A Memorable Tour. Review on Singapore, General

In the month of September’08, Tiger Airways came out with a Zero fare offer for tickets booked on two specific days. The flights were from Bangalore / Chennai to Singapore. The return fare came to around US$ 200 per person, which we thought was a steal. We then started the planning for the Trip, spent almost a month researching and then decided to cover KL and Genting along with Singapore.

Itenary:

Day 1: We landed at the Budget Terminal at Singapore, which is relative new and no frill terminal at Singapore. The Terminal is no too big but very well maintained. The minute u get out of the airport, what strikes u is the greenery and cleanliness. The Taxi fare is payable as per the meter so no worry on getting cheated etc. The roads are relatively broad and the road discipline is something that would impress a first time visitor like us. In the afternoon, we went to see the Zoo, we took a bus that pick’s up people from various part of city and drop directly at Zoo, the details of bus is available on the Singapore Zoo website. The Zoo is very well organised and we enjoyed our visit. One can book tickets online in the Singapore Zoo website, which saves a lot of time and effort.

Day2: We went on City Tour thru Duck Tours from Suntech City . The vehicle used for the tour is an amphibious one, which runs on both land and water. The tour was very good and the tickets can be booked at the counter itself. The guide gives a lot of useful facts about the city, which is very interesting. Then we got back to our apartment and proceeded for a organized tour of Sentosa. The best thing about the tour is that they cover all the important tourist attractions at Sentosa in about 6 hours. The place is very very beautiful. The tour covers underwater world, Dolhpin lagoon, Merlion and a laser show at the end. All of these attractions are very good and are a must visit. The tour operator was SH tours, the details of various operators are available on the Visit Singapore Website.

Day 3: We visited the bird park, we used the local rail system, MRT, to reach the park. It was a good experience. It gives you a feel of how well the city is connected. The bird park is a very beautiful place, with a lot of shows at specified times. If people are travelling with little children, it is better to hire a pram/ stroller at the entrance. After the bird park we returned to the apartment very tired but very happy. In the evening, we took a bus to the Night Safari, the detail of bus is available in Night Safari website. A Tram in the zoo, takes you around the park. Nice to see animals roaming freely in the flood lit park. Then took the bus back to apartment.

Day 4: We took a bus to KL, Malaysia. We used Aeroline bus Service to go to KL because it was recommended by may people on the web and tickets could be booked online. The immigration process does not take too long and the bus staff are helpful. The bus takes 5 hrs to reach KL. We had booked at Hotel Corus, which is where the bus stops and also located at City Centre and hotel rooms can be booked online. We took a city tour in the afternoon, which covered all the major attractions in about 4 hours. The City is like Mumbai, but cleaner and greener. Vegeterians pls note, finding variety food as in Singapore might be difficult. There are a lot of malls around the hotel and are good places to visit. We then visited the KL tower, which is a tall communication tower and one can get a good view of KL from the observatory tower at the top.

Day 5: We went to see the sky walk @ Petronas Towers, which was located next to our hotel. But unfortunately we were late, and the free passes for the day was sold out. So it is important one goes to the Tower pass counter early in the morning because the number of passes for the day is limited. They are closed on Monday. We then decide to go to China Town to do some shopping. It was time to check out and proceed to Genting highlands, a hill station 55 kms from KL. We took the local train sytem, LRT, which was located in the adjacent building to the hotel, to a stop called “Gombak” from where one can take a bus. This is a cheaper and more exiting way of getting to Genting. We then took the Skyway, which is a very good and exciting experience. We had booked online for a room at First World hotel, which is the largest hotel in the World(18000 rooms). So the check-in process takes almost 4 hrs. Pls book at this hotel, if your patience level is high. We then spent time at the theme part located in the hotel campus.

Day 6: We spent time at the outdoor theme park, which has some wonderful rides. Their signature rides are not to be missed. Then we checked out and reached the Genting Skyway station, reached the other side and hired a taxi to visit Batu Caves. There is a temple of Hindu God, Lord Murugan there. There is a huge statue of Lord Murugan at the entrance, which is very beautiful. The main temple is located on the hill top and one has to climb 300 steep steps to reach there. Beware there are a lot of monkeys there, who attack if they see eatables. Then we proceeded to the railway station for a train back to Singapore. The train tickets can also be booked online.

Day 7: The immigration process is fast. In Singapore, we decided to do some shopping and used the MRT to reach China town. Souvenirs can be bought at very cheap rate here. Then we visited, the Mustafa Shopping Mall, which is one of the biggest in Singapore. The shopping center is very big and very crowded and it is open 24 hrs a day. We did some basic shopping like soaps, creams etc. which were cheaper compared to India. In the evening we proceeded back to the airport for our journey back to Inida. Overall 7 days of fun and excitement…

Some Useful Tips, based on Experience:

> Plan in advance the destination, so that you can keep an eye on the promotions by various airlines for booking in advance.

> Try doing most of the booking online. Most of the Tourist attractions these days have their websites and have option to book to online. U certainly will save a lot of$.

> Make sure u spend some time reading the Getting There page of any attraction, u surely will save a lot of$, time and effort.

> Hotel booking can be done thru sites like Hotel Combined.com, which gives the details of the best deals for various hotels. Trust me, sometimes u get very good deals.

> It makes a lot of sense to spend a little extra and look at Hotels in City Centre, u tend to save a lot of time, effort and$ on commute.

> Visit websites like Trip Advisor, they give u a lot of tips about the city and list of the must visit places based on recommendation by individuals, which is very useful if you are on short vacation.

> Best way to explore the city is to use the public transport. It gives u a perspective into the city, the people and the culture.

> Finally, don’t punish yourself by trying to cover too many places in a short period of time. Enjoy!