Singapore on holiday
Jan 20th 2010, 12:01 pm
#31
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Re: Singapore on holiday
ooooh, thanks everyone-great tips !
Still trying to decide Pan Pacific versus Stamford......
Will make a decision soon !
Still trying to decide Pan Pacific versus Stamford......
Will make a decision soon !
Jan 22nd 2010, 6:15 am
#32
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Re: Singapore on holiday
Ok, decided on Stamford ! Now trying to work out cheapest way to buy....if I buy on expedia will I get charged taxes in Singapore when I get checked out ? (i.e is it better to buy directly through the hotel) ?
Jan 22nd 2010, 6:16 am
#33
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Re: Singapore on holiday
Great post KK-thanks !
I'm a small size and can't wait. I also am a size 5 shoe so can't buy ladies shoes here and so can't wait !!!!!!!!
I'm a small size and can't wait. I also am a size 5 shoe so can't buy ladies shoes here and so can't wait !!!!!!!!
LOVE Singapore! It's one of my favourite places in the world. It is a love it or hate it type of place but we've always felt very comfortable there and everyone is small so I feel really at home!
For our first trip we only slept at the hotel as we were out all day as there is quite a lot to do. Now we try to get a hotel with a good pool for a bit of a rest in between shoe shopping
Singapore is great for shopping but if you are anything bigger than a size 12 then you may struggle with clothes even in those distance days when I was a size 8 I was considered "large"! It also has the most wonderful shoe shops and so cheap, I nearly fell over when I had to go and buy a pair of shoes in Oz!
Watch out for the weather, downpours are very tropical - they are supposed to be short and sharp but on our first trip we got very well acquianted with the zoo's Komodo Dragon whilst we were stuck by it's enclosure for over an hour before making a dash to see another animal! Also sometimes if the rain sets in it can go on all day - usually on a day which I've allocated to sitting by the pool, then we have to go shopping and then it gets expensive
Definitely go to the zoo and the night safari, the bird park is good. Sentosa is always being rebuilt and is always a mess, I don't think I've seen it finished in the number of years I've been visiting.
Get out and about around Chinatown although it has become a bit touristy in the last couple of years, but also take a walk behind Orchard Road to see the old Perakan houses. The great thing about Singapore is that you can walk through all the ethnic areas without any fear. If you get hassled just say a polite no and then they don't bother you.
You should also do a Hawker Center meal which is great, manic but great cheap food. There is a great curry restaurant on the East Coast Beach called the Mango Tree, it's right on the beach and should be good as we were the only white people in there but its quite hot food!
If you have the time and want a better beach then you can get direct flights from Singapore to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia. KL is also nice for a stop over, bit cheaper than Singapore, bit more manic and rough as Seasider says but a great place and a completely different feel to it.
We've stayed at the Pan Pacific (there is also one on Orchard Rd now) two or three times and last time (last year) the service was fantastic, it was No1 on Trip Advisor, I also got a great deal direct from the hotels website. It was quite last minute as we were supposed to be staying with friends but they double booked us. The Swissotel Stamford is also a nice hotel with a great pool area and a fantastic view if you can get one of the upper rooms over looking the city. The Shang-ri la, I've only been to a "do" there but used to be considered Singapore's top hotel but I've usually avoided it because it's right up the far end of Orchard Road and there is no MRT near it.
The Swissotel is great because it has the MRT outside the front door.
Singapore hotels haven't been cheap for sometime, we stayed at the Rendevouz which was average and good if you just want to get your head down. It has a pool but it lost the sun a lunchtime but it was in a good spot between Orchard Road and Raffles City. We didn't bother with hotel brekkis and found a Dome cafe 5 mins walk away.
The best place to stay is Raffles - managed to do it a couple of times before the great Aussie adventure.
Oooo I want to go again........
Hope this helps!
KK
For our first trip we only slept at the hotel as we were out all day as there is quite a lot to do. Now we try to get a hotel with a good pool for a bit of a rest in between shoe shopping
Singapore is great for shopping but if you are anything bigger than a size 12 then you may struggle with clothes even in those distance days when I was a size 8 I was considered "large"! It also has the most wonderful shoe shops and so cheap, I nearly fell over when I had to go and buy a pair of shoes in Oz!
Watch out for the weather, downpours are very tropical - they are supposed to be short and sharp but on our first trip we got very well acquianted with the zoo's Komodo Dragon whilst we were stuck by it's enclosure for over an hour before making a dash to see another animal! Also sometimes if the rain sets in it can go on all day - usually on a day which I've allocated to sitting by the pool, then we have to go shopping and then it gets expensive
Definitely go to the zoo and the night safari, the bird park is good. Sentosa is always being rebuilt and is always a mess, I don't think I've seen it finished in the number of years I've been visiting.
