Asia Christmas Family Honeymoon Shopping Stopover

Singapore

Singapore is fantastic as a destination in itself or for a few days as a stopover.

Some insider tips and things to do include:

Dinner at Kudeta. Book at 6 or 7 pm table here and go early for a drink in the cocktail bar. It is at the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel which is the one with the ship on top. If you have a dinner booking you can go straight to the lift which goes to the top without having to pay or wait to go up to the bar. It is a fun place, very in crowd!

Take a taxi to Dempsey Hill. It is an old military post and is converted into bars, restaurants and lifestyle type stores. You can walk around as much or little as you like. It can be quite hot during the day but most places are air con on the inside. Go daytime and have lunch there or late pm for dinner.

China town – always worth a visit for the hustle and bustle and amazing array of food. As with most places in Singapore, its gets busy late so if you want an early drink, you can start at a roof top bar nearby called Potato head.

Drinks in the long bar at Raffles. Very touristy but if you let yourself be swept away, it is quite good fun. Have a look around raffles, find your way to the bar. You will have to wait in a que to get in, be patient and don’t worry. Try for a seat at the bar, the stool are comfy and it’s the only placein Singapore you are encouraged to litter – eat the peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. The cocktails are surprisingly good and unsurprisingly expensive. It is a must do for Singapore! Also Chijmes is over the road, it’s a Spanish complex with food and entertainment, it is a nice walk through, has a great array of restaurant options and they often have live music.

A traditional old style hawker market / street style food – great for lunch or dinner, check the opening hours, see what’s on, sometimes they have special nights – hop in a cab go and eat food and drink beer. It’s right in the city centre, so not far from anywhere. It’s a beautiful old building and has outdoor seating too. But it is hot and lots of people.  Try Telok Ayer Market which has been renamed Lau Pa Sat, it is more authentic than Newton Circus which is tourists only).

Taxis are really cheap in Singapore compared to here and very good. Most however don’t credit cards, so have cash for them, even from the airport.