When one thinks of Singapore, the first thing that comes into mind is probably the iconic rooftop Infinity pool on top of Marina Bay Sands. It’s the main reason I’ve been so attracted to Singapore all these years and finally, I was able to go. There’s also probably no better time to talk about my 3-day trip to Singapore than right now – in the midst of the release of the highly successful Crazy Rich Asians. I’m not going to lie – watching that movie brought back so many memories of my trip to Singapore that I had to watch it twice. Pictured above in Chinatown, you can see me rocking my skin-tight two-piece while I tried to live like a local. It was my third stop on my Asia trip and it just so happened to be where I got reunited with my sister, who was flying over from Toronto to join me. Expectations were high for Singapore, known as the most modernized and wealthy city in Asia. So the question is: did it live up to the hype and look exactly as it did in the movie? Let’s find out.

 

The first thing that told me I had made it to Singapore was how humid it was everywhere. Up until that point, the weather had been pretty mild but the moment I landed, those days were officially over. With 30-40 degrees tropical weather all year round, I literally felt like I was living in a sauna every day. I also noticed right away how multicultural Singapore was, which is something I didn’t know before coming. You might have noticed in the movie how the first thing they did in Singapore was stuff their faces at hawker markets. Well, that’s pretty much what my sister and I did too. We visited hawker markets hunting down the best cheap dining Singapore has to offer. One of our first stops, of course, had to be Chinatown (pictured above). It was beautifully decorated with small lanterns lining the pedestrian-only area with huge floods of people exploring the exuberant district. The buildings were painted in a range of whimsical colours that made it hard not to stop every two minutes for a photo.

 

Singapore is known for their multiple hawker centres and the only place where hawker stalls have been awarded a Michelin star. Located in Chinatown was Hawker Chan – the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant – where my sister and I spent less than $20 on our entire meal. It was one of the first meals we had during our stay and considering the price, it definitely did not disappoint. Pictured above, you can see it was just simply chicken with rice or noodles drenched in soy sauce. We also ordered a wonton soup but I’d skip that and just stick to their signature items. Before coming to Singapore, I had no idea they had such a huge hawker food culture; known for their famous Hainanese chicken and laksa, it’s no wonder why Singapore is known for their food as much as their rooftop pools.

 

Having only less than three days to spend in Singapore, naturally, our to-do list included a trip over to the gorgeous man-made island of Sentosa. Known as a huge resort island off the Southern coast of Singapore, Sentosa hosts a multitude of attractions including an aquarium, a casino, three beaches, Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios. It’s connected to the city by a short monorail ride, which made it easy enough to get to. Even so, as luck would have it, by the time we got there, most of the attractions were closing soon. We had mainly intended to go to Sentosa for Palawan Beach but thought the only way there was a far walk (not to mention it was a gloomy day). We came to realize after a few hours that the entire island was actually connected by monorail, including the beaches. Safe to say, we didn’t do enough research before going. However, we did do a lot of walking (yay us) prior to finding that out and took a scenic cable car ride over the island before feasting our eyes on an impressive water and lights show.

 

Happy to say, we did end up making it to Palawan Beach – around 9 pm that is. Through the darkness, I could see it was a quaint beach lined with beautiful palm trees and white sand. The main thing that attracted me to this beach was the suspension bridge, which is styled after Pirates of the Caribbean (see below in Photo Gallery). Not going to lie, it looked pretty epic in pictures but in person, it didn’t have the same wow factor. I also assume it would’ve looked much nicer in daylight but I’d have to go back to find out. We still had fun using the bridge for a short walk over to the off-shore island, where we would reach the southernmost point of continental Asia (pictured above). The first thing we did when we saw this sign was gasp at our surprise achievement and the next was question the legitimacy of it. Of course, it turned out we really had made it to the southernmost point and after a long day of what seemed like aimless walking, we at least had something to brag about.

 

Of course, no trip to Singapore would be complete without a visit to Marina Bay Sands. I mentioned earlier that it was the main selling point for having Singapore on my list of must-see Asian countries. It’s also shown multiple times in Crazy Rich Asians as the ultimate symbol of wealth and luxury. Unfortunately, I couldn’t live out my dreams of booking a night at MBS just to marvel at the magnificent views of Singapore from their rooftop pool. The cost to stay there would’ve cost us an arm and a leg, which was a bit devastating. I had also considered sneaking in but then did a bit more research and found you could actually be jailed if caught. Ergo, we decided to do the next best thing, which was party at their rooftop club, CÉ LA VI. The club itself was just okay but the view from the top was just as spectacular as I’d imagined (pictured above). Sitting at 57 levels above ground, you could literally see all of Singapore from up there – it was truly amazing.

