Your Ultimate Guide to Singapore

Ever since I watched Crazy Rich Asians back in 2018, I had this urge to go to Singapore. If you haven’t seen the movie, to say the least, most of the movie takes place in Singapore. When I was in the preliminary phase of my Southeast Asia trip, I knew I wanted to do Singapore off the beat. Even the people around me were very fond of the fact that I was going to visit Singapore. Singapore was also really easy to navigate because the majority of the population speaks English, which makes it 10X easier to do anything in Asia.

• Dates in Singapore
  • December 19th, 2019 – December 21st, 2019 (3 nights, 3 days, Thursday – Saturday)
• Language: English
• Local Currency: Singapore Dollars (1 USD = 1.37 SD)
  • Total amount of money spent for 2 nights, 3 days (Including Hostel) : $113.82 (155.96 Singapore Dollar)

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1. Airport: Singapore Changi Airport – SIN

Singapore Changi Airport or also known as just Changi Airport. THIS AIRPORT IS BEYOND BIG. It’s a huge city in itself, indoor waterfall, mall, ziplining, gardens, over a few hundred restaurants and many more things we don’t see a normal airport. You have to see it from your own eyes. I flew Scoot Airlines and once again, for some reason, I was upgraded to a seat with more legroom and, I did not mind that at all. Being a budget airline, they were really good. They allow a carry-on bag; their planes are squeaky clean, and the service is really amazing! Only if Spirit (if you live in the states, you know) would start giving that kind of service! I landed in Singapore in the evening around 5 PM and by the time I finished all the immigration, got my stamp and got out to catch the metro, it was already 7PM I believe. One thing is that it was a huge airport, so there is a lot of walking to the immigration after you land and the other thing is that since I landed in the evening, it’s prime time for the airport so there were lot of flights arriving and thus the ques were huge for immigration. Probably one of the most amazing airports I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

2. Public Transportation

It’s fairly very easy to get to the city center from the Airport. Just like many developed countries, Singapore has a great metro system and they also some great deals for travelers that are in Singapore for a small period of time. If you have any checked-in baggage, you will pick that up and right before you’re about to get out of the airport, there is a small desk window set up by the airport where you can purchase a “Singapore Tourist Pass” . Since I was in Singapore for 2 days, I got the 2 day pass on the card. When you’re leaving Singapore, don’t forget to return that card because if you have an amount left on the card, they will cash it for you.

• Take the east-west line or the Downtown line in order to get to the city center
• Here is a link if you would like to compare all the 4 different passes they have to offer Link

3. Hostel – The Bohemian Chic Hostel – 3 days

Review: 8/10

• I stayed at The Bohemian Chic Hostel right by China town. The location was prime! I mean everything that you may have on your bucket list in Singapore, it’s within walking distance from this hostel. They also have great service; they have breakfast sandwiches and coffee/tea in the morning. Although I had two complaints. One was that the rooms were dark or at least the room I was put in, did not have any windows. So, you practically would have no idea if you’ve been sleeping through the whole morning or it’s still 6 AM. Second, the complaint is that their toilets and showers are in the same place. For example, their showers are right above the toilet seats. So, if someone before you took a shower and you just wanted to use the bathroom, it would be all wet. But besides that, the people were super nice and sweet as well. They even have amazing WIFI across the hostel. Also, they offer free shuttle services to the airport but REMEMBER to book as soon as you get there as they might get full. They leave at two different times, 11 AM and 4 PM.
  • The hostel in Singapore was a bit more on the expensive side. I paid about $36 a night so expensive when compared to other hostels I’ve stayed at before.
• PROS:
  • Airport Shuttle
  • Good WIFI
  • Breakfast
  • Location
• CONS:
  • Dark Rooms
  • Showers & Toilets combined
• If you wish to reserve The Bohemian Chic Hostel for your stay in Singapore, here is the Link (When I stayed, I paid about SGD35 a night (25.54 USD)).

4. Itinerary

Day 1

I saw a lot of things the first day I landed. It was in the evening, but it wasn’t still too late for me to go check out the skyline at least. I checked in the hostel, got to my room, put everything I needed in my backpack, and left to check out Singapore. It wasn’t really hot at this time of the evening, there was a good breeze going on and it made me feel pretty good that I didn’t have to walk around sweating. I checked out the skyline first and then I walked over to the gardens by the bay. As I was walking, I passed through the giant Marina Bay Sands mall and the helix bridge, and did I mention the Louis Vuitton store on the water? Yes, there is a huge LV flagship store on the water by where the skyline is. Gardens by the bay are these super big, giant man-made trees. Words can’t describe how I was feeling being there. I’ve always seen them in pictures and the fact that I was able to see them in person, couldn’t be any more fortunate. It was a bit late for the water fountain show as the last one happens at 8 PM on weekdays but on weekends, the last one happens at 11 PM. On my way back to the hostel, I grabbed some food. Mostly, junk food. Some fries from McDonald’s and a frappe. Came back to the hostel, sat there, watched some Netflix, and had my “dinner” and then knocked out.

