Singapore Travel Guide: Day 1

Back in late October I managed to convince one of my best friends from home to join me in buying tickets to Singapore, a country/city at the top of my travel bucket list for quite some time. She spontaneously agreed to the trip, which led to us going to the other side of the world last week for a girl's trip to such a beautiful and underrated city.

With the flights taking about 20 hours each way, we managed to squeeze in lots of activities and food the three full days we had there. This post will cover our main itinerary on our first day - I'll be posting the rest in the coming days.

We stayed in the heart of downtown, at the Swissotel Merchant Court, which allowed us to tackle a quadrant of the city each day. The hotel is by Clarke Quay, and also the amazing and uber-instagrammable rainbow colored building pictured above. To my surprise this is a government building - why can't American and Canadian government buildings be this fun and quirky? The rainbow windows stretch for two facades so this picture doesn't even do it justice.

Breakfast: We originally wanted to try the famous local kaya toast for breakfast but because it was Chinese New Year nearly all of the kaya eateries were closed. Coincidentally outside of my hotel doorstep was this cute Western-influenced coffee shop/brunch spot, Craftsmen Specialty Coffee, which served delicious croissant sandwiches and cappuccinos European-style (with chocolate on the side). Everything was delicious, and the shop also sold craft beer, randomly.

After breakfast, we strolled in the direction of the National Museum of Singapore, and passed by some beautiful and colorful buildings, some commercial, some residential, all of very different architectural styles.

The colorful houses remind me of Havana, but much cleaner and more modern.

The National Museum of Singapore is a must-see if you are interested in learning about Singapore's history. I did not realize that it had been occupied by so many foreign forces and that the country has only been independent for 50 years. The museum also has special galleries and exhibits that are highly digital, which was an interesting contrast to the more traditional history exhibit. Pro tip: if you visit during Chinese New Year's weekend, it's free!

Lunch: Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the amazing local chicken rice but my Singaporean friend took us to Boon Tong Kee and the food was delicious. Very simple, light, but flavorful. I can see how Singaporeans stay fit on their local diet.

Coffee and Dessert: We hit up a local favorite coffee shop, Common Man Coffee Roasters, which has appeared on numerous instagram feeds and blogs as one of the most grammable coffee shops in Singapore. It had a variety of interesting coffee, including nitro and slow drip (which was MP which I found to be very funny). The dessert does not disappoint either - we tried the Grilled Almond Cake with salted caramel ice cream - it was to die for.

After we had sustenance we decided to head back to the downtown core and walked around the iconic Marina Bay area to check out the starchitecture. If I had to marry a building it would definitely have to be the Marina Bay Sands hotel. I couldn't take my eyes off it. We actually ended up going up the rooftop for brunch on our last day, so that is to come.

Dinner: Yes that's right, there are cute egg faces on the dishes pictured above. Not exactly local Singaporean food, but my friend and I both wanted to check out this cute eatery called Gudetama Cafe, filled with egg booths, decor, and even furniture. It was such a funny experience since we were probably the only diners in their 20s in the restaurant as every party there had a kid. Pro tip: get the Moooo Fries, it's sweet potato fries with melted cheese, beef, and an egg - kind of like the Singaporean poutine.

Late Night Drinks: 1 Altitude is the place to go if you want to cross off multiple items on your list: world's highest rooftop bar, amazing view of the Marina Bay Sands and fireworks during Chinese New Year, and the chance to listen to some local Singaporean bands. We didn't know this before, but apparently Singaporeans LOVE Bruno Mars and his songs are played everywhere we go. At 1 Altitude, try the Singapore Sling, which is a local cocktail.

Our first day was eventful as we oriented ourselves around the city, but it was most special because I got to see a friend from college all the way around the world. After my first day I was already in love with the city and would consider moving there for a few years. More to come on the rest of my trip to Singapore!

TravelPage SongFebruary 26, 2018singapore, food, asiaComment