Singapore
I recently transferred to San Fransisco from Chicago which opened a whole new world of flying to me. Luckily, in my first month, I was somehow able to pick up a trip to Singapore. Since Singapore is somewhere I’ve only ever dreamed of going to, and it was further hyped up to me in the movie Crazy Rich Asians, I decided to fully enjoy this layover. I made a detailed itinerary for my thirty-seven hours.
My boyfriend also decided to come with me since my trip was over the weekend and he was able to get off work, so, here is my plan for our trip and then what we actually did.
Day One:
Start at the hotel…
Walk past Raffles Hotel, colonial and historic, a block away from my hotel, one of the most historic hotels in the world, stunning if I do not see it I’ll die. Could grab a coffee here. We could also go later and get an iconic Singapore Sling (expensive but it’s where the drink was created) at the Long Bar. It’s close to the hotel so we can really go whenever but it’s a must for me.
We did stop by the Raffles Hotel and took a quick peak inside. There was a brunch buffet at the Tiffin Room that looked incredible. Ultimately we didn’t do it because we wanted to head out and explore. Kevin stayed an extra day to explore and went back for the brunch. He said it was worth every penny and the manager even came over to tell him how impressed the staff was with how much he ate.
If you have the time I recommend. The setting alone, whether you sit in the courtyard or restaurant, the beauty of this property is worth your time.
Walk to Chinatown (29-minute walk)
Buddha tooth relic temple - I read they have free admission on Saturdays
Maxwell Road Hawker Centre, we can eat lunch here, it’s a bunch of food stands
Tian Tian Chicken Rice (Stalls 10 and 11), arguably the most popular stall there made famous by Anthony Bourdain, but some other renowned ones are Ah Tai (Stall 7), Zhen Zhen Porridge (Stall 54), Jin Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon (Stall 77), and Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake (Stall 5) (from a blog)
Chinatown Street Market could also eat here but a cool street to walk down regardless
Sri Mariamman Temple Oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore
Walk to Esplanade Park (18-minute walk) for great views of the city
cenotaph is a war memorial in the park
Tan Kim Seng Fountain
We didn’t make it to Chinatown but Kevin did in his extra day.
Merlion Park and see the iconic lion/fish statue walk along Marina Bay then walk down to…
Gardens by the Bay…
Supertree Grove (for sure free)
Flower Dome (tickets)
Cloud Forest (tickets)
We bought a package that got us into the Flower Dome and Supertree Grove Observatory. To be honest I wasn’t convinced that going into the Flower Dome or Cloud Forest would be worth our while but I was wrong. The Flower Dome was incredible. I’m not one for self-guided tours always, but we enjoyed ourselves and saw some incredible displays.
I thought what I bought was for the Supertree Grove Walkway which, news to me, is completely different than the Observatory. Good mistake. The Observatory was higher up, less crowded, had a bar, and gave unobstructed 360-degree views of the whole city. We spent at least an hour up there whereas the walkway wouldn’t have kept us entertained as long.
Having a drink at Ce La Vi was the one thing I absolutely refused to leave Singapore without doing. I’m happy to say after a nap, we headed to the Marina Bay Sands around 6 pm, waited in line for maybe ten minutes, went up to the rooftop bar, and found a table immediately. The bar, where we went, is open seating and we lucked out by snagging a table with an incredible view.
We’d planned to just have a drink or two at the rooftop bar but with the incredible table, we stayed for dinner. We got fish tacos, truffle fries, and sushi. It may not have been the most authentic or notable Singapore dining experience but I loved every minute of it (and thought the food was fire).
Around 10 pm another part of Ce La Vi opened up with a DJ and more of a nightclub vibe that looked right over the infinity pool. If you have the stamina stay up till it opens and enjoy the views of the pool and city while sipping a Singapore Sling. That’s what we did.
Dinner Ideas
Vue: near Marina Bay, rooftop-looks more like a place we’d like for drinks idk about the food
Tiffin Room: Indian food, in the Raffles Hotel so close to home if we’re beat
The Dragon Chamber: looks trendy, and cute, has good food reviews, a speakeasy
Lau Pa Sat: food hall if we don’t feel like sitting down somewhere
Day Two
Start at the hotel…
Former House of Tan Teng Niah, the last surviving Chinese house in Little India, colorfully painted, very cool looking
Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, another Hindu temple to checkout
After having ourselves a nice brunch buffet, we headed out to Little India. It was a bit of a walk from us and it was deadly hot but we made it to the bright little neighborhood. We saw the Former House of Tan Teng Niah and the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. A lot of Singapore feels brand new and very metropolitan, and Little India felt much more authentic and historic in comparison. On the flight home, I was talking to a passenger who grew up in Singapore and he told me that Little India is his favorite area because every time he goes home it is how it was during his childhood.
We enjoyed the shops in Little India and I got myself some jewelry.
Little Arab
Sultan Mosque (17-minute walk from Sri Veeramakaliamman)
Arab Street, Could find lunch here/explore
This however was the end of our day two. Since I had to work all night and we were both a little jetlagged, we headed back to the hotel, took a dip in the pool, and relaxed until I had to leave for the airport.
Check out more highlights on my Instagram!