Readers share their advice on visiting Singapore. Send us your travel tips for the chance to win a holiday
Singapore: readers' tips
The Telegraph 17 Mar 14;
This week's winning tip
Old ways
Take a cheap day-return boat ride from Changi to Pulau Ubin and experience the real Singapore of days gone by. The little island is home to the last “kampongs” (traditional Singapore villages) with old-style shophouses, and tame “stray” dogs and chickens wandering around.
The people who live here rely on deliveries of provisions by boat, generators for electricity and wells for water. It’s absolutely fascinating to step back into Singaporean history and oceans away from the buzz and bright lights of the city. Hire bicycles or just meander the paths and trails, enjoy sights and sounds of verdant rainforest, red rivers, old quarry workings overgrown with exotic plants, birds, butterflies, crabs and fish and best of all experience the calls of monkeys high above in the trees. And definitely don’t miss out on the best deep-fried squid you will ever taste.
Sue Turley, from Norfolk, wins a holiday voucher with DialAFlight
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More advice from readers
Going nuts
Steer clear of Raffles’ Long Bar if you’re not too steady on your feet. It’s customary for patrons there to discard all their peanut shells on the floor. When I last went, not long after a knee replacement, I found it tricky to negotiate the considerable debris, especially when I’d drunk a Singapore Sling. Make a beeline though for the breathtaking Jurong Bird Park, which is home to a wealth of exotic and fascinating birds, including a strangely sinister and morose-looking African shoebill that so riveted me with its baleful stare that I found it hard to tear myself away.
Gill Tweed, London
Night attraction
The night safari is a must. You get to see nocturnal animals and those that are more active after dusk, which you won’t see in other zoos. Although there is a tram tour which many favour, I preferred to walk the trails – the experience of hearing a lion roar nearby and then spotting it in the dim light separated by barely perceptible barriers (such as moats and electric fences) was just amazing. It can get busy, but is well organised and doesn’t feel crowded. The four hours I was there from dusk to midnight flew by; when I went back to my hotel I just could not stop thinking of all the animals I had seen in a unique setting.
Michael Begley, Berwickshire
Wear wellies
Yes of course Singapore is hot and humid and you’ll only be wearing the flimsiest of clothes, but Wellingtons and a brolly would be a good idea. The gutters, like deep gorges down the sides of every street, are a clue. Most afternoons, it doesn’t just rain, it cascades down in solid sheets. Watch the locals, who seem to know when it will happen. Elegant slender women in business suits hurry along in plastic boots.
Seeking shelter indoors, I’d recommend the little visited National Art Gallery (soon to be moved to a new home) with an interesting permanent collection and a modern extension for temporary exhibitions. The tea room’s good too.
The crazy installations in the painted cement garden eclipse the Venice Biennale any old day. Definitely worth braving the elements to see.
Myra Robinson, Newcastle
Authentic appeal
Singapore abounds with attractions – the tourist will be impressed by its clean streets, the neatly dressed people (many glued to their electronic gadgets), the hotels, gleaming shopping malls, casinos, modern food centres. But once you feel luxuriated out and yearn for something more authentic, the beautiful parks, reservoirs, numerous temples, churches, and mosques will take you into a different, much calmer, world. And if you feel the need to get away even further from this cosmopolitan environment – escape to Pulau Ubin. A public bus or taxi will take you from the city to Changi Village from where you can take a boat across to the small island of Ubin. The crossing takes just minutes. When you step off the boat you may be forgiven for thinking you are entering a parallel universe, hardly touched by modern life, with rickety original wooden Malay kampong houses, and small coffee shops.
Christiane Hutchins, via email
Meal deal
First-time visitors to Singapore ought to try the food in the little cafés in the street behind the famous Harry’s Bar. The locals all eat there at lunchtime and if you join the longest queue you will be guaranteed a great lunch. You might not know exactly what you are eating but it will not only be tasty but very different. We went there two days running and the manager gave us a free drink as we were the only Europeans on either day.
Another must-see is a visit to the Singapore night zoo. A surprising and spectacular sight to see from your train as you turn a corner is a huge elephant, followed by giraffes and the amazing flying squirrels.
Judith Arnold, via email
Well preserved
Take a break from the shops and skyscrapers and see some of the disappearing Peranakan architecture of Singapore. Tanjong Pagar conservation area in the central business district has some of the best-preserved shophouses painted lime green, apple green and russet and now quite upmarket for what was once a ghetto for dock workers and before that a fishing village. At least it is still there – Singapore’s last surviving Malay fishing village, Pulau Seking, which consisted of houses on stilts above the water, has disappeared under a vast landfill site. It’s a shame as that is how Singapore started which is easy to forget when you are surrounded by the buildings of one of the most futuristic cities on the planet.
Dr Chris Allen, Bucks
Market day
The Sungei Road Thieves Flea Market at Jalan Besar, near Bugis Station, is open 1-7pm daily. The oldest flea market in Singapore bang in the middle of the modern city road. Not only for junk and collectors’ items, but a place where designers can display their new creations. Although loud and chaotic, it is very shopper-friendly, offering chairs for the weary and umbrellas to escape from the hot sun.
Sandra Moran, Berks
In colour
On the first day of my annual working month in Singapore, I always walk up to the extraordinary Botanic Gardens. I make straight for the Ginger Garden with more than 500 species of every shape and size; the bananas, bird-of-paradise plants and spiral gingers all even more spectacular than my memories from last year’s trip. Flowers of every colour clamour for attention. I sit for some minutes facing the beautiful lily pond, admiring the water lilies poking out of the water, the massive lily pads, the mini turtles, the fish and the dragonflies, always hoping for a glimpse of a well-camouflaged 2ft-long monitor lizard, sunning itself alongside a tree stump or laced woodpecker or orange-headed thrush dashing from one plant to the next. Although it’s only a short walk from the always hectic Orchard Road, I know I’m back in the paradise that is the Ginger Garden.
Danny Leiwy, Herts
Culinary feast
Singapore is an amazing hot pot of culinary delights. Singaporeans will travel far and wide in their hunt for the best food in any category. An off-the-beaten-track place for amazing and cheap food is Chomp Chomp Hawker centre, far less touristy than the infamous Newton Hawker Centre which is close to the city. Get some of the best satay-sauce vermicelli, hokkien prawn noodles, barbecue chilli sting ray, pan-fried carrot cake, Singapore satays, ice desserts to name just a few well-known ones. There are more than 30 stalls, which have stood the test of time, supported by the locals who live there and around. A recommended stop for foodies everywhere.
Louis Tan, London
