DOs & DON’Ts
SINGAPORE
SHOP THE POST AT THE END OF THE PAGE
WHERE TO EAT
DON’T
BIG FOREIGN RESTAURANTS
Singapore is full of restaurants whose food is characteristic of hundreds of countries all over the world. No matter if you want to eat Italian, Indian or Mexican food because there’s a full range of places where you can eat (even German hamburgers like at Hans im Glück). Of course, don’t get me wrong, I think all these restaurants are really good, but when you are in a city like Singapore you should always try to eat in more local and smallest restaurants. You are gonna find lots of big chain restaurants on every corner but they aren’t the best choice for a good Singaporean meal.
DO
LOCAL RESTAURANTS
If you want to grab something to eat on the way, the best tip I can give you is to go to one of the many kiosks which serve Asian food. I had the best ramen of my life in one of those at a really cheap price. They honestly cook the best food you can find in Singapore which everyone can afford. On the other hand, if you are looking for a proper restaurant, try to find some places which serve Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Indian food, the countries from which most of the population in Singapore is from. I personally loved a Muslim noodle restaurant called Noosh. The food was great and the waiters extremely kind. Again, I found it really randomly but once I got to seat, I saw that more and more people were asking for a table and in a few minutes the queue became quite long. Give it a try!
WHERE TO STAY
DO
THE FULLERTON HOTEL
Instead, if you are still looking for luxury, I’m happy to tell you that The Fullerton is much more worth your money. This hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Singapore, which consists of a group of buildings, including the one where the original Fuller hotel was, located on the opposite side of the Marina Bay. As soon as you enter the hotel you get a Gossip Girl vibe that gives elegance and luxury to the whole lobby. I personally came across the Fullerton really randomly because I hadn’t even planned on going there before. On the whole, the first impression of the Fullerton is hands down better than the one I had of the Marina Bay. The history of the Fullerton and the vintage-chic interior design gives the hotel great charm. Again, I haven’t been to the rooms of the hotel but this opinion is only about the lobby and what impression the hotel gave. However, I’m sure that the view from the top floors is breathtaking since the location of this hotel allows the customers to lodge in rooms facing both the iconic Marina Bay and the endless amount of skyscrapers in the financial street. Totally recommended!
DON’T
THE MARINA BAY
This is probably the biggest disappointment of my life ahah. I was certainly really curious to see the Marina Bay and, in particular, the famous hotel all travel magazines talk about. I’m sure all of you have already seen the “infinity pool” located on the top of the Marina Bay in lots of photos, and so I had. Although I had high expectations, once I finally got to see the hotel, I wasn’t super enthusiastic. Before anything else, I want you to keep in mind that I didn’t stay at this hotel so I didn’t see what the rooms look like. This review is just concerning the outside and the first look at it. Anyways, I was expecting a sophisticated hotel lobby and a pool which was big enough to cover half top floor. However, even if the view was great from there, the pool wasn’t huge and it was quite crowded. What I found really disappointing was the lobby. Since the hotel is located inside a shopping mall, I couldn’t even distinguish the actual lobby from the rest of the stores. As a matter of fact, it isn’t separated from the shopping mall, which makes everything so confusing. On the whole, the Marina Bay is indeed a nice hotel but for the money you pay, it is not the best.
WHERE TO SHOP
DON’T
THE FINANCIAL STREET
In Singapore, unlike New York City, the city center where you can go shopping isn’t located in the area with the most skyscrapers. As a matter of fact, the part of the city with the real skyline is the financial street, instead of the fashion street like for example in New York City. Just keep in mind that if you decide to have a walk in the financial street you won’t find much since, despite being the architectural heart of the city, it is not considered the actual shopping area.
DO
ORCHARD ROAD
Orchard road is my absolute favorite shopping street in Singapore. In this part of the city you will find all the major brands on every corner, such as Prada, Gucci, Chanel or Louis Vuitton. Always try to find the headquarters of the different brands, the biggest stores in the city. My favorite location is Louis Vuitton, placed right in front of the Marina Bay. The store offers a huge collection of bags and accessories to die for, all this in the perfect location.
