Singapore 2017: 2 Day Travel Guide (Budget & Itinerary) || The Great ASEAN Tour
September 17, 2017
Our first leg of the trip was Singapore. We technically spent 3 nights and 2 days there, because we arrived at night. Let me tell you, 2 days isn't enough! Those that have been to Singapore will agree with me.
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Since we would only be spending 2 days in Singapore and because we were on a budget trip, we chose to forego Universal Studios Singapore. It's not that we have anything against people that immediately go to USS, it's just that there are so many things to explore in Singapore, and we wanted to stray from the usual Filipino itinerary.
Glad I was able to talk my friends out of USS because other than monetary reasons, I'm not the biggest fan of amusement parks. I mean, I get it if you're traveling with children, but for me, I don't quite see the point of going to a new country to visit an amusement park.
(Also, I'm a scaredy cat that doesn't ride all the rides, so the ticket would be wasted on me. I was thinking, if ever I have children and we go to an amusement park, I literally will be the mom that waits on the sidelines. Just saying.)
To each his own.
Let me tell you though, if you want to book tickets to Universal Studios Singapore, you can do so with Klook! Ayessa and I used Klook for our Korea trip, and it saved us so much hassle! Other than that, Klook offers lower rates (S$68 vs S$76 on the Universal Studios site) and discounts when you sign up or enter their promo code!
Accommodations
Singapore's a small country, so they're quite cramped for space. Singapore is also known for being notoriously expensive (The most expensive country in the world!), so you can bet hotels are out of the question!However, to save on accommodation, there are several hostels available. Hostels are a good option, since all you'll only be at the hostel after a full day around the city. It's a good thing my friends and I are not very picky about where we're staying--all that matters to us is proximity to public transport and a clean bathroom!
Booking.com
Hostels are mostly concentrated in the Chinatown, Little India, Bugis, Lavender and Geylang areas. If you like food and shopping, I would recommend staying in Chinatown. (You can click on the links to check for hotels in those areas)
When we were at Singapore, we stayed at Central 65 Hostel, at Jalan Besar. At the time, it was the cheapest hostel we could find that was manageable--had good enough reviews and looked decent. The Rochor MRT station was half a kilometer walk away, and it was a quiet neighborhood overall. There was also a hawker center nearby, and several Indian shops along the way. Our stay also came with free breakfast!
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We booked beds in a large mixed dormitory, and it was my first time doing so! I was a bit scared at first, but I felt like I eased myself into it when I saw that we had sleeping pods covered by curtains, instead of open air double deck beds that expose you to the world. My introvert self thanks the gods.
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I pre-booked some hostel options on Booking.com for my friends to choose, and I felt quite giddy when I saw them live. The nice thing about booking on this site is that there are options that allow you to pay on site, as well cancel for free.
Here are some of our top options:
Ark Hostel -- Geylang; good location, good price
5footway.inn - Ann Siang -- very close to the MRT and Maxwell Center, one of the most popular hawker centers in Singapore
Wink Hostel -- near Chinatown area, also close to MRT, Maxwell Center and Sri Mariamman temple
Pine Hostel - by Just Inn -- Lavender area; close to two MRT stations: Farrer Park and Lavender. A short walk away from Little India
Bunc Hostel -- Little India area; nice exteriors; near three MRT stations: Rochor, Bugis and Bras Basah MRT stations
Some top options for families:
(Just planning for when I bring my family to Singapore--hay jusko. You can't have parents in hostels!)
Budget:
Fisher BnB - Lavender area, close to Lavender and Farrer Park MRT, top rated for families. They only have bunk beds in their rooms.
5footway.inn - Boat Quay - great location (near Singapore River). They have dorm rooms, double rooms, double loft rooms, triple rooms and triple loft rooms.
High end: treat yo' self!
Orchard Hotel Singapore
Mandarin Orchard Singapore
Marina Bay Sands
Or for families, you can always go the AirBnB route! (Get $40 off when you sign up with my code!)
Itinerary
Mark was in-charge of our itinerary. Since we would only be spending two days in Singapore, he decided to divide in into two categories: tourist spots and nature day.
