[CRV2010]

Hi Friends

I was planning for Singapore Trip from past two years and two days back when i was browsing i found a good deal on Bangalore - Singapore for just Rs. 7000 With Return Fares including all taxes per pax. Hence finally made my mind and decided to visit SG during October 3rd week this year.

Final Cost the deal came at Rs. 14800 which includes two return tickets with all taxes included.

This would be trip with my wife and would be for relaxation for few days from this mechanical life.

Day 1 - I would be landing in SG at 6.30AM
Day 2 -
Day 3 -
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 - Have Departure at 9PM

Please help me in planning my itinerary, as this would be my first visit to SG.

Please advice me on

1. VISA Process & Travel Insurance.. (I had bought ICICI Lombard for my last Intl Trips but none were useful)
2. What to do and What not to do in SG?
3. Places to be seen & Must Visit Places
4. Good Hotels (VEG) around SG and Hotel Accomdation for our 5 Day Stay.
5. How to Roam around in city
6. What to Carry?
7. Shopping Areas
8. Is it a good option to buy a two day admission pass at Sentosa Island? Day 1 at Sentosa Island and Day 2 at Universal Studios


I do not have any plans to visit Malaysia as i want to visit MY separately.

[rtandon]

Hi, welcome to SG.

Caveat Emptor.
Having said that here goes.

Some of the places that you should visit are night safari, sentosa, the casinos (or integrated resorts as they are called), suntec, the 2 quays.

Vegetarian food - you have a lot of options on the Indian area (get off Farrer Park MRT) - come out on Serangoon Road. I just saw a Kailash Parbat that is scheduled to open.

When you are waking around then hop into any of the food courts - 9/10 malls has one. Almost all of them have an Indian joint. They will serve both veg and non veg so watch out for that - if you need to.

Roam around the city - Taxi (easily available), public transport (MRT + bus) or walk around. If you walk around a lot then drink water - you can dehydrate very fast because of humidity. For public transport you can take a tourist pass or ezi link card - $5 non refundable deposit - would be recovered if you take trains or buses a few times. Remember you need one for ever person. Since you have posted on team-bhp so - dont plan to rent a car. Not worth the effort & money.

What (NOT) to carry - Do NOT, repeat NOT, carry cigarettes. If you need/want CH3-CH2-OH then buy from DFS. It is EXPENSIVE in the city. Moreover, I think India DFS is cheaper than Changi.

Shopping Areas - For brands go to the malls on Orchard - Orchard or Somerset MRT. Electronics - Funan IT mall; not Simlim. Simlim is OK if you want simple USB cables and stuff.

Electronics - You can get a prepaid SIM @ the airport if you show your passport. Local SIM can come in handy when calling for a cab.
A good hotel will give you a plug adapter but would be better if you get your own - not that the hotel would charge money.

Hope this helps

[MX6]

My response is in bold below.

Originally Posted by CRV2010

Day 1 - I would be landing in SG at 6.30AM
Try to get as much sleep in the flight. Tell the Airhostess not to disturb you. This way you can get off the flight and check in to your hotel and have a hot shower and have a day at your disposal! You can retire early on day 1 after roaming around singapore's famed Indian areas.

Day 2 -
I'd say head off to Sentosa. Sentosa has all the excitement happening. The magical fountain late in the night is a must. Sentosa requires 1 full day with the butterfly park, underwater world requiring special mention. Go over to dolphin lagoon. It's not as great as Sea world in US. But then for first timers it's fun to watch dolphins. And remember to have a pit stop and photoshoot at the southern most point of Asia near siloso beach.

Day 3 -
I'd suggest the bird park. Feeding the loris is fun. Also there are many shows which take you up close and personal with the birds. Spend the night at the night safari. It gives a different perspective to a zoo. It's fun, quick and different.

Day 4 -
Go over to the Universal studios. Not sure how much functional it is. But then it's worth having a look.

Day 5 -
Take the singapore flyer. Go over to the temples of little india. Enjoy massages in china town. (A word of caution don't end in wrong places searching for thai massage). Enjoy the night life of singapore in clarke quay and boat quay. Go over to esplanade area. Shop for souvenirs in Little India and china town. Go over to Tigerbalm hill.

Day 6 - Have Departure at 9PM.
Reach Changi by 5:30 - 6 pm. Hence you can spend all the day hunting down orchard road, walking up and down sim lim and other such electronic malls. Basically reserve this for some essential shopping and mostly window shopping.

Please help me in planning my itinerary, as this would be my first visit to SG.

