Singapore

candy_chl — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:22:49 +0800

Hi.........I'm planning to go SG around mid of August 2008. Need some suggestion and more details

1) Which hotel is more convenient?
- meaning near to public transport (MRT, Bus etc)
- reasonable price ......can be 3 star and below (not too cheap and dirty thou)

2) What are the great places is a must go? I'm planning to explore myself

3) This is the most important question......is there any SALES during that period??
- where is the great place to shop??

Going to book my ticket and hotel soon, so hoping some great suggestion from you guys.....
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INFO UPDATED BY MODERATORS:

This Q& A taken from the contribution by Chosei:

QUOTE

Frequently asked questions :

Which is a better location - Marina or Orchard ?

Both have their own merits, choose Orchard if you are in town purely for shopping. Marina and the surrounding areas (Suntec and Raffles City) will be a good base if you prefer to explore the city a bit more.

Where should I make the reservation - direct with the hotel or a third party ?

If there is a great deal on, an air and hotel package (eg. Singapore Airlines stop over package), those are the best ones to go with for. - If you have an amazing price on the airline tickets, book the hotel yourself through any sites eg. asiabesthotel.com, marimari.com, asiaroom.com, expedia.com etc. Whichever has the best prices.

Dont forget to compare prices with the hotel's direct site as they do have certain price (eg. prepaid) and promotional rates that are not available anywhere else.

What should I bring ?

SIN is one degree off the equator so anything to keep cool; cotton and quick drying fabrics are best. It does rain a lot so bring along shoes that are comfortable and you don't mind getting them wet.

What is the weather like?

Hot and humid, average temp. is 27 degree celsius throught the year with one degree cooler or warmer towards or away from the monsoon season (northeast season begins Dec to Mar, southwest from Jun to Sep, Apr and May being dry and the hottest month in SIN)

What to do ?

Shopping is big in SIN - dining is the biggest hobby in town

What not to be missed ?

Attractions :

* 1) Zoo
* 2) Jurong Bird Park
* 3) Haw Par Villa
* 4) Sentosa
* 5) Raffles
* 6) Chinatown
* 7) Little India
* 8) Geylang Serai
* 9) River areas of Boat Quay, Clark Quay and the Esplanade
* 10) Bugis
* 11) Singapore Museum
* 12) Botanic Gardens

Fun activity :

* 1) Cable Car ride
* 2) River boat ride
* 3) Wild Wild Wet
* 4) Hippo Tours
* 5) Duck Tours
* 6) Snow City
* 7) MRT ride into a local town
* 8) Trolley Tours
* 9) Trishaw Tours
* 10) walking tours
* 11) Singapore Flyer

What is the best souvenir to buy and where ?

* Chinatown has a mixture of touristy souvenirs of keychains, mugs, T-shirts as well as nice Chinese handicrafts like beaded evening bags and shoes, fans, antique chinese home decorative items, silk scarves, etc
* Little India for authentic Indian spices, jewelry and fabric
* Singapore museum shop has quite a few unique gifts and souvenirs
* RISIS Orchid & Peranakan Collections are available at Suntec Mall
* Singapre Sling and unique items at Raffles Hotel
* Local snacks that make great gifts for food lovers are available at the airport (SPFG cafe boutiques) or any DFS shops

How much is the cab fare from the airport to a hotel in Orchard Road or Marina area ?

to Orchard Road the cost will be around S$20 while to Marian area will be S$15-17, bear in mind there may be applicable surcharges (check this link for details : http://www.visitsingapore.com)

How much is the cab fare from a hotel in town to the zoo ?

fare from most hotels in town (orchard area) will cost about S$15 to Mandai area (zoo, night safari and orchid garden are located)

How is the MRT ?

Good and efficient, clean and safe. Definitely a great way to explore SIN

What about the SIA hop on/off bus or City Buzz ?

an easy way to get to know SIN if you don't have the leisure of time to explore the city, easy to use and cheap

Is the food safe at Hawker centres or food courts ?

SIN has a high standard of hygiene, all food establishments are required to display their health certificate issued by the health authority, grading from A (being the best) to D.
from:http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294265-s409/Singapore:Singapore:First.Time.Visitors.html

DRIVING TO SINGAPORE

QUOTE

If you drive a Malaysian-registered vehicle, you have to acquire an Autopass Card (a vehicle entry permit) at either Woodlands or Tuas Checkpoint arrival zones before entering Singapore. It is an offence to drive into Singapore without an Autopass Card (a vehicle entry permit) for your vehicle.

Visitors driving into Singapore in foreign-registered vehicles must use the Autopass Card to make payment for their VEP fees and/or toll charges and/or ERP charges at either Tuas or Woodlands Checkpoint.

VEP fees are calculated on a daily basis. However, there is no VEP fee charged for Saturdays, Sundays and all Singapore Public Holidays.

Ten VEP-free days
From 1 June 2005, all drivers of foreign registered cars and motorcycles can drive into Singapore for a maximum of 10 days in each calendar year without having to pay VEP fees.

After the 10 VEP free days have been utilized, VEP fees for subsequent days are chargeable if you continue to use or drive your foreign-registered car or motorcycle during VEP operating hours.

Please note that toll charges still apply. Toll charges are calculated on a per trip basis. You have to pay toll charges on arrival and departure at Tuas Checkpoint but only on departure at Woodlands Checkpoint.

ERP rate is at S$5/day but free on Sat, Sun & Public Holidays.

More info: http://www.lta.gov.sg/motoring_matters/ind...oring_guide.htm - Tnx to Ami Tsun for this link

AUTOPASS & VEP info:

The location of VEP office is right after the im migration. The parking in between Immigration & custom is very limited and pls keep to the right or use the right immigration counters if possible as you really need to park there to buy your Autopass. The autopass is just like our Touch&Go card and can be topped up at any 7-11. It can be used for numerous malls' Parking, paying VEP, ERP & causeway toll.

BUDGET HOTELS:

http://www.asiarooms.com/singapore/singapo...chType=location

http://www.agoda.com/pages/agoda/default/D...archResult.aspx

http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php/Ch...untry.Singapore

MRT ROUTE

Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by candy_chl

Singapore