We had been through Singapore airport before – transferring to somewhere else in the world – but we had never ventured out of the airport building. Recently however, striving to get home to England, with our Dohar flights cancelled due to the conflict, we endured a convoluted, lengthy and extortionately expensive detour – which gave us 24 precious hours in Singapore.
Singapore is known as a major aviation, finance and maritime shipping hub. It is a highly developed country, ranking very highly on all key social indicators, such as health, education, home ownership, safety etc. In this very multicultural country – life expectancy is high.
Singapore is actually a collection of islands – one main one and over 60 satellite islands. In 1867 it came under British control, was occupied by Japan between 1942-45, went back to British control, before gaining self-governance in 1959.
Several things struck us on arrival. Firstly, the infrastructure – large, multi-lane highways that flow seamlessly, towering and innovative modern skyscrapers and enormous shopping malls. Secondly, the cleanliness – there is no litter anywhere! Thirdly, the politeness and warmth of the people. This is a truly cosmopolitan country – people from all over the World lulled to make their fortunes in the financial industries. To ensure social harmony, laws are very strict – there are heavy penalties for minor misdemeanours such as jaywalking, littering or not flushing public toilets. The population dutifully complies. For instance, while quietly waiting for the underground train, I took a sip of water from my bottle. A very lovely man rushed over – full of anxiety for my wellbeing and told me to quickly put my water bottle away. Eating and drinking on public transport is banned and every station and train has cameras to spot those breaking the law.
Quick Top Tips
- Currency – Singapore Dollar (SGD) – change up your own local currency on arrival or withdraw from the multiple ATMs.
- Language. There are four main languages: English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay – though most speak English.
- Getting around. We only had 24 hours, so took a cab from the airport to the centre. However, whilst there, we found the underground to be super simple to navigate and extremely cheap – we just used our bank cards to scan in and out. Once you arrive in an area – much is in walking distance. Download the ‘Grab’ app for taxis (the equivalent of Uber).
- Shopping malls. These are everywhere and are enormous. Often, the only way to cross a road is to go down into a subterranean mall – and hope that you can navigate yourselves out the other side – which was far more challenging than it sounds!
- Jewel Changi Airport. The airport is a tourist attraction in its own right – with shopping malls, activities and the breathtaking ‘Vortex’ waterfall and garden. Located near terminal 1 – it’s definitely worth getting to the airport a little earlier and spending some time exploring.
What we did in 24 hours in Singapore
We arrived at our hotel on the Orchard Road at 7.30pm. This iconic 2.2km boulevard, is a shopping mecca – with huge luxury brand malls and state-of-the-art architecture. It’s a great central point, though not being enthusiastic shoppers – especially after being on-the-road for several weeks – we headed to the underground and took a train to China Town.
China Town. We headed to Temple Street, lured by the beautiful lights, lanterns and smells. We explored the markets and gift shops and deliberated over where we would eat as the choice is immense – choosing an outdoor corner table so that we could do some serious people watching.
As it had just turned into the Year of the Horse – we spent time choosing the most appropriate trinket to collect for our Christmas ‘travel tree’. It was a great way to work off some jetlag and experience a night in Singapore – though beware – it didn’t open late, late – so we were glad we headed there early. It’s also Singapore prices in the main touristy part – in other words – not cheap!
Marina Bay Sands. The next morning, we headed by train to Marina Bay Sands. The station was a 15-20 minute walk through the financial district and through some amazing, futuristic architectural designs. It was a hot, beautiful and very peaceful walk, past lagoons, colonial buildings and skyscrapers.
Marina Bay Sands is an iconic, 5-star luxury hotel and resort, surrounded by high brand shopping malls. What pulls tourists is the design of the building and the viewing platform. You can wander around the adjoining shopping malls, meander through the hotel’s huge reception area and enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants.
We paid to go up in the lift to the viewing platform, 56 storeys high (approximately 200 meters/656 feet) at the top. You can’t access the infinity swimming pool – that’s for hotel guests only – but you do get a panoramic view of the city, and it is breathtaking on all sides. In particular, you get to see the botanical gardens and ‘Supertree Grove’ below. It’s cheaper to go up to the viewing platform during the day – for obvious reasons – many like to see the lights of the ‘Supertree Grove’ – but we thought it well worth the admission fee. I am not keen on heights – but coped – though we did notice a very slight sway.
Raffles Hotel. The iconic Raffles Hotel was built by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies brothers in 1887, as a way to provide luxury accommodation for travellers in Singapore. Famous for its colonial style, world-class butler service and famous guests, it epitomises the luxury and glamour of Singapore.
We decided to walk to the hotel, exploring on foot and reward ourselves with an iconic Singapore Sling cocktail.
When you arrive at the door, the concierge triages guests and non-guests – sending us round to the side of the building to the ‘Long Bar’. This is where all the tourists go and we were completely put off by the long queue of tourists waiting to go in and take a selfie with a Singapore sling – this felt more Disneyland than authentic Raffles. Instead, we went to the courtyard restaurant in the hotel – accessible for non-hotel guests and had a delightful lunch in the sunshine at a reasonable price. Though we couldn’t resist buying a Singapore Sling cocktail too! Apparently, they were designed for women – who weren’t supposed to drink alcohol – the pretty colour hid the fact that it was actually quite potent!
Little India
After lunch, we trekked up to Little India, a vibrant and interesting area of the city to explore for a couple of hours. Brightly painted buildings, markets and cafes selling all sorts of fabrics, clothes and trinkets. This helped us work off lunch and let us experience a contrast to the luxury brand shopping malls.
We finished the day by meandering through a high-end shopping mall, spent 20 minutes ensuring we came out on the right side of the road and grabbed some supper.
Finally, we headed to the airport – a little earlier so that we could catch the Vortex at terminal 1.
24 hours gives limited time to really explore, experience and indulge in somewhere new – but it is perfectly possible to see some of the main sights and get a real glimpse of this sophisticated place. Our airport driver proudly boasted of the quality of his life – the high cost of things – but equally how well he was paid and looked after. It is easy to see why people want to live and work here.
We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. 