Hello dear nomads! I hope you are fine. I recently spent 3 days in Singapore and decided to write about it, as it was a very different – and always amazing – experience. I was there from March 1st to 3rd, and I didn’t plan it but I arrived at the time where Taylor Swift had a concert at the place. So there were a lot of tourists just coming for the event, everything got very expensive and all the hotels, hostels and Airbnbs were full. Not the best time to go to Singapore, I guess, or the best if you’re a big fan of Taylor Swift.
Anyway, I was there. I didn’t really have choice because I bought a ticket to go back to Madagascar for March 3rd, departing from Changi International Airport. So that’s why I had to go to Singapore, because I couldn’t depart from anywhere else, and I already booked that ticket one month before, without, and that was a mistake, checking if there were any events in Singapore at that moment.
ALWAYS check what happens in your destination before booking. ALWAYS!
Even so, it was a very wonderful and interesting experience, and I would like to share about it today.
My first trip in Singapore
I’ve never thought to travel to Singapore, before I got to Bali for the second time and started to have a lot of Asian friends. In a previous article, I said that I went to Bali for the second time. I arrived in the end of November, and I started to go out and got some friends, in mid-December. One of my new friends mentioned a girls trip in Singapore, and I was very interested, because I didn’t know anything about Singapore and never thought to go there also. But she was talking about it in a so interesting way that I started to get interested for some trip there.
Then, we planned a trip there, in January but unfortunately, I couldn’t have gone there, because of some visa issues when getting back in Indonesia, if I get out of the country.
Finally, when I decided to get back to Madagascar, I decided to have some days in Singapore, and then departing from there. That was very convenient because I was travelling with the Emirates Airline, and it was not that expensive from Singapore when I bought the ticket.
Initially, I planned to spend one night and one day there, arriving on a Friday in the evening and leaving on Saturday in the evening. But my flight got delayed on Sunday in the evening, so I got 24 hours more. I was very happy, until I realized that Taylor Swift had a concert on the Saturday evening, so all the hotels would be full, and I only booked my hotel for one night.
When I checked on Internet to book another night, all the accommodations were already totally fully booked, and those who weren’t were very very very very very expensive… I was about crying. I’ll have to spend a night at the airport, with all my very heavy luggages… I was all alone, and I knew nobody there.
I couldn’t cancel my flight anymore because I’ve already bought the ticket for Singapore, and if it was very expensive to reschedule it, because of the Taylor Swift thing.
I decided to just get there and see what could happen.
My first night in Singapore
I arrived at Changi International Airport at 5:30pm, but with everything I had to do, I finally could have got out of it at 6:30pm. Then, I directly took a taxi and went to the hotel that I’ve already booked on Agoda: Snooze Inn, located at Dickson Road, in Little India.
Note for myself: never book that hotel again.
It was horrible! First of all, I hated the location: it was very crowdy and full of Indian people – not that I don’t like them but honestly, they are not the best people in the world, and they were very rude to me. The receptionist was an Indian woman, she didn’t seem very friendly and wasn’t helpful at all. But I’ve already booked there so all she had to do was to give me the key card. There was nobody to take care of the luggages, and no place to leave them too, so I had to leave some of them in the very crowdy, dirty and small hall, while bringing some upstairs. And then, I had to come back and bring the other ones. I had to do that 3 times – I really had a lot of luggages – and nobody was helping, even if I met some Indian guys in the corridor.
The room was very tiny. It was a commune room for 6 people, but almost all of them were Indian, and they were having their stuff all over the place. Also, they were talking very loud. It was very uncomfortable.
The bathroom was in the same room, in a little small place. You can hear when someone is peeing or doing… other stuff… I couldn’t wait to get out of that place.
Also, they were asking 10SGD as a deposit for the key card, in case you lose it… I don’t really know what to think of that but okay. I also asked for an adapter, because the plug didn’t match mine, and I had to pay 3SGD. I couldn’t wait to leave the place, really.
Even so, I didn’t want to lose any of my little time in Singapore, and decided to explore the city at night, and also have my dinner at the same time. So I decided to take a walk in the neighborhood. It was an amazing place, looked like New York, but with less coffee houses and Chinese characters everywhere. Buildings were surrounding the place, with lights and cars everywhere. The weather was very nice. Not very hot as I expected, but not cold also.
I had some dinner in a Singaporean restaurant, then got back to my hotel. It was around 10pm. I decided to find a new hostel where to stay, and definitely a better place than where I was, because I cannot survive in another place like that one or another night. I was determinated to find it, even at a more expensive price.
