What to do in SIN in the middle of the night?
 

I have a mileage run to SIN upcoming in a few weeks -- arriving at 11:35pm on a Saturday night and leaving again at 7:15 the following morning (Sunday). I'd certainly like to leave the airport for at least a few hours... is it possible to get anywhere worth going? And will there be anything worth doing between, say, midnight and 4am?

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

I would like to know too if there's anything to do at that time.

Suggest either the Newton Circus or Lau Pau Sat hawker centers to enjoy a variety of Singapore-style food. Many bars and clubs are open till very late also, esp. in the restaurant/bar entertainment clusters of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Mohammed Sultan Road, Duxton Road, etc. The former two are more restaurant oriented, the latter two are more bar oriented.

Sounds like a 7 hour turn. Here's a classic one written by chexfan who did a 7 hour turn a few years back.

http://www.miketown.com/travel/trips/sin.html

Hawker centers are very popular places at all hours of the day and night....good food and good fun even if you are alone. Oh yes, I agree on the restaurant/bar selections also. Clearly you may wish to stop at a Hawker Center first then make your way to the "entertainment cluster" areas. I happen to prefer Boat Quay and always visit the Northern Indian "Our Village" in that complex when I am in Singapore. The address by the way, if I recall is 46 Boat Key, but I am not certain they are open at the time you will likely be there. Many boat Quay restaurants/bars will be open and you can enjoy a beverage on the shore of the river and the lights which illuminate the quite attractive Hotel Fullerton,some nearby high rise office buildings, and several important government complexes across the river from Boat Quay.

As you likely know, SIN is an inexpensive place to grab a taxi and since the areas you will likely visit are clustered close to each other, I suspect that your local bill will be less than $S20 for the intracity portion and the RT to the target area from-to the airport should be less than $S50 total. By the way, you may wish to have the taxi trip to/ from the airpot include a brief drive-by one of the more famous but at that time of the night closed shopping area of Singapore, Orchard Road. (Just ask the taxi person what the incrmental cost would be---a few bucks at most.)

Have fun!

747LWW

Aside from the food, if you are a shopping buff, there is one place I know, you can shop till you drop, yes literally DROP. It is open 24hrs. MUSTAFA CENTER is located at Serangoon Road, any cabby would know, you might enjoy it, if you are a shopaholic ^

If you'd like something lively and cosmopolitan and to stroll around at that time, yes, I think Boat Quay is a great place to start. It's a very nice nighttime view of the Singapore River and there are many restaurants and bars to choose from. Personally I like Indochine, it has beautiful Asian decor, nice ambiance, and a very pleasant outdoor dining area that has a good view of that stretch of the River. I like the cafe - good food at decent prices, though by the time you get there you will only be able to get drinks, however at the restaurant they take food orders up till 12.30am (S$20+ for a main course dish). IMO the best way to get there/start at Boat Quay is to tell the taxi driver Fullerton Hotel (which used to be the General Post Office many years ago and now turned into upmarket hotel). From there you can also see the sea side view, look towards the Esplanade and Merlion. To get to Indochine cross the pedestrian bridge (very short walk) that's in front of the hotel to the other side of the river - you can't miss it as it's the only restaurant and bar on that side of the river (technically that address is Empress Place, next to the museum). Back on the other/main side walk along Boat Quay for variety. If you like jazz, Harry's is a nice bar to have a drink and good live music (and they also have tables outside on the sidewalk), they close at 2am.

If you're into clubs Clarke Quay is also nearby (or you can go there directly from the airport of course). Attica has a cosmopolitan mixed crowd, often has some international DJ flown in to spin on weekends. There's also an outdoor mingle area that's cool. They open till 4am, Attica Too (same place) till 6am. I would avoid Ministry of Sound - sound system way too loud/ear damage! There's also Zouk, though not in the same area/you'll have to cab there - oldest/most established club, also regularly has some international DJ in for the weekend. Has 3 different dancefloors for a variety of sounds.

For local food and a local experience, yes, definitely visit a hawker center! Great food and cheap! Lau Pa Sat is near/walking distance from Boat Quay but probably better to go to earlier/at the start. Best bet is Satay (pronounced sar tey/hey with a t) - just ask for it when you get there, there'll be a selection of stalls just specializing in that alone. It's a famous local dish. If you are vegetarian (I am now but I remember satay from when I wasn't) then try the Indian stalls or just have a local desert like Chendol or Ice Kachang from the desert only stalls. (Or send me a PM for more options). Yes, Newton Circus - most famous and likely to be more happening if you go after bar hours or clubbing (maybe meet some people at the bar or club and go with them - more fun). If you go there don't order from the stalls that hand you a menu with lots of dishes - usually more expensive and the food not so special anyway. Wander around and choose from a stall that specializes in a certain dish.

Yes Mustafa's is known for being open 24 hours so is convenient and if you want to shop at that time you can go there, the prices are mostly fixed and reasonable. The area/Little India is very interesting and I highly recommend it during the day - during that time of night though most everything else would be closed. And personally I wouldn't spend hours at Mustafa's.

When you arrive at the airport you can pick up good local area map/guides (published by the tourism board), there are many brochure stands around the airport. There you can also pick up what's happening in Singapore type magazines for events and listings. Or get them from the Visitors Center which is open till 2am. BTW at the airport all local calls are free from any of the phones. There's also free net access from the computers located around the airport. You might want to check out visitsingapore.com for more info. It is operated by the tourism board so yes everything sounds good :) but it has got handy info.

Wishing you a great experience!

Thanks for everyone's advice! Sounds like I should be in good shape. My main goals right now are having a Singapore Sling and some good roti prata, and it sounds like I should be able to accomplish both of those without a problem. (And satay, since you recommend it!) :)

I gather I'll head over to Boat or Clark Quays, visit one of the hawker centers, swing by Mustafa's, and then return to Changi to visit some lounges before my flight. I'm excited!

Also try Teh Tarik if you can. It's tea prepared in a local way. Tastes good and entertaining to watch! You might need it after Singapore Slings to make your way back to the airport :)

Also Indochine is not the only restaurant/bar on that side of Boat Quay anymore I discovered when I was there last weekend. But it's much larger and on the side of the Asian Civilizations Museum, still can't miss it.

Well, there's now Q Bar next door, but (as the name hints) it's much more a bar than a restaurant.

Paging chexfan!

You might want to PM chexfan. If I recall he posted a brief adventure on what to do in Singapore during layovers of about this duration. It was a fun read. I couldn't find it with the search function.

M8

Edit: Wrong thread.

Other than being able to say you had one in Singapore, I don't think there's a good reason to do this. The drink was concocted for the tastes of World-War I-era Englishwomen. Most people today find it cloyingly sweet.

If you're going to have one "just because," you have to have it at the Long Bar at Raffles. It's not very close to the other areas that have been recommended. It's open for drinks until 1:30 am on Saturday nights, though, so you'd be able to do that if you want.