TRAVEL TIPS: 5 UNIQUE THINGS TO DO IN SINGAPORE

TRAVEL TIPS: 5 UNIQUE THINGS TO DO IN SINGAPORE

If you’re not on a tight budget and have some spending money (or a lot) when you visit, count yourself lucky. You have the wonderful opportunity to enjoy many uniquely Singapore activities and adventures. Some of these things most western budget travelers can even squeeze into their budget. Others require much deeper pockets.

If you do have a bit of spare cash and are wondering what the very best ways to spend it are, check out these suggestions. Most of these interesting activities you can’t do anywhere else in the world. So splurge on these unique adventures in Singapore if you can.

1. Sip a Singapore Sling at the Raffles

Singapore’s famous Raffles Hotel is one of the most illustrious colonial Grand Dames in SE Asia. It has entertained and housed many famous travelers, writers, movie stars, and political figures over the decades, particularly during the the 1920s-40s: the golden age of the world’s first cruise ships.

Singapore Sling at the Raffles Long Bar

Intriguing tales of adventure, romance, scandal, privileged life, and wild parties mark Raffles captivating history. It’s also THE home of that delicious cocktail ‘Singapore Sling’.  That makes Raffles Hotel THE place to sample a Sling while you’re in town.

While luxuriously sipping your colorful fruity cocktail, absorb the wonderful atmosphere at Raffles. If you choose to drink your sling at the inner courtyard bar, you’ll be surrounded by snowy-white, stately columns, hallways and tropical foliage. If you opt for the Long Bar upstairs, enjoy its rich dark wood furniture and rows upon rows of spirits.

I love the place so much that I try to sip a Sling at the Raffles every time I visit the city. It’s a  real treat. Priced at S $16 in 2012.

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Macaw and Cockatoos eating breakfast

2. Eat breakfast or lunch with exotic tropical birds

The first time I visited Singapore I couldn’t help but venture out to Jarong Bird Park early one morning to have breakfast with vibrant tropical birds. After all, there aren’t many places in the world to do that!  In fact, I’d never heard of it before, nor since for that matter.

When my friend and I reached the zoo by Singapore’s well-connected MRT, we were graciously served a luxurious western breakfast in their intimate Songbird Terrace surrounded by leafy bushes and gorgeous squawking birds.

brilliant Amazonian Macaw

Rainbow-colored macaws, parrots and parakeets, elegant white cockatoos, and other tropical birds serenaded us with a loud, chaotic symphony of squawks, trills, chuckles, and screeches throughout our meal. The bird orchestra kept us smiling, giggling, and marveling for over an hour, as we leisurely enjoyed our tasty breakfast.

Afterward, we wandered around the vast, jungly bird park for several hours, admiring dozens of gorgeous species. Eventually, we peeled ourselves away and headed back into the city for more urban adventures.

Jurong Bird Park currently offers ‘Lunch with Parrots’ instead of their former ‘Breakfast with Birds’. Buffet lunch costs S$19 in addition to the park entry fee of S$18.  Guests are also welcome to order a la carte food or drinks in order to join Lunch with Parrots.

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one of the kitsch displays at Haw Par Villa

3. Visit the Super-Kitch Haw Par Villa Gardens

Now here’s a park you’ll find nowhere else on the planet! It’s another uniquely Singapore attraction that I visited on my very first trip to the country. The entire park  is so unbelievably kitsch and over-the-top, that I spent an entire morning with my jaw agape and eyes bulging, while I gasped, “ohhh!” and “Look at that!” and Holy SH**”  to my companion.

another strange statue at Haw Par Villa

Har Paw Garden was built by the same Chinese Singaporean brothers who invented the wonderful, multi-purpose Tiger Balm ointment. I personally swear by Tiger Balm, which I regularly use for sore muscles, insect and marine stings, headaches, and all manor of minor skin irritations. I carry it with me on all my travels.

On the other hand, I certainly would not want to immerse myself in their Haw Par Villa on a regular basis!  But it’s most definitely worth one visit when you’re in Singapore. Especially considering there’s no admission fee. Go on out there- you’ll be amazed.

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here I am enjoying Marina Bay Sands Sky Park Infinity Pool

4. Swim in the world’s highest and longest infinity pool

Marina Bay Sands Hotel is one of Singapore’s newest iconic architectural wonders. Completed in 2009 along Marina Bay, the hotel complex forever transformed Singapore’s skyline and harbor.

Besides its astounding architecture (or perhaps complimenting it), Marina Bay Sands also boasts the world’s highest and longest infinity swimming pool… sprawling waaayyyy up on the very top of the hotel on the 57th floor. Views over the city, including nearby Financial District’s soaring skyscrapers, are simply astounding.

Marina Bay Sands- Singapore

This is one uniquely Singapore attraction that’s going to cost you, though. Only hotel guests are allowed in the pool.  If you want to swim up there and enjoy the world-class views, you’ll have to book yourself into the hotel.

This year I took the opportunity to do just that. Although the rooms are disappointingly common and bland, the experience up on top is well-worth every dollar. If you can afford it, by all means go!

Current room prices are S $420-$1700 ++.  Marina Bay Sands website regularly offers special promotions and guarantees the best room rates online.

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5. Join a night safari

Night safaris are available in several places around the world, most notably in Africa, of course.  But very few are located just a short ride from a city center.  Compared to venturing to Africa, Singapore Night Safari  is a great bargain and an awesome opportunity to observe wild animals in natural habitats. It’s much closer, easier, and infinitely less expensive than traveling all the way to Africa!

This award-winning Night Safari is the world’s only zoo dedicated completely to nocturnal animals. With over 2500 animals among 137 species, the zoo breeds several species, including some threatened ones.  It’s regularly voted Singapore’s best attraction.

Lucky visitors get a chance to see lions, elephants, tigers, tapirs, hyenas, gazelles, and many other exotic nocturnal creatures via a 40-minute tram ride and several miles of walking trails that spread over 9 different habitat zones.

The Night Safari is located just 30-60 minutes from the city by various city buses as well as the safari’s dedicated transport that picks up guests at several points around the city.

Open nightly from 7.30 pm to midnight, the entry fee is S $32.

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QUESTIONS:

Have you done any of these fantastic adventures in Singapore? If so, which and what did you think of them?

If  not, which would you most like to do when you visit Singapore? 

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You might also find the following travel tips useful: 

Why I Vote Singapore as the Best City in the World

Amazing Shopping Malls In SE Asia

Best Rooftop Cocktail Bars in SE Asia

Photo Gallery: Views from Marina Bay Sands Sky Park Infinity Pool

(For more information about this post, please refer to this page)

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ALL ABOUT SINGAPORE: WHY SINGAPORE IS ‘BEST CITY IN THE WORLD’ FLIGHT ADVICE- GREAT REASONS TO LOVE SUPER-LONG FLIGHTS TRAVEL TIPS: 10 MORE FREE THINGS TO DO IN SINGAPORE (pt 2) My Own Portable Internet Cafe