Get out and about around Chinatown although it has become a bit touristy in the last couple of years, but also take a walk behind Orchard Road to see the old Perakan houses. The great thing about Singapore is that you can walk through all the ethnic areas without any fear. If you get hassled just say a polite no and then they don't bother you.
You should also do a Hawker Center meal which is great, manic but great cheap food. There is a great curry restaurant on the East Coast Beach called the Mango Tree, it's right on the beach and should be good as we were the only white people in there but its quite hot food!
If you have the time and want a better beach then you can get direct flights from Singapore to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia. KL is also nice for a stop over, bit cheaper than Singapore, bit more manic and rough as Seasider says but a great place and a completely different feel to it.
We've stayed at the Pan Pacific (there is also one on Orchard Rd now) two or three times and last time (last year) the service was fantastic, it was No1 on Trip Advisor, I also got a great deal direct from the hotels website. It was quite last minute as we were supposed to be staying with friends but they double booked us. The Swissotel Stamford is also a nice hotel with a great pool area and a fantastic view if you can get one of the upper rooms over looking the city. The Shang-ri la, I've only been to a "do" there but used to be considered Singapore's top hotel but I've usually avoided it because it's right up the far end of Orchard Road and there is no MRT near it.
The Swissotel is great because it has the MRT outside the front door.
Singapore hotels haven't been cheap for sometime, we stayed at the Rendevouz which was average and good if you just want to get your head down. It has a pool but it lost the sun a lunchtime but it was in a good spot between Orchard Road and Raffles City. We didn't bother with hotel brekkis and found a Dome cafe 5 mins walk away.
The best place to stay is Raffles - managed to do it a couple of times before the great Aussie adventure.
Oooo I want to go again........
Hope this helps!
KK
Jan 22nd 2010, 9:09 am
#34
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,397
Re: Singapore on holiday
Try them! Their reservation no. direct to the hotel is +65 6837-3883 - but it's shared with the Fairmont, so make sure they know which hotel you are talking about! First see what deal you get online and then "talk" to them.
Jan 22nd 2010, 9:00 pm
#35
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Joined: Nov 2008
Location: North East Victoria
Posts: 244
Re: Singapore on holiday
i would recommend the changai prison tour
quite emotional, well was for me as my grandad spent time there before building that railway.
singapore is a great place,we always fly with singapore airlines and use singapore stopovers for our hotels/transfers (2 nights each way), perfect distance to break the flight up and a great city to see.
quite emotional, well was for me as my grandad spent time there before building that railway.
singapore is a great place,we always fly with singapore airlines and use singapore stopovers for our hotels/transfers (2 nights each way), perfect distance to break the flight up and a great city to see.
Jan 22nd 2010, 9:37 pm
#36
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Re: Singapore on holiday
Hi
For anyone thinking about a stopover in Singapore do try the hotels website as well as places like Expedia, Wotif etc.
In recent years I've found it much cheaper to deal with the hotel directly as quite often they will do a package with a few bits thrown in which you can't get anywhere else.
We did a fairly last minute booking with Pan Pacific last year and they had a deal on which included brekki, internet and a few other bits which added up to quite a bit each day.
The other thing is also look at the club rooms, obviously you pay a bit more for them but again you get lots of extras like breakfast, all day tea, coffee, afternoon tea, drinks in the evenings (which is worth a lot in Singapore!) and nibbly bits, internet etc. We've found we easily get the extra back and more.
KK
For anyone thinking about a stopover in Singapore do try the hotels website as well as places like Expedia, Wotif etc.
In recent years I've found it much cheaper to deal with the hotel directly as quite often they will do a package with a few bits thrown in which you can't get anywhere else.
We did a fairly last minute booking with Pan Pacific last year and they had a deal on which included brekki, internet and a few other bits which added up to quite a bit each day.
The other thing is also look at the club rooms, obviously you pay a bit more for them but again you get lots of extras like breakfast, all day tea, coffee, afternoon tea, drinks in the evenings (which is worth a lot in Singapore!) and nibbly bits, internet etc. We've found we easily get the extra back and more.
KK
Jan 25th 2010, 4:29 am
#37
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Re: Singapore on holiday
Well I'm not a good negotiator - lol !! As they would not budge on the best online offer ! Breakfast for $38 pp seems a lot, but maybe it is not in Singapore !
Jan 25th 2010, 6:32 am
#38
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Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Seattle
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Re: Singapore on holiday
Good grief don't pay for hotel breakfasts in Singapore! Go out of your hotel and eat at a street stall for about 4 bucks. Soak up the atmosphere.
