Asia - Where would you spend 14 days - Singapore vs. Bali???

Hello. I am spending 14 glorious days in Indonesia. Right now, I am thinking about having 5 days in Singapore and 9 in Bali. I have never been to Asia, and we are probably going to need the first couple of days to unwind, so I thought 5 would be appropriate. However, several people have told me that I should only spend 1-2 days in Singapore.

Thoughts and comments……….

There's not a lot to do in Singapore, but I think 1-2 days is too little. I'd go for 3 full days. I spent one day alone at what's left of the rainforest there. The monkeys generally come down and there's some pretty good hikes.

5 days are really a bit much for Singapore (and I live here!). you could throw in a 3rd destination to spice things up - cities, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are easily and cheaply accessible from Singapore.

Thanks for the advice.

Would you reccomend going to Bali earlier or trying to do a day trip from Singapore?

Also, my wife is curious about the shopping in Singapore. She heard that there used to be great deals, but that is not the current situation. Any comments?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">my wife is curious about the shopping in Singapore. She heard that there used to be great deals, but that is not the current situation. Any comments?</font>

We didn't find too many good buys. My husband picked up a camera lens he figures he saved a few hundred dollars on after bargaining back and forth for quite a bit. Many of the electronics I looked at, such as noise cnaceling headphones, are cheaper in Tokyo. Some of the street markets are fun, but they're filled with fake and cheap stuff. Chopsticks are really cheap - less than $1 a pair for ones I've paid $10 at home for. In Little India there are interesting fabrics, spices and beaded jewelry. I got some ox bone necklaces for $2 each and just saw something similar at Macy's for $18. My son bought a bunch of CDs - those were cheap. Nothing in the major stores or malls struck me as either appealing or a good buy.

Perhaps those on the board who live in or frequent Singapore will have better suggestions.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by briansilverstein:
Also, my wife is curious about the shopping in Singapore. She heard that there used to be great deals, but that is not the current situation. Any comments?</font>My wife loved shopping in Singapore and she is a confirmed bargain hunter. She found her best buys on clothing, particularly in Chinatown, and some deals on cosmetics. The 22k gold in Little India attracted her attention and we ended up in a small jewelery store. She picked out a loose blue topaz which she had the shop make into a pendant and an amesthyst that she had them make into a ring. We paid around US$300 and out of curiosity I paid to have them appraised when we got home. They were valued at US$1100 so I guess we did ok.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by briansilverstein:
Would you reccomend going to Bali earlier or trying to do a day trip from Singapore?
</font>

Personal recommendation? 2 days in SIN, 2 in BKK, the rest in Bali.... You'll get much more of an 'Asian city' flavour in Bangkok than you will in Singapore. (if that's what you're looking for...)

Make SIN your gateway with 2 days in SIN, on to Bali and 2 days stay again in SIN on your way home.

Also depends on what you are planning to do in Bali. If you are going to lie around on the beach, then 12 days (assuming two in SIN) is way too much. If you want to get into the cultural side of Bali, 12 months is way too short. Personally, I would think three days in Singapore and 11 in Bali would be good, with no sidetrips, if you want to get into more of the culture of Bali, rather than spending time in places you can go to at home (like the beach or a spa). If you make a trip to KUL or BKK, then just shorten the Bali time. Or if you get that bored, take the ferry to Lombok. If you want the address of a reliable and cheap driver, just shoot me an email.

well i pretty much agree. Singapore is definately NOT worth 5 days. Basically tea at Raffles, the zoo, perhaps the amusement park, is worth a day or two, maybe another if you are arriving on an international flight and need time to adjust. After that its either to Malaysia or somewhere.

My experience in the shopping is similar to above. In the Chinese area I found cheap land's end shirts, but otherwise singapore was no bargain.

I went to Bali last year and spent 9 days there and was somewhat rushed. You need like two full days (and probably 3 nights) in Ubud, a night or two in Lovina relaxing, and you could easily other stops and that doesn't even include the kuta area, which i wasn't happy with. You could easily add more time in ubud. by the way, the shopping in bali is much, much, much better than in singapore

I've been to Bali 5 times-Singapore once.I'm glad I went but once is enough!If shopping is your thing,Bangkok & Bali are great.Ubud is good too-especially the Sukawati market-for instance beautiful hand-made quilts,queen size for $9!I spent several days here-it's quieter & many hotels have beautiful views of the rice paddies;also in Ubud if a massage is your thing(it's mine),a 2 hour session:massage,exfoliation,bath in a tub full of flowers is $11 to $20 depending on where you go.The beaches are just ok though-Jersey ones are better!Koh Samui in Thailand have some beautiful beaches.So I guess what I'm saying is that if I could go anywhere it's bali!!!I'd give Singapore a miss & do Thailand for a few days if I wanted to see 2 places.

gosh you paid $9 for a quilt in ubud. I paid $15. I was rooked! I also found out i paid way, way too much for the sarongs. Then again, I paid $4.50 each.

Swiss Airlines was offering a $135 round trip fare from singapore to bali.

and for the record, I liked koh phi phi in thailand better than koh samui

Hi Mraok-I learned by trial & error-the ladies in Kuta (where I bought quilts on my last visit & paid more)told me their's were better quality & when I got home & washed these from Ubud they'd fall apart!Of course they didn't-they wash beautifully.I paid between $2 & $3 for sarongs,depending on material & how many I bought.One of my favorite buys is hand-carved wooden lanterns with the black hay-like tops for $7 each-they look beautiful around the pool!I also brought some of my favorite clothing & had them copied by the talented Balinese tailors-I could go on & on....if Bali was closer I'd go alot more often.So maybe it's better that it's not! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/biggrin.gif

Singapore and Bali offer different things. You can definitely maximize the stay at Bali and keep Singapore to 2 to 3 days. Rather than break in SIN twice, I suggest one stop on the way back (by now your wife already knows what she could spend and shop in Bali).

