Assalamualaikum and hello cloudees!

I am finally back again with my travel post! *crying in happiness*. The last time we went travel was in 2019 for our honeymoon and then Covid-19 hits in 2020, and we've literally never been anywhere else since. For your information, this trip is not as budget friendly as my previous trips as we bring our mother-in-law along and our main concern is for her to feel comfortable. Plus, Singapore is not really a budget-friendly travel spot if you're Malaysian as the currency is 3.5x higher hahah! We went there by car and avoid using public transport as we already make calculations on it and as we bring wheelchair along, it is best to use car. Worry not, I'll teach you on how to calculate and make comparisons down below! 

I have been to Singapore several times for work but never for travel and we decided to spend the night there as the traffic to get in/out of Singapore to/from Malaysia is very frustrating. We will surely spend more time traveling back and forth if we don't spend the night there, which beats our main concern - to make my MIL feels comfortable during the trip.  

  NEEDS FOR CASH            

Singapore is a generally cashless city and the only places you need cash is when paying to small hawker stores but most of them accept various cashless options. As for us, we didn't exchange cash and I have SG$17 from previous trips so I just keep that for emergencies. We use credit card, debit card and QR code. The QR Code can be used just like when you're in Malaysia and there's no need to open Singapore bank account. How convenient is that!

I don't even use my SG$17 cash until Gardens by the Bay, and that's only because my SIL want to use up her cash to pay for the guided tour which is SG$10 per pax. And I still have SG$7 left haha.

  THE ITINERARY            

As usual, here's the itinerary and rough details on our trip and you can click on the links provided to read more.

Day 1

• 730am: Drive to Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint 
• Explore Changi Airport
• Bugis Street
• Arab Street
• Check in at Royal Plaza on Scotts
• Merlion park

Arab Street

Don't know what this building is but it's so beautiful! (shot from moving car)

Orchard Road

  GETTING AROUND IN SINGAPORE            

1. Public Transport

Getting around in Singapore is very convenient as their transport systems are very organized. Choices available including bus, subway. taxi, and of course, Grab. 

To compare the prices of the public transport available (bus or MRT), you need to know first on where you wanna go. For example, we stayed at Royal Plaza on Scotts and we would like to go to Gardens by The Bay. Open Google Maps, enter your direction, and select preferred mode of transport.

Then, go to Singapore's LTA website, choose fare type (adult, student, etc.) and enter your bus number or MRT station as shown in google maps. Click calculate your fare, and done!

2. Your Own Vehicle

Things you must make sure to prepare if you want to drive in Singapore from Malaysia are:

• Autopass 
• Fill in arrival form HERE (this needs to be done regardless of what way you choose to come in)
• Valid vehicle insurance and road tax
• Bring your Touch n'Go card (you need to pay toll charge of around RM2.37 to get into Malaysia for local Malaysian vehicles and RM20 for foreign vehicles)

All non-Singaporean vehicles must first register for Autopass via ONEmotoring website. Just apply for the new Autopass if you never had one and they will inform you via email if it's ready to collect. You can also authorize someone else to help you collect the card by signing and completing the form sent via email, and the authorized person just need to bring the signed form (doesn't require original copy) and present their IC upon collection. 

It is best to complete the registration at least 2 weeks before entering to make sure everything went smoothly. 

You can check the toll rates in Singapore HERE. 

  OVERAL EXPENSES            

Transportation 

We use my BIL's vehicle, so we don't pay for vehicle's rental fee. You can use your own vehicle as long as you make the Autopass. For Malaysian, international driving license is not needed so just use your Malaysian driving license.

Driving your own vehicle, you just need to pay for petrol, toll fees and parking fees. We top-up S$30 to the Autopass for parking and toll and still have around S$13 balance because we didn't know that the toll is free during Chinese New Year, so we saved a lot on toll. Toll is free on Sundays and Singapore's Public Holiday which includes New Year, Chinese New Year, Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali and Christmas.

And here are the detailed parking fee rates according to our itinerary:

• Changi Airport Terminal 1 (Jewel Carpark) at S$0.04/min, we spent almost 3hours so S$6.80
• Arab Street. Use parking coupon bought at 7eleven which is sold per booklet - S$12 per booklet (cannot pay using Autopass)
• Merlion Park - park at Fullerton Bay Carpark S$6.54 per entry
• Gardens by the Bay at S$0.035 per minute. we spent around 90minutes so S$3.15 
• Touch n'Go toll charge upon entering Malaysia = RM2.37

Accommodation

We stayed at Royal Plaza on Scoots, booked via booking.com and the price includes breakfast buffet. 

King Room RM 1,255.00 excluding tax.

Entrance Fees

You can get around Changi Airport for Free but my SIL and I bought Walking Net pass of S$18.90, which includes Canopy Park tickets of S$8.

Other places we went have no entrance fee, but we pay for Audio Tour at Gardens by the Bay for S$10 per pax so that it's easier for Mil to see the garden.

