This time I am writing to share my experience of visiting Singapore. A word of caution – this blog is not meant for those who are looking for typical tourist tips as I will not be talking about places like the Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Cruise, Gardens by the Bay and Sentosa. These are all must-dos and I’m sure you’ll find a lot written about them, online and offline 🙂
This trip of mine was super relaxed and all I wanted to do was spend quality time with my mom and sis. We’d all been to Singapore before and had done all the sight-seeing / checked the boxes then. On this trip, we just wanted to hang out together, eat, drink, chit chat…and make memories! Given this ‘objective’, as you can imagine, a large part of our focus was food and drinks, haha! Some key highlights here:
- Chijmes. One of my most favourite places in Singapore, it’s a beautiful complex esp with a gorgeous church in the backdrop. When we were there, the night festival was on and the lights just added to the beauty of the place. We started with margaritas at El Mero Mero and progressed to Prive for dinner. I have to say – the ambience, drinks, food, everything was stellar. An evening well spent!
- Dempsey Hill. One of Singapore’s lesser known neighbourhood, it’s a great place for lunch. You’re spoilt for choice, with several restaurants. Cuisine options are widespread – Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese, a brewery, a bakery, etc. We enjoyed a meal at Chopsuey Café, an Asian restaurant (it has an elaborate menu, with a lot of options for vegetarians!)
- Marina Bay Sands Rooftop. When in Singapore, how can one miss Ce La Vi, the rooftop bar at the Marina Bay Sands. There was a long queue for entry, as no one wanted to miss the breathe-taking sunset views and the gorgeous Singapore skyline from the 57th level, over some awesome cocktails! A not to be missed experience!
- Chip Bee Gardens. Original Sin, a must-do restaurant (serving Mediterranean and Italian cuisine) for vegetarians!
- Bugis Junction. Enjoyed lunch at Crystal Jade. For a Michelin Star, this restaurant sure was very unassuming. Service was quick, food was yummy (yes, yummy vegetarian food!) and light on the pocket
- Raffles City Shopping Center. Enjoyed lunch at Din Tai Fung, one of the best dimsums place in the world!
- Boat Quay. Southbridge is a roof top bar (on the 5th floor). It’s nice and cozy, has great drinks, and offers some lovely views of the city. We followed this up with burgers on the river front, just below Southbridge – at a restaurant called Hans Im Gluck (German BurgerGrill) – best known for veggie burgers!
- Clarke Quay. We went there for a post dinner stroll and decided to grab desserts at the riverfront, at TCC. Desserts were just about okay, but we enjoyed looking at people merrily dancing away at a club next door (Le Noir). However, apparently the most happening club in Clarke Quay is Zouk!
- South Beach Avenue. Referred to as the new kid on the block, this is an upcoming lifestyle district. Given JW Marriott was our home for 5 nights, we could not miss the cafes, eateries, and bars in the vicinity – Caffé Vergnano, Alchemist Beer Lab, Vatos Urban Tacos, etc.
I have to admit that I did end up doing some typical touristy activities like walking at the Esplanade, clicking pictures with the Merlion, thinking of taking a ride on the Singapore Flyer (but dropping the idea after seeing the long queue…phew), shopping at Mustafa and grabbing a meal at Kailash Parbat in Little India, watching the light & sound water show at the Marina Bay Sands, taking a stroll in Chinatown, and having a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel. Also, we enjoyed the Singapore Art Museum in the city and the Butterfly Garden at the Changi airport.
For high end shopping, Orchard Street and Marina Bay Sands were THE go to places and for street shopping, we headed to Bugis (excellent for cheap clothes, shoes, handbags, etc.). Infact, we also enjoyed shopping at Haji Lane – I would call it in a hidden little gem in Singapore – loved the Arabic / Turkish artefacts, carpets, and even clothes) with gorgeous views of the Majid Sultan.
Before I wrap up, I have to say this – something that I truly enjoyed (breaking my own pre-convinced notions) was the heritage trail in Tiong Bahru, a traditional Singapore neighbourhood. There are about 10 stops along the 2.5 km walking trail. It was fun discovering the stops, enjoying the local vibe at the market, temple, bakery, bar, garden, community center and spotting the famous dancing girl sculpture, curved/rounded architectural buildings, brick work in some residential balconies, etc.
Hope you enjoyed reading about my Singapore trip! Do not hesitate to reach out in case of any questions.
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