A Singapore Rundown
Singapore is a small tropical country off Malaysia, covered in beaches and member clubs it is a ideal escape for many. Having lived in Singapore for two years I think I know enough about the food and the city to advise those who may want to travel there.
Flying into the extravagant island is an experience in itself Changi airport is an event on its own, with a butterfly garden, a movie theatre and sky walk through a beautiful garden. Once you land you a met with wave of humid heat which sticks around all day. Once you leave the airport and get into the city you are greeted by a juxtaposition of old buildings like the raffles hotel and a striking skyscraper like the Marina bay Sanz, a boat which overlooks the river.
Let's start with my favourite place in the whole city, The Hawker Markets, this a collection of dozens of stalls which have spend generations perfecting a specific dish or set of dishes. To those of who love food this is the best place, take a tray and fill it up with every kind of food imaginable satay sticks, Singaporean street noodles and fire roasted king prawns. I have spend countless days here with my family eating until my heart was content. So this is my no negotiable if you visit Singapore and it is CHEAP!
Next up is a restaurant called Gyoza-Ya hidden in the bottom of ION Orchard shopping centre. This place has the best garlic rice in the world and some very good fried gyoza. To get to this restaurant go into ION and take the escalators to the bottom floor and in the corner you will see a small wooden frame. I truly think this is one you can't miss.
Finally, if you reach Sentosa head to the Sand Bar across from the luges for the best chicken wings and some beachside cocktails to recover from a busy day. The bar sits directly on the beach front and overlooks the sparkling blue water.
Once you are done eating your way through Singapore you can move onto seeing the sites, while you can look at the tourist attractions I would recommend the botanical garden. It spans down the side of Orchard Road and is 165 years old. The best area in my opinion in the waterfall area or the tropical plants but the whole garden is bright and beautiful and perfectly preserved. If you can bike I would recommend biking to the gardens because the streets are always busy. I would suggest putting away an afternoon to look at the gardens because there are larger than you think and it takes time to go around when busy.
Now head to Vivo city to get the cable car across to Sentosa island, a man made resort island full of activities from a wave house, to luging, to universal studios, to zip lining this little island if full of things to do. This island is also home to most of the resort hotels in Singapore, as well as some beautiful beach clubs. I think Sentosa is a full day activity as there is so much to do and universal studios takes a whole day in itself. But if you have time I would definitely recommend having a day out in Sentosa.
Finally, to end your days I would recommend going to Holland Village, full of traditional Singaporean business, busy restaurants and a night life scene with brightly lit bars. Holland Village is also full of smaller shopping experience if you don't feel like braving the malls of Singapore.
Singapore is a city where you can do anything, not in the sense you will achieve your dreams but it caters to everyone's needs whether you want a glamorous beach holiday or a hike through tropical forests. Singapore has both and some of best food I have ever tried. I would describe it as, tropical, modern and expensive. And be warned that everyday from the months of February till July it will rain at around 2pm for 1 hour and tropical storms are more than likely but a stunning event to watch, as the lighting is so electric purple it lights up the whole sky. There are not seasons in Singapore as it is so close to the equator so it will be hot no matter when you visit it rarely goes below the 30s. I would recommend visiting Singapore if not just for the food, for the clash of modern and old buildings which create a strange sense of comfort within the city, and of course for the never ending sun.
