Recommendations in Singapore

Marrison Hotel

Looking for a hotel in Singapore might be a bit overwhelming as there are SO many options. I stayed at the Marrison for a week and highly recommend it! It is a new hotel that is super clean with very friendly staff. There is complimentary internet access in the hotel room (a major plus) and they have a printer behind the service desk if you need it (excellent for printing boarding passes). It is also a two minute walk from Bugis Junction which is a mall that has everything you could need. It is also a good spot to start your walking tour of Ruggles Hotel, Arab Street, and Little India. It is a short distance from Clark Quay as well. When returning to the hotel I recommend that you tell your taxi driver to take you to Bugis Junction on North Bridge Road and then walk two minutes to the hotel. My experience with taxi drivers in Singapore is that they get lost quite easily, don’t know where many places are, and do not use GPS. The Marrison Hotel is new and Beach Road is quite long. Multiple times the taxi driver did not know which way to go on Beach Road or they tried and got lost.

If you are claustrophobic the Marrison may not be the best option for you. I must warn you that the rooms are CRAZY small. They have all the amenities you would need but the reason their price is so reasonable for the area and excellent service is that the rooms are very efficient and SUPER small.

Again, I highly recommend this hotel. The service was excellent. The location couldn’t have been better. The rooms were VERY clean.

http://www.marrisonhotel.com/

No Signboard Seafood Restaurant

Crab is something that must be eaten while in Singapore. This place is a bit pricy for locals but I found it reasonable after paying such high prices in Clarke Quay. It was my first time to eat crab legs and it is so much fun! It was absolutely delicious and the appetizers of sliced fish with veggies were also quite scrumptious. And like most places in Asia, you can drink coconut water straight out of the coconut – so healthy and refreshing. Don’t let the strange name of this restaurant fool you. The ambiance and food are worth checking out.

I would recommend the absolute minimum number of people to enjoy this place together to be four. It is a place where it is best to go in a larger group.

There are various locations. So go to their website to decide how to fit it into your day:

http://nosignboardseafood.com/

Jumbo

This restaurant was also recommended by friends to eat crab but I personally did not have the opportunity to try it. If you have time to check it out, let me know how it is.

The Hair Salon: The Hair Secrets BEAUFOND

I have had my hair done up for many special occasions. I just happened to stumble upon this place and cannot praise Vaan Tai, my hair stylist enough. He is creative, detail oriented, and pleasant to be around. The salon serves jasmine tea while your hair is being made into a masterpiece. He did such an amazing job that I returned the next day to have him style my hair again. He truly cares about what he is doing and it shows in the way he works on your hair, adds extra finishing touches, and the stunning final product. Both days my hair was styled in a way that was classy with a twist of creative uniqueness. If you stay at the Marrison Hotel, it is a 45 second walk down the street.

http://www.thehairsecrets.com/

Night Zoo

This place is fantastic! It starts out with a fire show. People are actually blowing gasoline out of their mouths and doing all sorts of tricks with fire. I can’t imagine the long term detriment they are doing to their teeth, gums, esophagus, etc. but the show is quite enjoyable. Then you can take the tram to see all the animals. It is quite informative. You learn why an elephant flaps its ears, why a flamingo stands on one leg, and how the giraffe has to rock its neck back and forth in order to use the momentum to stand up. The animal show they put on was quite good as well. It was even more enjoyable watching how much the children loved it. The food and drink options are a nice break before deciding to enter the walking trails. It is a bit scary (well for me but I scare easily)! You get to actually walk through massive foliage while looking at exotic animals close up.

I recommend arriving at 6:40. This will allow you time to enjoy all the park offers (shows, dinner, walking trails, and the tram) and finish up by 11 or 11:30.

Arrive to the night show 30 minutes early to ensure a good seat. Then you will be much closer to the animals walking around.

My guide book recommended checking out the bathrooms too. And after checking them out, I agree.

My only disclaimer is that if your only mode of transportation is by taxi, you may want to re-think going to the zoo. It is 32 SGD to enter the zoo and a round trip taxi ride from the city will cost you over 60 SGD.

If you have been on an actual safari in Africa, you may not be that impressed. So go have a drink or go shopping instead. For those of you that haven’t made it to Africa yet, have fun!

http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/