Singapore

Singapore was our first long distance trip as a family of four. It took about 25 hours to get there, but don’t let the travel time scare you! It was absolutely and completely worth it! I found a great deal about 5 months before the trip. A great deal these days would be something that doesn’t exceed $650 pp on a decent airline. We flew American Airlines and honestly it was pretty bad. The food and service left so much to be desired, and the aircraft itself was old. After this and another international trip to Europe on them, I swore off AA for overseas flights. Spend a little bit more or even consider flying out of a nearby city if possible. The only upside was that once we got from DFW to Tokyo, the next leg of the trip was on Japan Airlines (JAL) to Singapore. JAL is phenomenal especially compared to AA and above all, the crew was so nice to the kids. They provided the kids with toys all the while happily entertaining them.

Because you can cover all or most of it in a few days, Singapore is a great jumping off spot for trips to other destinations in Asia or a great stopover as you cross over SE Asia. We combined ours with a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Flight prices are cheap, just be sure not to pick airlines with bad records like Air China or Lion Air. Just keeping it real!

WHEN

We went right before Halloween and though we were lucky there was no rain to contend with, it was horribly humid. On a future trip, I’ll aim for Jan-Mar which are supposed to be nicer. Also in early October, there were widespread forest fires in South-East Asia which caused heavy smog conditions in Singapore. They were so bad that residents were encouraged to wear masks or not take little kids outdoors. D & S were almost 4 and 2 respectively at the time. It wasn’t a bad age because they were still cute and unfussy at the time which actually made for chill travel buddies.

TRANSPORTATION

Singapore being a city-state, it wasn’t hard to cover in a few days. We stayed about 4.5 days, but I am certain that if your kids are a bit older you could do most of the major sights in 2-3 days. We took cabs almost everywhere and they were pretty easy to hail. We took along a light-weight stroller so cabs became the easier option. Uber might be another option now. Newer cabs accepted credit cards for payment while many older ones prefered cash. The MRT is also excellent, very efficient and is probably the best way to get around the city.

STAY

We stayed at a hotel in the Bencoolen neighborhood, which wasn’t too bad. There were a few points of interests around and everything was easily accessible by cab. Next time, I’d stay closer to Orchard Road. The wonderful thing about Bencoolen besides the lower costs of accomodation was that it was within a 10 minute drive of most of the attractions. During the second half of our trip, we got to stay in the Clementi neighborhood with our extended family. While we had an awesome time with them, it did make it a tad hard to get to the main spots.

1. Changi Airport: Repeatedly named the best airport in the world, it isn’t hard to see why this is the case. Make time to enjoy this airport with its multiple and unique art installations (our favorite was Kinetic Rain), gardens such as the Butterfly Garden, upscale shopping, and countless dining choices. It even has an indoor slide, reportedly the biggest inside an airport anywhere. There are also play areas in the airport that your kids will not want to leave once they have arrived. If you’re flying in and out of Changi, this is an easy one to check off the list! Flight delayed? Long layover? This is one airport you will not regret spending time in. Watch our amazing video of Kinetic Rain in Changi airport
2. Gardens By the Bay: This magical place is best seen at dusk. Arrive in the evening, and enjoy the lights turning on, transforming the Gardens into an Avatar-esque landscape. The kids were obsessed with the Cloud Forest, Flower Dome and Supertree Grove. Set aside plenty of time to explore this attraction. It will not disappoint.

   Supertree Grove

   

   Cloud Gate

   

   Carnivorous plants

   

   Supertrees at night

3. Marina Bay Sands: This boat-shaped attraction sitting on top of 3 skyscrapers is a sight to behold and also a site to behold from! If you plan on going to the top SkyPark, make sure you get there an hour or more before sunset so you don’t miss the city come to life at night with it’s spectacular and breathtaking skyline. TIP: If you’re going sans kids, head for the Ce La Vi bar that’s even more elevated than the deck. It was closed when we were there with the kids, but concessions like snacks and drinks are available in the general SkyPark deck area. If you’re staying at the hotel, you can enjoy their infinity pool which is pretty magnificent.

   View of Gardens By the Bay from Marina Bay Sands

   

   Singapore Flyer

4. Singapore Botanic Garden, including the Orchid Garden. Very pretty walking space, but try to go when it’s not as hot or humid. The orchid garden in particular is truly one of a kind and incredibly beautiful.