Day 1 Expenses

Hostel: 70 SGD (51.08 USD)

Dinner: 8 SGD (5.84 USD)

Metro card: 20 SGD (14.60 USD)

Day 2

Day 2 was amazing! I’m a big person in architecture and Singapore is full of them. Every corner you see, there is something unique and colorful. I checked out a lot of places in Chinatown and my favorite was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. This temple was majestic, I mean the number of details and colors, amazing! Then I moved on to a couple of other Indian Temples with some extensive carving details on the outside and some detailed paintings inside the temple. Coming from an Indian family and practicing Hinduism as my religion, some of these paintings and carvings were very familiar to what I’ve seen in some of the Hindu scriptures and have heard elderly individuals in my family mention them. Right around lunchtime, I took the metro and headed to “Little India”. This is an actual area in Singapore where there are a lot of Indian restaurants, local shops, Temples, and basically anything that will remind you of India. At a point, you won’t be able to tell if you’re in Singapore or India itself. I had some Indian food at Kailash Restaurant. The lady serving was really sweet, she explained to me the menu and kept asking me every now and then how I was doing and asked if I needed anything else. Although it was a bit expensive, it was worth it for the food as it was really tasty and the service I got. I really felt like I was going into a food coma. Moving on, after some heavy food, I had to walk that off so I started heading towards my hostel, and right around halfway through, I took a bus back. Once I got to the hostel, I chilled downstairs in the lobby with the two guys I met the night before and all three of us headed out for some sightseeing. They grabbed food and walked to the fountain show. We all watched the Marina Bay Sands Light show, which was spectacular. The Marina Bay Sands Light and Water Show is one show that you can watch in Singapore every night for free. The shows start at 8 pm and 9.30 pm. On Friday and Saturday nights, there is another show at 11 pm. I mean a mix of fountains coordinated with color and music? What else do you need? Post the water fountain, we went to go see the light show at the Gardens of the Bay which was not that great, and you even have to pay extra for that. It was about 10 SGD to see that light show and it did not live up to the hype. Honestly, if you’re in Singapore and don’t see that, it’s fine. You won’t be missing out on anything. Now, comes my favorite part. I really wanted to go see the skyline from the top of Marina Bay Sands, which is one of the world’s famous hotels, and have heard that the view is beyond amazing from up there. There is usually a fee to go see up there but they also have a bar, so you can easily just ask the concierge before the elevators that you wish to go to the bar, and that way, you can grab a drink and enjoy a great view. Additionally, if you go around 11 PM over the weekend, you can also see the water show from the top.

Day 2 Expenses

Breakfast: Free (at the hostel)

Lunch: 47.96 SGD (35 USD)

Dinner: I was still full from my late lunch and I didn’t want to feel sick so I ended up not having dinner

Trees Light Show: 10 SGD (7.30 USD) Don’t waste your money on this.

Drinks at Marina Bay Sands Rooftop: 25 USD (18.24 USD)

Day 3

Time to leave Singapore! I woke up around 9 AM and took about an hour to get ready, When I was coming down, I brought my stuff with me and checked out of my room. I had an hour, so I grabbed some breakfast and chilled at the hostel while my airport shuttle was on its way to pick me up. Again, the hostel offers two free shuttles during the day. One at 11 AM and the other one at 4 PM but since my flight to Bali was at 3:40 PM, I decided to take the 11 AM shuttle and check out the world-famous Singapore Changi Airport.

5. Five things you HAVE to see

Let’s say you had a 24 hour layover in Singapore, what are some of the main important things that you want to make sure you put on your list of things to see? Below are the 5 things you do not want to miss in Singapore. If you would like to check out my full 2 day itinerary, please click here: Link

1. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

FREE

This temple was my favorite temple in Singapore. The number of details and colors it has, beyond amazing.

There are 4 floors of the temple but only 3 of them are frequently visited by tourists.

The elevator goes to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd floor and so a lot of people don’t really know that there is an outdoor terrace garden on the 4th floor. You will have to take the stairs from the 3rd floor.

NOTE: You can take pictures on the 1st and 2nd floor but photography is strictly prohibited on the 3rd floor

2. Sultan Masjid

FREE

The mosque itself is really outstanding and the area around the mosque is even more outstanding. It has local shops where you can buy souvenirs and some good quality carpets. A lot of local food shops as well.

