Singapore

The first thing you should do when you get to Singapore is head to a TransitLink Ticket Office station to buy a tourist pass. They cost $20 for three days of unlimited travel (plus a $10 deposit) and work on the metro and buses around town. You can also buy a one day pass ($10) and a two-day pass ($16). Even though its possible to get to most places by walking, during the day we would take the buses wherever we could (at night we enjoyed strolling the streets).

The buses are clean, frequent and the best part is that they are all air-conditioned. Swipe on every time you enter the bus (you have until midnight the day it expires). We used Google Maps to find the bus times using our “Handy” from our hotel and the times were pretty spot on.

To get to and from the airport we took the bus (#36). It took us around 40 minutes each way and cost $5 for both of us.

Even though we had decided to spend three months “backpacking” around SE Asia it took us a while to start sticking to a budget. We knew it would be an expensive place wherever we stayed so we chose somewhere we both really liked: the Carlton. The location is perfect, the rooms are spacious and very clean (we had a view of the Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay), it has a brand new gym and pool and it came with a free “Handy” smartphone which meant we had data wherever we went. After exploring each day we looked forward to heading back to our room to relax and refresh before heading out for dinner.

If you’ve read our blog then you will know that we avoided the crowds and spent our time at the hawker centres. After doing three days of research we’ve compiled a list of our favourite places, including which stalls to eat at when you get there and our favourite dishes:

Uncle Leong:
Chilli Crab – this came as a recommendation from an ex-colleague and we were so pleased we ventured out for it (it is out of town but only a half hour bus ride). Chilli crab is one of Singapore’s signature dishes and we wanted to try it somewhere the locals go. The restaurant is on the ground level of a high-rise apartment block and we arrived at lunchtime to the local rush. Expect to pay anywhere between $20-80 for a crab. We opted for an 800g crab to share, along with a sweet and sour pork on rice and this was plenty of food for the two of us. Also, make sure you get the sweet buns that they offer to mop up the sauce at the end – they are so delicious I ate five of them! We were very surprised that the crab has a certain sweetness to it and is not overly spicy so it’s great for everyone. Uncle Leong’s is definitely worth the bus ride out of town for – we highly recommend it!

Maxwell Hawker Centre:
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice – this is also a traditional dish in Singapore and you can find it all around town. This happened to be the first thing we tried at Maxwell’s and because we were so overwhelmed when we first arrived we chose the stall with the longest line. It wasn’t until we ordered we realised it was the place that Anthony Bourdain has recommended. Make sure to ask for the chicken breast when you order…the chicken is so tender!

Old Airport Road:
Roast Paradise – our favourite here was the roasted pork (aka pork belly). Tender with crunchy crackling, as the name suggests what more could you want.

China Town:
Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao (aka the dumpling stall #02-135) – this place has yummiest dumplings and you can watch them being made. We tried the “steamed mini buns”, the “pan-fried dumplings” and the “beef noodle”.

Ann Chin – this stall has the best rice paper rolls! They are vegetarian, made fresh in front of you and are only $1.50 each. We went back for a second round the next day.

Roasted Meat (stall #116) – this has the best Char Siu that we had in Singapore. We ordered $6 of the Char Siu with noodle, which is served with a delicious sweet soy sauce.

Super Mommy Cafe – if you’re feeling like something refreshing then head here for some Ice Lemon Tea. There’s something about the lemon iced tea in this country that kept me coming back for more (we think it was the fresh sugar cane).

While we spent most of our time finding the best food spots, we’ve also noted on the map the places to get to:

Gardens by the Bay – these are the beautiful gardens south of the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Go at night for the light show (it starts at 7.45pm) or visit during the day. You can also pay to walk along the skyway.


Cloud Forest – these are located next to the Gardens by the Bay and is a huge indoor forest. Plan to do this at the same time as Gardens by the Bay as they are in the same area.


Orchard Road – this is where you go if you want to head to the shops. It’s best to go at night where the city comes alive and it’s nice time to stroll the streets when it’s cooler. There are malls after malls after malls – in the space of five minutes we had passed three Louis Vuitton stores…

Clarke Quay – riverfront bars and restaurants. Although we didn’t stop here for a drink or meal, it was nice to walk along and take in the atmosphere (don’t go before lunch, everything is closed).


If you need a coffee fix then head to Chye Seng Huat Hardware coffee house and order a Piccolo. It was one of the best coffees I’ve ever had since leaving New Zealand…

Raffles – this is one of those most famous hotels in Singapore but unfortunately is currently closed for renovation. However, they still serve the Singapore Sling from the Bar & Billiards room. They’ve been serving this gin cocktail for over 100 years and we can see why. So delicious! If you’re not a fan of gin like Brendon then at least go for the peanuts… if you don’t know already, each table has a straw bag full of peanuts still in their shell and when you leave all the shells are tipped onto the floor so that everyone walks through a sea of shells.

Marina Bay Sands – the famous landmark of the city. Head up to the observation deck for impressive views over the city. This was one that we didn’t get to but we’ve heard it’s well worth it.