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Mustafa Centre (1-2 hrs)
One of the best one-stop-shops can be found in the ethnic neighbourhood Little India. We think everything they sell anywhere else in Singapore, they sell it here as well. You can get almost anything from over 300,000 items displayed on four levels covering an area of 37.000 square metres within the six-story building. It a combination of a supermarket and department store. And the good thing is, this shop is open 24/7.
From the main road in Little India, Serangoon Road, go off at Syed Alwi Road. You will find Mustafa Centre on your left-hand side. You can't miss it. The nearest MRT station is Little India.
Geylang Serai Market (2 hrs)
Singapore has a lot of muslims and once a year they have their fasting month, the ramadan. During this month it is an absolute treat to go to Geylang Serai market.
At this market you can experience a real Asian bazaar and you can get very nice traditional halal dishes for very reasonable prices. The market is located at Geyland Serai straat. To go there, take MRT to Paya Lebar. Time to go there is after sunset of course if you like to have something to eat.
The market starts every year at the first day of Ramadan and ends at the Hari Raya celebration (end of Ramadan) at 3 am.
Tanjong beach club (½ - 1 day)
If you like to enjoy the beach in Singapore, you should go to Sentosa Island. There are several beaches: Siloso Beach, Palawan beach and Tanjong beach. The first one houses many trendy beach bars like Café del Mar, but a very popular one nowadays is Tanjong Beach Club, the only establishment at Sentosa’s picturesque Tanjong Beach.
There’s a nice beach, a swimming pool for those who don’t like the sea, a wonderful bar, a diner and a DJ to create a laidback atmosphere.
The easiest way to go there is by taxi. Remember there’s an extra fee to enter Sentosa Island, for a taxi that will be s$2 or even s$6 on weekends and special events.
If you like to go back it can be hard to get a taxi, but there are several ways to book a taxi from Sentosa. Fast call: dial 6454 2222, key ‘12284’, press 1. SMA-a-taxi: to 71222, text ‘FC 12284’. And there’s the Sentosa express taxi: dial 8409 5511, there’s an extra booking fee (s$5,20) for this one.
Beach Road Army market (1 hr)
Are you looking for outdoor and adventure gear? Go to Beach Road Army market. You can buy backpacks, clothes, shoes and all accessories for outdoor activities here.
It is a bit hard to find, as it looks like a food market. But you will find the Army Market at level 3 of Golden Mile Food centre. At their website you can find directions and a map as well. It is at Beach Road between Jalan Sultan and Crawford Street. The nearest MRT station is Lavender. The opening hours of the shops may vary, but most shops are open from 11 am onwards, some until 10 pm.
PS Cafe (2 hrs)
A lovely chain of restaurants and bars in Singapore is PS café. They have several locations and all joints are located in wonderful buildings. The best for us is the one in Chinatown at Ann Siang Hill Park. This venue has a great rooftop terrace. Enjoy the Singapore skyline at night while you sip your cocktail.
More information about the opening hours and the other locations can be found at their website.
New Asia Bar (1 eve)
A wonderful bar with a great view in Singapore is located at the 71st floor of the Swissôtel The Stamford at 2 Stamford Road in the heart of the city. This bar has a glass wall that gives you a great night view on the illuminated city.
The tunes the resident DJs play are house, classic, new age, funk and Motown (Wed to Sat). The prices are quite high, a simple mix drink will cost you s$20, but you do get a great view and a wonderful atmosphere. Some evenings there’s a cover charge of s$25 including one house pour.
The opening hours are: 3 pm to 1 am (Sun to Tues), 3 pm to 2 am (Wed & Thurs) and 3 pm to 3 am (Fri & Sat).
Imperial Herbal Restaurant (2 hrs)
The Imperial Herbal Restaurant is a traditional Chinese health concept that has been incorporated into a unique dining experience where the secrets of herbal medicine are blended with the culinary skills of master chefs to provide healthy gourmet dishes.
Every Thursday there’s a Chinese doctor in the Herbal Counter of the restaurant. You can make an appointment with this doctor for a consultation. You can get an examination and the doctor will tell you what to eat in this restaurant. This can be a dish like crocodile, freshwater fish with ginseng or sea-cucumber with yam. You don’t necessarily need to follow the prescription of the doctor, but it’s fun to have this consultation.
The doctor can also prescribe some Chinese medicines and give some tips. You have to make an appointment in advance for this consultation, which costs s$15.
The restaurant exists already for 18 years, but it moved recently to a location in Vivo City at Harbourfront Walk. The address is #03-08, Lobby G VivoCity (so 3th floor at Vivo City). Call them to make a reservation: 6337 0491, or e-mail them.
Arab street area (2 hrs)
One of the trendiest streets with a lot of restaurants and bars in Singapore is Arab Street. Actually we call it Arab Street, but it's more the area around Arab Street.
In streets like Bussorah Street, Baghdad Street, Bali Lane and many other small streets and alleys you will find shops, bars and restaurants serving dishes from cuisines like Arabic, Turkish, North Indian, Local and Mediterranean.
The places are busy at night. During daytime it’s only the shops that are open for business. You can go there by MRT; it’s in walking distance of Bugis station. And any taxi driver will know if you tell them: Arab Street.
Bugis Village (1 - 2 hrs)
Shopping is a great thing to do in Singapore, but sometimes the shopping malls can be so well air-conditioned, you really feel cold inside. So why not go shopping outside and look for a good bargain? Bugis Village is the largest street-shopping location in Singapore, nearby Bugis MRT station.
Once in this place were transvestites, prostitutes and rowdy sailors crawling around. Nowadays it’s an outside bazaar where you can buy cheap clothes, food and souvenirs. A great time to go there is in the evening. They call it a night bazaar, but I will be only open until around 9 pm.
From the MRT station it’s very easy to find. Just follow the signs. And if you go by taxi, just tell the driver to drop you off at Bugis Village.
Liang Seah Street (1½ hr)
If you go to Bugis Village and you are hungry, you can go to Liang Seah Street. This street is on the other side of Bugis Junction if you come from Bugis Village. In the street you will find many small restaurants and bars.
At the end of the street are some great restaurants where you can have steamboat and BBQ. There’s a buffet with a lot of meat, fish, seafood and veggies, which you can grill on your plate or cook in your choice of soup. Buffet and drinks (except alcohol) are all inclusive and prices for the buffet are starting from s$15 per person.
Cooking lessons (3 hrs)
In Singapore you can eat at every street corner, but how to cook your own meal? So EZ Cooking Studio provides an exciting place where anyone can easily learn how to cook and bake. Their courses are comprehensive, challenging, and most of all, easy, so you can quickly pick up culinary techniques and start creating your own gastronomic masterpieces.
The professional and very experienced chefs at SoEZ inspire ordinary people to cook with passion while enjoying the experience. They have changing courses where you can learn how to cook dishes from local cuisines, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese for example. But there are also courses like pastry baking, parent & child bonding, festive goodies and much more. Information about the course schedule can be found here.
SoEZ Cooking Studio is located in United Square at 101 Thomson Road. You can call them at: +65 6259 0606, or you can book your course online.
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Language of the world
Of course you like to speak a few words of the local language onboard the plane or at your destination. Here you find some simple basics of the main language spoken in Singapore.