Fun things to do in Singapore

The parlament building in Singapore is one of the best excamples of colonial architecture in Singapore and the oldest goverment buildingin the country too.
It´s from the early part of the 19th century and is still used as the parlament.
There is a little museum in the building you can visit too if you have the time, but the building itself is interesting enough from the outside in my opinion.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel might just be a hotel but it has kinda become the landmark of Sigapore since it opened in 2010.
It´s the worlds most expensive hotel that cost a staggering 8 billion dollars to build and it has the worlds largest casino and a roof top pool that is 150 meters long making it the longest of it´s kind in the world.
It´s overlooking Sigapore harbour and is impossible to miss when you are in Singapore and it´s really an impressive sight that looks like something you would usually find in Dubai.
I am personally really facinated by the place and i think it has really boosted Singapores image as a happening place.

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Check in hotel 81 its around $120 (sing $) a night or find a cheaper backpack hostel in Little India would be less than $100. Shop around Bugis street and Chinatown! Love the food from SG there are many hawker stalls...A day in Singapore you can do a lot! get some info from the airport tourism authority ( free maps with %). Visit Sentosa, Universal Studio, Esplanade,Merlion, Marina Bay, SG Flyer, Clarke Quay at night, river ride, Botanical garden, SG zoo or night safari, museums etc...Oh BEFORE you get out of the immigration you should ask the counter at the left side, since you'll be there for a day could you check in the airport hotel and get a 1 day pass to visit SG. I think they have this for people with long stop overs, but maybe you cant get off the bus...Kindly ask and find out your options! All the best!

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In mid central Singapore at great free place is the St. Andrews Cathedral.
In the tropical heat of the day just here is a good place to sit and to remember.

If you sit a while at place and look around and see, at much seats are seen the old nameplates, mostly british, all remembering the at old colonial empire...
Real interest to remember the history in Singapore in the last two centurys..
In the photos see the view inside to east - with the neogotic windows and the coloured glasses

Since some times, tourists will find outside at west part of St. Andrews a new office with informations & shop for souvenirs.

After our river tour, our guide showed us to the Taoist Temple.

One thing you need not worry, you could take pictures anywhere inside the temple. Our guide said it was one of the old temples where people go to before.

Nowadays, it has become a popular tourist destination.

It’s a camera-friendly place.

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You might want to check out the Singapore Tourism website for more information on the attractions and events going on in Singapore. Very compreshensive information with an itinerary planner.

http://www.yoursingapore.com

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Raffles Hotel is a Singaporean icon.

"Raffles in Singapore stands for all the fables of the exotic East"
SOMERSET MAUGHAM.

The history of Raffles is folk-lore. Tales of visiting dignataries- movie stars, royalty, writers- abound. It was named after the father of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. There are suites named after famous dignataries. Somerset Maughm was just one of the famous writers who called Raffles home, but there were many others. Noel Coward, Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling were fixtures. The bars- Long Bar and Writers Bar are testamant to the popularity of Raffles in the first half of the 20th century. The tradition of dropping peanut shells onto the floor in the Long Bar remains a mystery to me- but I suspect that some flippant but famous writer started the habit, and it has remained so for half a century. In fact, it is mandatory to make a mess with the shells. The peanuts come free with drinks in the Long Bar.

There is a fable about a tiger being trapped underneath the billaird table, scaring the privilaged guests. Its true. Around the turn of the century the tiger had escaped from a nearby circus, and made its way to Raffles.......seeking some luxurious accommodation maybe? Bad mistake- the poor fellow was shot in the Billiard room (some say the Long Bar) but his escapade has become one of the many legendary Raffles tales.

Opened in 1887 by Armenian brothers Sarkies, Raffles was popular with intrepid travellers during the early part of the 20th Century. After financial problems due to the Great Depression, the original Raffles was foreced into recievership.
In 1933 the hotel was rehabilited after being bought by a public company, Raffles Ltd.
The balls, dinners, high teas and genteel style of life became an intergral part of high society in Singapore. Then came the war. After the Japanese occupied Singapore, Raffles was used as a base for the Japanese Imperial Army. At the end of the war, in 1945, over 300 Japanese committed suicide inside the building. It was therafter used as a transit camp for prisoners that had been held in Changi Jail. The hotel was once again in dire straits, in bad repair and deep in debt.
In 1950 a Dutch reporter Franz Schutzman, who had been reporting on wars in the area, was hired to manage the hotel.
The Singapore Sling was concoted here- and the recipe was imported to the rest of the world. Approximately one thousand Singapore Slings are sold at Raffles despite the exhorbitant cost.

Franz , recalling the popular days of opulence and gentility, began to implement rules that gradually brought back the Golden days of Raffles. Dinner dress was formal. Balls became weekend highlights, and the huge Ballroom glittered. High Teas, served on the finest china, are still the best in Singapore today. The dainty cucumber sandwiches wafer thin and cakes and pastries of the finest quality.
The hotel was re-furbished.....again and again. The rich and famous flocked back to the hotel.
Management changed over the years. Suites and new dining areas were added. The most recent re-furbishment was in 1989, at a cost of many millions.
Today- even if a stay at Raffles is not within the average travellers budget, the hotel can still be visited. The bars and dining areas are open to the public, and are often frequented by visitors staying elsewhere. The courtyard is a delightful place to sit and partake of a long cool Singapore Sling or other refreshments.
There are designer shops within the main lobby arcade, which is exquisite in design and oozes luxury and good taste.
The museum located upstairs is filled with memorablia- priceless artifacts, photographs, letters, postcards and letters which trace the history of Raffles. I spent hours browsing around here. The museum shop sells souveniers, books , posters and pictures.
In my opinion, no visit to Singapore is complete without a visit to Raffles Hotel.

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Being in Singapore, one just has to try a Singapore Sling.The Long Bar in Raffles Hotel is where you go. It is mandatory to drop your peanut shells onto the floor, and I am intrigued by this tradition. I determine to investigate it soon. But the Long Bar has another appeal:

Singapore has a plethora of restuarants and food markets, and eventually one begins to feel the need for some different kind of experience.
We always pop into the Long Bar for a Singapore Sling, and one late afternoon, after a hot hectic day- we did just that. It was about 6pm, and we were 'peckish'
Once again, the decision had to be made- WHERE to eat tonight?
Then I spied a delicious looking platter being placed on the table next to ours- my taste buds exploded.
The bar menu is not huge, but the choice is adequate- and the food was, of course, perfect. Up to Raffles standerd. What surprised us most was that the cost of a meal for two was substantally lower than any restuarant we had eaten in. And of course, the atmosphere of the Long Bar is legendry. It oozes charm and elegance, and the peanut shells crackled underfoot.
We had Beef kebabs (spicy delicious) with a green salad and finely cut potato chips.
The meal cost us S$25.00