   Orchid garden

   
   

5. Little India: We were so lucky to be here right at Deepavali/ Diwali, when everything was festive and lit up. It was almost exactly like being in Chennai, you could have easily fooled me! Try visiting one of the many Hindu temples here. Leave your footwear at the door and go with reverence. The temples are beautiful and you will leave amazed. We visited the Veeramakaliamman temple on Serangoon Road.

   Hindu temple on Serangoon

   

   Deepavali festival market

6. Chinatown: The Buddha Tooth relic temple is gorgeous and ornate. You can’t beat the food and souvenir shopping in Chinatown. Check out the night market here.
7. Arab Street: The shopping, food and mosques here tell the tale of Singapore’s rich past. Stop at Singapore Zam Zam to eat some murtabak and check out the many alleys here.
8. Sentosa: We felt that Sentosa was a bit past it’s heyday or maybe it was the humidity getting to us! We spent an entire day there and checked out many of it’s attractions. Although we didn’t stay overnight, the aerial view of the island gave us an idea of what it would be like to spend more time there. So stay overnight if possible, if not, at least one day here. Do not miss the large Merlion! The kids still treasure the gold coins they got there.
9. Orchard Road Shopping: Lots of malls with high and mid-end shops dot Orchard Road. We found ourselves visiting every mall we could find to escape the humidity! Although we didn’t do much shopping, we made sure to check out the food court and play areas in each of them!

   Beautiful Peranakan Place on Orchard Road getting ready for Christmas

10. Bugis Street market: Cool little market by our hotel. Worth a visit if you’re in the area.
11. The Tree Top walk and hike at Macritchie Nature Reserve
12. Emerald Hill
13. Robertson Bridge
14. Clarke Quay: Not exactly the most kid-friendly, but still a fun happening neighborhood!

EAT

If you love food, Singapore is a little slice of heaven. It reminds me of New York in many ways because of the sheer variety and the various influences on the local cuisine. Do not miss eating laksa soup, Chicken & Rice, murtabak, roti & curry chicken, sting ray, char kway teow, popiah, cendol, ba kut teh

1. 1. Din Tai Fung: Our favorite place for soup dumplings and fried rice! This restaurant originally started in Taiwan but now has multiple locations in Asia and the US. We went not once but twice, despite having a long wait. The location in Wisma Atria on Orchard Road was perfect as you could shop the mall while waiting and the MRT is linked underground. This location also has other notable food stores such as Pablo that are a treat for your eyes and belly!

World-famous soup dumplings

Fried rice

1. Maxwell Hawker Center. This place seriously has some of the best food! It first caught my attention when I watched Anthony Bourdain eat hainanese rice & chicken at the Tian Tian Stall. Since then, I have eaten hainanese chicken at many places in the US and none could match that little stall.
   
   

   Dumplings were a hit with the picky eaters

2. Chilli crab at Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre
3. Singapore Zam Zam doesn’t look like much, but the food here is outstanding. Try the murtabak, biryani and mutton curry. This is walkable from Bencoolen and Little India
4. Evening BBQ on Boon Tat St
5. Ya Kun Kaya toast

   Runny eggs, kaya toast and coffee is a standard breakfast

6. Blue Bali, if you’re craving some rendang badly. Especially good if you aren’t heading to Indonesia soon.
7. Tiong Bahru market: We never miss a local market when we travel and we recommend Tiong Bahru. It’s quite the experience for your senses!
8. Crystal Jade: Iconic Michelin-star restaurant serving delicious Chinese food
9. Satay By the Bay food center offers dinner with a view of Gardens By the Way. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy dinner!

   Love this idea of tea to go!

   

   Grilled stingray and greens at Satay By the Bay Hawker Center

FUTURE:
Unfortunately we were out of time to visit some other well-known spots/attractions, but if you can manage it, here goes:

1. ArtScience Museum
2. Joo Chiat for more of the beautiful Peranakan culture
3. Singapore Flyer
4. Raffles Place
5. Jurong Bird Park and Night Safari
6. Thian Hock Keng temple
7. Bussorah Street
8. Bumboat ride along Singapore River
9. Side trip to Melacca

TIP: When we got to Singapore, we purchased a sim card with a data plan for really cheap. These days, pocketwifi is more popular. Also download Maps.Me so you can find your way even if you are offline. Terima Kasih (Thank you) for reading!