Singapore for Chinese New Year
Discussion
What say you?
Wife and I thinking of going for, say, 10 days or so to get some heat, sightseeing, food and to take in the festivities.
Have been before a few times back in the ‘90’s tho’ on business; always stayed at the Carlton Hotel (just behind Raffles) and thought it was of a good standard and location.
Any thoughts on hotels (must have a pool), things to do/not do, flights, travelling around, restaurants/food centres etc etc please?
Wife and I thinking of going for, say, 10 days or so to get some heat, sightseeing, food and to take in the festivities.
Have been before a few times back in the ‘90’s tho’ on business; always stayed at the Carlton Hotel (just behind Raffles) and thought it was of a good standard and location.
Any thoughts on hotels (must have a pool), things to do/not do, flights, travelling around, restaurants/food centres etc etc please?
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 9th January 10:59
Do you think 10 days may be too much in Singapore, I would have thought 2/3 nights would be enough?
Not sure on your budget but good hotels in Singapore are about £250 a night.
I have done KL for last 2 years which we use as a stopover for a few nights before heading to Thailands Islands beaches and we are going back in a couple of weeks. KL represents good value with nice hotels for about £100 per night.
Cheap and easy to fly around Asia (Airasia/Scoot) so perhaps fit in a couple of destinations ie Bangkok, Chang Rai, Siem Reap for Angkor or Vietnam (we are trying out Saigon for a few nights this trip)
Not sure on your budget but good hotels in Singapore are about £250 a night.
I have done KL for last 2 years which we use as a stopover for a few nights before heading to Thailands Islands beaches and we are going back in a couple of weeks. KL represents good value with nice hotels for about £100 per night.
Cheap and easy to fly around Asia (Airasia/Scoot) so perhaps fit in a couple of destinations ie Bangkok, Chang Rai, Siem Reap for Angkor or Vietnam (we are trying out Saigon for a few nights this trip)
We went for New Year 2009 for 2 weeks - loved every minute of it.
Mostly ate, a lot, everywhere. Hiked up Bukit Timah, visited Chinatown and Little India, cycled along the coast, went to the beach, shopped a little, took a boat trip to Bintan to play golf, went to the local markets (Bedok), went across to Sentosa (Universal Studios), did the night safari at the Zoo, went on the Singapore wheel/eye, multi-level driving range at night, cocktails at Clarke Quay and more...
Wouldn't go back for 2 weeks but we found loads to to and as it's so safe we just jumped on and off the MRT and buses and explored.
Oh, and the New Year street parades were insane, I started taking photos and video and ran out of memory, they just kept coming! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Mostly ate, a lot, everywhere. Hiked up Bukit Timah, visited Chinatown and Little India, cycled along the coast, went to the beach, shopped a little, took a boat trip to Bintan to play golf, went to the local markets (Bedok), went across to Sentosa (Universal Studios), did the night safari at the Zoo, went on the Singapore wheel/eye, multi-level driving range at night, cocktails at Clarke Quay and more...
Wouldn't go back for 2 weeks but we found loads to to and as it's so safe we just jumped on and off the MRT and buses and explored.
Oh, and the New Year street parades were insane, I started taking photos and video and ran out of memory, they just kept coming! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Edited by yellowbentines on Thursday 9th January 18:00
Edited by yellowbentines on Thursday 9th January 18:34
Another top tip you can fly into one airport and fly back from another for very little extra cost, ie this trip we are going with Qatar …,Heathrow to KL out and Phuket to Heathrow return for the same price as it was KL return!
Go on multi city when booking and have a play around for best fares , I start with Skyscanner but always book directly with airline.
Go on multi city when booking and have a play around for best fares , I start with Skyscanner but always book directly with airline.
Did a work trip last year over CNY. 9 days flew by. However the hotels do get very expensive. My cousin usually puts me up at weekends but they were busy with parties there as well - CNY seems to last for 3 weeks instead of a day or two here. Don't just hang around Raffles, MBS .. try the food markets around the Island. Some random ones I visited last time - Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Newton Food Centre, Ang Mo Kio Food Centre.
I liked Singapore but preferred Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, with Bangkok being my 1st choice. You can actually spend 9 days there if you move around several times in different areas as they offer a different experience. Plus Bangkok has a much bigger Chinatown compared to Singapore (although Singapore might have a bigger Chinese population)
Singapore is lovely, it's very safe,clean, very modern etc but it's very expensive and a little 'sterile' compared to Bangkok. For your 1st time to any of these cities it's a perfect introduction and probably has the best quality of life, but it lacks the excitement of Bangkok.
