Visiting Singapore – The Great Lion City of Asia

Visiting Singapore, the great lion city of Asia, is absolutely worth the time and effort it takes to get there! It is truly an exceptional city that transformed itself from a British colony with no natural resources to a wealthy city-state known across the globe as a major trade and financial center. Oh, and it’s where Crazy Rich Asians was filmed too. I’ll give you my personal favorite areas & hotels to stay while visiting Singapore and offer recommendations on some cool spots to eat and drink.

Table of contents

I’ve added a table of contents below for those that want to jump straight to the recommended hotels, bars/restaurants, and things to do.

First trip to Singapore

I’ve visited Singapore 4 times now, with the latest being a couple of months ago. Each time I stayed in a different hotel and part of the city. But it was the very first visit that made me want to continue coming back to this iconic city. The year was 2010 and I was on an offshore drillship that was making it’s maiden voyage from Geoje, South Korea to the Gulf of Mexico. The 1st port of call after departing Korea was Singapore and I was very much looking forward to seeing it in person for the first time.

As you can see in the pictures above, I arrived via boat and it reminded me of those refugee videos in the opening credits of the movie Scarface. We were placed onto the barge via a man basket that was attached to a crane (now that was more fun than any amusement park ride I’d ever been on!). As the barge made it’s way to drop us off quayside at the Keppel Bay Marina, the city started to come into focus.

After clearing immigration I checked into the Orchard Hotel Singapore property and hit the streets. I only had one day and one night (flight was the next day at 2 am) and I didn’t want to waste any time. Walking around by myself with a map given to me by the hotel front desk, it wasn’t long before I ran into some kind of Indian festival or ceremony going on.

Walking around Singapore

Singapore has a beautiful mix of people, cultures, and religion. With an ethnic makeup that is mainly Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, and Peranakan, there is always a cultural event going on somewhere in the city. On my walk to the Chinatown district of the city, I seen men walking around shirtless heading to a temple. So of course I followed and took pictures like the curious traveler that I am. Thinking back, that was kind of stalkerish, lol. I literally seen the homeboys below, made a U-turn when they passed me, and started following them 😆.

I ended up hanging around Chinatown and eating at some random place. After that I met up with some colleagues for some early drinking and I got my introduction to one of many Singapore Slings! I’ll have more on this drink in the where to eat and what to drink sections further down. We ended up bar hopping til late and then taking a cab from the last bar to the hotel to get our luggage and then straight to the airport for our 2 am flight. And that was my brief introduction to Singapore. Just enough of a tease to make me want to return.

Where to Stay – Hotels

InterContinental Singapore

InterContinental Singapore – Absolutely love this property! I’ll start with my favorite because I am a big fan of InterContinental hotels and this one has everything you would expect from the well regarded brand. Having stayed at properties in Dubai, Mexico City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other cities, the expectations were high and the Singapore location did not disappoint! And about that location, just have a look for yourself at all the great things there are to do and see within walking distance.

Little India, the Sultan Mosque and Arab Street, and Raffles City Mall are all close by so finding something interesting to see and do is not hard. There are also several museums in the vicinity.

The entrance and bottom floor area is old world luxury and classy. The front desk staff were more than welcoming and would go out of their way to accommodate any reasonable request. I had to write “reasonable” because there are some peeps that will ask for some over the top silly things. Have a look at this pic slideshow showing hotel interior and my room.

Conrad Centennial Singapore

If great views along with splendid location are what you are looking for then the Conrad Centennial Singapore hotel is where you need to stay. Located within Marina Bay, this 31 story property is perfectly situated in the heart of the Suntec area of the city. It sits across from the fountain of wealth and is also a few minutes walk to the Singapore Flier and Esplanade – Theaters on the Bay.

This hotel caters mainly to business travelers and couples on vacation. On this visit, I saw very few families staying on the property. The rooms and hotel interior are modern with a professional yet personable staff at the front desk. Overall I give this property top marks across the board.

The Clan Hotel

The Clan Hotel is a newish (only 2 years old) hotel and is as modern as they come. With a cool slick look and an exquisite sky pool on level 30, it has all the amenities to compete with the more established hotels in Singapore. This property is located in downtown Singapore and is the perfect mix of historic charm and modern luxury. You will experience Asian hospitality at it’s finest at this establishment.

And to think that I found this hotel completely by accident. On this trip I wanted to stay at a property that wasn’t a big US based chain and came across The Clan. So I googled it and checked out their website and decided to give it a try. It was a very good decision. After long jet lagged days at the overseas office, it was nice to be able to decompress in this pool with these views!

The rooms are as you would expect from a practically brand new modern hotel. They had a stylish layout and I especially loved the blackout curtains. The bed and pillows were super comfortable and there were plenty of ports to plug in multiple devices. But my favorite feature was the toliet! I fell in love with the thing because it did everything! It was some kind of all in one toilet/bidet combo with remote control. From spraying you with warm water, air drying you down there, and heating up the toilet seat, it did it all. I spent more time than I should have on it, lol.

Where to Eat and Drink

Jumbo Seafood – Award Winning Chili Crab

Order the Chili Crab! This is without a doubt the best dish I’ve eaten in Singapore. Hell just looking at the picture is making my mouth water and bringing back some savory memories. I don’t know what spices and/or technique is used to cook these crabs but let me tell you, it’s absolutely mouth watering. And Jumbo Seafood has won many awards for their version. Matter of fact, these guys specialize in all kinds of crab. Their menu has a couple of pages of various crab dishes.