Bali offers beaches, cultural experiences and more relaxed pace of life. You can do shopping there (but it is of a kind different from Singapore, BKK or Tokyo). In all these shopping places there are no easy buys - you have to have an eye for quality an be able to pick a bargain from a "cheap" offering. There is a lot of second rate mass produced art in Bali and a lot of cheap imitation brands in SIN. Sellers in both places usually assume that the buyer is going to bargain - so one who doesn't overpays.

As others have pointed out, Singapore is no longer a great shopping mecca. Indians, Chinese and some other Asians do come on shopping trips but it is usually for specialized stuff and you need to know the right places and know how to get to what you want and how to walkaway.

Thanks for all the great Singapore/Bali advise.

Unfortunately, I am restricted to these two cities since I am flying on an UA award that I am redeeming on SA.

Based upon the collective advice, I am going to cut a day off of Singapore.

The information everyone has provided references very specific information in parts of Bali, implying that there is great variation from one region of the country to another. Thus, if you are going to spend 10 days in Bali, where would you stay? (Right now we are at the Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua.)

definitely don't stay the whole time in nusa dua! see below:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum74/HTML/002844.html

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by milehighj:
definitely don't stay the whole time in nusa dua! see below:

</font>

I'd agree with that. We spent 4 nights at the Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua at Easter this year, and it was excellent as a resort hotel (especially at $69 per night, buy two get two free, that we got http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif ). But you do really need to get out of Nusa Dua.

Bali isn't that big a place, so it is possible to see a lot of it from Nusa Dua simply by hiring a car with a driver, which costs not a lot (though I can't remember exactly how much). Having said that for 10 nights I would probably go with 5 in the Nusa Dua and 5 in Ubud, as a base to see the centre & north of the island.

If you decide to go with a driver I can recommend a guy by the name of Dekno who has a nice clean aircon taxi, speaks good English and will do a reasonable deal on per day hire. His handphone number is 081 2396 0407.

I would strongly recommend AGAINST the Sheraton but not because there is anything wrong with the hotel. It's that Bali is a number of different sites and feelings.

The Sheraton represents the southern beach.

I personally preferred the local culture and atmosphere of ubud which is in a bit. Between the native dances, the restaurants, the shops and market, and the art galleries, i'd certainly recommend staying in ubud for part of the trip. While you could get there on a day trip. you're going to end up going there for several days anyway.

Then as i mentioned above I liked lovina on the north side. My point is you are going to want to travel and you'll almost certainly want to spend part of the time away from the sheraton.

The beaches in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia are better than Bali. You can fly Singapore Air or Thai Air and get United miles, or fly Malaysia or Bangkok Airways for cheap prices. You also could take the Orient Express train between SIN and Bangkok one way for a wonderful experience.

If you haven't yet gone, I agree that 3 days in Singapore is more than enough. Bali is delightful but a side trip to Bangkok would we good too.

Are you related to Steve & Marcia?

The Nusa Dua area is good from an upscale standpoint, but hopefully you will also go out and experience the culture of both Bali and southeast Asia that you won't really get in Nusa Dua. ND is a man-made area of upscale resorts. Real Bali has character and culture. It is primarily Hindu, and thus it is somewhat unique in its looks and the people.

You can take full or half day trips from ND (or anywhere else) with one driver or with tours, and see other parts of the island for $15 to $35. It is well worth it. The island is full of temples. You can go to the mountains and see an active volcano or two, and some of the best temples are nearby. Any of the travel books will provide the details for you.

I would suggest staying for at least several nights in a local style place at the beach at near Ubud. The Sanur area would be good for the beach. It is a good area. You can stay for $50 to $70 a night including taxes and breakfast. Griya Santrian and Besakih are each excellent local hotels right on the beach with good facilities. These are not dumps or even close to dumps, but are very good non-western hotels and with the local flavor. The Aussies love these places, and stay there alot.

The food is excellent and costs $2 to $3 for a big meal unless you are at the biggest western hotels.

The Kuta beach area is worth visiting for an afternoon and evening dinner, but I wouldn't recommend staying there.

Denpasar city is a real dump, and I wouldn't recommend even going there unless you want to see filth.

If you play golf, there are several courses worth playing, including one in Nusa Dua. Diving is excellent.

Around Ubud there are several rivers with unbelievable rice field terraces. Even if you don't stay in the area, make sure to be driven around. Ubud has good local shopping for prices.

If you will consider more than SIN and Bali, I would really consider taking the train or bus from SIN to Kuala Lumpur (KL). KL is a very interesting city with many diverse cultures that I personally like far more than SIN.

As to SIN, there are so many malls for American type shopping. Prices are not necessarily much different than in the US. Beware of the fake clothes that generally look authentic, but are not. The Raffles Hotel is neat, and you might want to consider going to the Long Bar to have a Singapore Sling where it was invented. Take the MRT subway around, including making the entire loop on the red line to go almost around the main island. Walks in Chinatown, Little India, and the Arab Street area will be interesting for your first trip to Asia.

Have fun.