First things first: Singapore is a fantastic destination for a girls trip. There’s shopping, nightlife, great restaurants, and tons to see and do (including plenty of Insta-ready photo spots). I did a girls trip to Singapore a few years ago, right around the time Crazy Rich Asians came out, and we also happened upon the filming of an episode of The Bachelor! We had a great time, but I learned some lessons that can apply to any girls trip, which I’ll share here along with my Singapore Girls Trip itinerary!
For background, I had visited Singapore previously for work, and I was flying from Okinawa to meet the rest of the girls, who were traveling from Bahrain. I was pregnant at the time, but not really showing. And while I knew one of the girls very well and had traveled with her before, I barely knew some of the other girls. Also, for those who are new here: I was allergic to all shellfish and didn’t really eat other fish at the time.
Our itinerary:
Day 1: I arrived before everyone else and checked into Courtyard Singapore Novena. Dinner at The Song of India.
Day 2: Singapore Botanic Gardens and lunch at Margarita’s Dempsey Hill before meeting the rest of girls in Chinatown to check into our hotel (more on that later). Visit Buddha tooth temple, explore Chinatown, dinner at Yum Cha dim sum. At night, we went to an awesome speakeasy and then to Clarke Quay.
Day 3: After far too little sleep, we headed to Gardens by the Bay and the Cloud Forest. Lunch at food stalls. Mid-day cocktails at the historic Long Bar at the Raffles hotel (where Singapore slings were invented—and they have a non-alcoholic option), and more cocktails at the top of the Marina Bay Sands. Dinner at Hawker Chan. Night: drinks on Club Street in Chinatown, and then clubbing in Clarke Quay.
Day 4: The rest of the girls went to Sentosa Island while I slept in, ate lunch and went shopping, and then I met them for afternoon tea. We went to Level 33 Craft Brewery and Restaurant for drinks with an amazing view, then ate a late dinner at hawker stalls.
Getting around
We used Grab (an Uber-like app) for cabs, took the metro several times, and walked a lot. Singapore is pretty easy to get around in, and it’s also very safe.
Cocktails with a view
One of the best things about taking a girls trip to Singapore is there are SO MANY places to have cocktails with a view. The most obvious choice is the Ce La Vi skybar at the top of the Marina Bay Sands. You can’t swim in the pool up there unless you’re staying in the hotel, but you can get the same view and plenty of cocktail options (plus a few food options) from the bar. They also have an observation deck to have the same view, but I would much rather hang out at an outdoor bar than just stand on an observation deck.
For a different epic view of the city, check out Level 33. It’s a microbrewery and restaurant with an outdoor bar area, and they have plenty of cocktail choices as well as (obviously) beer. And while the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel doesn’t have a panoramic city view, it is a beautiful bar that’s worth checking out as the birthplace of the Singapore Sling.
Where we ate
I arrived a day before everyone else, so I made myself a reservation for one at The Song of India, a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant not far from the hotel (please note: the restaurant is closed for renovations as I’m writing this). It was absolutely delicious, the service was great, and I’m sure it will be even better once renovated. The next day, I had lunch at Margarita’s Dempsey Hill. I realize not everyone would want to go to a Mexican restaurant in Singapore, but if you do, Margarita’s has good food and fun decor.
As a group, we ate at Yum Cha dim sum (we had a reservation), which was delicious and extremely casual. Other than that, we mostly ate at hawker stalls, including Hawker Chan (which was more of a super casual restaurant than what I think of as a stall). Hawker Chan was first food stall in the world to get a Michelin star. It has since lost the star, but it was a fun experience. Not the best for those with allergies, though, because no one there knew what was in the sauce. And there aren’t many options to choose from.
As you probably know, Singapore’s street food is famous. And my friends ate all sorts of things from various stalls without having any GI issues whatsoever. I also ate from food stalls, but was a little more careful because of my allergies (and because I was pregnant). But the food stalls all seem very well regulated, and they are generally grouped together in complexes. So it’s not the same as just eating at a random sketchy cart elsewhere.
