Whats good in singapore..

i have spent a lot of time for work over there in the last 18months, not much sight seeing though.

Arab Street / Busora street (opposite the Park Royal on Beach Road) is a great place for evening meals, lots of little shops and very pleasant environment.

Town Quay is expensive dining, Boat Quay is a bit better.

I LOVE walking and running aound teh CBD, out to Marina Bay Sands complex, over the DNA bridge, along the front of the huge seated area opposite the CBD.

Other places for dinner are the hawker markets. They are at various places and not like the food courts here in AUS. LOTS of locals eat there.
Newton (or it could be Newtown) is near Orchard Street and is supposedly the 'tourist' harker market. when I went there, plenty of locals were there.
When ordering here, I look where the queue's are. eat where the locals are eating and if there is a queue, there is a fast turn over of food so its good.

As for prices. yes BE CAREFUL
1) the price on the menu is the price of the dish, not what you will pay. take the price on the menu and then add ++, GST and Service tax. Gets me at least once a trip.

1a) the Hawker markets dont charge ++ because it only starts at a certain point.

1b) yeah beer, at hawker and small shops it is cheaper than at a bar, but some times you got to have a beer at a bar.

Dammit, there was something else but I cant remember now, maybe later

Public transport, is cheap. The MRT is great, you need to buy a swipe card, minimum charge is $10 and then just tap it when you go through the turn stile. dont need to take it of wallet either.

Hay Ewe

I was last in Singapore in 1977, so I guess a lot has changed. However, if you are billeted on a military base, drinks should be cheaper, and advice free. Find an ex-pat and pick their brains. Keep away from the big hotels, go where the locals go. You will have a better time, you can go to big hotels in Brisbane. I asked a couple of my daughters back packing friends, their advice - eat at the food courts, cheap food from all over Asia,' TIP'... Singaporeans will queue for the best food, look for a long queue . You can walk most of the CBD, from Chinatown, to Kompong Glam to Little India, you never know what you'll find. The cheapest beer is from the super markets, if you are not too fussy. Quite a lot of locals go to Malaysia to buy duty free, I know your time is limited, and not sure how much free time you have, but hiring a car & crossing the causeway to Malaysia is worth the trip, once again pick the ex-pat/ locals brains for the best trip. IMO, if you stay away from the tourist traps, [ except perhaps the zoo] & mix with the locals, you wont regret it. Bob

Went on an excursion there called the Battle Fields of Singapore , what an eye opener , during WW2 I always was led to believe that the big guns they had pointing out to sea were not able to be turned around landward , our guide said that they were able to turned in any direction , the reason they could not be used to shoot the enemy invasion inland was they only had amour piecing shells for shooting ships at sea , which would only bury in the soil and not be effective . If only their intell was better in those days .

As others have said, can be very expensive, so get away from the big malls and tourist areas and eat where the locals eat. Look for the places full of locals.

Food is the best part of Singapore. My favorite is Chilli/Pepper crabs with deep fried steam buns, drunken prawns all washed down with a jug or two of ice cold Tiger beer. Jumbo seafood at East Coast Seafood park is good.

Also the Safra restaurant at the end of Runway 02 is well worth a visit. The food is very reasonable & you get to watch lots of aircraft up real close especially if they are landing on 02 - they leave a wake across the ocean!

Singapore sling at Raffles is worth doing, just need a small mortgage to pay for them. There is also an amazing pottery jungle out Jurong way, I'm sure some of the locals can point you in that direction.

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Originally Posted by Saitch

Watch out for drink prices. When we were there in 2000 & at the hotel we were at it cost me $80 for 2 10 oz beers & 2 wines (glasses)
Some extra stuff on the bill included:
Entertainment Tax...The telly behind the bar was on.
Service Tax.....The barkeep served me.
I discovered that the noodle shop over the road had bottled beer, size about halfway between a stubbie & tallie, for $2 something from memory!
The gondola ride was pretty good & try the soft shelled curried crab at the café near the laser fountain (if it's still there)
Have a good time
Steve

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You obviously haven't been a cruise ship. Trapped on board, and drink waiters are drilled to harrass you for drinks, you say no to one and another comes a long 15 seconds later. Can't make money on cheap fares its the extras
Stop buying the good stuff ;)

Been there done that twice and honestly no desire to do it again... Personally, I am not as enamored by modern Asian cities and fake cultures as some here appear to be.

Be careful not to cop a flogging for chewing gum or butting ciga's in public. Drink bottled water as everything there is recycled (including sewer).

Try to keep yourself and valuable possessions as inconspicuous as possible... there are a heap of poor and desperate people (and Malay illegals) living there. Big, flash westerners are easy targets. Typically, domestic workers live in cupboards in their employers homes, and they are considered "lucky".

Look out for con jobs on everything from food and drinks right through to Bali style fake watches and rip off designer brands. Although the locals are often pleasant, their demeanors are mostly money/tip driven.

If I was going for the first time, I would stick to guided tours of museums and proper historical tourist sites (e.g. Raffles, trade museum, tours around the harbour) I had qualified before leaving home.

The place has been an over-crowded, dollar driven, trade/shipping port forever and has effectively been pushing dirt into the ocean to make space for a hundred years or so. Little of it has anymore real character than any other modern Asian city. And unlike most of the rest if them, it is relatively expensive.

If you must go, fill your bags with food & drinks, buy a couple of good books, stay in your room and then spend your money on your LR's when you get back home again!

I remembered the secound thing...

if going out toe town quay / clarke quay / boat quay area to eat, just be wary about what they are offereing.

It hasn't happeend to me but a work mate and two others got stung, the waiters kept bringing popadoms and more rice etc..... it appeared to be free, but all added to the bill..... three of them $650

Only time I have heard of that happening in Singapore, and I ahve been out with others with no problem.

just some thing to be aware off.

another thing, I have never lived in a big town, let alone a city and that is probably why I really enjoy going to Singapore.
Its clean, safe and easy - unlike lots of other parts of asia i am led to believe.

go, make up your own mind, be careful and wary, but no more than if you were in Brissbane or Sydney (never been to melbourne but expect that would be the same)

are you going there to work?
if so, see of the locals will take you out. We have an office there and i often go out with one or two of them on trips over

Hay Ewe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DT-P38

If you must go, fill your bags with food & drinks, buy a couple of good books, stay in your room and then spend your money on your LR's when you get back home again!

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So you have never been there yet offer this advice...:angel:

Just be aware of your surroundings Dave and have a good time, as mentioned Clarke quay / boat quay have lots of food options Sentosa has the theme park and beaches, orchard road for overpriced shopping and some interesting bars, ask the locals to take you to four floors. Hehe

:)