It was another promo day for Cebu Pacific airlines, and so we waited for the clock to strike 12, and booked our 2-way flight to Singapore. Our ticket was priced at PhP 5,328.08 for 2 persons, with a 15kgs baggage allowance. (That's around PhP 2,665 per pax)
The Travel Taxes is still the same as it was a year ago, when we went to HongKong, PhP 1,620. The Terminal Fee was surprisingly lower, at PhP 550.
THE HOTEL
Southeast Asia Hotel
190 Waterloo Street
(Located behind IBIS Hotel and beside the famous Kwan Im Temple)
(Located behind IBIS Hotel and beside the famous Kwan Im Temple)
We were actually looking at tour packages and Hotels in Agoda, and we're zooming in on Fragrance Hotels in Geylang (the hotel usually included in the package tours). But when we asked some friends who lived in SG, we were told to look for other places like Bugis since Geylang is the red light district of Singapore. We were referred to Southeast Asia Hotel by a friend. We contacted them only through email alone. And we got our room booked. Just like that! No hassle! No Downpayment even!
I like the location of the place. It is located in Bugis and it is walking distance to the Bugis MRT Station (less than 500m and around 5 mins walk) and it's also near some Bus Stations. Albert Centre (a food center) is just right in front and Sim Lim Square (one of Singapore's famous gadget malls) is also around 400m or 4 minute walk. The Bugis Village (something I would compare to the street market in Baclaran) is at the other side, also within 400 meters. You can buy a lot of stuff for pasalubong there, have a snack and taste thouse yummy fruit juices (2SGD). There's also a Bee Cheng Hiang store located in there (Victoria Street side).
The room was clean enough. We were actually a bit hesitant at first becuase we read about a review stating rooms with splotches or marks that would make you feel like there was blood before. Scary! But we found none of such. The bed was clean. The floor, ceiling, doors may not be new but they were clean enough for me. The CR was also clean. The room comes with a free shampoo and soap. And it also comes with 2 coffee sachet and 2 tea sachet, replaced on a daily basis.
Breakfast is included in the room rate. They offer two kinds of breakfast - The Continental Breakfast (Toast, Jam and Butter, Orange Juice and your choice of coffee or tea) or Vegeterian Buffet (there's raddish cake, vegetarian buns, vegetarian rice, and vegetarian vermicelli, plus your choice of coffee or tea). We tried the continental at first becuse we were quite afraid of what the Chinese Veggetarian breakfast would taste like. But the next day we tried it and it was delicious especially the rice (mmmm...yummy). It really is a better choice than the continental breakfast and so we had t again the next day. :)
What about the price? All that is just for 100 SGD per day, good for 2pax. (This is pretty inexpensive considering that the only hotels you can get for less than this are those located in Geylang) I think it's good enough value for money.
The only thing I wasn't too happy about was the receptionists not being too friendly. Being Filipinos, we are familiar to being treated with utmost hospitality, but hey they are Singaporeans, not Filipinos. And when it comes to service, I'd give them the credit.
You can find out more details by checking out their website in the following address: http://www.seahotel.com.sg/
OUR ITINERARY
Before the travel date, I was actually a bit bothered because I was used to just going along and not planning anything for our trips. There's usually someone more responsible to do these stuff, or we book no-hassle package tours. But fortunately, we made it through with my (ehem...) planning.
DAY1: The Merlion, Marina Bay, Esplanade Mall,
DAY2: Sentosa Island,
DAY3: Universal Studios Singapore
DAY4: Shop for Pasalubong, Souveneir....Back Home :-|
DAY 1 -
We arrived in Singapore a little before 10AM. We called our hotel to confirm our arrival (free phones are available at the airport - there are no charges really!!). We then rode the Airport Shuttle for 9SGD per pax, which made us feel like real tourists (not backpackers on a tight budget...haha) as it brings us directly to our hotel.
We checked in, walked outside for awhile, saw the Burlington Square and had our lunch at Burger King :p Then we went back to our hotel for a short nap (as we lack sleep due to our early flight). We went out again around 4PM, where the sightseeing on the first day began.
THE MERLION
MERLION by DAY
MERLION by NIGHT
THE MARINA BAY
ESPLANADE MALL
Before we went home, we had our dinner in Thai Express, at Marina Square. Our transportation for Day 1 was all by bus. It was faster (compared to the Philippines) but of course still slower than MRTs. Price is cheaper though, at approximately 2SGD back and forth to Fullerton.
DAY 2 - SENTOSA ISLAND
After having our breakfast, we went straight to the MRT Station and rode to Vivo City Mall to head on to Sentosa Island. We were supposed to ride the cable car to Sentosa but we were quite lost looking for its entrance in Vivo City. When we went out in one of its doors we saw the way to Sentosa. Little did we know that it's already the Sentosa Walkway. It was a bit far (roughly more than a kilometer or 15min walk) but there are walkalators and this will cost you nothing - only the 1SGD entrance to Sentosa Island.
There are three ways to get around Sentosa Island - by the Monorail, by Tram and by Bus. The Bus and Tram usually has a longer line but allows you to look around as you pass around the road whereas the Monorail gives you only a top view of the island.
