Andrius

I love taking photos of urban metropolises (metropoli?) at night, and I am planning to have an approx. 4,000 miles detour on my way from KIX to LHR, to see Singapore at night.

My plane will land at 1700 and I leave the following morning.

Questions:

(1) Is Grand Hyatt (where I plan to lay my weary head) a convenient location to return to late at night? And is it convenient for a trip to Changi the following morning?

(There were some posts about Grand Hyatt but they said it's good for shopping and I don't think I'm going to be doing that).

(2) What are the top places for night-time visuals of Singapore (bright lights, neon, shopfronts?)

WildRice

Grand Hyatt is fine. It's at the crossroad junction between Orchard and Scotts Roads. It's busy till the wee hours of the morning.

Lights?

Depending on the time of the year.. you just missed Vesak Day celebrations in Little India. But there are festivals throughout the year though certain sections of Singapore tend to brighten up a bit more over religious holidays..

You may try: Orchard Road, Newton Circus (foodies paradise... take a picture of the barbequed stingray).. or Lau Pa Sat (at night only please).. Little India, Chinatown.

You have to remember that electricity is not cheap here so most office buildings are pitch black when night falls. You won't see the very lit up empty buildings like you see in North American cities.

When it's Christmas time, Orchard Road is in a slew of colours.. and when its Chinese New Year, the lights show shift to Chinatown.

jpatokal

Top 3 night views in my book:
The CBD as seen from the Esplanade
Shophouses on Boat Quay
Clarke Quay

The seafood restaurants at Kallang Oasis are also nice, but you need a good zoom lens to pull off the visuals well

Andrius

Thanks for this, most helpful. Maybe I should try and stay and extra day, after all.

MoreCoffeePlease

Depending on what time your flight leaves the next morning, you might be better off simply staying in the Transit hotel at the airport. Its much cheaper than Hyatt (or most other hotels), and it will save you time. You can get into the transit area easily with your ticket if you are flying on SQ, since they allows checkins at almost any time. If not on SQ, then you might have trouble getting into the transit area much earlier than your flight.

For a huge cost savings, the YMCA at #1 Orchard Road is cheap at something like $60/night. Rooms are decent, and the location is as good as the Hyatt.

For night shots, I'd do:

1 - City shot at night (I've seen people take this on the ECP highway, just below the Ritz Hotel, but not sure how to get there. There is a walkway along the highway.)

2 - Lau Pau Sat (probably the best hawker center to take wide pictures, since it is more open than most centers)

3 - Suntec City Fountain--largest fountain in the world (have to check to see if it is running)

4 - Boat Quay (water and restaurant shots)

5 - City shot from the top floor of the Swissotel Stamford (tallest hotel in the city and their is a bar at the top, where you could get photos of the city and have a drink!)

Andrius

Nice pictures. No I understand that probably there is not going to be an explosion of lights like Shibuya in Tokyo; but I am sure there is still plenty to look at.

Is there a particular reason why electricity is expensive in Singapore?

Andrius

Thanks for this. Yes, I will be flying SQ.

Hyatt is kinda religious thing for me but thanks for the Transit Hotel idea - being a crazy person (most of us are out of our minds in this forum) I like airport hotels, including DXB airside hotel and KIX Nikko.

I have long given up on trying to economize on my travels: good people of Inland Revenue take all my money anyway, so with the thousands £££ that I have to send to them twice a year, a hundred $ here or there during my trips do not make that much of a difference. It is a very fatalist approach to financial matters, I know.

MegatopLover

Among the best locations in all of Singapore for cityscapes, both daylight and nighttime, are the guestrooms of the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, which sits at the eastern edge of the landfill around the Marina and thus has a spectacular view back across the marina of downtown Singapore, including all the highrises, the Fullerton Hotel at the mouth of the Singapore River, and the merlion (giant fountian in the form of the symbol of the city). Using an ordinary camera shooting through glass from our room (be sure to get a "Marina Bay" view room, not a Kallang view) I shot a ton of fantastic photos of the cityscape. Photos shown on R-C's website are perfectly representative of what you'll get, no enhancements necessary.

Wingman32

The bar/lounge at the top of the Swissotel has INCREDIBLE views all over the city. Its called Equinox with a club-like place on the 70th floor, and a VERY nice bar lounge on the 71st. Make sure to go all the way up and don't just stop at the club.

W

MoreCoffeePlease

Priceline has worked for me in Singapore, putting me up in the Ritz, Marriott and Hyatt, and at very good prices. Have not tried it there in the last six months, but it is definitely worth a try.

WildRice

Singapore has NO natural resources. Electricity is powered by gas (ie petrol). Even our water is is pumped in (well, 1/3 of it) from Malaysia.

Oh yes.. another pictureseque photoshoot...

The Esplanade... the concert halls that look like a giant prickly fruit called the Durian, hence that is what the locals nicknamed it.

Jim1542

Get a picture of the Merlion at night.