Best area to stay in Singapore

[elizabethcharlotte]

We will be in Singapore for three nights and I don't know where to start with choosing an area to base ourselves in. We need to book a hotel that will be a good base for seeing the sights with affordable places to eat nearby. Can anyone recommend somewhere?

Not sure on your budget but if you are on
the MRT it’s very easy to get around.

It's been nearly 15 years since I was there but we stayed in the Fairmont across the road from Raffles. It's right on top of an MRT station and really easy to get to places from.

Obviously a lot depends on budget - if you have the cash I’d agree with @Colinswheels that the Fairmont (I think that it still trades under that name is v.g., there’s an attached Swissôtel on the same site…both have very easy access to the MRT and are within walking distance of a lot of the tourist type attractions.

Singapore is pretty small with an efficient transport system so your most likely going to be fine anywhere central so go with budget.

For personal recommendation we stayed at the Fullerton Bay hotel and had a good experience. Very good location with easy access to popular sights and transportation.

Myself, DH and teenage DS stayed at the Maxwell Reserve in China Town last year. It was a great area and easy to get around the city on the MRT. The hotel had a fab rooftop pool and the breakfast was great too!

I'm booked into the Intercontinental Hotel next month, it was recommended to me. My son said it's in a great location for sightseeing.

My son and I stayed at Ibis Budget Singapore Clarke Quay. Very small rooms but they have everything you need (TV, fridge) and there's a rooftop pool. Insanely central.

Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay is worth a look. Our stay was very reasonable, included breakfast, and the bonus was a rooftop pool open late. (We had it to ourselves twice).Clarke Quay and Chinatown are walkable from there. Once at Clarke Quay, you can walk along the river to Marina Bay.

Daughter used the various holiday inns - airport and Clark quay - it's a pretty straight forward place to get around

I stayed at the Shanghai La orchard road. About 10 mins walk from the MRT, close to the beautiful botanical gardens, and had a huge outdoor pool.

It really depends on your budget as the sky is the limit in Singapore! Clarke Quay is great central area, walkable to river and the bay and close to MRT.

Tiong Bahru is a great residential area (no accommodation here) with a famous food market/hawker centre and then lots of cool coffee shops and little boutiques along the street.

Only areas I would avoid staying in are the airport and Sentosa (resorts area) - both great if you need that location, but you'll spend more time travelling back and forth.

We did a stopover in Singapore before heading to Australia and stayed near Dhoby Ghaut—super easy to get around and close to loads of food spots. If you're heading to Australia after, check out the gold coast surfers paradise hotel. We found it worked well for a family with young kids and offered easy beach access without needing a car every day.

This post goes back to 2024. Hope you enjoyed it OP but assume you are back home by now.