Singapore’s Marina Bay on a budget

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Singapore’s Marina Bay on a budget

Singapore’s Marina Bay was the first place we went to in the city. We got to Singapore and seriously thought that we would have to spend a lot of money while we were there. We were nearing the end of our trip and, as such, had to watch how much we were spending – so much so that we originally only really planned to stay there for 2 days.

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There are many shopping malls and shops of famous brands. However, the city is not actually that expensive.

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In our search for cheap accommodation in Singapore, we chose to avoid any hotels. Hotel prices range anywhere from $100 per night – which at this stage is too expensive for us – and this was especially the case since we stayed there only 2 days after the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

We therefore ended up finding a place called MET a Space Pod. It was very cool to spend a few nights in a capsule. The place, not far from Singapore’s Marina Bay, was actually bigger than we expected and it had a lot of privacy. It was well lit and air conditioned, and it had USB ports, electricity outlets, a small safe for belongings and even a small TV with a headphone jack.  Noah and Ruth slept in one pod and I slept in another. So far so good after our first night there – so much so that we decided to stay for an extra 2 nights.

In Singapore we spent few nights in our first capsule hotel

The following day we took a walk around Singapore’s Marina Bay. This can be a pleasant walk if you decide to stop, enjoy the view, take some pics and take it slow, especially on such a hot day like when we visited.

Marina Bay in Singapore

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Marina Bay in Singapore

View of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel from Marina Bay

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Spending a day touring around Marina Bay was perhaps the best thing we could've done in Singapore

Our tour around Singapore’s Marina Bay

We were staying near Clarke Quay station and decided to do the whole tour on foot. We walked along a street parallel to the river and ended up in the middle of the city’s skyscrapers. They were modern, tall buildings, where thousands of locals and expats work every day. The city is home to many expats of many different nationalities, making it a very international city and making Singapore’s Marina Bay a very peaceful and organized environment. We were also surprised by how clean the city was. There were bins everywhere and people were very respectful – both on the road and in the streets. It definitely seemed like the perfect place to live.  But we’d rather not dwell on it too much, as we’ve still got 2 days left here and don’t want to jinx it!

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20 minutes later, after a short walk along the bay, we finally reached the first attraction: the Merlion, which is a half-lion, half-fish statue and fountain and one of the best-known attractions in Singapore’s Marina Bay. The picture below is the most-taken photo by visitors to the area.

The Merlion in Singapore, the famous half-lion, half-fish fountain

The Merlion in Singapore, the famous half-lion, half-fish fountain

We then continued on our tour, crossing the fairly new Jubilee Bridge, which was more beautiful at night when it is all lit up. It’s also nice during the day though!

The fairly new Jubilee Bridge in Singapore's Marina Bay

The fairly new Jubilee Bridge in Singapore's Marina Bay

From there we easily reached Singapore’s Formula One track. Workers were still dismantling the venue when we got there, as the Grand Prix had happened a couple of days earlier.

During our tour through Singapore's Marina Bay we passed by the Formula One's racetrack, which was being dismantled after the race that happened few days before

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Family Travel Secret
The inner city Formula One Grand Prix is one of the most charming street races in the world, with breathtaking views of Singapore’s Marina Bay and many things to see and do.

Our walk continued, and we had the chance to stop and take pictures and enjoy several other monuments and buildings.

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The luxurious Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the rooftop view

A moment later and we’d reached the other side of the bay, right in front of the colossal Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel. This is one of the most famous (if not the most famous) and luxurious hotels in the city, where it costs as much as S$300 per night to stay! We were content to just have a look around 🙂

The imposing Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Hotel

The imposing Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Hotel

We were able to go through the hotel and were even able to go up to the roof, where the 360⁰ views of the city were nothing short of amazing.  We were, of course, jealous of the guests who were enjoying the infinity pool while we were quietly sitting in the bar next to it.

Infinity pool at the rooftop of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Hotel

From the rooftop of Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore it is possible to see a good portion of the city, including the full bay, Gardens by the Bay and the Formula One's racetrack

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Just behind the hotel there are the enormous Gardens by the Bay, which are a 100-hectare futuristic botanical garden. This is definitely a place to spend the whole day. The garden was enormous and had many different things to do. We’ll talk about the park in more detail in another post, since we took too many pictures to include in this one!

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Gardens by the Bay from the rooftop of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Hotel

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We headed back to the Bay from there, crossing the Marina Sands. There was a show on the water at 9:30pm that night, which was called the “Wonder Full”.

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The Wonder Full was an amazing spectacle that was a mix of lights, water music and sound. It lasts about 15 minutes, and was similar to the shows we saw in the theme parks in Orlando. It was definitely worth it, since we didn’t have to pay a thing.

The Wonder Full night show, right in front of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands Hotel, is really enjoyable and recommended

Even though Noah was already pretty tired, he enjoyed it just as much as we did. We even met a very nice couple, Paul and Anja, who were enjoying their retirement and were 3 months into a tour around the world.

We had to buy some sandwiches and fruit to eat during the day, but we enjoyed an entire day packed with several free attractions and things to do.

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Singapore, you’re definitely growing on us …

 

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