Please advice me on

1. VISA Process & Travel Insurance.. (I had bought ICICI Lombard for my last Intl Trips but none were useful)
Go for something real cheap. Travel insurance for a 5 day trip to Singapore is more like regulatory requirement than a necessity. Health care is good and in case of emergency, doctors charge as less as 10 sgd. So you don't really require travel insurance unless you are expecting to fall off the escalator in dhobhy ghat mrt! Try Tata AIG.

2. What to do and What not to do in SG?
Don't take chewing gums inside singapore. Don't take CDs - DVDs inside singapore. Don't take cigarettes inside singapore.
Don't chew and spit. Don't litter. Singapore is a FINE city. you do anything wrong, you get FINED. Don't leave your baggage unattended in the airport or in the flight. there's zero tolerance for drugs in singapore. So be cautious there. Nothing to lose sleep over it. It's not as bad as what happens to sridevi in gumrah, but if you are caught on the wrong foot, it can be.

3. Places to be seen & Must Visit Places
Already stated above

4. Good Hotels (VEG) around SG and Hotel Accomdation for our 5 Day Stay.
Try staying away from little India. For food, if you want Indian Veg, there's loads of options. I'd suggest Komala vilas for unlimited slurrpy finger licking, mouth watering, south indian thali which is very cheap. Have that for dinner so that you don't need to come for lunch from in between your sight seeing. You can eat in komala vilas and retire. For breakfast, I'd suggest Komalas. You get unlimited dosa/ idly stuff very cheap. Have heavy breakfast so that the lunch can be managed with some sandwiches which you can pick up in some kopitiam or mrt place or some nearby outlets. Well, kopitiam is a place for evenings to have coffee along with some tiffin stuff! you find one outside every mrt.
I'd say try to find a paying guest accomodation for 5 days in singapore. It's cheaper. You may have to have a hotel reservation to show at immigration. There are many Indian families who rent out a bedroom on weekly basis and if you can find one, then what you spend in hotel for a day is what you'd spend for the whole week!

5. How to Roam around in city
Ample taxis. You can flag them down. You can call them to pick up. Take a singtel sim when you land in singapore. You get in airport with no hassles. Incoming is free and outgoing is ok priced and you can top up for minimum of 5 sgd. You can even call and book benz taxis for a nominal fee of 2 or 3 sgd more than ordinary taxis.
Take the MRT card / singapore tourist pass. You can return it and get back your refundable deposit. The card can be topped up with some amount. I remember having weekly passes made for unlimited travel years back. It can be used in both trains as well as buses. It costs 8 sgd per day per person and one can make unlimited travel all around singapore! It has to be bought in the airport at immigration!

6. What to Carry?
normal clothes that you wear in bangalore. camera, camcorder, emergency medicines, forex, and any other thing you may need.

7. Shopping Areas
Whole of singapore is a shopping area. go to orchard road for window shopping. go to places like sim lim for electronic stuff. if you are lucky there might be one of the famed singapore expo around that time.

8. Is it a good option to buy a two day admission pass at Sentosa Island? Day 1 at Sentosa Island and Day 2 at Universal Studios
If you get that, then take that. It might save cost.

I do not have any plans to visit Malaysia as i want to visit MY separately.
Yeah. Malaysia requires separate 4 - 5 days atleast. You can always do that separately!

[CRV2010]

Thank you very much MX6 & rtandon, your replies helped a lot in planning the trip. I didn't post a reply early since i wanted to get more information before posting again.

I have doubt on Prepaid SIM Cards if i buy at the airport.
Does Prepaid Sim comes with Pre-Activated? Or Do i need to wait till the end of the day for it to get activated?
Which carrier would be preffered to buy in SG (MX6 says Singtel)? In Pref to Network and Calling Home.

Is the better solution to buy the Matrix Sim here at home itself ?


I see that hotel charges are way too high in SG, any hotel recommdations if you have stayed there recently? I want to keep my budget for hotel below $100/day.

As per MX6 & rtandon's post i have planned my itinerary like this.

Day 1 - SG Zoo, Singapore Flyer
Day 2 - Sentosa Island
Day 3 - Sentosa With Universal Studios
Day 4 - Snow City & China Town, Little India
Day 5 - Jurong Bird Park & Night Safari
Day 6 - Reserve Day for Shopping


Please let me your suggestions here on the itinerary.


I plan to visit both Day Safari & Night Safari, Am i making a mistake here? Or just Night Safari is Enough?

I am getting confused in their website, Please guide me which ticket/show/pass to buy for Zoo and Safari.

I do not find much information or reviews on Snow City at SG, can anyone what's it all about? Is it worth to visit ?

In Sentosa Island, Which are the Must & Should Activities and which can we give a miss?

