Singapore has to be one of the most photogenic cities I have ever been to. The lighting is always perfect, the architecture is amazing, and it is just. so. clean.
I watched Crazy Rich Asians a couple of weekends ago, which I thought was really good! Has anyone else seen it? The movie is set in Singapore, and watching that movie gave me all the feels and reminded me of my own trip to Singapore earlier this year. My boyfriend and I were able to spend three days in Singapore as it was the last leg of our trip.
Day 1: Little India, Marina Bay Sands, The Merlion
We took a red-eye from Beijing to Singapore, and landed around 6:30 in the morning. Since Changi Airport is one of the most famous in the world, and we didn’t have much planned for that day, we of course spent a couple hours walking around and exploring the airport before heading to our hotel. We chose to stay at Marina Bay Sands, because how could we come all this way and not see that spectacular infinity pool? After a quick nap and a change of clothes, we went out in search of food.
We decided to head to Little India to The Banana Leaf Apollo, an Indian restaurant recommended by Mark Wiens, a food blogger who has pretty much been everywhere in the world. Now trust me when I say we’ve used his food recs everywhere we’ve traveled, and he’s never let us down. This time was no exception.
We got the fish-head curry, and it was so. good. I never thought I would describe a food as exciting, but this is exactly what that curry was. Exciting.
It knocked the jet lag right out of me. Their mastery of this dish is nothing short of impressive.
Our next stop was to see the Merlion, one of Singapore’s most popular attractions, and we arrived just in time to see the sun set.
This has to be one of my favorite memories of Singapore. There was a huge crowd of people just sitting on the steps surrounding the statue, locals and tourists alike, just enjoying the view. No one was in a rush, or in a bad mood, or stressed. Everywhere I looked were families and friends smiling, enjoying the sunset and the city. When it comes to views, it really doesn’t get any better than this. Singapore is a city that’s just meant to be photographed and admired.
Of course we had to get a selfie.
This was our view on the walk back. Amazing architecture.
We ended the night with some ramen at Ippudo, which was very conveniently located in our hotel. I got the Akamaru Shinaji, which was really tasty!
Day 2: Gardens by the Bay (Flower Dome, Cloud Forest), Chinatown
The next day was all about the Gardens by the Bay. This place was something we wanted to see during the day and at night, so we were lucky that it was right across the street from Marina Bay Sands.
We started the day with a traditional Singaporean breakfast at Toast Box, also located in our hotel. We got some sandwiches, kaya toast, which is essentially toast topped with sugar, butter, and coconut milk, and some poached eggs.
We then headed over to the famous Gardens by the Bay and visited the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. Trust me when I say this place is as beautiful as everyone says.
After wandering around for a couple hours we went to Chinatown to check out the cheapest restaurant with a Michelin Star rating, called Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle. This food stall is located in Chinatown Complex Market and Food Center, a hawker center located in the heart of Chinatown. We weren’t exactly sure where this stall was located, but as soon as we saw the line formed outside, we knew we had found it. We waited about 40 minutes to order, but it was worth the wait.
They’re known for their Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, so we got one of each. The best part? Each dish is about two Singaporean dollars, which is about 1.50 USD!!! This was hands down, one of the best things we ate in Singapore. If you ever visit, you should definitely check it out!
We spent the rest of our afternoon checking out Orchard Road, one of Singapore’s famous shopping streets before heading back to our hotel. After the sunset, we headed back to the Gardens by the Bay to check out the Supertree Grove in the evening, when everything lights up.
The photo below has to be one of my favorites from the trip. We were waiting in line to go up to the skywalk, and I just looked up and snapped this photo. This place is like something out of a dream.
We spent the rest of the evening here just trying to soak in the whole experience, and were lucky enough to be on the skywalk during the lightshow at 8:45.
Day 3: Kampong Glam, Selfie Coffee, Singaporean Chili Crab
On our last day, we decided to spend the morning at the infinity pool located on the very top of Marina Bay Sands. We were able to beat the crowds by going early and really tried to soak in as much of Singapore as we could before it was time to leave. As you know, Singapore is known to be pretty hot year round, so stepping into this pool felt amazing! I could have stayed here all day.
The Singapore Zoo was our next stop, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my time there. This is an open-concept zoo, which means that the animals (to an extent) are able to freely roam around the property and you are able to get up close and personal with them. Feeding the giraffes was one of the highlights of the trip. There are feeding times listed all over the zoo for different animals, and in this case, for 5 Singaporean dollars you can get in line and feed the giraffes.
We spent the afternoon in Kampong Glam, otherwise known as the Muslim Quarter to walk around and explore the neighborhood. The alleyways and streets were so beautiful, filled with local art and local restaurants, and we finally made our way to Haji Lane.
There is a coffee shop there aptly titled Selfie Coffee, where you can take a selfie and they then screen that photo onto a latte. I mean, how could we not do it? The coffee itself is ok, nothing special, but the concept is fun!
We ended our trip to Singapore with one of the most famous seafood dishes there, Singaporean Chili Crab. Jumbo Seafood is pretty famous for this dish, and we were lucky enough to not have to wait when we arrived. Keep in mind you do have a time limit of 90 minutes to order your food and finish it. It seems short but was really more than enough time. This was the only picture we took before we dug in. Definitely one of the better things I had to eat in Singpore!
Singapore is such a beautiful city and such a rich melting pot of all different kinds of cultures, and is a city that I cannot wait to visit again in the near future.