Total Entrance fee = S$18 per pax @ 3.63 = RM 65.34

Internet and Roaming

We each bought roaming package from our Malaysian Phone line provider, which is Celcom 3-Day Internet pass for RM25

Total expenses = RM1,631.80 (exclude food and drink)

You can totally save more if you're just going for day trip like most Malaysian do and sleep at hotel in JB. Plus, I don't insert the food prices in budget as we went in a group of 6 and we ordered the food based on portions.

There are places that I wanna go and foods I wanna try but we arrived quite late so the bakery is already closed (WHYYYYY haha!). Will definitely blog about it when I get to try the food and yeah, will not repeat spending the night there especially with exchange rate so high TT-TT. 

That's all, thanks for reading!

hn

Changi Airport has been named the "Best Airport in the World" for sooo many times and there are lots of attractions here that's worth to visit even if you're not going anywhere via plane. The activities here can be enjoyed by everyone in the family, from grandparents to kids. We went there with my mother-in-law, and she enjoyed it as much as us as she loves gardens and flowers, and the rest of us love the architecture and fun activities available there.

The airport is very huge, and we spent around 4-5 hours at Jewel and Terminal 2 alone without doing all the activities available. So, if you wanna enjoy every attraction and activity at each terminal, you might need the whole day! There are 4 terminals in total and each of them has its own specialties and attractions. You can experience lots of things for free especially the exhibitions and arts available at each terminal, but there are certain attractions that requires payments. 

There are lots of restaurants too, but halal foods options are limited

Since we drove there, we parked our car at Jewel/Terminal carpark. The parking rate is at SGD0.04 per minute and which is not bad at all considering we came in a group of 6. Upon arrival, we went straight to the HSBC Rain Vortex at level 1. Getting around from level to level via elevator is quite tricky at Jewel as not all elevators go to all floor levels. Some only goes to certain level and skip others, so locating the elevator was quite a challenge for us because my mil was using wheelchair. But if you don't have any needs to get around via elevator, the escalators are very easy to find and available literally everywhere. 

  1. HSBC RAIN VORTEX @ JEWEL        

Let's be honest, do you even go to Changi Airport if you've never been to the Rain Vortex? This waterfall is the tallest indoor waterfall in the world and the entrance is free. You can enjoy the view from all around it and at so many levels and there's also light and sound show daily, depending on what day you're there. 

view from level 5

  2. SHISEIDO FOREST VALLEY @ JEWEL        

This forest valley is the forest surrounding the rain vortex. It's really calming and relaxing especially with the sound of the waterfall, making it feels like you're in a really clean forest. The entrance is free, but please leave your luggage at the baggage storage because you're not allowed to bring it in. 

  3.  CANOPY PARK @ JEWEL        

Located at level 5 of Jewel, you need to pay SGD 8 for admissions (only SGD 6 for Singaporeans). This ticket includes the admission to Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls. Petal Garden and Topiary walk. I personally think that SGD 8 is very worth it and please go here because the landscape is so pretty and there are so many things to look at. 

I didn't get to try discovery slides as I didn't notice that it's included in the ticket. There are other attractions inside the Canopy Park including Mastercard Canopy Bridge, Hedge Maze, Mirror Maze, Bouncing Net, and Walking Net and these all requires you to pay additional admission fees. 

Foggy Bowls

Just like the name suggests, the floor of this attractions are in the shape of bowls and it lets out white mist. It's very dreamy and picture-worthy spot but I personally think that the mist smells like burnt tires hahahah! However, the smell is not too strong and doesn't cause us to cough like the smell from actual burnt tires / rubber. 

can you see the curve shape?

this picture is sooo funny because the smoke suddenly blows to our face and you can see my MIL stuck in the smoke behind me hahahah

Petal Garden

If you love flowers, this is the place for you! I don't even like flowers but I found Petal Garden very fascinating! The flowers are so beautiful, colorful, and there are so many varieties it's almost unreal. My mil looooves flowers (I can't name anyone else who love flowers as much as her, honestly), and her face was super happy when we arrived here. 

Topiary Walk

Topiary is making shapes out of trees, and there are some unique topiary animals available at this walk. I think kids will love this!

Walking Net

Walking Net is located inside the Canopy Park so the ticket price includes the Canopy Park ticket, which is SGD18.90. I initially just wanna walk around the airport without buying any extra tickets but my SIL was so excited to experience this walking net and nobody wants to go with her. Since her eyes are shining (she's doing the puss in the boots face while asking people to come with her), I decided to just come along because I don't mind some climbing activities. What I didn't know was the net is 25metres high and we were hanging on top of elevator area, and we can see each floor clearly beneath us hahahah! It was fun but definitely NOT doing it again HAHA!

Didn't seem scary at first because I have no idea we'll pass through flights of elevators and see downstairs floors!

literally hanging up there hahah!