Overall a very colorful area.

Please be respectful of the place of worship and cover your shoulders and legs.

3. Gardens By the Bay

FREE

These are free to get in but if you’re going around the Christmas holiday season like I was, then you will have to pay an extra 10 SGD to see the trees because there is a light show that happens here in the evening.

I personally did not go in the daytime so I had to pay the extra 10 SGD but essentially if you’re going when there are no light shows happening, you can check it out for free.

I would really tell you to come in the daytime and if you really want to see the lights on the trees, go after all the light shows are done. My first night in Singapore when I was exploring the trees, I didn’t have to pay extra because it was around 11 PM and all the light shows for the night were over. I think the last one happens at 10 PM and the gardens by the bay are open 24/7.

4. Marina Bay Sands Rooftop

FREE

Get ready for the most amazing views of your life. The views are so amazing that you just won’t get enough of it. You will seriously want to just sit there and stare.

If you’re going during the weekend around 11 PM , you will be able to see the Marina Bay Sands light and water show from the top.

5. Fountain of Wealth

FREE

It’s located in the Suntec city area of Singapore.

Very “popping” area. A huge mall and number of restaurants right around the fountain.

It was constructed in 1995 with the main Suntec City development, the bronze ring of the fountain is designed based on the Hindu Mandala, meaning universe and is a symbolic representation of the oneness in spirit and unity and further symbolizes the equality and harmony of all races and religions in Singapore. Water is known as the symbol of wealth in Chinese culture and the inward motion of the water symbolizes the retention of wealth odor Suntec City. The water flowing inwards represents riches pouring in, thus the name Fountain of Wealth!

6. Currency Exchange

Currency Exchange (Local Currency = Singapore Dollar (SGD))

You have 3 options, I recommend option 3:

1) Open a prepaid card. This is the method I used and it had its ups and downs. I used Travelex Money Card that you can find here. It’s pretty much like a debit card. What you will have to do is, open the card for $10 and you will be able to link it to your bank account. Every time you feel like you want to convert some money onto your Travelex Money Card, you can use their app to say what currency you want to convert it in and with in seconds, that money will be on your card and you can use it right away. It’s also contactless, so you can use it on the public transportation and you can set a 4-digit pin so you’re safe as well. I did a lot of research when I went to open this card and I couldn’t find a better exchange rate than Travelex. So if you are planning on picking this option, you’ll get a good rate out of it’s competitors.

2) You can also carry around cash but I DO NOT recommend this option. When you’re exchanging cash, you won’t get a good exchange rate and there is change of it getting stolen or lost.

3) Open a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees. I recommend this option because when I left for my backpacking trip for the first time, I did not know such credit cards existed and so I never did my research. My personal favorite is United Explorer Visa Card that you can apply for here. I use this card pretty much anywhere I go abroad and since it’s a Visa card, it works almost everywhere. Another reason why I really like a credit card is because no one will give you a better exchange rate than a bank. It’s also very easy to use, simply use it as if you were to use it in the US and when prompted to choose between USD or SGD, pick SGD. It’s also contactless, no foreign transaction fees and you 2 lounge passes for United. So, if you’re in a place to open a credit card, I really recommend this option.

7. Food

I absolutely loved the food here in Singapore or at least that one full lunch I had. There are a lot of cool places in Singapore in Little India and the Sultan Masjid area. It all depends on what you’re in the mood for. Below are two of the things that Really popped out to me.

1. Kailash Parbat Restaurant
   • Located in the little India area
   • Address: 93 Syed Alwi Rd, Singapore 207669
   • Phone: +65 6291 5545
   • Menu: Link
   • Hours: Everyday from 11:30AM – 11:15PM
   • Really good food and the service was really amazing. I got:
     • Chole Bhature (They will ask you how spicy you want it to be)
     • Kheer (Type of pudding from the Indian subcontinent, made by boiling milk, sugar, and rice)
     • Papad (A thin, crisp, round flatbread from India)
2. Selfie Coffee
   • Located in the same area as the Sultan Masjid
   • Address: 11 Haji Lane, Singapore 189204
   • Phone: +65 9863 8395
   • You take a selfie on their cafe designated cell phone and they will create your selfie on your coffee, how cool is that? I ordered an Iced Butterscotch Latte and couldn’t tell you how much I loved it! If you’re in Singapore, you have to visit selfie coffee!

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Below are some of the pictures I took while I was visiting Singapore. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @mrshutterup to follow my journey and for some more amazing pictures. Lastly, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions!