23 hours in Singapore
 

On our return flight from London to Sydney in early June we have a night [23hours] in Singapore. We arrive early evening and fly out the next evening [7.20pm] Any suggestions for best use of our time, where to stay for a really good rest and what is essential to see. One of us manages Chronic Fatigue and we are both in our mid 60's.

Singapore is an easy city to get around with excellent public transport. What to do depends on your interests. As someone who grows orchids, a stop at the Orchid Garden at the National Botanical Garden is always on my list. I also enjoy the Museum of Asian Civilizations. Be aware that it is very hot at mid-day, and you'll enjoy being outdoors in the early morning or the evening/night. Do things during the day that will keep you in air-conditioned comfort.

Singapore is known for its food, so plan a stop to try a local speciality.

Singapore has many wonderful hotels, so it's hard to recommend one. A budget per night could help us make a recommendation. I always look for a hotel with an MRT stop very close.

Hi Kathie,

Thanks so much for your very helpful reply. Great advice on what to do and what to avoid! I do like the sound of your suggestions!!

For accommodation we want to stay under 200$US and wonder whether we should consider distance from the airport in the equation. You mention the MRT stop, and I imagine that may be the factor that answers my concern on this?

I agree with Kathie the Gardens are very beautiful. We found the zoo to be one of the better city zoos in all are travels. A 1 hour walk through Little India is quite interesting as well. We took taxi's but I assume Kathie can tell you can negotiate getting to all three places easilt via MRT. Taxi's though were moderate. If you stayed at one of the downtown hotel's and arrive there by 7PM you can see the maze of shopping malls but you have your share of lovel malls, but different, in Sydney.We stayed at the airport so no help for you there but eat at the Chinese resturant at Raffles, quite pricey but the best Chinese food we have every had bar-none.

I enjoyed the hop on/hop off bus ride around the city. It gives you a view of the areas and then you can decide where you might want to stop and explore. I agree that the small city zoo is nice, if you enjoy viewing the animals. It's an easy to walk around zoo, but you take trams as well.

I loved exploring the shopping area. This is a beautiful tree lined boulevard with shops and malls galore. Every brand name imaginable is here.

I stayed at the Intercontinental and found it to be delightful. I think the Club Lounge at this hotel is one of the best ones I've been able to make use of. If you can, pay for a club lounge access room.

Carol

Singapore is quite compact. I'd recommend staying somewhere in the downtown area. It will still only be 20-30 minutes to the airport by taxi. Carol's recommendation of the Intercontinental is a good one, and the Fairmont is an an old favorite of mine. Take a look at one of the discount booking sites like www.agoda.com and see what you can get for your price.

I'd also like to throw in the ParkRoyal at Beach Road for a nice little value for money package.

Thanks folks for such generous and timely help. I will investigate all these welcome suggestions. Looking forward very much to our time in Singapore.

Hi,

Singapore is one of the easiest cities on earth to explore on your own, even if all you have is 23 hours... There is a very good public transport system which makes it very easy to move from one place to another, and there is also a "Hop on - Hop off" bus which travels through most of the city's major sightseeing spots...

You should take a look at this guide called "Singapore in a day" (see link), as it provides a detailed itinerary for people like you, who has only one day... Link: http://en.calameo.com/read/0008829060716fbf5a17f

What a delightful way to dispose of a day on your return trip.

I am also a big fan of the botanic gardens.

Here are two more suggestions that pack some pizzazz but allow you to conserve energy as well.

The Singapore Flyer is the world's largest observation wheel, even bigger than the London Eye (which seems massive to me). Although I am not normally drawn to that sort of thing, I enjoyed the half-hour Flyer ride quite a bit since it affords fascinating views over much of Singapore. The glass capsules are very spacious; ours had just a handful of people (stated capacity 28) so I roamed about, soaking up the view from all sides. Note: the exhibits on the way in don't hold much interest so I would advise powering through them to save valuable minutes in your day.

http://www.singaporeflyer.com/

If you would like to sample a cultural attraction that isn't as large-scale (and possibly overwhelming) as the Asian Civilizations Museum, consider dipping into the the lovely little Peranakan Museum. It is housed in a former private school and displays a sumptuous collection of clothing, household effects, wedding ceremony objects, devotional articles and the like. The exhibits are very clearly curated and you are likely to enjoy this introduction to a rich hybrid southeast Asian culture that is perhaps unfamiliar to you.

http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/themus...akanmuseum.asp

Happy planning.