[MX6]

Here's my response again in bold.

Originally Posted by CRV2010

I have doubt on Prepaid SIM Cards if i buy at the airport.
Does Prepaid Sim comes with Pre-Activated? Or Do i need to wait till the end of the day for it to get activated?

No waiting there. The moment you top up, you can call. Just take singtel sim there. No need of matrix sim. You can get calling cards in singapore from little india which come with a 1-800 number which can be dialled free from any public phone which is found every 50 ft in singapore including stations, bus stops, malls, roads, apartments etc. That's the cost effective way to call India. Further, you get 10 dollar worth talk time for 5 dollars in little india. Buy that.
The singtel number I suggested is only for emergency use and top up the bare minimum in that.

I see that hotel charges are way too high in SG, any hotel recommdations if you have stayed there recently? I want to keep my budget for hotel below $100/day.
Try PG accomodation. I'm giving you a sample link below.
expatriates.com - Singapore - Rooms Available - sengkang rivervale pkaza , $580 master room for rent for couple/2lady , sms agt 96338870
(please note that this is a suggestion and not a recommendation).

You can try mailing those people like in this ad and find out whether they are ok with your 1 week stay there. Ofcourse, it's too early to ask now. So you may keep a hotel reservation done and hunt around for PG acco where you get a bedroom for yourself. Indian hosts are better as you won't have issues with smell from a chinese kitchen.

Try reaching out friends in singapore to see whether PG accomodation can be arranged.
As per MX6 & rtandon's post i have planned my itinerary like this.

Day 1 - SG Zoo, Singapore Flyer
Day 2 - Sentosa Island
Day 3 - Sentosa With Universal Studios
Day 4 - Snow City & China Town, Little India
Day 5 - Jurong Bird Park & Night Safari
Day 6 - Reserve Day for Shopping


Please let me your suggestions here on the itinerary.
No point in zoo and night safari. It's the same place giving different experience. Night safari is a 2 - 3 hour affair. The good thing about singapore zoo is that you can have breakfast with the Orang Utan for an extra fee. Else nothing great in the zoo.
Universal I get to understand is not yet functional, so just stop by for a photostop.

I plan to visit both Day Safari & Night Safari, Am i making a mistake here? Or just Night Safari is Enough?
You can get up close and personal with the orangutan in the zoo. So it's the way you see it, the vfm lies. I took my wife multiple times to the zoo and once to the night safari. She's still confused as to who she likes most, me or the orangutan. You can also touch a lot of animals in the zoo. In night safari, you get to see some of the nocturnal creatures in their best. So it's purely up to you as both the experiences will be different.


In Sentosa Island, Which are the Must & Should Activities and which can we give a miss?
1. The night magical fountain (currently called sound of the sea I guess). Go there after the skies become dark. Take the last show. But go well in advance so that you get a seat in the open air amphitheater. Don't miss that.
2. Underwater world. Good experience for first timers to see sea cows (manatees) and sharks swimming over head. Good to see the star attraction called angel fish and sea horse. Also the sea anemones with nemo is colourful.
3. Butterfly park (also used to house an artificial falls)
4. Southern most point of Asia (just a photostop for saying been there, done that. The cable car from Mt faber was good. But heard it's stopped for refurbishment now.
5. There are some virtual reality show in sentosa which were childish imho (I would have gone to universal florida 10 times), but worth a try.
Other places you can drop by as you find time.

[aargee]

Asking a slightly OT, but still related to Singapore. I heard about an hotel Annalakshmi, that's a concept hotel where CEO's serve as waiters, the food bill is not compulsory, the money you pay is donation & no matter how much you eat, you can choose to pay $1. How far these are true?

[CRV2010]

Originally Posted by aargee

Asking a slightly OT, but still related to Singapore. I heard about an hotel Annalakshmi, that's a concept hotel where CEO's serve as waiters, the food bill is not compulsory, the money you pay is donation & no matter how much you eat, you can choose to pay $1. How far these are true?

you mean this Home - Annalakshmi Singapore, where vegetarian dining is a cultural experience ?

[rjstyles69]

crv2010 I just finished a recent 10 days vacation in Singapore. My travelogue is here (They say " Selamat Datang " ::My Singapore and Malaysian séjour) in case you are interested.
Word of advise , no use in planning from here itself.Get there , based on your convenience chart out something for sight seeing. I made plans like yours and everything went out of the window from Day 1 . I have kinda covered most places in my travelogue.
Cant comment on the accommodation part coz I have quite a few relatives there and hence never found the need for it.