We first took the monorail, got off in Beach Island and had our lunch at Kofu Foodcourt. Surprisingly, not all food is expensive. You can have a lunch somewhere between 4SGD to 8SGD. We even saw a store selling Black Pepper Crab for only 7++SGD, and we're so excited! Unfortunately, the crab is not available. :( So I had my wanton noodle instead, big enough to stuff me for the day.
We weren't really planning to take the rides except for the Cable Car which is worth 26SGD for a back and forth ride to Mt. Faber so we did not get the Day Play Pass. We were also thinking that we might lack time to fully enjoy the day play pass. But as we were going through one of the brochures, we saw the Noon Pass (44SGD) and immediately bought one. This pass entitles a person to choose 4 rides from the ff:
Fort Siloso - $5
Flying Trapeze -$10
Sentosa Cineblast -$18
Tiger Sky Tower -$15
Desperados in 3D -$14
Sentosa 4D Magix -$18
The Merlion -$8
Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom -$16
Cable Car -$26
Bi-pedal Cycle -$12
Images of Singapore -$10
Segway Fun Ride -$12
Sentosa Nature Discovery -$8
Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium -$11
The Skyline Luge -$12.50
(List down based on brouchure)
We chose and tried The Skyline Luge (something where one ride is definitely not enough!), the 4D Magix which featured the Pirates in 4D (I really enjoyed this one), the Tigar Sky Tower (just a 360 degree view of Sentosa from the top, and something I realized is a little repetitive for the cable car) and of course the Cable Car. I think the noon pass is worth it since we would have paid more if we bought each ride individually.
We had our merienda at KFC. The taste of their chicken was surprisingly different from here in the Philippines. It was like more peppery. But I loved the cheesy fries - just the normal fries like the ones we have here in Jollibee or McDo with melted cheese and mayo all over topped with these small green leafy stuff.
Because we were insistent on trying out the Black Pepper Crab and as we were strolling down Bencoolen Street we saw this good deal at Taste Restaurant in Ibis Hotel - Choose 3 small dishes for 15SGD
Thus the Chili Crab and the Black Pepper Crab with another dish before we end our day:
DAY3: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE
We rode the Sentosa Express this time, knowing now where it is located. We've already bought our tickets ahead online for 74SGD each so we need not line up at the ticket counter. We were waiting for the turnstiles to open at exactly 9:00AM.
Our first ride was the Transformer - it's all I have to ride for me to say my USS ticket is worth it! Fantastic! Amazing! The Revenge of the Mummy was next, it got me scared because there's a part where we're moving backwards and I couldn't see anything --total blackness and there's actual heat from fire. Shrek 3D is a good balance. So is the Waterworld. It was the first time I experienced this kind of show. Audience prepare to get wet! It was really nice, my heart was so happy I felt like a child enjoying an amusement park. We also tried the Canopy Flyer, poor me so afraid me of this somewhat kiddie ride :P And of course, more water in Madagascar: A Crate Adventure and more more water for the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure (good thing we were wearing our ponchos). I did not try the Battlestar Galactica and I wouldn't anytime in the future. It practically took the soul of my friend after her ride (haha!) We also didn't try the Accelerator and the kiddie rides like Treasure Hunter, Enchanted Airways, and Beach Party Go-Round.
There were also a lot of mascots like Puss in Boots, Frankenstein, Kung Fu Panda, and the Madagascar who even performed a dance number for the USS audience.
We had our lunch in Mel's Drive In. It was cool, the designs and style made me feel like I was in the U.S. in a real drive-in restaurant. There were even cars parked (displayed) outside. And just outside too are the Beach Boys performing. Price in this place is a bit higher though, at aroung 11-15 SGD per combo meal.
DAY 4 - BACK TO REALITY
And now....back to reality. :(
Since our flight was scheduled at 2:20PM, we do not have much time to visit Chinatown or Little India or other places in Singapore, but we have more than enough time to pack our things, and go shop for pasalubong and souveneirs in the nearby Bugis Street market. There were lots of stuffs to choose from.
This is what I got:
Sun Glass for SGD10
Bee Cheng Hiang Prawn Rolls and Prawn Crackers for my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins SGD46.50
This is what I got:
Sun Glass for SGD10
Bee Cheng Hiang Prawn Rolls and Prawn Crackers for my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins SGD46.50
Shirt for my nephew @4SGD
Shirt for myself @3 for SGD10
Our Cebu Pacific flight back home was late, bumpy (due to the clouds), but we landed safe and sound in Manila 3 hours after.
And so...back to reality. (How I wish I could just travel and just make money by being a real travel blogger)
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:
*Because of my experience in HongKong, I learned one lesson - research before you visit a new place, especially the weather. I've read tons of reviews saying that it's a tropical country and you never know when it will rain so it's best to be prepared. But we didn't and it did rain. Good enough we were in USS that time, and there were ponchos for sale at 2SGD
*It's good to visit the USS Website and buy the tickets online. Not only will it free you up from the hassle of lining up to buy your ticket personally, it also allows you to see when are the expected peak and non-peak days so you can better choose on what date to visit.
*It's helpful to study the Bus Lines, because not all Bus Lines will stop at all Bus Stops. You might need to walk farther if you don't plan which Bus Line to ride...but you'll be where you want to be nonetheless.
*You do not need to buy Singapore maps or books. There are a lot of maps, and 'brochures' in Changi Airport and in the hotels that are free and very useful. Some would contain a list of places to visit, the MRT Line, and the Bus Line.
