# Singapore Vacation **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 23, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161 "2013-05-23T20:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/21 "2013-06-15T14:35:18Z")
Whatever you do, I urge you not to eat [one of these](http://donaldandcathy.typepad.com/ma_vie_trouvee/2013/06/our-newest-mcflurry-form-mcdonalds.html). ---
**Author:** ![chronometer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@chronometer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chronometer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/22 "2013-06-15T14:57:45Z")
The aquarium at Sentosa is really good too. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/23 "2013-06-17T04:50:23Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Fantastic zoo and bird park, and also, um, shopping? Lots and lots of shopping. It’s like a giant mall with its own army. Sentosa Island is supposed to be nice, especially if you like golf and spas and … shopping, but I never went there myself. I found Singapore a strange place. It’s legal to sell sex there, but not chewing gum. That’s weird, right? Not weird at all. London is covered with chewing gum- it is disgusting. Sex for sale is discreet and not in your face. Prostitution is legal in many western countries including the UK, New Zealand, Australia and part of the US. I used to live in Singapore and loved it. There is heaps to do, as they have many attractions and really do the tourist stuff well. My only complaint is that it is too expensive for me to visit anymore. Definitely visit the zoo and bird park. Botanical garden was nice. Sentosa has all sorts of stuff to do/ see. Go over on the cable car. If you like food, you’ll be happy. Try the hawker food places- very clean. Try to visit the Satay Club. If you have time, go over the causeway to Johor Bahru. In short, go, but take plenty of money. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/24 "2013-06-17T04:53:35Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Whatever you do, I urge you not to eat [one of these](http://donaldandcathy.typepad.com/ma_vie_trouvee/2013/06/our-newest-mcflurry-form-mcdonalds.html). Many hotels ban guests from taking them in. They smell so revolting I have never tried one, though supposed to be delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/25 "2013-06-17T04:57:29Z")
Forgot to mention that SA is indeed probably the best airline in the world, IMO. Changi airport is AMAZING. Do some tours and you will certainly fill all your time there. Take the underground for a trip or two. It actually goes overground as well for a good view of places off the tourist trail. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/26 "2013-06-17T05:06:38Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Okay, so it seems the consensus is that I should probably commit to no more than 2 days in Singapore, and spend the majority of my vacation elsewhere. fantastic! I knew asking here was the right thing to do. Thanks guys! > > Now to decide where else to spend the other 10 or so days. Penang sounds interesting, but that seems to be a 1-day excursion, 2 at the most. I would probably be bored there longer than that. > > Can someone tell me more about Thailand? I disagree completely. I could easily spend a fortnight in Singapore with Malaysian excursions and some relaxation/ shopping. Don’t go to Thailand for less than 2 weeks. It’s nowhere near the standard of Singapore as regards infrastructure, but there is a lot to do if you can travel all over. Hotels can be flash, but then they become expensive, though probably no where near as expensive as Singapore. Unless you are young and adventurous, and I see you like to be pampered, go there on a package tour. Independent travel in Thailand is not for the faint hearted, or unless prepared to rough it. If I were you, I’d either do a package tour of Thailand, or stick with Singapore and the Malayan peninsula. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/27 "2013-06-17T05:12:15Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > To tell you the truth, I think the beaches in Hawaii beat anything I’ve seen in Thailand. Hawaii really spoils you. (I lived there for 2-1/2 years, a UH grad. The wife too.) But if you do make it up to Thailand, the South has a lot of nice beaches. The problem for you could be the southern insurgency, coming up on a decade old. That’s in the Far South, and there are good beach locations north of where the trouble is, but if you’re traveling overland, don’t be surprised if disruptions occur. I’d just fly into someplace like Phuket, which I think has flights from Malaysia and Singapore. (Although I think Phuket stinks myself; I’d head elsewhere pronto.) > > I’m partial to Krabi province in Thailand, particularly Railey Beach (may be various spellings). Lots of good islands around there too. For Malaysia, we really enjoyed the Perhentian Islands off the east coast of the peninsula. About a two-hour slow-boat ride from the mainland. You have to take your own alcohol though, as it’s in a more conservative part of the country, but taking your own didn’t seem to be a problem from what we saw, although we just teetotaled it ourselves. > > If shopping’s what you’re after, you’ll probably want to spend a day on Orchard Road in Singapore. Bangkok’s good for that too. > > I used to have dealings with a Chinese-Thai businessman. Very wealthy, he would do an around-the-world trip about four times a year. He’s been everywhere, and I mean _everywhere_, done everything. Flew regularly on the Concorde. His favorite place in the whole wide world? Singapore. Because of the shopping. (I’m not sure you should take this as much of an endorsement though, as Chinese-Thai businessmen are bizarre creatures in general, this one in particular.) Phuket, IMO, is the arse hole of Thailand, and Phi Phi is the arse hole of the planet ( though I haven’t been everywhere ). Yes some nice beaches around Krabi, but that’s all there is to do, really. Not much in the way of tourist attractions, unless into diving. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/28 "2013-06-17T05:21:45Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Phuket, IMO, is the arse hole of Thailand, and Phi Phi is the arse hole of the planet ( though I haven’t been everywhere ). > Yes some nice beaches around Krabi, but that’s all there is to do, really. Not much in the way of tourist attractions, unless into diving. For Arsehole of the Planet, I’d say it’s a tie between Poipet, Cambodia and Plains, Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/29 "2013-06-17T05:48:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > For Arsehole of the Planet, I’d say it’s a tie between Poipet, Cambodia and Plains, Texas. AS I said, haven’t been everywhere. Certainly Phi PHi is the worst of anyplace I have been now. Shame as it was lovely in the mid 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/30 "2013-06-21T10:29:54Z")
Is the OP still considering visiting Singapore? Thick haze has hit Singapore, courtesy of forest fires in Sumatra (believed to be started by farmers to clear the land), and the air quality is described as “very unhealthy”. Even the southern parts of Malaysia are affected. This may last a few more weeks (if we’re lucky), or months, depending on when the rain comes. Hopefully there’s still time for you to change your travel plans! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/31 "2013-06-21T12:28:54Z")
> [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](#): > > Is the OP still considering visiting Singapore? Thick haze has hit Singapore, courtesy of forest fires in Sumatra (believed to be started by farmers to clear the land), and the air quality is described as “very unhealthy”. Even the southern parts of Malaysia are affected. > > This may last a few more weeks (if we’re lucky), or months, depending on when the rain comes. Hopefully there’s still time for you to change your travel plans! Yes, I am still considering Singapore, although I have decided, based on some of the comments in this thread, and conversations offline, that it will be a component of my itinerary, not the entire itinerary. In any case, my vacation window doesn’t open until September at the earliest, so my travel isn’t imminent; I am simply in the planning stages now. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/32 "2013-06-21T13:53:06Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > For Arsehole of the Planet, I’d say it’s a tie between Poipet, Cambodia and Plains, Texas. I’ve been to Poipet and I was bracing myself for it to be a real toilet, based on what I’d read and heard. But it seemed like an average border town to me. I didn’t even get mugged, hepatitis or ripped off. (Unless you count the overcharging for the visa, but that’s standard and I wasn’t about to haggle with some ex-Khmer Rouge sourpuss over $4.) I gather the road from Poipet to Siem Reap is paved now, too. I’m sure people who use it regularly will disagree, but I think that’s a shame. The trip along that old road was quite memorable… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/33 "2013-06-22T01:24:04Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’ve been to Poipet and I was bracing myself for it to be a real toilet, based on what I’d read and heard. But it seemed like an average border town to me. I didn’t even get mugged, hepatitis or ripped off. (Unless you count the overcharging for the visa, but that’s standard and I wasn’t about to haggle with some ex-Khmer Rouge sourpuss over $4.) > > I gather the road from Poipet to Siem Reap is paved now, too. I’m sure people who use it regularly will disagree, but I think that’s a shame. The trip along that old road was quite memorable… Poipet is where I told a Cambodian Immigration official to “Get lost!” I had mistaken him for one of the touts dogging my steps. He seemed to take it in stride though. I suspected he got that a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/34 "2013-06-22T01:36:43Z")
