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Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:04 pm
by fetch5482
My 6 year old's school is off for fall break during first 2 weeks of October. We want to tour Singapore (and possibly Bangkok).

Has anyone here toured S'pore and can suggest a good tour/package for that destination from U.S.?
What are entertaining places to visit with a 6 year besides the theme parks?

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:58 pm
by Portfolio7
I have only been there on business, but I really liked visiting Arab Street. Very atmospheric. If the 6 yo is an adventurous eaters, there are a few restaurants... and a McDonalds knock-off about a block away, as I remember! I had Schawarma there, it was great.

There is a 'China' area and an 'India' area... I found the China area more entertaining - it's open air, for one thing, and had a greater variety of stalls and shops. The usual tourist trinkets, but some of the shops were pretty interesting also, and toys for the kiddos. Also, they have a kind of pork jerky with a light coat of sweet seasoning called Bok Kwa that is delicious, and good to carry around if everyone gets a little snackish. It's really a new year's treat kind of thing in the local culture, as I understand it, but I kept it around a lot - and snuck some past customs when I came back to the US. Lucky I didn't get the dog.

There is a Zoo, and also some parks near the ocean that sounded enticing. Lots of places to walk & eat downtown, very clean and safe. A walkway along the main river area (and boat races in the harbor some days. It was fun to eat lunch and watch the racers.)

Next to the famous hotel at the harbor (looks like 3 towers with a boat stretched across the top) there is evening entertainment - a water show with music. It's very Disney-esque.

There is a very nice botanical garden style park downtown with towers encircled by plants and lights, and an evening light and music show to go with it. There are raised walking platforms for the adventurous.

There are also large communal eating locations, with multiple stands ringing the eating area, in addition to all sorts of good restaurants.

The shopping area is pretty snazzy, and there are some reasonable places to eat there too. Lots of lights in the evening, and trees that are swarming with tweeting birds, so that's pretty entertaining, but it the lights (& distance) could well be overwhelming for the youngster.

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 7:11 pm
by mrb09
Definitely the Jurong Bird Park and the Night Zoo.

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:05 am
by fetch5482
Thanks for the super detailed replies! Does anyone have suggestions for tour operator or packages?

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:53 am
by jbranx
walletless wrote: ā†‘Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:05 am Thanks for the super detailed replies! Does anyone have suggestions for tour operator or packages?
I've been there many times on business and a couple times as a tourist. I would avoid a tour operator and instead research the sites you and the family are interested in. The metro line is cheap and goes virtually everywhere. Taxis use meters, almost all speak English, and they take credit cards. I'd do the botanical garden, especially the orchid garden. The casino area on the coast has lots of fun things for the kids to do. There's a good cable car ride as well. Orchard Street, the main shopping area, is worth a visit to see all the world's shops in one place. Food is excellent, asian fusion, and is good from the stalls to the best restaurants. Do the bird park. And research all the other things that interest you. Super safe city, easy to navigate, tourist friendly, and you don't need a tour operator to see and do everything you want. All the major brand hotels are there as well. The Changi airport is superb compared to anything in this country.

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 2:21 am
by jlawrence01
Since English is a requirement for ALL students in Singapore, nearly ALL young Singaporean students can speak English fairly well.

There are hundreds of YouTube channels, mostly in English, that will show you all of the worthwhile places to visit. What is also important is to realize that some of the best food (and least expensive) can be found in hawker stands in shopping areas throughout the cities. In these areas, there are generally 15-20 food stands and a common eating area.

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:37 am
by laohan
jbranx wrote: ā†‘Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:53 am
walletless wrote: ā†‘Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:05 am Thanks for the super detailed replies! Does anyone have suggestions for tour operator or packages?
I've been there many times on business and a couple times as a tourist. I would avoid a tour operator and instead research the sites you and the family are interested in.
Iā€™d second that. Singapore is easy, and the people are nice with fluent English.
Hawker centers for food. Ask about things that are unfamiliar - esting is an important part of Singaporean culture and they are rightfully proud of their delicious food.
Night zoo and aquarium on sentosa for the kiddo.
I recall the museums having free tours (asian civilization museum, for example), and the tour guides were friendly and engaging.

A week is a lot of time for Singapore, so you may want to consider other places in addition.

Have a great time-

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 7:03 am
by FireProof
Take a cheap flight to Penang, and you can see what Singapore was like 20 year ago, with intact historical buildings, plus the food is better.

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:02 am
by bob60014
Do the research on your own and bypass tour operators. Use Google and TripAdvisor to search things to do, restaurants, places to stay and use the forums to get more info. It is a compact country, easy to get around, English is spoken and everyone is willing to help making it very easy to explore on your own. Have a great trip!

Re: Touring Singapore in October

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:13 am
by midareff
Sentosa Island is a MUST! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions ... sland.html Wife and I went back a few years as she had a conference so I went touring with a local company. Wish I could remember the name but can't right now. The island is beautiful, like a manicured estate. They have a giant Ferris wheel, similar to the London Eye you may want to make a point of and there are day trips into Malaysia which we stayed an extra day for. The time we were there coincided with the Singapore Grand Prix so getting around in town was a bit tricky as quite a few roads were re-routed. The island is very safe ... no problems with drugs and such as they just kill the bad guys there, no catch and release.