I'm thinking Little India/Kampong Glam areas. Wanderlust looks fun (although I worry a bit that the bright Pantone rooms will give me a migraine), but I'm also considering the Mayo Inn. I see that there is a Hilton Garden there (for which I could use points), but it isn't showing any available rooms -- perhaps because it is too early?

 

Circling back to this, I did decide to stay in Little India, and the list of possible activities is growing. Iluvcruising2, your videos have been very helpful -- thank you so much.

 

The answer to my Hilton Garden question is: yes. It was too early to book. I've been checking the site regularly, and the Feb 2019 rooms were just released. My reasons for choosing that one: it is in the location I seek; I can use/accrue points; it has a pool; and since I will be there for 4 days and I am about to board a luxury ship for 2 weeks, I'm happy to pay less for a hotel room -- which, as Expat Cruise points out, I likely won't spend very much time in.

 

Any thoughts on the elevated pedestrian greenway? Iluvcruising2's videos made me want to explore those further. How hot does it get up there?

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:cool::cool:We stayed in Singapore for six days this past February (2018) and it was warm....very warm! The first two days were spent on the Hop On Hop Off bus as our transportation and general information. The rest of the time we used the subway/metro which was close enough to our hotel (the Hilton--which you can use points, too.) If you are in Singapore during the Chinese New Year you could attend the Chingay festivities (wonderful parade celebrating all the various cultures in the city for Year of the Dog)....like watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, LOL ! I bought the Top 10 Singapore book (it's thin) and kept that with me for reference and checked off the sites we were interested in seeing.

The Night Safari (zoo) was special...seeing the noctunal animals. The hotel concierge was able to book several trips for us and giving us a locals'perspective. I exchanged money at Muftafas in Little India at a suggestion from a friend. Gardens by the Bay is right by the Marina Bay Hotel. We paid the $20 a piece to go up to the bar (good observation of the entire city~~took lots of great photos) that can be used towards drinks--just had to have the Singapore Sling, ha-ha! It was our first visit to Singapore and I have great memories! :cool::cool::cool:

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Another way to get great photos and views of the city is the SingaporeFlyer. It takes 30 minutes to make a full loop so lots of time and places to take photos and a great view of the city. A added bonus for car racing fans is the Grandstands, pits, and start finish area of the Singapore F1 track sits very near the base of the SingaporeFlyer. And if you feel like becoming a Captain before the cruise, in the same building as the Flyer is a couple of real jet airplane simulators, not toy video games but the real deal, the same that ATP pilots train and build hours with.

 

It is a stop for the hop on off bus so can be part of that trip. Truth be told while Singapore is very small as a country you could spend a few weeks here just having fun and never repeat anything. With the added bonus of being a very clean country with no safety issues for tourist.

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