Day 1
Haji Lane
Famous for its fashion boutiques, Middle Eastern cafes and murals, this is a must for every youngster because every corner is Instagram-worthy! Most of the shops were closed when we were there because it was August--Chinese believe this is Ghost Month, and yields a month of bad luck. There were a lot of offerings to the gods outside the shops when we were there!
Famous for its fashion boutiques, Middle Eastern cafes and murals, this is a must for every youngster because every corner is Instagram-worthy! Most of the shops were closed when we were there because it was August--Chinese believe this is Ghost Month, and yields a month of bad luck. There were a lot of offerings to the gods outside the shops when we were there!
National Gallery of Singapore
Get your tickets on Klook--save S$5!
We did not get our tickets from Klook though because there was a special exhibition I wanted to attend: the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, which would be ending September 3rd. The tickets for the general entrance + the special exhibition cost S$30, while with Klook, the general entrance only costs S$15 instead of the usual S$20! Those S$5 can go to a meal! :P
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| Yayoi Kusama pumpkin room (taken using my phone) |
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| A shot from inside the Infinity Mirrors exhibit. People were only given 20 seconds inside. (taken using my phone) |
National Museum of Singapore
Get your tickets on Klook--save S$1, and the wait!
Although we planned to, we didn't get to visit the inside because we didn't have enough time :( But, while we were walking around on the second night, we chanced upon it! It was really nice too cause there was a light show in front of the building. Ahhh, I love little surprises like this!
Get your tickets on Klook--save S$1, and the wait!
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Although we planned to, we didn't get to visit the inside because we didn't have enough time :( But, while we were walking around on the second night, we chanced upon it! It was really nice too cause there was a light show in front of the building. Ahhh, I love little surprises like this!
Day 2
Maxwell Hawker Center
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Located in Chinatown, the Maxwell Hawker Center is the site of the famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice! As in, it's a tourist thing that upon entering the Hawker Center, you see the long line snaking outside!
I read on a Singaporean food blog though that the nearby Ah Tai is better for some Singaporeans because they said Tian Tian became complacent after winning against Gordon Ramsay in the SingTel Hawker Heroes Challenge in 2013.
They say another reason why Singaporeans like Ah Tai's rice better because every bit is good on its own, while Tian Tian's is better when you mix the rice, chicken and chili sauce together.
The reason why Ah Tai and Tian Tian is comparable though is because Ah Tai's owner Wong Liang Tai used to work as a chef for over 20 years at Tian Tian, and so he has their famous chicken rice recipe.
Since there wasn't a line at Ah Tai, that's where we ate. And I have to say, I'm not a fan of chicken rice (I tasted one that ruined chicken rice for me), but thinking about it right now makes me want to fly to Singapore just to get a taste of it again! I can now understand why my friend Ayiene keeps saying she'd fly to Singapore for Chicken Rice!
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Located in Chinatown, the Maxwell Hawker Center is the site of the famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice! As in, it's a tourist thing that upon entering the Hawker Center, you see the long line snaking outside!
I read on a Singaporean food blog though that the nearby Ah Tai is better for some Singaporeans because they said Tian Tian became complacent after winning against Gordon Ramsay in the SingTel Hawker Heroes Challenge in 2013.
They say another reason why Singaporeans like Ah Tai's rice better because every bit is good on its own, while Tian Tian's is better when you mix the rice, chicken and chili sauce together.
The reason why Ah Tai and Tian Tian is comparable though is because Ah Tai's owner Wong Liang Tai used to work as a chef for over 20 years at Tian Tian, and so he has their famous chicken rice recipe.
Since there wasn't a line at Ah Tai, that's where we ate. And I have to say, I'm not a fan of chicken rice (I tasted one that ruined chicken rice for me), but thinking about it right now makes me want to fly to Singapore just to get a taste of it again! I can now understand why my friend Ayiene keeps saying she'd fly to Singapore for Chicken Rice!
Sri Mariamman Temple
Mark also put this on our itinerary, but since it was out of the way for our other preferred destinations, we put it off. But lo and behold! A few meters away from Maxwell Hawker Center and the Chinatown station, we saw this. :)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
UNESCO World Heritage Site--FREE!
UNESCO World Heritage Site--FREE!
