Singapore in October- tips?

[PugwasHDJ80]

Its Christmas- I've just been invited to the Singapore race by a very very good mate!

Any particular tips to make the most of it? my only other live event was silverstone qualy last year.

It'll be the first time in Singapore too!

[Ruskie]

Little bump for this, I am going next weekend as well. Always been on my bucket list.

[oldaudi]

I m also going. Fly Tuesday from Gatwick A few guys from my team will take the day off Thursday and show me around. A few things we have discussed are below. I ve got a 3 day ticket so will be in the grandstand for every event and also plan to watch The Killers and Lana Del Rey at the stage events. I m there for a week and will also spend a few hours in our offices. I talk to the APAC team daily but never actually been to our office.

I m particularly excited for the hawker stall food. Love Asian cuisine

• Marina Bay Sands
• Merlion
• Helix Bridge
• Walk around the waterfront
• Cloud Forest
• Flower Dome
• Supertrees
• Garden Rhapsody after dark
• Chinatown
• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
• Maxwell Food Centre
• Walk through Little India

According to my tickets we can t get into the grandstand until 13:30 to 15:00 depending on the day so we have lots of day time to spend looking around.

Jet lag will ruin me. Went to Tokyo last October, thinking an early arrivals means I get the full day. Landed at 7am, could not check in until 15:00 and fell asleep in reception at 13:00. Daughter woke me up due to my snoring. No alcohol and will have to power through this time. Similar flight times so I ll see how I get on.

I m on my own all week (apart from Thursday). If you want a beer, send me a message

Don’t forget to do your visitor visa pass!!

Edited by oldaudi on Sunday 4th October 08:12

[Ruskie]

We had a delay departing Heathrow so missed our connecting flight in Doha. All in all a 28 hour door to door. Good flights though with no one sat in the middle of us, so that helped with sleep. Just had first Hawker meal and it was fantastic!

[oldaudi]

I’m direct….. just dont want to wake up to more air traffic issues. Have a great time!

[AlmondGreen]

PugwasHDJ80 said:

Its Christmas- I've just been invited to the Singapore race by a very very good mate!

Any particular tips to make the most of it? my only other live event was silverstone qualy last year.

It'll be the first time in Singapore too!

I’ve lived here for several years and here’s a few tips.
- the heat and humidity is really high so walking around can be quite exhausting
- Singapore is really quite compact with most of the interesting areas close to the circuit
- the MRT (underground train) is excellent, clean and cheap and is the best way to get around
- the buses are all aircon, cheap and frequent
- the hawker centres are cheap and can be found all over the island. The food is great and safe
- Little India is a great place to visit, the main drag is Serangoon Rd but go down the side streets as it’s more interesting. Lots of good restaurants with many different types of curries
- Kampong Glam is the Malaysian ethnic area. Excellent restaurants and a good street for open air pubs is Hadji Lane
- Chinatown is quite touristy but you can find good places to eat, and nearby in Duxton Hill area you’ll find many bars and restaurants
- beers at the hawker centres are good value but it’s a lot more expensive if you drink at the hotel bars

Hopefully this helps!

[PugwasHDJ80]

thanks Almondgreen

Any tips on any very very good restaurants to take my host to as a "thank you"?

[AlmondGreen]

PugwasHDJ80 said:

thanks Almondgreen

Any tips on any very very good restaurants to take my host to as a "thank you"?

My suggestion is to go to the Dempsey Hill area which is about a 20min taxi ride from the circuit. There’s many top quality restaurants covering a wide range of food types. The restaurants are located in old WW2 British barracks surrounded by trees and open spaces so has a very different vibe than downtown. If you Google “Dempsey Hill Restaurants” you can see what’s available. My suggestion if you want upmarket local food is Violet Oons or Candlenut. Make a reservation as these places are often full.

[Sandpit Steve]

I went there a while ago, 2013, stayed for a week around the race.

Over the race weekend stayed in some crappy 2* hotel about eight stops on the metro from the centre, but afterwards took three fancy hotels for a night each when the prices had come down considerably!

Don’t rent a car unless you’d also rent a car in central London. Metro (MRT) and taxis everywhere - but plan on it raining every single afternoon, and dress accordingly! That it’s a night race, means that you have a lot of the day to explore the place.

Highlights, other than what’s been mentioned already: (valid in 2013)

Singapore Museum, a striking realisation of just how recent is the history of the place.
Loads of walking around the city. Yes it’s hot, but I live in Dubai so am used to it. Entire city centre is walkable and totally safe.
Boat Quay, which is a line of restaurants with consecutive one-hour happy hours!
The ‘big wheel’ is inside the F1 venue and free to ride. Do it on Friday when there’s no queue.
Also inside the venue are a number of small corner shops, which sell water and beer and snacks at regular retail prices rather than inflated event prices at concession stands.
Mohan’s Custom Tailors, who will make you a suit to measure for a fraction of the price you think it will be, and have it done in 48 hours.
The Long Bar at the Raffles hotel, home of the Singapore Sling. Yes it’s the most expensive cocktail you’ll ever have ordered!
Sands Casino, if only to spend an hour watching the Chinese rolling $10,000 chips like confetti! Bring your passport for admission.

Edited by Sandpit Steve on Monday 5th October 09:14

[AlmondGreen]

For taxis you’ll need two apps, Grab (local equivalent to Uber) and CDZ Zig (regular taxis and private hire drivers). Street hailing is rarely available - there are taxi ranks, but you’ll find everyone waiting has booked thru the app. They use surge pricing especially when it’s raining, so be prepared to pay a lot more, if you can actually get one!