If you don't like Asian food, there are tons of western-style cafes and several Starbucks and McDonalds in every mall.
If you don't like Asian food, there are tons of western-style cafes and several Starbucks and McDonalds in every mall.
Feb 19th 2010, 4:03 am
#39
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Re: Singapore on holiday
kk-when you say, There is a great curry restaurant on the East Coast Beach called the Mango Tree, it's right on the beach and should be good as we were the only white people in there but its quite hot food!
Do you mean in Sentosa ?
Do you mean in Sentosa ?
LOVE Singapore! It's one of my favourite places in the world. It is a love it or hate it type of place but we've always felt very comfortable there and everyone is small so I feel really at home!
For our first trip we only slept at the hotel as we were out all day as there is quite a lot to do. Now we try to get a hotel with a good pool for a bit of a rest in between shoe shopping
Singapore is great for shopping but if you are anything bigger than a size 12 then you may struggle with clothes even in those distance days when I was a size 8 I was considered "large"! It also has the most wonderful shoe shops and so cheap, I nearly fell over when I had to go and buy a pair of shoes in Oz!
Watch out for the weather, downpours are very tropical - they are supposed to be short and sharp but on our first trip we got very well acquianted with the zoo's Komodo Dragon whilst we were stuck by it's enclosure for over an hour before making a dash to see another animal! Also sometimes if the rain sets in it can go on all day - usually on a day which I've allocated to sitting by the pool, then we have to go shopping and then it gets expensive
Definitely go to the zoo and the night safari, the bird park is good. Sentosa is always being rebuilt and is always a mess, I don't think I've seen it finished in the number of years I've been visiting.
Get out and about around Chinatown although it has become a bit touristy in the last couple of years, but also take a walk behind Orchard Road to see the old Perakan houses. The great thing about Singapore is that you can walk through all the ethnic areas without any fear. If you get hassled just say a polite no and then they don't bother you.
You should also do a Hawker Center meal which is great, manic but great cheap food. There is a great curry restaurant on the East Coast Beach called the Mango Tree, it's right on the beach and should be good as we were the only white people in there but its quite hot food!
If you have the time and want a better beach then you can get direct flights from Singapore to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia. KL is also nice for a stop over, bit cheaper than Singapore, bit more manic and rough as Seasider says but a great place and a completely different feel to it.
We've stayed at the Pan Pacific (there is also one on Orchard Rd now) two or three times and last time (last year) the service was fantastic, it was No1 on Trip Advisor, I also got a great deal direct from the hotels website. It was quite last minute as we were supposed to be staying with friends but they double booked us. The Swissotel Stamford is also a nice hotel with a great pool area and a fantastic view if you can get one of the upper rooms over looking the city. The Shang-ri la, I've only been to a "do" there but used to be considered Singapore's top hotel but I've usually avoided it because it's right up the far end of Orchard Road and there is no MRT near it.
The Swissotel is great because it has the MRT outside the front door.
Singapore hotels haven't been cheap for sometime, we stayed at the Rendevouz which was average and good if you just want to get your head down. It has a pool but it lost the sun a lunchtime but it was in a good spot between Orchard Road and Raffles City. We didn't bother with hotel brekkis and found a Dome cafe 5 mins walk away.
The best place to stay is Raffles - managed to do it a couple of times before the great Aussie adventure.
Oooo I want to go again........
Hope this helps!
KK
For our first trip we only slept at the hotel as we were out all day as there is quite a lot to do. Now we try to get a hotel with a good pool for a bit of a rest in between shoe shopping
Singapore is great for shopping but if you are anything bigger than a size 12 then you may struggle with clothes even in those distance days when I was a size 8 I was considered "large"! It also has the most wonderful shoe shops and so cheap, I nearly fell over when I had to go and buy a pair of shoes in Oz!
Watch out for the weather, downpours are very tropical - they are supposed to be short and sharp but on our first trip we got very well acquianted with the zoo's Komodo Dragon whilst we were stuck by it's enclosure for over an hour before making a dash to see another animal! Also sometimes if the rain sets in it can go on all day - usually on a day which I've allocated to sitting by the pool, then we have to go shopping and then it gets expensive
Definitely go to the zoo and the night safari, the bird park is good. Sentosa is always being rebuilt and is always a mess, I don't think I've seen it finished in the number of years I've been visiting.
Get out and about around Chinatown although it has become a bit touristy in the last couple of years, but also take a walk behind Orchard Road to see the old Perakan houses. The great thing about Singapore is that you can walk through all the ethnic areas without any fear. If you get hassled just say a polite no and then they don't bother you.
