The Warehouse Hotel was originally built in 1895 along the Singapore River as part of the Straits of Malacca trade route. At that time, the area was a hotbed of secret societies, underground activity, and liquor distilleries. Today, The Warehouse Hotel has been meticulously restored as a 37-room boutique hotel, focusing on heritage and local culture. Opened in 2017, it delivers thoughtful hospitality with historically-detailed rooms, classic local dishes and craft cocktails in the vibrant neighborhood of Robertson Quay.
Singapore
Singapore is an island city-state of about 6 million people who are a microcosm of Asia, populated by Malays, Chinese, Indians, and a large group of workers and expatriates from all across the world. It has a long British colonial history and came to power as the marine gateway between Europe and East Asia.
Singapore has a reputation for a modern sterility that has earned it descriptions like “Disneyland with the death penalty” or the “world’s only shopping mall with a seat in the United Nations”. Nevertheless, the Switzerland of Asia is for many a welcome respite from the poverty, dirt, and chaos of much of the Southeast Asian mainland, and if you scratch below the squeaky clean surface and get away from the tourist trail you’ll soon find a lively culture and some unique local customs.
Singaporean food culture is more legendary than the many cuisines that it consists of and it’s bustling hawker centers are the center of it all, offering cheap food from all parts of Asia–some with Michelin star ratings! If you want to see a Singaporean get passionate about something, start a discussion about the best place to have laksa.
Take a look at the sample itineraries below that we can use as a starting point to design your unique trip.
Singapore Tour Itineraries:
Singapore Weather and When to Go
Singapore is just one-and-a-half degrees north of the equator, and has no true distinct seasons. It is always hot and humid and it can rain hard!
The temperature ranges from a minimum of 25 °C (77 °F) and a maximum of 35 °C (95 °F). May is the hottest month of the year in Singapore, followed by June. This is due to light winds and strong sunshine during those months.
There are monsoon seasons, but they don’t have significant impacts on activities. The worst time to be there is when the slash and burn season in Indonesia causes severe haze for days or weeks at a time and typically occurs between July and October. However, since the smoke is due to illegal forest burning for palm plantations, it can cause air pollution at other times too.
Our Recommended Singapore Hotels and Resorts
We’ve inspected and stayed in dozens of hotels in Singapore. We will not only recommend which hotel may be best for you, but which room category. Here’s a few that we highly recommend based on the quality of the rooms and facilities, cleanliness, standard of service, and locations. These aren’t always the cheapest hotels, but they are among the best hotels in their category. We tend to have a preference for high-quality boutique hotels that have a great location, excellent food, and a local ambience, or perhaps a colonial style atmosphere that conjure images of former eras.
The Scarlet, Singapore
This stylish boutique hotel is a juxtaposition of Singapore’s old and new, with its well preserved architecture integrated to reflect 21st-century modern day comforts. You’ll be inspired by the historical past of the hotel, housed in a row of 1868 shophouses and a vintage 1924 Art Deco building. The location can’t be beat. It’s steps from Club Street, hawker centers, and a 10-minute walk to Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar MRT stations.
Visas
Visas are not required for many nationalities to enter Singapore for purposes of business, tourism, and social visits. This includes the United States and Canada.
Covid-19 Restrictions – As of January 9, 2023
Fully vaccinated travelers must have received a full course of COVID-19 vaccination with an accepted vaccine. The accepted 2-dose vaccines are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Serum Institute of India (Covishield), Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Covaxin, or Novavax, Covovax, Nuvaxovid, and the accepted 1 dose vaccine is Janssen and CanSinoBIO/Convidecia. Travelers that have received a combination of 2 accepted vaccines are considered fully vaccinated. Travelers must have received their last dose at least 14 days before departure.
Travelers must receive a booster dose to be considered fully vaccinated if they plan to stay in Singapore for more than 30 days and if 270 days have passed since they completed the primary series vaccination.
Travelers with digitally-verifiable vaccination certificates, including a QR code from certain countries, are recommended to use the Vaccination Check Portal to verify their certificates before arrival. Digital verification is not mandatory but may assist travelers in demonstrating their proof of vaccination for faster pre-boarding checks and immigration clearance.
Non-digitally verifiable vaccination certificates are also accepted and must include the traveler’s name as it appears in their passport, at least one other personal identifier (such as date of birth or passport number), the type(s) of vaccine taken, number of doses taken and date(s) taken and must be presented in English or translated to English by a translation service provider, notary public, or embassy of the country that issued the document.
This vaccination requirement doesn’t apply to the following travelers: -Travelers aged 12 years and younger who are born on or after January 1st, 2011.
All travelers are recommended to buy medical insurance for COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalization costs in Singapore, with a minimum coverage of SGD $30,000.00. Visitors should purchase travel insurance before traveling to Singapore.
Travelers must wear masks on public transportation and healthcare facilities, residential care homes, and ambulances. This mask requirement doesn’t apply to the travelers under the age of 6.
All travelers must submit a health declaration before arrival in Singapore.
For full details and exemptions, see:
What are the typical costs of your Singapore private tours?
If booking a private tour with us, costs can range from $350/day/person for staying in nice 3-star quality hotels to over $600/day/person in high-end luxury hotels. Staying in small luxury boutique hotels can cost an average of $350 to $400/day/person. These cost estimates include not just accommodation, but also internal flights, airport transfers, tours and activities, entrance fees, private guides, and private vehicles with driver.
What are the benefits of a private tour?
There are so many that it’s hard to quantify, but here’s a few major benefits: 1) the tour is customized for your interests, which means you get to see and do the things you’re most interested in. 2) you’re not running on a fixed daily schedule, which means you have flexibility to stay as long as you want or move on early from something or even skip it altogether if that’s what you decide on the spot. 3) We’re able to design the activities at popular sights to avoid the crowds!
Can you drink water from a tap?
Yes, tap water is safe to drink in Singapore–the only country in SE Asia that can say that! Water quality standards are quite high.
Is it possible to use my mobile phone from North America in Singapore?
Yes, 4G connectivity is very good in Singapore. Some plans, like T-Mobile allow for free unlimited data internationally, though it is usually at a 2g speed. However, that’s often good enough for texts and emails and some browsing. Most providers allow for purchase of high-speed international plans.
What electrical adapters are needed?
The power outlets in Singapore are the square-pin, UK style. However, most 4 and 5-star hotels in Singapore have international outlets that will accept most US-style 2-prong plugs. If not, they likely will loan you an adapter. However, the voltage is 240 volts, 50 Hz, so be sure your electronic devices can handle that. Most can!
What’s the Currency in Singapore?
The Singapore dollar is used here and notes come in denominations of S$2, S$5, S$10, S$50, S$100, S$1,000 and S$10,000. Coins come in 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and S$1. The exchange rate varies, but is roughly 1 USD = 1.3 SGD as of this writing.
ATMs are plentiful and most accept international cards.
Call us at 206-568-0710 or fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you within 1 business day!
Please provide as much information as you can so we can generate some ideas before contacting you. For example:
- Number of travelers – adults and children with ages
- When you want to travel – are your dates fixed or flexible?
- Destinations of interest – country or countries, plus destinations within a country
- Activities of interest – like beaches, wildlife, hiking, shopping, art, local culture, adventure, etc.
- Purpose of trip and Special Occasions – holiday, honeymoons, important birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
- Approximate budget per person
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