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The Singapore Botanic Garden was vast! It's about 3km from the Botanic Garden station to the other exit at Orchard Road! I normally would be able to walk 3km but my feet were tired from the previous day's walk so I rested often. LOL
It was okay though because the garden was beautiful. There were several areas for picnics (we even saw some birthday parties) and was wide enough for jogging (saw so many moms walking their babies and foreigners running!).
We walked around the park to look for this gazebo. LOL
Merlion Park
Gardens by the Bay
(Get your tickets on Klook--save S$5!)
Tickets purchased on Klook give you access to both the Cloud Dome and Flower Dome.
The Cloud Dome has this huge waterfall by the entrance and has a rainforest feel to it. You can use the elevator or escalator to climb and walk up to 6 stories above the ground--kind of like walking on clouds.
The Flower Dome has different kinds of plants from all over the world.
If you want to do the Singapore Flyer as well, get a Gardens by the Bay + Singapore Flyer combo ticket to save!
Other things to do in Singapore:
Klook.com
(Get your tickets on Klook--save S$5!)
Tickets purchased on Klook give you access to both the Cloud Dome and Flower Dome.
The Cloud Dome has this huge waterfall by the entrance and has a rainforest feel to it. You can use the elevator or escalator to climb and walk up to 6 stories above the ground--kind of like walking on clouds.
The Flower Dome has different kinds of plants from all over the world.
If you want to do the Singapore Flyer as well, get a Gardens by the Bay + Singapore Flyer combo ticket to save!
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| inside Marina Bay Sands, there's a huge posh mall! |
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| The famous Supertree Grove! |
Other things to do in Singapore:
Other tips
Wifi
Unlike Korea, not all areas in Singapore have public wifi. Thankfully, Singapore is very easy to navigate and there are people that speak English, should you need directions.
We didn't get a SIM in Singapore to save up, since we were only there for 2 days. Most hostels in Singapore have Wifi, so we'd just update our social media accounts when we got back. But if you can't function without internet connection, or don't believe in your own navigation skills, you can get a pocket Wifi router in the Singapore airport.
Transportation
Singapore is known for their amazingly efficient (and cheap!) public transportation system. You can get a Singapore tourist pass or EZ-link card.
The 1, 2 and 3-day tourist passes available at the airport (2-day at S$16), but I highly recommend getting the EZ-link card over the tourist pass.
While the tourist pass allows you unlimited access to Singapore's public transport system, truth is, you won't be spending much time on public transport because you'll be walking all the time! Unless you plan to bus hop (something I want to do in the future--jump in and out of buses just to discover new places), the EZ-Link card will save you more money in the long run.
An EZ-Link card package comes at S$12, with S$7 load and a non-refundable S$5 for the card, which is valid for 5 years. You can get these at the airport and convenience stores. Not only can you save on MRT and bus fares (versus buying tickets at the station, or paying the bus fare in cash), you can also use the EZ-Link card to pay for purchases at the convenience store.
Since I was super super super trying to cut corners, I borrowed my friend Dawn's EZ-Link card and just reloaded it. (Minimum reload is S$10) ;)
If you're traveling with families and don't want to get on the train, you can also book city transfers from Changi airport.
Budget
Accommodation - Php 1567.50 (pre-paid with Emman's card)
Food - 15 SGD/day * 2 = 30 SGD * Php 38.15 = Php 1144.55
Gardens by the Bay = 23 SGD * Php 38.15 = Php 877.50
National Gallery of Singapore = 30 SGD * Php 38.15 = Php 1144.55
(we went to the Yayoi Kusama exhibit, which was not covered in the ticket on Klook)
EZ-Link Card = 12 SGD * 38.15 = Php 457.80
TOTAL = Php 5192
Photos are by my friend and travel buddy Alexis Banga (follow him on IG: @alexis_banga), unless stated otherwise.
Do you have any other Singapore tips and places you think we should check out soon? Comment below! Would love to hear about it!
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2 comments
I didn't know that Singapore was the most expensive city!! Interesting fact!!
ReplyDeletewww.elleisforlove.com
It is! I think about 6 of the most expensive cities in the world are in Asia! Thanks for dropping by Seppy! :)
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