Afternoon tea
There are tons of places to have afternoon tea in Singapore. Unfortunately I didn’t call early enough to get a reservation at the one recommended to us (the Fullerton Hotel). But we ended up at the Intercontinental, and it was delightful.
Other things to do
Singapore Botanic Garden, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Gardens By the Bay, and the Marina Bay Sands are all worth visiting. As is Clarke Quay—though it’s best at night. I think that out of everything, Gardens by the Bay is my top must-do. The outside part with the giant supertrees is free. We paid to go to the Cloud Forest, too, and it was awesome and worth the money.
You should also definitely see the Merlion fountain! If you want to shop, Orchard Road is wonderful. The shopping center/mall at Gardens by the Bay is also very nice (and full of designer stores).
As I mentioned above, I didn’t go to Sentosa Island, but my friends all loved it! They particularly liked the zipline. Some of the girls also got massages at Healthland Pte Ltd – Traditional Thai & Oil Massage in Chinatown and said it was fantastic and inexpensive.
Something else to note is that Singapore has a bunch of speakeasies! We went to 28 Hong Kong Street, and it was amazing. It even had a bottle of Toby’s family bourbon!
Where we stayed
As I mentioned above, I stayed at the Courtyard Singapore Novena for the solo part of the trip, and would highly recommend it. It’s in a great spot, has a beautiful rooftop pool, and is clean and comfortable. I have also stayed at the Shangri-la, and it’s absolutely fantastic if you can afford it (I was there for work).
However, the hotel we stayed at in Chinatown was so bad that when I read this article about the worst-rated hotel in Singapore, I had to double check that it wasn’t the same one. It’s called the Hotel 1887 The New Opera House, and the photos online looked MUCH nicer than it turned out to be. It’s possible they have renovated it, or that they have much nicer rooms available, but the rooms we had did not have beds, just mattresses on the floor. The triple room had just two mattresses—one twin and one queen. The bathroom had a shower head but no shower curtain or divider, so you would just spray water everywhere when you showered. The AC barely worked. And the walls were covered in that extruded pyramid foamy stuff, I guess for noise? So it was not my kind of place, but it was cheap. And in a good location.
What to wear on a girls trip to Singapore
You’ll notice that we’re mostly wearing dresses in our photos, but there are a few jumpsuits and shorts as well. My number one suggestion is to wear something breathable and cool. Singapore is very hot and humid. I like dresses because they are easy to pack and easy to wear just about anywhere, but lightweight linen pants or shorts would work as well. And you’ll definitely want comfortable shoes. We did a lot of walking, including very late at night, and I could not have done it in heels.
Tips for planning for a girls trip
The No. 1 thing I learned on this girls trip to Singapore is you need to be on the same page as everyone else on what kind of trip you want. That includes what kind of activities you want to do and the overall vibe you’re looking for. While it’s critical to be flexible and communicate, you also want to make sure that your vision of the trip isn’t at odds with the other girls’. If everyone has different priorities and ideas about what they want, you could end up with a wildly different trip than you were anticipating. For example, on our trip, I would have rather paid more for a hotel vs staying at a super cheap place, and I was definitely not planning to go out until 4 a.m. every night.
Meanwhile, some of the other ladies did not want to do any shopping, wanted to eat mainly at food stalls, and probably would have preferred staying at Sentosa all day or going to a bar rather than afternoon tea. All of that is completely valid! But it’s helpful to know and work out these details ahead of time.
And honestly, even if everyone says they want to “go out” or “go shopping” or whatever, you should communicate what that means to you—especially if you’re not super close to everyone going. Do you want to go to high-end malls or street markets? Do you want to chill at a bar or two and have a beer, or go clubbing? Is your idea of “going to the beach” laying on a chair under an umbrella, or renting a surfboard and heading out into the water? I’d also recommend being open to splitting into smaller groups for some activities, or even doing things by yourself. That can help to make sure everyone gets to do things they want to do.