[CRV2010]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

crv2010 I just finished a recent 10 days vacation in Singapore. My travelogue is here (They say " Selamat Datang " ::My Singapore and Malaysian séjour) in case you are interested.
Word of advise , no use in planning from here itself.Get there , based on your convenience chart out something for sight seeing. I made plans like yours and everything went out of the window from Day 1 . I have kinda covered most places in my travelogue.
Cant comment on the accommodation part coz I have quite a few relatives there and hence never found the need for it.

rjstyles69, I was closely following and watching your travelogue from day 1. Nice Photos there and detailed logs. Your travelogue is also inspiring me to cover all those places. Thanks for the detailed information on few important things. If you don't mind, I will bug you in a few days time for suggestions.

That's true we cannot think of things going as good as what we had planned earlier.

[Antonian]

Singapore trips offered by airline companies is not worthy. Try to get a package. One of my cousin working in travel agency told like, trips given by Airline companies does not cover all the tourist spots.

[Sowmya]

Hi All,

i'm at Singapore on Project for 3 Months. will get only week ends to explore. Kindly suggest me abt the places to visit in Singapore and near by Singapore.

Regards,
Sowmy

[rjstyles69]

sowmya I did a trip to Singapore and malaysia about 3 months back.My travelogue is posted here (They say " Selamat Datang " ::My Singapore and Malaysian séjour) and have covered most of the tourist places. However since you have 3 months to stay there you can actually explore the country at ease. Its easy getting around there and people are really helpful.

edit : Found this thread : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ning-help.html
might be helpful.

[Sowmya]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

sowmya I did a trip to Singapore and malaysia about 3 months back.My travelogue is posted here (They say " Selamat Datang " ::My Singapore and Malaysian séjour) and have covered most of the tourist places. However since you have 3 months to stay there you can actually explore the country at ease. Its easy getting around there and people are really helpful.

edit : Found this thread : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ning-help.html
might be helpful.

Thank you so much for the info. will try to explore to the Max.

[Dieseltuned]

Bumping up this old thread!

My parents are planning a trip to Singapore in January 2016. Need some assistance on a couple of queries.

1. As this will be my parents 1st international travel, is it advisable to book a tour from a tour operator here or is Singapore friendly enough to just have the hotel accomodations arranged and rest all after reaching there ?

2. Has anybody recently visited places like 'garden by the bay', I have heard mixed reviews about this place, is it worth spending the time ?

3. The itinerary we are planning is as below ::

Day 1 :: Arrive Singapore early morning. Lunch & hotel checkin. Visit night safari.

Day 2 :: Jurong bird park

Day 3 :: Singapore city tour & flyer

Day 4 :: Universal studio

Day 5 :: Sentosa

Please suggest on the above itinerary. Any other places to include ?

4. Is it ok to drop the Singapore zoo if we are visiting the night safari ?

5. Is vegetarian food available easily ?

6. My brother is currently studying in Australia and would also like to join in this tour, will it be possible for him to apply a Singapore visa on an Indian passport from Australia. Please guide me through the procedure ?

Any other information would be welcome.

Regards
Dieseltuned

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

Bumping up this old thread!

My parents are planning a trip to Singapore in January 2016. Need some assistance on a couple of queries.

1.Tour operators will usually have packed itineraries so do check on this, may be good to go with tour operator when the group is large, say 5-10 or even more

2.Gardens by the bay can be combined with a visit to the Marina Bay - lots to see around here, there are laser shows, a large deck, etc. Also include a visit to the terrace of the Marina Bay Sands - great views of the city! Gardens by the bay is almost opposite to the Marina Bay Sands on the other side of the highway and can be reached via a bridge from the Marina Bay Sands. There's also a huge shopping mall in the Marina Bay Sands campus with an indoor Gondola ride as well!

3.Day 4 - I would suggest drop Universal, it will need a dedicated 2 days, can be done on another trip.
Day 5 - Sentosa - try to take the Cable car from Mount Faber to Sentosa, very good. At Sentosa, do not miss the Songs of the Ocean show, excellent

4.Night Safari will be a crisp tour of the zoo in comfort. Visit to the zoo needs a full day plus it will be tiring. We did Zoo + night Safari back to back and it was one of the most tiring days. They also have a River Safari which is again in the Zoo/Night Safari campus. But I think you can skip this as well.

5.No dearth of vegetarian options, especially in the Little India area and it's surroundings on and off the Serangoon road. The streets behind Mustafa shopping center have almost only Indian Restaurants Some good ones are Komalas (fast food format), Komala Vilas, Anandha Bhavan, Saravana Bhavan, list goes on and on.

6.Not sure about the Singapore visa from Australia.

I suggest you also look up this thread for more information since it is more active and updated recently:
Link