We stopped off in Singapore for 4 days on the return leg of our trip to Scotland when Master H was 7 months old. We had been to Singapore before on a trip to Malaysia and had loved it, (especially the food) so we were excited to go there again, this time with our wee man in tow.
We stayed in a hotel about a 5 min walk from Clarke Quay where we could walk along the river and about a 10 min walk to Chinatown, which we love to frequent for the tasty food. Singapore is such a melting pot of nationalities and the spectacular cuisine is influenced by those of Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia, and influences from Thailand, the Middle East and Sri Lanka are also present. The variety of choice is a bit mind boggling, and if you like food like we do we try to sample as much as we can while we are there. Some of the most tasty and affordable food can be found at hawker centres, here you will find a variety of cuisines in one place. Two well known centres with a excellent variety of hawker stalls are the Newton Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat.
One of the great things about Singapore is that everyone eats out all of the time, well why wouldn’t you when the food is so good? As most Singaporeans live in small apartments it seems practical to eat out and meet friends and family at a hawker centre, restaurant or a food court rather than in a small space at home. It is also perfectly acceptable to eat out with your kids or baby at night and no one gives you a dirty look. When we first arrived after our long 16 hour flight it was only mid afternoon for us in UK time but 10pm in Singapore local time. Well we were not going to let an opportunity for good food pass us up, so we checked in at our hotel and went straight out to dinner with Master H at 10pm. Possibly at 10pm people may be wondering why you are out with your baby, but no one seemed to pay any attention. We went to a restaurant in Chinatown as lots of the hawker stalls had closed and we wanted a high chair so we could semi relax (if that is possible with a baby?) after our long flight. We were very pleased with our restaurant choice in Chinatown as Master H was kept constantly entertained by the restaurant staff who were enthralled by the fair haired blue eyed baby. Not only that but the chef came out too to see our little superstar and we got to nearly finish an entire meal….wait for it...uninterrupted! Oh my God! Did I just write that? If you are a parent you will know what a rare treat that is.
Singapore’s historic Chinatown was one of our favourite places to visit as we just love the food there, and our itinerary in Singapore mainly revolved around our bellies! There is now a street fully dedicated to the food called Chinatown Food Street where you will find 24 hawker stalls and 6 shophouse restaurants. Here you will find delights such as Oyster Omelette, Beef and Chicken Satay, Fried Kway Teow, Hokkien Mee, Sambal Sotong, Hainanese chicken rice and so much more mouth watering food. We found it hard to limit ourselves and not just gorge! We treated ourselves on our last night to some chilli stingray and the famous Singapore chilli crab. In Chinatown you will also find ornate Chinese, Buddhist and Hindu temples, museums and plenty of opportunities to soak up the bustling streets lined with old shop houses. The red and gold lanterns, lights, markets and family atmosphere all make this a great place to take little ones. Master H was fascinated by the lights and lanterns and watching all the people.
We enjoyed visiting the Gardens by the Bay, a sprawling garden in the city with beautiful waterfront views spanning over 101 hectares of reclaimed land. There are two main gardens, Bay South Garden and Bay East Garden. Bay South garden is the largest and contains the not to be missed Supertree Grove. These are tree shaped vertical gardens and their unique design resembles Singapore’s national flower, an Orchid. These architectural wonders are between 9 and 16 storeys tall. Bay East Garden has lush lawns and tropical palm trees. The perfect spot for a picnic, Master H loved rolling around on the grass and it was easy to find a shady spot to breastfeed in private. A supposedly short distance from the gardens is the Sands Skypark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands. We seemed to take the most convoluted route up lifts, then down lifts, along walkways, up stairs and down stairs, round corners which lead us to a que to go up the lift to the observation deck. I am still not sure if this was the right route to the viewing deck or if we were just hot, confused and tired! But it was worth the hassle as the panoramic views of the city from a soaring 57 levels above were stunning.
Little India is another place worthy of a visit, and is, well as the name says, a little India. If you are in search of a good Indian curry then this is the place to go and the hustle and bustle, music and vibrant colours all add to the feel of the place.
Call me neurotic but when I’m traveling I’m quite partial to clean lavatories to use and facilities to wash ones hands. Particularly in South East Asia where it is humid and you feel so hot and sweaty. Well Singapore caters to that need for me I have to say, its cleanliness is next to no other in South East Asia. Although Master H wasn’t crawling yet I think knowing everything is clean makes you feel comfortable out and about with your little one. My husband would be rolling his eyes at this. You mean clean toilets beat the amazing food? Um no but it’s up there!
We were surprised to learn that taxis in Singapore do not have car seats for babies. We had not researched this before traveling as I had presumed Singapore being such a modern westernised city that we would be able to request one, but I was wrong! As Singapore is so small we mainly got around by foot or tube and only need to get a taxi to and from the airport.
Singapore is a vibrant city to visit for a few days, it is very child friendly, has great food and attractions and is easy to get around. It is the perfect place to stop off from a long haul flight with children as it is clean and easy and has everything you need.
Note: this trip was done in 2015
Leave a Reply