A Trip to Singapore

Pretty soon, I'm going to be in Singapore for some number of days. Any of allz y'allz international sorts have any recommendations?

Welcome to our sunny little island, SpacePPoliceman! Any idea where you will be staying? My recommendations will vary depending on where you stay and for how long, but here are some must-do's to get you started:

Food - This island is about it's food! There is great food to be found pretty much everywhere, but some definite experiences are - No Signboard Seafood in Geylang (which is the seamier side of Singapore) or Long Beach seafood in Kallang, Anjappar in Little India for authentic South Indian food, the Malay/muslim food in the area around Arab Street or for slightly more fancy options, look at places in Dempsey Hill or Keong Saik road.

Coffee - for authentic local flavor, you have to go to a food court and order a "kopi-o" (black coffee) or "kopi-c" (with condensed milk). There are also your hipster coffee bars in several places including famously Chye Seng Huat Hardware and Maison Ikkoku.

Drink - honestly, Singapore is an incredibly expensive city to drink in. I can probably suggest some places if you want the experience but I'd suggest sticking to draft beers at a local pub.

Shop - ah, our national pastime. How much do you want to spend and what strikes your fancy? There's probably an outlet that's just right for you here. Chinatown is filled with shops selling trinkets, Orchard Road is (one of) our high-end shopping areas and you can get lots of PC gear in Sim Lim Square.

Do - This really depends on how much time you have. Definitely visit the Gardens by the Bay, walk around Chinatown, Visit the Botanic Gardens (take mosquito repellent!), do the tourist thing at Sentosa or hike the Macritchie Reservoir. Depending how long you are here, you can wander further afield to places like Pulau Ubin.

Depending on when you get here, I might still be in Singapore in which case I'm definitely up for a S&T!

PS: Paging Falchion. Paging Falchion. The Stan-signal has been raised!

Eat eat eat eat eat.

Eat eat eat. Everywhere.

If you want to be a real tourist go to Raffles and throw peanut shells on the floor while drinking $25 singapore slings. (i sure did)

Thanks both. I'm not a photos on instagram eating sort, but I do like eating in the manner of wherever I am. And your warnings on drink expense are appreciated--I also like drinking the cheap local brews.

This is a strange family affair, so I'm not clear on where I'm staying, and also not 100% certain when I'll be there--the trip is from the 28th to March 10th, but there will be a secondary trip to Angkor Wat (which I could not be more excited about) somewhere in there that will eat some days.

Practical: What's the recommended level of mosquito repellent? Will something with a cute name suffice, or should I go for a paint-stripping level of DEET?

In Singapore, You will be fine with something light by way of mosquito repellent, but go as heavy as you can on the sunscreen! The mosquito problem is really only a problem in specific spots late in the evening. Now if you're travelling elsewhere in the region, you probably want to pack a heavyweight DEET spray.

avggeek, sorry we weren't able to meet up, but your city is quite amazing, and your advice quite helpful. I happened to be staying not too far from Keong Saik, so we hit that up often, and at Jumbo and Man Man Unagi, I legit had some of the greatest meals of my life (2.5 hour wait at Man Man, worth every second). Keeping it real, though, first thing I did back in the states was gaze at the many taps in my local bars, because Tiger wears thin f*cking fast. Y'allz need to get that Archipelago spread further and wider.

SpacePPoliceman - Glad to hear my advice was helpful. Food is really what Singapore is all about, so by the time you come back here next time there will be more places for you to try! Re: Beer - well I did try to warn you, but I guess you have to experience it for yourself to realize just how sh*tty it is.

Hopefully we can catch up the next time you are in town!