MUST DO’S WHEN VISITING SINGAPORE

Despite a quick visit, Singapore remains one of my favourite cities I have ever visited. Singapore is actually an island but this place has all the vibes of a city with areas of hidden beauty, enchantment & culture which I haven’t found anywhere else.

When I visited, I knew a few people that lived over there & they sent me to some of best & local places in Singapore which made the experience even better. So, I thought I would share some of that knowledge with you in-case you find yourself visiting (…because I’m nice like that)

1. STAY AT MARINA BAY SANDS

If you can, you HAVE to stay at Marina Bay Sands, not only for the rooms with an incredible view but for the insane rooftop swimming pool, open both day & night - seriously all the infinity pool goals right there!

The pool is only accessible to hotel guests so you need to be staying there to experience it. It is one of the best infinity pools I have been in & when visiting at night, all the glistening city lights just don’t seem real.

Prices start from around S$ 500 per night, which is about £290 – it may seem like a lot but I think it is worth spending at least one night here to experience the pool & the sheer size of the hotel. It is one of the most iconic buildings in Singapore, situated in the marina, attached to the mall and ‘Gardens by the Bay’ – the infamous handmade & stunning gardens (but more on that in a sec). Plus, a jazzy water feature show - see above!

2. WALK THROUGH ‘CHINA TOWN’

Wandering around the main ‘city’ area of Singapore, you have to go and walk around China Town. I always love soaking up the culture wherever I visit and stumbling across this area of Singapore was one of my favourite afternoons.

I got to see the locals shopping for their loose tea, experience some of the street food and also have a shop around the market stalls. *I kid you not, you could get 35 keyrings for S$10 – I am not entirely sure why you would want 35 keyrings but you know, the offer is there if you want it… or if you have a very large family waiting for gifts from your travels.

I got a gorgeous silky (*not real) oriental print dressing gown for S$15 which is about £8 – the one I was looking at here before I went was £35! You could get some amazing bargains from pretty dresses to quirky tea pots (carry teapots home at your own risk).

3. EAT AT CHOPSUEY CAFÉ – DEMPSEY HILL

Dempsey Hill in general is a great place for restaurants and bars but one of my favourites is Chopsuey Café & will be for any other Asian food lovers out there.

The décor of this place is beautiful – all the marble worktops and flowers you could imagine (majorly Instagram worthy) with huge black ceiling fans & floor to ceiling glass that spans the entire place.

The food was delicious - especially when paired with a bottle of bubbles – no regrets when on hols. My favourite dish was these INSANE Hoisin Duck Soft Buns – genuinely one of the best things I have had and I haven’t been to find any as good since.

If you don’t like Asian food, there is loads of amazing restaurants in Dempsey Hill so make sure you visit.

4. DRINK AT THE LONG BAR - RAFFLES

I am sure you have heard of Raffles, one of the most famous & opulent hotels in Singapore. Home of the renowned ‘Singapore Sling’ created in 1915 & you must try one while you are visiting.

The best and quirkiest thing about this place is something pretty unexpected! You get given a sack of monkey nuts to enjoy and with the shells… you throw them on the floor!!! Weird right?!

This has long been a tradition in the Long Bar which I had no idea about – I was so shocked when I looked down and wondered why the floor was crunching to see a ton of nut shells!!

As it is super popular you may need to wait for a table but the que goes down quickly and it is definitely worth experiencing the atmosphere – hey, if its good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for me!

5. EXPLORE CLARKE QUAY

One of the things I love most about Singapore is the amount of water there is around. I know that sounds stupid as it is an island, but usually with cities I can feel overwhelmed with the tall buildings and crazy amount of traffic but here, there is so many places to get away from the madness.

I love Clarke Quay for all the beautiful pastel coloured buildings – I felt like I was in Disney!! Clarke Quay comes alive at night and is the perfect place to go for drinks either before or after dinner (or both!) There are tons of restaurants around here too but if you like crab, you MUST go to Jumbo Seafood. They do the most amazing sea salt and pepper crab with loads of sides from prawn satays to coconut rice. Plus, it is really good value for money considering you are getting a whole crab.

PS. The whole crab is definitely to share between two, if you can eat all that on your own, I will be seriously impressed

6. BE AMAZED BY ‘GARDENS BY THE BAY’

Gardens by the Bay brings to life the idea of creating a topical garden, bang in the middle of a city. The most iconic attraction is the Supertree Grove and the Skyway that runs around it – you absolutely must see this at night!! Every night they have incredible light shows on the Supertrees which is seriously magical – no joke, I may have welled up a slightly… don’t judge me until you have seen it.

During the day you can visit the Flower Dome & the Cloud Forest. Both are equally amazing but my favourite was the Cloud Forest with its man-made waterfall & tropical flower displays.

I absolutely loved Singapore and can’t want to go back! What are you favourite places to visit on the island?