I have been to Singapore a couple of times, and everytime have found it to be one of the most boring cities I have ever been to. It feels too modern, too glass and steel, too perfect for my liking. Hence, I never wrote about any of my trips there. However, recently when I got a chance to stay there for a couple of months, I explored the city beyond what it has to offer to tourists; checked out some of the places which may or may not be on the tourist map and found them to be decent fun. So here is a list of some places to hangout in Singapore if you ever end up in the city.
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| View from Marina Bay Sands |
Marina Bay Sands: If you are in Singapore, especially around the business district, you cannot miss this hotel (or Resort as it supposedly is). It stands by itself in the middle of the sea, with a huge boat-like-structure as the icing on the top. Sands is a huge touristy hotel, located just next to the Gardens by the Bay. It has shopping malls, casinos and restaurants; all within the hotel building itself and definitely a sight to behold.
The best part of Sands though is the 'infinity pool' on its top floor which is 150m long and goes from one end to the other of the boat-top. I can just imagine how much fun it would be to swim there, and how scary too, with glass all around overlooking the whole of Singapore just below you. The Sky on 57 restaurant and Sky Bar on the top floor is good too. I don't remember much about the food we had there, but it was memorable just because of the panoramic view of the city and its lights at night.
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| Singapore lights |
Tanglin Village/Dempsey: This was my favorite eating place in Singapore. This part of the city felt from a different world altogether; taking you away from the maddening crowd of Singapore to another age. It was built in an old British cantonment, where the buildings had been renovated but still had the old world charm about them. Open green spaces, narrow winding roads, big wooden buildings, high ceilings.. Sigh! I think it was the most romantic place in Singapore and I just loved the ambience of Dempsey. I ate at Dome (a nice cafe), Jim Thompson (yum Thai food), Jones the Grocer (snacks and cafe) and Margaritas (Mexican), all of which offered great food and an even greater ambience.
Clarke Quay, Boat Quay, Robertson Quay: All the three Quays seem very similar and are popular hangout places. They are just queues and queues of restaurants, cafes and pubs all next to the river. They are full of people and very lively all through the day and night. My favourite of the three though was Boat Quay, it seemed a bit more quaint than the others.
East Coast Park: For people fond of the open air experience, the East Coast Park is the perfect place to spend a nice cool evening. It is a long stretch of green area located just next to the ocean. You can run, cycle or bike along this green route if you are looking for some fresh air next to the sound of the waves. They even have those rickshaw kind of cycles to rent there which are fun.
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| Little India before Diwali |
Little India: Its a place which is popular among Indians in Singapore. All of us have gone there at some point when we long to get a feel of India in a foreign land. Little India refers to an area comprising of a couple of streets which look right out of the backyards of India. Busy crowded streets, litter thrown on the roads, awesome food options and Indian wares being sold in every shop.There are a couple of temples here too which makes it a popular spot to visit during festivals. And of course there is the famous Mustafa shop also located in Little India; the supermarket where anything you want, you will get and that too at the cheapest possible rates.
Shopping: I don't know what I can add to the shopping options in the city. Everywhere you go, there are malls. And then some more. Orchard Street is the perfect place to shop, you will never be out of options. I did not find shopping in Singapore cheap though or better either, especially when compared to US. Its just that there are lots of shops to buy from.
Eating out: I tried a lot of restaurants while in the city and would like to list down a couple of notable ones. Food on the whole was good, with a wide variety available including a lot of Indian eating options which is always welcome:). Of the restaurants I tried, Epircurean in Robertson Quay was good, offering fusion food while sitting outside next to the river. Cafe Iguana in Clarke Quay offers tasty Mexican in a lively and loud atmosphere around. Osteria at Boat Quay has a great view and a lively ambience.
Along the Tanglin road, La Brezza (Italian) at St. Regis was terrible, the chef really needs to improve his cooking skills. Basilico, again Italian in Regent Hotel offers a great buffet spread as well as tasty a la carte options and a definite recommend. Yantra (Indian) was up-market but only average in terms of the food.
We went to this one pub/bar called Hong Kong 28 in the CBD district and I just absolutely loved it. Its a small cosy place, changes its drinks menu regularly and has a very different feel compared to the rest of the Singaporean places. It has a very unassuming location and I am guessing is one of those jewels hidden away and known only to a few. Would definitely recommend a visit here if you are looking for a relaxing evening doing something different.
About the rest, Kailash Parbat in Little Indian has the best chats in Singapore. Sky bar on top of Marina Bay Sands offers the best views of Singapore. And of course, Dome (a nice cafe), Jim Thompson (yum Thai food), Jones the Grocer (snacks and cafe) and Margaritas (Mexican) in Dempsey village were great.
Other than the places listed here, there are a couple of more spots to visit. Sentosa Island offers a lot of activities: dolphin shows, Universal studios etc which are great for a day out of town. And another must-do which we missed was the night safari, which is apparently a different experience. One place which I did not go to, but heard was good was Mt. Faber. Apparently you get a great view of the city from the top of the mountain. And then there is the Arab street which provides a nice Arabic experience right in the middle of Asia, again supposedly very different. Anyways, all these sights and many more go in the to-do list for some other time.
On the whole living in Singapore is like living in the future. Tall glass buildings everywhere you go, half of them being malls. People are disciplined and don't show any tendency to do anything out of the ordinary. Everyone speaks English and is helpful. Its easy to get cabs or take the metro (MRT) to travel around. Point A to Point B never takes more than 30 minutes anywhere in Singapore. In an hour from when you land, you can be back at home watching TV. Weather is hot and sweaty throughout the year. Its always between 20-30 degrees. As I said, its convenient to live there, but I miss the human touch, the chaos that is so much a part of where I come from.