While surfing, I finally found a place called Galaxy Pods, not far from this one and from all the touristic sites where I wanted to go too, on Agoda. It was a capsule hotel, but it seemed very nice, even if it was expensive. They didn’t have any single capsule anymore, so I had to book a double one, which was very expensive, but I didn’t really have a choice because that was the cheapest one because of Taylor Swift thing. So I booked it.
My first day in Singapore
The next day, I woke up and directly decided to go to the new hotel. They said that I could check in only at 2pm, but I was thinking about leaving my luggages there, do some sightseeing, having my lunch and then come back, if the place was trustworthy enough for my stuff to be left there.
And that was the case. Spencer – that’s the name of the guy who manages the place – was very kind, helpful and professional. He accepted to take care of my luggages until 2pm, and I saw there were already a lot of luggages there, so I was obviously not the one doing that.
Then, I finally could start my sightseeing.
I decided to go to a coffee house first. I was craving for coffee houses. I cannot live in a place where you don’t have coffee houses and bakeries. It was a little but far, it took 2km to go there, but in Singapore, everybody walks, and I also love walking, so I decided to have a walk and taking pictures of places at the same time. It was amazing. Galaxy Pods was located in Chinatown, so I got a lot of pictures of places decorated with dragons and lights. But the coffee house was not in Chinatown.
Then, after, I went to a big mall called Funan, to find some gifts and souvenirs for my sisters, some other family members and friends. Everything was sooooooooooo expensive. I almost spent 100SGD there, for very few things. Nothing to do with Bali, haha!
But it was worth it, because I don’t think I’ll come back there. Not for buying gifts, at least.
Then, I came back to Galaxy Pods, very late in the afternoon. My luggages were there, and Spencer gave me the key card to enter my beautiful capsule.
Contrary to the place where I was the previous night, this one was very spacious, and even if there were a lot of people in the room, it was very comfortable, and everybody was so polite and respectful of each other. I felt better and at my ease. The capsule were also designed like in these Sci-fi movies, it was amazing. There were blue lights inside, a mirror, an AC, a TV and a plug. Everything you want, OMG. It was sooooooooooooooo nice. I loved it. It was so peaceful. Once you close it, you feel like alone in the world. Nobody bothers you and you can do whatever you want.
The bathrooms were located at the other side of a long corridor, and there were many, not like in Snooze Inn. Also, it was very clean, and the water was so hot. I really enjoyed taking my bath there.
My second day in Singapore
The second and last day, I decided to go to the Singapore Flyer and to Marina Bay. One of the best touristic spots in Singapore. It was not far from my place, but I took a taxi to go there because it was raining.
I already bought my ticket for Singapore Flyer on Agoda, so I just had to go there. I started by visiting the Time Capsule, and then, taking the flyer. J I had a cabin all for myself, because I was alone. It was sooo+oooooooooo good. I could have done videos, taken a lot of pictures, and really having my best life up there for 30 minutes. OMG!
The agent even asked me before getting in there: “Are you okay to be alone?
- OMG, totallyyyyyyyyyy!”
Here are videos I made on Tiktok, to show the Singapore Flyer and the Time Capsule.
After that, I decided to walk to the Marina Bay, it was not far from there. I took a lot of pictures everywhere, did some sightseeing on the famous bridges, at the Boat Quay, and all around Rochor.
Then, I had my lunch in a very nice Italian restaurant in Rochor too.
And finally, I went back to my hotel, checked out, and got ready to go to the airport to leave for Mada. ☺️
- Trip preparation
Travelling to Singapore was one of the easiest for me. As a Malagasy citizen, I’m used to having a lot of paperworks to collect before getting a visa somewhere, and the good thing with Singapore is that it’s a visa-free destination. It’s not only for Madagascar but for many countries around the world.
But you have to take an arrival card. For my part, I took it online, on this platform: https://www.globalsingapore.sg/
It was easy, fast and affordable: 18,90$.
Apart from that, you must fill the health requirements, that you will see on the website also.
Of course, you also need a valid passport and plane tickets.
It will be also a great experience to be at the best airport in the world, which is Singapore Changi Airport.
- Some places to visit in Singapore
Singapore has a lot of amazing spots that are really worth it. For my part, I only had 2 days. So I only could visit the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay.
However, here is a list of stunning touristic places which are affordable, and very “instagramable”. 😉
- Singapore Flyer
- Marina Bay Sands
- Singapore Zoo
- Universal Studios Singapore
- Art Science Museum.
Digital Nomad by Tiasy 