Our travels this year took us to Singapore, Lombok & Gili Air and we kick off in Singapore where we explore Singapore of old, new Singapore, the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. We got out of the city and enjoyed discovering all the food delights this wonderful city has to offer. Sit back, hold on, here we go.
Bite sized guides to Tiger Balm Gardens, The Singapore F1 Grand Prix, Southern Ridges Hike, The Gardens by the bay, lots of food, the MRT, Clarke Quay and other interesting facts about this great city.
We flew from Manchester to Singapore on Etihad via Abu Dhabi and booked our flights through Expedia. Great flight and would choose Etihad again. Arriving in Singapore it was really easy to navigate through Changi airport downstairs to locate the metro that would take us into the city
Singapore’s MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) system is probably the fastest way to zip around the city. Most of our popular attractions are just a short walk away from an MRT station, making our trains a great way to get around. The MRT connects the airport to the city and tickets can be bought from the machines. You can get a map the system Here
We stayed at the boutique hotel Lloyd’s Inn which we chose because it was fairly central, near the MRT stop Somerset and it was reasonably priced, what more could we ask for.
The hotel itself was small, with a very minimalist look but the room was clean and comfortable and the bathroom had the option of an outside shower which was really cool. There was no breakfast option actually in the hotel but you had coupons that you could use in some of the nearby cafes which was brilliant. The hotel had snack vending machines, a roof terrace and a dipping pool and gardens but we only used the room to sleep in and shower in so we didn’t use any of the other facilities. We enjoyed our stay however and would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Singapore.
There are of course lots of other fantastic choices of accommodation on the island to suit every pocket. Check out the link Here for a good insight into what there is to choose from
Good lord there are so many things to do in Singapore but our main reason for being there was the F1 Grand Prix. Singapore is a night race so that left us plenty time to explore the city and all the other sites that Singapore is famous for. Here’s just a few things we got up to.
Let me tell you a little bit about the F1 before we get into the rest of Singapore. I’ve detailed all you need to know about attending the F1 in Singapore in its own dedicated post which you an find here as there’s just too many things to let you know about to post on this blog. We let you know how we got our tickets, which tickets we bought and why, the facilities inside the track, how to get to the track and some hints and tips to make your experience the best
Our first venture out was to Tiger Balm Gardens or as they’re also known Haw Par Villa. Chris had lived in Singapore up till he was 5 yrs old and could remember visiting here as a child so we took a trip down memory lane for him and made our way to the gardens. The gardens contain statues and dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism. The original gardens in Hong Kong have now closed but the Singapore gardens remain open and popular today even if a little dated. They were originally built to promote the Tiger Balm product. You can get to the gardens on the MRT via Haw Par Villa Station. Theres no fee to get in and its open all year round.
This was a walk that took you out of the city and the full walk report and more information on how to get there and what you can see do can be found on the Southern Ridges Blog Post. It really was a fantastic walk and took you right out of the city into the greenest of places.
Wow this place is amazing. Tropical greenhouses, cloud forests and spiral walkway that takes you through different climates. Outdoor gardens with a variety of plants and wildlife and all centred around the main Marina Bay Area of downtown Singapore. Its breathtakingly beautiful and you can find out more about our time here in our Gardens by the Bay blog post.
Clarke Quay is a historical riverfront area of Singapore noted for its trade history and position on the Singapore River. We visited for lunch one day and had a lovely Mexican meal at Muchos and then went for a river cruise up the Singapore River afterwards. There are loads of bars and restaurants around the Clarke Quay area to choose from and it really is one of the hot spots to visit both day and night. We never got there at night time as evenings were reserved for the F1.
The River cruise was operated by Singapore River Cruises and took you from Clarke Quay right down to Marina Bay and back again stopping at select quays on the way. It really was a beautiful way to see some of the city and the landmarks we’re all familiar with. Cruises run throughout the day. The cruise is accompanied by a guide who will point out all the sites of historical interest along the route. Some of the bridges have really interesting stories.
Oh my goodness one of the things I was really looking forward to was the food and Singapore didn’t disappoint. There is so much to choose from and the street food culture is very much alive and kicking. Here are a few of our foodie highlights:
The market in little india was awash with stalls filled with families round big pots of deliciousness and rotis, naans, rice and other accompaniments were being prepared. The smells were overwhelming and you could almost taste the air with all the spices being used. Chris has what he considers to be one of the best meals he’s every had there. We’ve eaten in Michelin starred restaurants and yet food served on a bit of paper on a plastic tray was deserving of every accolade.
There are so many restaurants here serving all kinds of chinese delicacies the only way to choose which was the best was to look for the queues and we had a fab sticky beef meal here.
Singapore is renowned for its Hawker street food halls and Lau Pa Sat was one that we initially went to and had the best chicken and rice. The most fascinating fact about this hall was that the iron work in the roof was made in Glasgow so I immediately felt a connection. So if you want an extra bit of culture with your meal then here’s the place to go.
On the street leading to our hotel there was a row of shops, cafes and curry houses and we stopped off here on the way bak from the Grand Prix late one night around midnight and had one of the best curries. There we were, sitting with all the locals, having the most excellent food.
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site. Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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Southern Ridges. little did we know that one of the best walks takes your right out of the city into lush green parks and elevated walkways.
The Gardens by the Bay
The gardens by the bay was one of the best things we did in Singapore. For information on how we got to Singapore and the other things we got up to you can visit that story here.
Singapore F1 Grand Prix
One of the main reasons for visiting Singapore was to attend the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. We are keen F1 fans and really liked the look of this race.
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1 thought on “Singapore | An amazing city with so much to see and do”
Singapore is on my travel bucket list. I hope someday I’ll travel to the city. Thank you for sharing some tips and great picture of Singapore! 🙂