Jumbo Seafood has 3 main locations (I’ve eaten at 2 of them) and some smaller outlets. In order of preference I’d recommend the original East Coast seafood location then the Riverwalk spot. But honestly you can’t go wrong at either location. You can order the Chili Crab whole or in separate pieces. I prefer it broken up for me. I don’t have the patience 😆. Both places also allow you to pick your live seafood if you want.

Din Tai Fung Singapore – Expertly Crafted Dumplings

When you visit a restaurant’s website, they will usually showcase what they excel at on the first page. Din Tai Fung is no different. Click on the link and see for yourself. I’ve eaten at the Clarke Quaye location and this place was every bit as good as advertised. This establishment is best known for their amazing dumplings and I could not get enough of them. I ended up ordering a couple of extra baskets of them 😲. We ordered several other items from the menu but the handmade dumplings are the main event.

Lau Pa Sat – Iconic Hawker Market

Now this is definitely a food lovers paradise. Bring a hearty appetite because there is no shortage of good food to be had at the legendary Lau Pa Sat Hawker Market. Best way to describe this place, it’s a big indoor and outdoor food court with individual stalls that sell every type of Singapore and regional food imaginable and even some international food as well. Hell I even saw a Mexican stall there (I didn’t try it, lol).

We had perfect weather in January when I was there and decided to eat outdoors. Lau Pa Sat is located in downtown so all the tall buildings around make for a nice backdrop. With so many choices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed but my recommendation is to eat a little bit at as many places as you can before your stomach taps out. This is a fun place to start out your evening. See pic slideshow below.

What and Where to drink

There are really only 2 choices as far as what to drink. I mean, can you even say you visited Singapore if don’t try their national drink or beer? Of course not. That’s like visiting Dublin and not having a Guinness pint, or Mexico City and not having a tequila. So you have to try both!

Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel Long Bar

Widely regarded as the national drink of Singapore, what better way to enjoy this delicious concoction than the birthplace of the over 100 year old treasure. The Long Bar at the spectacular Raffles Hotel is known as the home of the Singapore Sling so you have to at least have one here during your visit. And one is all I had here because have a look at that price on the pic. That is 2023 pricing! This place tends to get packed quickly so try and get there close to opening time.

Tiger Beer

This is the beer of Singapore and it’s actually good (and a little strong at 5.0 ABV%). And it pairs well with everything. Everything I listed above in the food section, steak, street food, etc. I really don’t drink other beers when I visit. I’ll try some craft beers and Malaysian beers but always inevitably return to Tiger beer. Which now that I think about it, if Singapore is known as the Lion city and this is their national beer, why isn’t it called Lion Beer? Anyway, order yourself a cold Tiger Beer!

Level 33 Rooftop Microbrewery

LeVeL33 is located on the 33rd floor and is pretty much the penthouse unit of the Marina Bay Financial Centre. Billed as the highest urban microbrewery in the world, you’ll enjoy some spectacular views over Marina Bay both day and night. The menu is mainly light bar food and appetizers but people don’t come here to eat. They come for the views and the vibe. This is the perfect after work drink spot or a fantastic choice to begin an evening if you’re going out. Pictures are better than words sometimes.

Clarke Quaye

If you’re looking for nightlife and a variety of places to have a good meal and drink, Clarke Quaye has a little something for everyone. It’s very popular with both locals and foreign visitors alike and seems to be always packed. This area is lined up with bars, pubs, and restaurants and you can generally get there by walking from the hotels I recommended or a short cab ride if you don’t feel like sweating it out.

Things To Do

Visit all the different ethnic sections

There are 5 neighborhoods that you have to walk through and experience. In no particular order they are:

• Little India
• Little Korea
• Islamic distric
• Chinatown
• KATONG

I’ve done all except Katong. Not sure how I missed it but that’s just one more reason of many that I need to make another trip back to Singapore. While they are all very distinct and unique areas of the city, they all share a warm and welcoming people who are very helpful to tourists who happen to get lost (cough cough).

Marina Bay Sands – Observation deck

I started this blog post with a mention of the movie Crazy Rich Asians because it’s one of my (both of them) daughter’s favorite movies. The movie ends with an awesome party on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and if you watched that movie, you can’t help but to want to see the hotel in person. I mean, you can’t miss this marvelous structure that literally transformed the Singapore skyline. This hotel image is synonymous with Singapore.

Upon arriving at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, you will see signs with directions on where to go line up to buy tickets for the Sky Park observation deck. After paying for your ticket you will be directed to one main elevator that exclusively takes visitors to the top floor. The elevator is really fast and reminded me of the one inside the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Once you get to the top deck you are allowed free reign to about a third of the top of the hotel. The other two thirds are for guest only and this includes the pool area (of course).

The views from this vantage point are amazing. You definitely get an appreciation for how vast Singapore is.

Important information to know before traveling

I’ll end this post with some tips on how to make your Singapore trip a success.

Getting around

Uber is not available but they do have their own ride share companies. The 2 that I’ve used are Grab and ComfortDelGro. Both have easy to use apps that are pretty much identical to the Uber app and function the same way. I recommend you download the apps before arrival, enter the basic info and credit card and you’ll be able to use them as soon as you land.

Exchange rate

Singapore is an expensive city so plan accordingly. It’s not as expensive as Norway but it’s up there. Here’s a good exchange rate website that I like to use XE currency converter.

Act right – Singapore is cool but doesn’t play

In short, Singapore will literally whoop (cane) your ass for acting up. They don’t tolerate any type of nonsense and have strict and severe penalties for all sorts of offenses. Be cool and they’ll be cool, it’s not hard peeps.

And that’s about it my friends. There is plenty of things to do, see, and experience in Singapore and I hope that this post will give you a good start with your travel planning! Cheers!