You should also do a Hawker Center meal which is great, manic but great cheap food. There is a great curry restaurant on the East Coast Beach called the Mango Tree, it's right on the beach and should be good as we were the only white people in there but its quite hot food!
If you have the time and want a better beach then you can get direct flights from Singapore to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia. KL is also nice for a stop over, bit cheaper than Singapore, bit more manic and rough as Seasider says but a great place and a completely different feel to it.
We've stayed at the Pan Pacific (there is also one on Orchard Rd now) two or three times and last time (last year) the service was fantastic, it was No1 on Trip Advisor, I also got a great deal direct from the hotels website. It was quite last minute as we were supposed to be staying with friends but they double booked us. The Swissotel Stamford is also a nice hotel with a great pool area and a fantastic view if you can get one of the upper rooms over looking the city. The Shang-ri la, I've only been to a "do" there but used to be considered Singapore's top hotel but I've usually avoided it because it's right up the far end of Orchard Road and there is no MRT near it.
The Swissotel is great because it has the MRT outside the front door.
Singapore hotels haven't been cheap for sometime, we stayed at the Rendevouz which was average and good if you just want to get your head down. It has a pool but it lost the sun a lunchtime but it was in a good spot between Orchard Road and Raffles City. We didn't bother with hotel brekkis and found a Dome cafe 5 mins walk away.
The best place to stay is Raffles - managed to do it a couple of times before the great Aussie adventure.
Oooo I want to go again........
Hope this helps!
KK
Feb 19th 2010, 4:04 am
#40
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Re: Singapore on holiday
Can anyone recommend good Indian and veggie places or shall we just head for Little India ?
Oh, staying at Stamford Swissotel in the end-will report back in a few weeks !!
Oh, staying at Stamford Swissotel in the end-will report back in a few weeks !!
Feb 19th 2010, 4:38 am
#41
Auntie Fa
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 7,344
Re: Singapore on holiday
No it's not on Sentosa, it's on the East Coast of the main island. http://www.themangotree.com.sg/
Tons of good food on the East Coast.
Head to Little India, it's fab.
http://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/
Tons of good food on the East Coast.
Head to Little India, it's fab.
http://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/
Feb 19th 2010, 5:52 am
#42
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Joined: Mar 2003
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Re: Singapore on holiday
We are there at the moment - came for some shopping and have been watching the dragon dances (Chinese New Year at present.) The Stamford isn't that full, surprisingly.
Feb 19th 2010, 7:33 am
#43
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Re: Singapore on holiday
So is that far away from Orchard Road etc ?
Living in Perth am so desperate for a decent curry-ha ha !
Living in Perth am so desperate for a decent curry-ha ha !
No it's not on Sentosa, it's on the East Coast of the main island. http://www.themangotree.com.sg/
Tons of good food on the East Coast.
Head to Little India, it's fab.
http://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/
Tons of good food on the East Coast.
Head to Little India, it's fab.
http://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/
Feb 19th 2010, 9:08 am
#44
Auntie Fa
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 7,344
Re: Singapore on holiday
Nowhere is far away from anywhere in Singapore.
Pick up a tourist map when you get there and you'll soon work out how to get around. The MRT (under/overground) is the best way if you're going somewhere on a train line; it's cheap, efficient, and clean. Taxis are cheap for other areas. Buses are the cheapest of the lot but can be a bit hot and bewildering if you are just visiting.
I know what you mean about the curry - since leaving Singapore we have stopped over 3 times on our way back from Europe and decent Indian food is always on our list of of things to do. Counting down to July
Wol - Singapore almost shuts down for two weeks over CNY, once New Year's Day has been and gone. A lot of people leave town.
Pick up a tourist map when you get there and you'll soon work out how to get around. The MRT (under/overground) is the best way if you're going somewhere on a train line; it's cheap, efficient, and clean. Taxis are cheap for other areas. Buses are the cheapest of the lot but can be a bit hot and bewildering if you are just visiting.
I know what you mean about the curry - since leaving Singapore we have stopped over 3 times on our way back from Europe and decent Indian food is always on our list of of things to do. Counting down to July
Wol - Singapore almost shuts down for two weeks over CNY, once New Year's Day has been and gone. A lot of people leave town.
Feb 19th 2010, 11:51 am
#45
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Re: Singapore on holiday
>>Wol - Singapore almost shuts down for two weeks over CNY, once New Year's Day has been and gone. A lot of people leave town.<<
Yes, I'd forgotten! I've been in Singapore many times over the period but somehow remember it as being like Hong Kong then - manic. Still, been out today photographing the dragons and lions doing their dances!
Yes, I'd forgotten! I've been in Singapore many times over the period but somehow remember it as being like Hong Kong then - manic. Still, been out today photographing the dragons and lions doing their dances!