You can get a bus from Singapore to KL by the way, cost me about £12 and was a very comfortable 4 hours on a huge reclining chair.
Singapore is lovely, it's very safe,clean, very modern etc but it's very expensive and a little 'sterile' compared to Bangkok. For your 1st time to any of these cities it's a perfect introduction and probably has the best quality of life, but it lacks the excitement of Bangkok.
You can get a bus from Singapore to KL by the way, cost me about £12 and was a very comfortable 4 hours on a huge reclining chair.
Thx for great info so far. Was actually thinking of fitting in a trip to KL so will be looking up multi-stop flights now.
We went to Bangkok a few yrs go and I agree that it’s brilliant but perhaps a bit too ‘manic’ for us now. Ditto Saigon.
Yep…Singapore is a bit ‘Asia-lite’ but that will suit us this time…I guess KL is between the two? Looked up the train trip to KL but it’s not direct anymore so maybe a flight is best.
We went to Bangkok a few yrs go and I agree that it’s brilliant but perhaps a bit too ‘manic’ for us now. Ditto Saigon.
Yep…Singapore is a bit ‘Asia-lite’ but that will suit us this time…I guess KL is between the two? Looked up the train trip to KL but it’s not direct anymore so maybe a flight is best.
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 9th January 20:20
As suggest above, there's a lot more to Singapore than the main tourists spots that people tend to see in a couple of nights - I go for a couple of weeks every few years and it's never enough to do everything I want to - ideas off the top of my head - I'm sure I've missed loads of stuff out!:
Have a curry in Little India
Check out the little eateries in Chijmes
Malay food in Kampung Glam (or just chill in Blue Jazz bar which does decent food drinks)
Street food in Chinatown
Hawker at Lau Pau Sat
Clarke Quay
Boat Key (Opvs II is a decent restaurant)
Go for a walk round Fort Canning
Go to Sentosa - a little too commercial for me, but the beach is pleasant and managed to lose several hours walking round Fort Siloso taking in the war history
Check out the Zoo/ Botantical Gardens
Do Gardens by the Bay (and have some dim sum in the food court under MBS after the light show - whilst it's one of the more commercial areas the Shu Mai is to die for!)
Drinks ideas:
Atlas Bar for incredible cocktails
Higher Ground if you want the rooftop/ city scape experience with a nice low-key vibe
Raffles Courtyard to chill in the afternoon (without having to queue for the ultra-touristy Long Bar)
Have a curry in Little India
Check out the little eateries in Chijmes
Malay food in Kampung Glam (or just chill in Blue Jazz bar which does decent food drinks)
Street food in Chinatown
Hawker at Lau Pau Sat
Clarke Quay
Boat Key (Opvs II is a decent restaurant)
Go for a walk round Fort Canning
Go to Sentosa - a little too commercial for me, but the beach is pleasant and managed to lose several hours walking round Fort Siloso taking in the war history
Check out the Zoo/ Botantical Gardens
Do Gardens by the Bay (and have some dim sum in the food court under MBS after the light show - whilst it's one of the more commercial areas the Shu Mai is to die for!)
Drinks ideas:
Atlas Bar for incredible cocktails
Higher Ground if you want the rooftop/ city scape experience with a nice low-key vibe
Raffles Courtyard to chill in the afternoon (without having to queue for the ultra-touristy Long Bar)
We’ve done Singapore Chinese new year a couple of times, once we only got to the hotel (Fullerton, lovely place) scruffy with our back packs half an hour before the fireworks.
They have a big celebration area set up for a few weeks with food and drink and the city is well decorated.
I love Singapore and have walked miles exploring it, there’s a lot to see and do. The street they shut (bintang road?) at night right in the banking district is superb for street food. It’s been a few years since we’ve been but look forward to going again one day.
They have a big celebration area set up for a few weeks with food and drink and the city is well decorated.
I love Singapore and have walked miles exploring it, there’s a lot to see and do. The street they shut (bintang road?) at night right in the banking district is superb for street food. It’s been a few years since we’ve been but look forward to going again one day.
Lived in SG for a while. 2-3 days if you’re just trying to tick the tourist trail off and say you’ve been would suffice, but like anywhere in the world it takes longer to actually experience a place.
You don’t need to splash £400 a night and stay in the most expensive locations, just stay anywhere near the MRT it gets you everywhere within 10 mins. There is no bad area of SG, even the ‘bad’ parts are better than the good areas of the UK.
