fdflys

I'm coming to Singapore soon and have taken a hotel on joo chiat road. it was an impulsive decision after spending too many days looking at expensive hotel prices and then landing on a blog that talked about food on joo chiat road. I've been to Singapore many times and usually stay near Orchard or the museums. I'm looking forward to the food and the architecture. It looks like a real place - local, I mean. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions about the area?

uk1

How long is your stay?

fdflys

3 days.

SQ325

Not a bad choice. Joo Chiat Road has endless food options but it can get quite crowded in the evening (trafic can be quite bad). You can find anything from chinese, vietnamese, philipino, korean, japanese, western (italian, german, steaks/burgers) to singaporean fare. For example Tian Tian the famous chicken rice stall from Maxwell has a restaurant here. The area is currently changing a lot, Katong has become hip, and so the restaurant scene is seeing a lot of new fare popping up.
Not sure where you are staying, some places (Hotel 81 and Fragrance) are a bit sleazy. There are quite a few Karaoke Bars along Joo Chiat but to my feeling the area has improved seriously over the years. The Venue Hotel at the corner of Joo Chiat and Koon Seng Rd is probably the best option and the least sleazy one.
East coast park is easy to access from there, take a bus to Parkway Parade and walk through the underpass to the park.

markcwj

Might be a great idea to check out the Katong area too (just a walk away). You can look at Village Katong for a pretty nice and new hotel in the area! Affordable too!

uk1

I've been thinking about your stay!

To be completely honest, I'd say as a tourist I'd prefer to stay a touch more central and perhaps visit this area perhaps one night if you want rather than actually stay here. Nothing wrong with the area, but on limited time perhaps there are better options. You'll want to be wandering during the day.

This really is a matter of personal choice and you'll get different views, none of which are either wrong or right.

Enjoy Singapore.

Singapore_Schwing

The only problem with Joo Chiat Road (I'm actually sipping a beer not too far from there right now) is lack of MRT access, depending on where (closer to East Coast Road less, or Still Ave more).

Agreed that if you don't care about MRT access, Katong is a great spot as well. That said, closer to the CBD may be better. Consider Bugis for a comprimise. It will give you absolutely any cuisine and easy access to anywhere in the city.

uk1

I think that's it. Sort of marooned during the day a bit. Of course Bugis! (IC!)

aster

There is a bus that goes from JC to Clarke Quay station that's quite good.

SQ325

The Mercure, V Katong and the Santa Grand have direct buses to Bugis. Bus 48 for example stops opposite of the Mecure and brings you via ECP to Bugis in Less than 15mins. Bus 32 stops at Suntec City and heads to Orchard.

@uk1: After a few visits CBD, Bugis, Clarke Quay and Orchard are becoming rather boring. Katong has something that has been lost in most parts of Singapore.

aster

During the evenings go a bit further to Robertson Quay or even further up the river from there. CQ is very touristy whereas RQ is more of an expat place - more beer and sports shown live and less loud music and wasted tourists. The bridge at CQ is a great place to drink though, there should be loads of people there every evening as long as it's dry out.

CBD and Bugis you can skip after ticking them off your list. If you're on Orchard in the evening then check out Emerald Hill for some drinks.

A good place for beers in the evenings is Chinatown, especially if you head to that big HDB complex with a beer hall on level 2. That's how the locals drink.

fdflys

Thanks for your thoughts. I've been to Singapore several times so I'm past the tourist stage. I usually stay more centrally but this time I have a fairly limited few days and I thought that Joo chiat might be a good place to make a small concentrated visit. I like to eat and I like to cook so visiting markets as well as eating is something I plan to do. I'm, also, interested in seeing the Malay style houses and just being in a neighborhood. I read that there is a large mosque (I'm probably the only person who loves to hear the call to prayer echoing off the walls - not my faith but enjoy the sound). I plan to walk around a lot looking and taking pictures. Not really a night/bar person. I was just wondering if anyone who lives there had noticed something interesting or eaten something great they wanted to tell me about.

fdflys

One other thing I wanted to ask - I'll need to get to the airport by 4am on my return. Will there be taxis roaming abut that late (it will be a Saturday morning) or will I need to reserve a taxi?

jpatokal

Taxis are generally available 24/7 as long as you can find a reasonably major road to wave them down on. Joo Chiat, being a red-light district, will easily qualify.

SQ319

Joo Chiat have a very strong peranakan back ground, so you will be able to find some very traditionally decorated peranakan houses in the area. You may also want to visit the interiors of one of these houses.

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/sin...ouses-20140701
http://the-intan.com/2012/?page_id=112 - visits by appt only.

Food wise, you can't go wrong with Peranakan in the area, though there are also several other options.

http://ieatishootipost.sg/category/l...n/8-joo-chiat/

These are some food options in Joo Chiat, and although not mentioned here, Joo Chiat is also known for Katong Laksa. I usually go to the Katong Laksa store at the junction of Ceylon Road and East Coast Road.