  4. FLAP PIX        

This unique flipboard is located at Terminal 2. There are 2 ways to get to Terminal 2 from Jewel which is by Skytrain or on foot. Just take the Skytrain and don't waste your time walking because it's free and take less than 5 minutes to arrive. 

  5. THE WONDERFALL        

Located at Terminal 2, this breathtaking and huge digital waterfall display is 4-storey tall. I think it's really mesmerizing especially considering how real the waterfall looks and how huge the screen is. 

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ticketing counter

ticketing machine

As mentioned earlier in this post, there are whole lots of other attractions and activities that you can do here and you can visit JEWEL OFFICIAL WEBSITE to see more activities that you can do! You can also book the ticket via Klook but we didn't because we planned to just enjoy free attractions but my sil suddenly said that she wanted to experience the walking net so yeppp! Buying it on Klook will make your journey easier but if you decide it last minute like me, just purchase the tickets there as there are lots of ticketing machines available. 

Till then, see you in the next post and thanks for reading!

hn

I went to Singapore with my in-laws on CNY and we spent a night there to avoid traffic as we have many places that we wanted to go to (and it's more comfortable that way as our main concern is to make my Mil feel comfortable). After long discussion, we decided to stay at Royal Plaza on Scotts as it's one of the few places that offer halal breakfast buffet and spacious room in Singapore.

   THE HOTEL            

The hotel lobby is very spacious and looks like a princess could get down the stairs at any time haha. It looks exactly as advertised, and the staffs are also friendly. Checking in was quite a breeze and they also attend to our request to have the rooms nearby or at least the same floor with each other. 

Awards won by the Hotel

We book 3 rooms in total, which are 2 Deluxe Plus Twin room (2 single beds), and one Deluxe King room (1 extra-large double bed), which includes halal breakfast buffet. 

The location of this hotel is very convenient as it is located at Orchard Road, surrounded with malls, and nearby MRT stations. Bus stop is also just at the front of this hotel, making it super easy to get around. One complimentary parking space is also provided for each room booked, so we don't have to worry about the parking fee. Coffee shops and restaurants are also available within walking distance so it's super convenient and apparently there's a 7-11 available just at the opposite of the road. 

   THE ROOM            

The best thing about this hotel is that not only they provide halal food, they also have Quran and Praying Mat available at each room. They also mark the direction of the Qiblat so that we don't have to search for the direction ourselves! 

The room is quite spacious, complete with hairdryer, iron, ironing board and other basic necessities like kettle, tv, safe box, wifi, shower amenities, bathrobes, and towels. Their shower amenities are quite a lot as they prepare 1 tube of body lotion, 2 tubes of body wash, 2 tubes of shampoo, which is 33ml per tube, and other amenities like shower cap, soap bar, dental kit, vanity kit, and sewing kit.

The bed is very comfortable too. The only problem we encountered was the carpet smell as our room reeks of wet carpet smell and thankfully the smell goes away once we turn on the ac for quite some time. 

   THE BREAKFAST BUFFET            

Pleasing a Malaysian when it comes to the food is quite hard you know, HAHA. But overall, I think the food tasted great especially their Nasi Lemak, spinach ragout, and Japanese Fried rice. I couldn't taste everything as I was still full from last night's Lamb Briyani (I ate a lot and went straight to sleep. Please don't do that, it's unhealthy haha). The variety of the breakfast buffet is a little less than St Giles JB, but it does taste better.

queue at 9am

Please come early to the dining area if you're here on weekends or public holidays as it gets crowded really fast. The breakfast starts at 7am to 10am daily. Click HERE to check the menu available. 

   MY REVIEW            

Overall, this is a good hotel to stay. The staffs are friendly, the location is great, the food is nice, everything is great. 

🍹   Overall, 4 stars!

🍹   3.0 for the room especially due to the carpet scent

🍹   4.5/5 for the breakfast

🍹   4.5/5 for the location

Will I come again?

If money wasn't the problem (you know... it's 3.5 times the cost due to currency hahah), I would definitely stay here again (and request change room if the carpet smells wkwkwk). 

Will I recommend this place?

Yes! especially to Muslims. 

   HOW TO BOOK            

I'm sorry as I'm just going to provide link to their official website as booking.com is on the boycott list. Click HERE to check the rates and types of rooms available.

Please pay attention to the pricing as the price highlighted in booking confirmation is without tax property service charge so please read the invoice and confirmation carefully.

ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS

Address: 25 Scotts Road 228220 Singapore

Phone: +65 6737 7966

E-mail: royal@royalplaza.com.sg

Best Regards,

hn

|| NAMSAN TOWER         

• From Euljiro1 (il)-ga to Chungmuro station (exit 2)
• bus stop will be on the left side of the road in front of Daehan Cinema, you don't need to cross the road
• wait for bus no.5. it will be there every 30 minutes from 7.30am to 1130pm. Bus fare is W1,100.00 with T-money.