You don’t need to splash £400 a night and stay in the most expensive locations, just stay anywhere near the MRT it gets you everywhere within 10 mins. There is no bad area of SG, even the ‘bad’ parts are better than the good areas of the UK.
quarryman111 said:
We went to Bangkok a few yrs go and I agree that it’s brilliant but perhaps a bit too ‘manic’ for us now. Ditto Saigon.
Yep…Singapore is a bit ‘Asia-lite’ but that will suit us this time…I guess KL is between the two?
In that case a both Singapore and/or KL would be perfect for you Yep…Singapore is a bit ‘Asia-lite’ but that will suit us this time…I guess KL is between the two?
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 9th January 20:20
KL is somewhere between the 2 while remaining a very safe bet. It isn't quite as polished as Singapore but it isn't far off. You also do not have anything like the backpacker and nightlife scene of Bangkok or Saigon.
Being a Muslim majority has kept the nightlife and drinking to designated areas such as Bukit Bintang and in bars/clubs/pubs across the city. You wont find someone casually walking around with a beer like you would in Thailand or Vietnam. I noticed there was virtually no hostess bars etc which is nice if you want a drink without being pestered.
I saw more middle eastern and Arabic food in KL, and obviously Malay food.
Flying between the 2 is an option but both airports are huge (think Heathrow) Distance wise think London to York. I prefer the bus option and only had about 15 people on ours so immigration only took a few minutes. However I understand some prefer to go airports as your doing something rather than sat on a bus for 5 hours.
The post below yours is fantastic advice for Singapore
Following all the advice we have now booked for
6 nights SGP for end-Jan New Year festivities , then local flight to KL for 5 nights.
Interestingly I went full circle and booked a package with Emirates for pretty much the same price as doing it piecemeal…possibly due to expensive hotels in SGP.
Any advice on KL gratefully received please, as we’ve never been!
6 nights SGP for end-Jan New Year festivities , then local flight to KL for 5 nights.
Interestingly I went full circle and booked a package with Emirates for pretty much the same price as doing it piecemeal…possibly due to expensive hotels in SGP.
Any advice on KL gratefully received please, as we’ve never been!
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 16th January 18:19
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 16th January 18:21
Worth doing the Batu caves whilst in KL very easy to get to from kl sentral by train. Klcc park is really nice to have a walk around.
Do you know what hotel you are staying in? .Is it close to a MRT station? Plenty of good value hotels, we are staying in the Marriott Bonvoy Elements close to MRT and KLCC and only about £75 pn b&b.
Skywalks are great for getting from KLCC to Bintang and the Pavilion shopping centre. Do the Petronas Towers but book in advance, we went late afternoon so not too busy.
Do you know what hotel you are staying in? .Is it close to a MRT station? Plenty of good value hotels, we are staying in the Marriott Bonvoy Elements close to MRT and KLCC and only about £75 pn b&b.
Skywalks are great for getting from KLCC to Bintang and the Pavilion shopping centre. Do the Petronas Towers but book in advance, we went late afternoon so not too busy.
quarryman111 said:
Following all the advice we have now booked for
6 nights SGP for end-Jan New Year festivities , then local flight to KL for 5 nights.
Interestingly I went full circle and booked a package with Emirates for pretty much the same price as doing it piecemeal…possibly due to expensive hotels in SGP.
Any advice on KL gratefully received please, as we’ve never been!
Hotels, EQ, ultra modern or Shangri la,. Both walking distance to KLCC. Make sure you include breakfast, buffets in SE Asia are amazing.6 nights SGP for end-Jan New Year festivities , then local flight to KL for 5 nights.
Interestingly I went full circle and booked a package with Emirates for pretty much the same price as doing it piecemeal…possibly due to expensive hotels in SGP.
Any advice on KL gratefully received please, as we’ve never been!
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 16th January 18:19
Edited by quarryman111 on Thursday 16th January 18:21
The exchange is the latest and greatest mall there for shopping and dining. Use grab (Malaysian uber) to get around.
The old red light district, next to petaling street(China town) has lots of good bars and restaurants.
Day trips, Ipoh and Melaka and frasiers/genting highlands if you want a change from the heat.
wrencho said:
The Hawker at Old Airport Road is a bit more "authentic" than the central one....Haji Lane is great for a stroll and some drinks. The Parkrun course is lovely and flat too :-)
The old airport rd hawker centre probably is the best one to try. or amor st actually too. Those 2 are the ones in Singapore to go for rather than the chinatown/lau pa sat ones I'd say.And petaling st in kl for food for sure.
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