Read about its idyllic setting and laid-back charm. Supposed to have lush greenery, breezy corners, gentle seas and colonial charm and be a respite from city life. I think it has a recently opened 2.6 km scenic coastal walk.

Anybody been here? Do you have a good source for a map or walking guide? Rants and raves welcome. What is the best way to get here?

I can only give you a little info about Changi Village.

Several years ago, the Le Meridien "near the airport" re-opened after an extensive remodel. It is located at Changi Village. We stayed there one night as we arrived at midnight and had a late morning flight out of Changi. We had also read that Changi Village was quaint and that there were interesting restaurants, etc.

We were underwhelmed. It's about 20 minutes from the airport in the opposite direction from the main part of the city. There was really nothing going on at Changi Village either at midnight nor at say, 8-10 am. I thought we'd be within sight of the sea, but we were not. The area struck me as "less developed" but not "undeveloped."

If you do visit, let us know. Perhaps it has evolved into a charming place with a beautiful beach walk.

To get there, I'd take a taxi.

Some info here:

http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/cbw.htm

This boardwalk hugs the scenic Changi coastline from Changi Beach Club to Changi Sailing Club. On the way to the boardwalk, you will pass many of the area's heritage trees.

The boardwalk is made up of four segments: Sunset Walk for a splendid view of the sunset over Changi Point, amid a backdrop of huge boulders. Kelong Walk: a stretch of the boardwalk with kelong stilts built over water, reminiscent of the 'good old kelong days'. Cliff Walk: located just below the hilltop chalets, allows a walk through lush greenery. Viewing decks along this stretch at vantage points provide panoramic views. Sailing Point Walk: near the Changi Sailing Club provides open views of the sea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Boardwalk

I visited Changi in 2002, mostly for the prison. I found the prison chapel moving, although it isn't original. The bus ride over was fairly interesting. The beach didn't impress me much, and had a line of blue trash bags waiting for collection at the high water mark. But it could easily have changed if there's a new coastal walk.

Thanks for the feedback. It might be worth a look on my next trip. Still, those tourist authority guides can "pump up" a place.


http://www.ura.gov.sg/rediscover/ima...Point-Book.pdf

I certainly think it's worth a look if you have the time, degas. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

I have done this little walk, and it is quite pretty, albeit short. It is supposed to be prettiest at sunset. I would do it as part of a trip to the area generally, esp a day on Ubin or Punggol, see below. The “old” Changi village is good for very casual and cheap restaurants (esp known for the nasi lemak stall) and a visit to Changi prison (http://www.changimuseum.com/), but is pretty short on charm. Not sure I would say the area has “colonial” charm, although there are plenty of pre-WWII era buildings around, which is quite old for Singapore, parts have a Malay village feel. For the boardwalk, I would take the MRT to Tampines and then bus 29 or a taxi toward Changi Village, on the bus alight at the first stop (Netheravon Road) and go towards the water and the Changi Sailing Club which is along the the boardwalk.

In that same area, I have often recommend a trip to Pasir Ris, which has a long thin beach for walks and you can rent bikes too. It is part of the Singapore park system. East Coast Park is also good for biking and walking, although more congested as it is closer to the city. I would not call any of the beaches in Singapore especially beautiful and would not go to Singapore for the beaches, but they do make a nice afternoon of walking, biking or sailing. I would also recommend the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve where you can do walks and sort of hikes (it is Singapore, so no vast tracks or mountains or anything, you have to come to Hong Kong for that!). The website for national parks in Singapore is http://www.nparks.gov.sg, it gives info on Park, Pasir Ris Park and all the other parks.

I have always like the Punggol Point area (also spelled Ponggol), it is more built-up now, but there are still green areas, old Punggol town has a certain charm, and there are some undeveloped beach areas in the northeast. It is also great for water-skiing. If you avoid the huge new HDB housing estates and stick to the small lanes you can get a village feel in some areas. The best of the old seafood restaurants has moved to the nearby Marina Country Club (it is public and you can hire boats for skiing there), or try the Bliss Restaurant in Punggol Park.

Finally, for sure if you want to get away from the city, then you should consider Pulau Ubin, again a place I have long recommended. You can walk, rent bikes and have a good seafood meal. You can now even apparently <i>stay</i> on Ubin, did not know this until recently, see http://www.kampongubin.com/. Looks pretty basic (although not really cheap!) but for an overnight could be interesting, years ago I sometimes used to stay in extremely basic cabins on the other side of Ubin for water-ski weekends and this brings back good memories for me; it's a mangrove area with some good bird and wildlife (and the occasional alligator), this would be quite good for kayaking, which I see is one of their activities, there are little waterways in the marshes to explore.

Also, if you want colonial charm, then stay in town, and go to the intersection of Scotts and Orchard Road, keeping on the left side of the road, walk up Scotts about half a mile, bear left at the fork onto Stevens Road, go past the Tanglin Club on the left, and after the light, cross the street wherever you can, looking for a tiny street on the right called Goodwood Hill Road. Walk into this street <i>et voilia!</i> you are back in Singapore in about 1915 or so when most of the “black and white” homes on this huge circular street were built. Other than paving the street and putting in electricity and plumbing, I don’t believe this street has changed at all in about 100 years, yet all of Singapore has grown up around it. (This used to be the countryside, downtown was limited to areas along the waterfront and river.) It’s very quiet and jungle-like with trees. Most tourists have no idea that this is here literally yards from their hotels. Walk all the way around it, you can get a glimpse of many of the houses. If you are feeling brave, then go up the drive at #2 on the right which is the Pyramid Club and is mostly deserted during the day. (This club has an interesting history and membership, ask around about it, if you can get anyone to tell you…). You can’t go into the house, but can get an idea of the grounds, etc. There is a marvelous book of pictures of many of the houses on this street by Julian Davison called “Black and White: The Singapore House 1898-1941”. You can buy it at most bookshops in Singapore, including the huge Borders at the corner of Scotts and Orchard. You can find another large group of “black and whites” by going up Nassim Road just off Orchard Road near the Tanglin Shopping Centre. There are also several restaurants located in black and whites, notably Flutes at the Fort quite near the Empress Place Museum, and then a string of very good ones in the Rochester Park area like Graze or Ming Jang at One North.

For a bit of more modern colonial charm, go to the Polo Club. They have matches, usually at least one Sunday a month. 80 Mount Pleasant Road. These are great fun to watch. This club is private, but the rules are generally ignored on match days and you can just walk in. Also, the restaurants are generally open to the public on weekend evenings, call to confirm. The club is in another area of &quot;black and white&quot; bungalows. See http://www.singaporepoloclub.org/default.htm for info.

For the most colonial charm get yourself an invitation to the Cricket Club on a weekend afternoon, and sit outside on the verandah and watch the lawn bowling or the cricket (the quintessential colonial sport) while sipping a Gin Sling (their version of the Singapore Sling and much better, less sweet). You can pretend you are Somerset Maugham.

Thanks Cicerone for the extensive insight into the area. Pretending to be Somerset Maugham? Now there is a very good idea.