We landed in Singapore late afternoon after a very long flight from the UK and had 2 days to explore as much as possible before moving on to Sentosa. We stayed at JEN Singapore Orchardgateway by Shangri-La. Here is everything we managed to fit in to 2 full days.
Changi Airport
I don’t think I have ever spent so much time in an airport by choice. When we arrived it was pouring with rain so our bags were delayed coming off the plane, we sat in arrivals waiting for them and a staff member came out with a cart of complimentary snacks and water for us which was very welcome. There were actually very few people getting off our flight, most were continuing on to other destinations.
We bought SIM cards and went downstairs to get some food from the food court, eyed up the slide and checked out the football on a large screen before eventually leaving and heading to the hotel. We also spent some time on the way out visiting the fountain, having something to eat and exploring the shops.
Day 1:
Hop on Hop off bus
We pre booked tickets with Big Bus and were able to get on the bus almost outside of our hotel. We did a full circuit of the yellow route to get our bearings and see a bit of Singapore and then got off at several of the stops. It was a really great way to see the city, our only issues were that when we set off in the morning it was pouring with rain which meant that not all the seats could be used and I we hadn’t realised that as it was a Sunday the buses would be finishing earlier than we expected which meant we couldn’t use the bus to get to Gardens by the Bay as planned and we had to get a taxi.
Raffles
Raffles is a British colonial hotel and has been part of life in Singapore since 1887. The hotel has grown since then and is now a national monument as well as being a beautiful oasis of calm in the city. Raffles is home to the famous Long Bar which has been relocated from its original venue facing the road to upstairs. Male guests would sit and watch passers by while sipping and alcoholic drink however etiquette dictated that women should not drink alcohol in public and instead should stick to tea or fruit juices. In 1915 bartender Ngiam Tong Boon created an alcoholic drink for the ladies that looked like a fruit juice and the world famous Singapore Sling was born. The Long Bar still has its colonial charm and is open for visitors whether you are staying in the hotel or not.
No pre booking needed, you can turn up at anytime and queue to get in. Children are welcome and Pip loved the fact that it is traditional to shell the peanuts that are on your table and then throw the shells on the floor. We tried a Singapore Sling which was very strong and also the non-alcoholic version which was delicious. Other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are also available.
Merlion Park
The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore. Its fish body symbolises Singapore’s origins as a fishing village and the lion represents the city’s original name of Singapura, which means lion city in Sanskrit.
The Merlion statue is in front of the Fullerton hotel on the waterfront and stands at 8.6 metres tall and spouts water from its mouth.
The area around the Merlion is bustling with places to eat, bars, miniature merlins and tourists trying to get the perfect photo.
Gardens by the Bay
We arrived at Gardens by the Bay at about 6pm and had pre booked tickets for the things that we wanted to do. The site is huge and there are several different exhibitions to see with separate tickets for each.
If you just want see Supertree Grove at night and the light show then entry to the park is free.
One of the main experiences is the Cloud Forest which is Avatar themed and really spectacular, as you walk up the levels you move further up in the cloud forest and the views get better and better. There is also a free Avatar experience where you can turn yourself in to a Na’vi.
We also had tickets for the viewing platform at the top of the main tree in Supertree Grove and we waited until after the light show to go up which meant that it was much quieter and we also had a wonderful view of Singapore at night including the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands Hotel. There is also a walk way between 2 of the trees but that was a separate ticket and I imagine the view is very similar so you probably don’t need to do both.
For the light show, we found a spot on the floor facing the main tree and lay down to watch (you can stand or sit as well). The show is set to music and really was impressive and a great way to finish off a day sightseeing in Singapore. If we had had more time then we could have spent much more time as there is lots to see and places to eat too.
Day 2:
We had pre-booked tickets to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve so were up early for a full day of zoo parks. We don’t normally go to zoos but this one seems to have a real focus on conservation and supporting other wildlife projects.
There are several ways to get to the zoo by public transport but we decided to get the MRT from the station next to our hotel to Khatib station and then the shuttle bus from there to the zoo. It’s quite a trek outside of the centre of Singapore although very easy.
We had tickets to Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and the Night Safari and we started in Singapore Zoo. The entrance for Singapore Zoo and River Wonders are next to each other and have a range of dining options, coffee shops (including Starbucks) and gift shops with some fabulous souvenirs.
It was a very wet day when we were there which meant that there were less people around and we didn’t have to wait to see any of the animals. Even though it was raining it was still warm so we didn’t mind getting a bit damp and it was worth it for the zoo to be so quiet. I thought the animal exhibitions were really good and the animals all seemed happy. There were lots of places to get food around the park and a play area and carousel at the back of the park.
After we’d seen everything we wanted to see at the Zoo we headed over to River Wonders. This was also fairly quiet and we felt that maybe people aren’t as interested in fish as they are all the other animals. There are some fabulous things here though, there are the otters and Amazon River quest which is a boat ride through various habitats to see animals that live in or near the river and ends with a small flume ride.
The highlight of River Wonders is the pandas and they have both giant pandas and red pandas. We were really lucky and both red pandas were out while we were there and walked over our heads, almost within touching distance. There do have cameras in their house though so if you are not as lucky you can still get a glimpse of them We also saw one of the giant pandas although he slept with his back to us all the way through our visit.
Again there are places to get food and drink all round the site and a couple of fabulous gift shops.
We finished the day with the Night Safari which was amazing, it’s a chance to explore the zoo at night and see all the animals that are naturally nocturnal. The Night safari is a separate section from the rest of the zoo although only a short walk away. The Dining and retail area opens at 6:30pm so we headed there first for some dinner. There are several different options with central seating so we were able to all choose something different and then eat together.
We then managed to get tickets for the Creatures of the Night show which was a great introduction to the nocturnal animals. The queue for the trams was quite long at this point so we headed off to walk some of the night trails. It’s quite a strange experience walking around a zoo at night but so cool to see what the animals get up to in the dark. There is low level lighting at each of the enclosure and around the trails so you can see where you are going. There is an extensive trail systems so you can walk as much or as little as you like. We finished the evening off with a tram ride which is a narrated tour of some of the enclosures.
SIM cards
We bought SIM cards from the airport when we arrived after we had left arrivals. It definitely paid to shop around though as different stalls and shops were selling SIM cards at various prices for varying lengths.
Food
Mo’s Burger
Mo’s Burger is located just behind the Merlion statue and we decided to give it a try because it was there and we were hungry! Pip went for a burger that she really didn’t like, it had a sauce on it like a sloppy Joe and Andy choose something that was strips of beef in a rice bun. In the end they swapped and Pip declared Andy’s food the best thing she had tasted. There didn’t appear to be anything vegetarian on the menu for me.
Apart from Mo’s we mainly filled up at the breakfast buffet in the morning and then ate snacks during the day.
We loved the assortment of food in Singapore as there are so many different types of food to choose from.
Money
We used our Revolut card most places.
Weather
We had a real mix of weather while we were in Singapore. The mornings were very wet with everything from light rain to heavy showers that most days cleared up as the day went on and turned in to beautiful sunshine. Whether it was wet or dry, it was always hot so an umbrella is a good idea as it was too warm to wear a rain coat or plastic poncho.
Thought on Singapore
As cities go Singapore is pretty fabulous, it’s very green and very safe. We really enjoyed exploring it and would definitely visit again as there was lots that we didn’t get to do. We combined it with a visit to Sentosa, you can find the itinerary here.
We visited in April 2023 when Pip was 10.
Go everywhere, Do everything 