Spend a day in Singapore post pandemic!
Now that flying to South East Asia is back up and running we wanted to post this little blog about what you can do in Singapore in 24hrs.
Flying from Australia to the UK is a long 23hrs flight, so we normally like to stop in Singapore to eat good food, stretch our legs before heading back to our home in chilly London.
We did this trip in January 2022 and despite the Covid restrictions we managed to get a full day to sightsee and wanted to share how you can enjoy your 24hr stop over in Singapore!
Start with Breakfast!
So in our case Greg wanted nasi lemak, we hailed a taxi – and the driver was so happy to see tourists!
We asked him for breakfast recommendations and before we knew it we were off to his local hawker market. Hawker markets are all over Singapore and the authentic ones are tucked away in local parts of the city.
His local market was bustling at 8am and we invited him to join us for breakfast giving us some recommendations to try. Do try them yourself!
Cha Tow Kway – also known as carrot stir fry (it’s actually white radish with garlic, eggs and preserved radish) which you can order Black (dark sweet soy) or White (original). We had a mix and it was delicious!!
Nasi lemak – a Malay dish very popular in Singapore and Greg’s favourite. Rice cooked in coconut, with sambal, dried fish and an egg and curry.
Chung Fen- not traditionally breakfast more for Yum Cha (Dim sum) but I love this dish with a passion. Silky rice noodles with fresh prawns and soy sauce. Only $2 in the market was one of the silkiest I’ve ever had!
Roti Prata – crispy on the outside and soft inside this is bread you dip in curry! Yum!
After our enormous breakfast we asked for recommendations on what to do and he suggested Pulau Ubin Island.
Pulau Ubin Island
One of the last remaining rural areas with a national park Ubin island has something for everyone. From mountain biking, bird watching, mangrove forests, rural Singaporean houses, camping and more.
To get there you take a short boat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal, it is about 15min and they depart very regularly.
Hire a bicycle and ride around the island. We rode to the Chek Jawa jungle and mangroves. Filling up on water we proceeded to ride past beautifully ramshackle houses, small temples, admiring the flowers and tropical forest. Riding the bike gives you a cool breeze to enjoy on the humid days.
We encountered some cheeky monkeys (keep hold of you bags and cameras- mine almost got taken) and wild boar piglets. Super cute.
Walk the long boardwalk out to the sea, you can climb the tall lookout and then watch the tiny crabs run through the mangroves.
Later in the afternoon we headed back to our hotel to rest and make use of the infinity rooftop pool. Ahhh bliss!
Then dinner at the Lao Pa Sat markets. Which I’m sorry to say has been totally sanitised and commercialised over the years. We preferred the authentic local hawker markets as Lao Pa Sat felt incredibly touristy. (Plus double the price). However the one thing to experience is the outdoor bbq which starts around 7pm (still the best bit!).
Gardens by the Bay
If you only have one night, don’t miss the beautiful Gardens by the Bay. You could really spend all day here. Most of the gardens are free but you need to book tickets to see the main attractions: Flower Dome, Supertree Highway, and the unbelievable Cloud Forest.
If you’ve get seen Crazy Rich Asians or a postcard of Singapore you would’ve seen the amazing super trees.
Unfortunately we didn’t realise in Dec/Jan it gets very booked up – especially the Supertree Highway as they have a yearly Christmas display which we missed but could hear it all through the park!
Flower Dome
This is the largest flower conservatory in the world and has several changing exhibits throughout the year. I saw the Christmas one. Do take a light cardigan as it is lovely and cool inside and entry is timed. It takes only about 15-20min to see this, but you can linger on the benches or even eat in the little café inside.
Time to see this: 15-20min
Ticket Price: S$20 or bundle with Cloud forest S $28
Cloud Dome
Cloud Dome is jaw dropping with a 35m waterfall, 6 floors of plants, walkways and displays. Just walking in you are stunned by the enormity of the waterfall and variety of plants around you. Do take a light jumper and make sure you visit at ‘misting’ time as everything becomes beautifully hazy just like you are in the mountains.
Signs point you to the start at the top of the dome and the walkways are so tall I felt dizzy looking down. The scale of the entire dome is just incredible and I felt such a sense of wonderment. The plants vary from the top downwards as they would on a mountain and it is incredible to see the detailed carvings, beautiful crystals and other adornments as you descend slowly. Take your time, breath it all in and enjoy.
Time to see it: 1hr
Ticket Price: S$20 or bundle with Flower Dome S$28
It was 9pm closing time by the time I left and as I walked back through the gardens I could see the tops of the Supertree light show….
Thank you for reading.
If you liked this post, please do let us know with a comment or share!
We’d love to hear your thoughts on Singapore and anything you recommend,
Till next time,
Travel onwards,
Jade & Greg xx
