After galavanting through Thailand for a week Whitney, Emily and I decided to make a quick 2-night stop in Singapore.  When in Southeast Asia, why not explore a little?  I had been told to expect Singapore to be sterile and void of any culture, but what I found instead was a superiorly clean “melting-pot” of a city.  In fact, it reminded me of a tidier Honolulu, Hawaii with all its lush greenery and diverse cultural mix.

We had missed the F1 Singapore Grand Prix by one week so overall the nightlife was quiet, which was only amplified by the fact that we booked our trip on a Monday and a Tuesday (Wednesday, apparently, is ladies night around town).  Still, though, it was refreshing to be able to truly relax after the hustle and bustle of wild Thailand.

We arrived to Marina Bay Sands slightly before our room was ready, but with a cityscape like this to take in while we waited we weren’t upset.  I’m a sucker for a good infinity pool.

Once at our room I found that our housekeepers had made my traveling Totoro some pillow-puppy friends.  It was a cute little touch, but the best part of the room was definitely our view.  The Gardens by the Bay, the futuristic Supertree Grove, was right outside our window (and of course this is one of those times where pictures just don’t do it justice).

Deciding to explore Marina Bay Sands for the night and see what mischief we could find on a Monday, we went to the rooftop bar Ku De Ta to watch Wonder Full, Southeast Asia’s largest light and water show.  In search for another view we found our way into restaurant and bar Sky on 57 where we swiftly made friends with the manager and experienced some great hospitality.  Point proven that it’s all about the company you keep; give us an empty bar on a Monday and watch us make a party out of it.  Thank you “Bob” aka Kim!

I still can’t believe how nice and clean the train system in Singapore is… and how perfectly constructed for my height, too 😉

Per recommendation we began our shopping adventure at Orchard Road for Singapore’s tallest and most vertical mall.  PS: I love it there 😍  The food court was amazing and absolutely overwhelming, and we loved the mix of Singapore boutiques next to your standard favorite designers and fast-fashion retailers.  Friends had told me to expect prices to be higher than in the US and to wait to shop until I was back home, but surprisingly enough we found that shops like H&M were actually around $5 cheaper than back home (cheaper than Vegas, at least).

Off to Bugis Street for some (still so clean) street vendor shopping.

It was crazy to see the differences between a street market in Singapore vs. a street market in Thailand.  Essentially the same purpose, yes, but an entirely different energy.

We missed the opportunity for a fish pedicure in Thailand, so we knew we had to do it in Singapore.  If you’re ticklish like me, be prepared for a not-so-relaxing time (but still a good overall experience).

It was our last night, and our absolute mission to try to watch the sunset at the Skypark Infinity Pool.

After gazing at it from our room, we had to see the Supertree Grove up close.  Again, so amazing in person and dulled by my camera phone quality photos.

I took my favorite Schutz heels breaking at the Gardens as a sign to leave.  After limping through Marina Bay Sands to change my shoes at the room I definitely needed a drink; shoutout to my dates for half-carrying me.  We headed off to 1-Altitude, “the worlds highest alfresco bar,” which rests 282 meters above sea level.  There was a perfect view of our hotel and the Singapore Flyer, the largest ferris wheel in Singapore.  Dreamy.

The lobby bar at MBS occasionally has late night live music, which I highly recommend that you take advantage of.  This particular night there was an all female band playing covers of easy listening songs… and we can vouch that they do know some Spice Girls, too.  The videos are strictly private collection.

Before I get into how beautiful and amazing the Changi International Airport in Singapore is, I want to point out two amazing Changi employees.  They won’t ever see this I’m sure, but just to put the good energy out there… “Experience Agents” Hafiz Othman and Bach Dang were cool, calm, collected and honestly our guardian angels that day.  Our unique flight issues couldn’t have possibly been solved without them ❤.  Now on to the Butterfly Garden within the Changi Intnl- they also have a roof deck pool, sleeping rooms, and the best massage chairs I’ve ever sat in.

Overall, I loved Singapore.  Slumber party success! #Merlion

9/29/14-10/1/14

*My iPhone broke midway through the Thailand trip, and my camera wouldn’t fit in my clutch, so some of these photos belong to Emily + Whitney who were kind enough to share

xxLK