I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Malaysia and been to Singapore a few times - I really like both places a lot. The Singapore Zoo (and Night Safari) is great and the food in Singapore is just incredible - I could spend days just wandering around various Kopitiams and Hawker Food centres trying different stuff. The shopping is also top-notch; not just the international brands but local stuff too. Check out Sentosa Island as well - I spent most of a day there at the old fort and just wandering around doing stuff. Very enjoyable. And yes, the Raffles Hotel bar is an expensive tourist trap, but I think it was worth SGD$25 to drink a Singapore Sling in a bar that looked like it hadn’t changed much since 1910. Also, free peanuts, whose shells you can throw on the floor. I also highly recommend going to Malaysia - it’s really, really cheap, the food is fantastic and it’s not quite as Ultra Modern as Singapore. There’s some really good shopping in Kuala Lumpur and I spent a whole day in Malacca and really enjoyed it - lots of history there. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/35 "2013-06-22T01:52:12Z")
Been there many times, returning in Dec, but I have close friends there. We eat, go to museums, eat, go to the zoo, eat, shop, eat, shop more then go to her Mom’s for dinner! Oh yeah, it’s pretty darn sweet. I love the place, but only to visit on the way to the beach. We usually fly in and out of Singapore, so we get to visit twice. There is not a Club Med on the east coast of Malaysia for nothing, there are some spectacular beaches within easy reach. You can witness sea turtles coming up at night to lay their eggs at the hatchery, it’s kind of cool. Also there are awesome nature reserves in peninsular Malaysia that are definitely worth visiting if you’re into that kind of stuff. Don’t miss the bird park and zoo, and the museum, the finest you’ll find in SE Asia. But mostly eat, et, eat! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/36 "2013-11-10T02:41:15Z")
I take it the OP has not left for Singapore yet? Here’s a good article on accommodation: [Top 10 Hotels in Singapore below $100](http://www.budgethotels.sg/below100/?outbrain). I’ve not stayed in any of these myself. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/37 "2013-11-10T15:09:11Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I take it the OP has not left for Singapore yet? Here’s a good article on accommodation: [Top 10 Hotels in Singapore below $100](http://www.budgethotels.sg/below100/?outbrain). I’ve not stayed in any of these myself. You are correct; I have not. It’s suddenly become nightmarishly busy at work, so I am holding off for a few more months until things die down a bit. Thanks for the article! I am actually surprised that a few of these accommodations, some of which are very nice, are less than $100 per night. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/38 "2013-11-10T15:17:26Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > You are correct; I have not. It’s suddenly become nightmarishly busy at work, so I am holding off for a few more months until things die down a bit. > > Thanks for the article! I am actually surprised that a few of these accommodations, some of which are very nice, are less than $100 per night. Looks like the under $100 is for a single, but the prices still look good for the double/queen etc rooms. Again, we’ve not stayed at any of these, but I would give #5, the Venue Hotel, a miss. Looks like that’s way out by the airport. That’s not where you’d want to stay. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/39 "2013-11-12T06:54:30Z")
Cruise Geylang. Just look, don’t buy. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161/40 "2013-11-13T01:41:53Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Looks like the under $100 is for a single, but the prices still look good for the double/queen etc rooms. Again, we’ve not stayed at any of these, but I would give #5, the Venue Hotel, a miss. Looks like **that’s way out by the airport**. That’s not where you’d want to stay. Actually The Venue is pretty good location - within walk of the MRT, and Paya Lebar MRT to the city is around 20 minutes - you’ve got East Coast Park nearby - and some other good eating round the area, and a couple of Malls for convenience - [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singapore-vacation/659161.md?page=3)