 

One of Singaporeans most beloved eats is their kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs. Ya Kun Kaya Toast is an extremely popular chain across the country and considered a cultural icon in Singapore. Their retro-style cafés have a nostalgic and relaxed atmosphere that made this meal (pictured above) one of my favourites out of my entire trip. A lot of people rave about the soft-boiled eggs but both my sister and I found it to be a bit too runny. What I really loved was the kaya jam, which is a topping of coconut milk and eggs, sugar, pandan and butter. It gave the perfect amount of sweetness to the toast and tasted amazing when eaten with the eggs and milk tea. For those planning to go to Singapore, I’d say kaya toast is a definite must.

 

The go-to spot for all shopping needs can be found on Orchard Road – Singapore’s most famous shopping street. It’s a massive strip with both upscale and affordable brands that’s unsurprisingly flooded with tourists. You must go at least once while in town but I enjoyed our time in Haji Lane (pictured above) much more. I would compare it to Kensington Market in Toronto with their small independent boutiques and eccentric storefronts. We went through a bunch of the tiny shops coming across the cutest accessories and vintage summer dresses. Most people will come away with at least one unique item to take back home. The best part? It was super quiet where you could explore the colourful narrow alleys in peace as opposed to every other district we’d been so far in Singapore. It also had plenty of charming patio bars where you could enjoy drinks against the bright quirky backdrop.

 

For all those who have watched Crazy Rich Asians (hopefully everyone reading this), this particular photo might look familiar to you. Pictured above is the iconic Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. It’s where they filmed the Great Gatsby inspired wedding scene in the movie. Not going to lie, when I watched that scene, I was in complete awe. Secretly, I was squealing inside at how amazing it was to have been there not too long ago. Also, just being able to see the extravagant Gardens by the Bay transformed into an event space was so magical to see on-screen that it really made me want to go back to Singapore to experience it all over again. The gigantic tree-like structures, known as the Supertree Grove, also change colour throughout the night, giving off major Avatar vibes. Known widely for their greenery, the Gardens gave way for Singapore to become a “City in a Garden”.

 

To simply call Gardens by the Bay just a garden would be a huge understatement. Within the massive greenery space, which takes up a large portion of the city, consists of two of the largest glasshouses in the world. We checked out both the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome, but between the two, Cloud Forest was definitely more worth seeing. It was the taller of the two glasshouses featuring a “Cloud Mountain” that had an enormous waterfall in the forefront (pictured above). Taking an elevator up, it took around an hour to descend the entire “mountain” using a circular pathway. It was nice to see such a massive space be used to replicate the temperatures of tropical rainforests and to see so many different types of plants preserved within. However, I felt like the Supertree Grove was spectacular enough for me and I’d skip the glasshouses unless you have a big green thumb.

 

Like I said, probably a million times now, Marina Bay Sands (pictured above) is the top attraction for Singapore. My sister and I got to enjoy their nightly laser show from the Fullerton Bay Hotel – another one of Singapore’s lavish hotels boasting the best view of Marina Bay Sands. It was an amazing spot to watch the laser show but the show itself was very underwhelming. When we watched it, I’m pretty sure they were having technical difficulties because the lasers kept starting and stopping. Either way, it wasn’t something that needs to be seen as I heard some of the locals haven’t ever even watched it. The Fullerton Bay also has a rooftop bar, Lantern, which is where we spent our last night having drinks after the show. We just enjoyed our view of Marina Bay Sands before having to say goodbye.

 

We continued the night by making a stop at Atlas, a stunning bar that oozed Great Gatsby-style luxuriousness in the heart of Singapore. The bar basically epitomized Singapore for me – an opulent city of lavishness with an unbeatable taste for style. Pictured above I’m sitting by the bar in the same outfit I wore in the daytime dressed up by a pair of heels. I love how it easy it is to transform any outfit with some killer heels – makes life so much easier this way. Naturally, after this, we somehow ended up at a tranny bar but that’s a story for another day (and foreshadowing for the next leg of our trip). All in all, I’d say Singapore wasn’t exactly all I’d imagined it to be. There’s no doubt it’s a beautiful city with an undeniable flair – what with their grand hotels and rooftop lounges – but the city itself didn’t wow me as much I expected. I’d probably sing a different tune if I had made it to the infinity pool at MBS but that just gives me an excuse to come back a second time. Hopefully, by then I’ll be able to afford a stay in Marina Bay Sands – probably when I’m a crazy rich Asian 😛

 

 

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Singapore Photo Gallery