Sentosa Island was one of the most unexpected surprises of Singapore. You can visit by taxi and the island is lined with fun beach bars and a casino. You can swim in the water but the bars also have pools on the beach, which is my dream come true. I only visited for the day but there are a few hotels and beach villas if you’d like to extend your stay. I visited for such a short time I only got the chance to spend some time swimming and visiting the bars but there are also spas, restaurants and other events. A group of ours also found a fun bottomless mimosa spot along the water. Here you can find a list of most attractions available, and I’m sure you’ll find something fun for any type of group.

Have you ever seen the movie Crazy Rich Asians? The magical wedding scene was filmed in Gardens by the Bay! When you enter the park there’s a number of activities you can do, day or night but I’d recommend visiting during both. During the day, you can visit the actual gardens but you need to purchase tickets. There are a total of three gardens including Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, each with their own theme. We visited all three and although we didn’t spend a ton of time, we loved seeing all of the rare plant life. In the evening, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the Supertree Grove and watch the trees light up in perfect unison. One important tip is that once the light show is over, absolutely everyone leaves at the same time. It can be extremely overwhelming and can take you an hour or more to walk out of the gardens. If massive crowds give you anxiety, I would recommend trying to leave before the show is over to ensure a clear pathway out.

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is iconic for having the largest rooftop infinity pool. If you look at it from afar, the hotel looks like a ship held up by three pillars. If it fits within your budget I would recommend staying a night or two. The hotel also has a casino and a rooftop restaurant/ bar that overlooks the city. The Hotel gives direct access to an insane shopping mall filled with brand name stores. If you decide not to stay, don’t worry about missing out because there’s still a chance to check out that perfect view at the Ce La Vi Skybar. You can walk through the mall to find the entrance to the bar but there's often a pretty long line and a fee to enter. At the time that we visited, the fee covered the cost of two drinks but that could have changed.

Get ready to walk, shop and eat your heart out in Chinatown. You can spend the day walking around and visiting the outdoor shops where you’ll find souvenirs, gifts and little pharmacies. We spent a couple of hours shopping, and then took a dumplings and beer break. Another gem that you can find in Chinatown is the Hawker Chan restaurant which is the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world. You’ll read a bit more below, but you’ll want to order the famous chicken and rice dish. I added Haji Lane in the same section because we found that it’s the perfect next stop after visiting Chinatown. You can spend a good portion of your day exploring both and they are a quick Grab (rideshare app) ride away from each other. Haji Lane is an explosion of vibrant colors and boutique shopping. I would look at Chinatown as a great place for typical souvenir items, and Haji lane as a place to shop for unique fashion.

Clarke Quey is perfect if you’re in search of night life. It might be a little touristy but I had a blast! In Clarke Quey you’ll find a ton of bars, restaurants and a couple of dance clubs. It sits along the Singapore river and you can take a cab to get there. If you like live music, chill bars, wild clubs or even themed bars this is the place for you. I love dancing so we went to Zouk nightclub and danced the night away. You’ll also love the fact that after a fun night out, some of the restaurants are open! I’m a huge Ramen fan and the perfect way to close out a fun night was grabbing a bite at Keisuke before we went home.

Maxwell Food Center

The Maxwell Food Center is right next to Chinatown so you can knock it out on your Chinatown day. This hawker stall was one of the best food experiences I’ve had in any country! The options were endless, cheap and delicious. Anything you try will be absolutely amazing but most people go for the chicken and rice plates as well as well as the black peppered crab. You might think the crab is a bit expensive because in comparison to other dishes, it is, BUT it’s still very cheap for crab in general. I would also recommend the fruit juices and beer stands for a little refresher as you eat. A quick tip so you’re not confused like we were, when you order food it’ll be served on a tray and you can take your trays to any seating you’d like. The important note is that every stall shares trays so no need to return yours to the vendor who gave it to you, just take it to the tray pile and leave it there.

Liao Fan Hawker Chan

When you visit the Hawker Chan website you’ll see a few options and the one we visited was the one in Chinatown. I really don’t know the difference between that one and the others, but what I do know is that the one we visited was branded as the Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant in the World. Their famous dish is chicken and rice but we pretty much ordered half of the menu and love every bit of it. If you visit early enough, the lines aren’t very long but it can get super packed. I would highly recommend taking a quick trip before you leave SIngapore because the food is fantastic.

JUMBO Seafood

You may recognize JUMBO Seafood as a chain, because it is, but trust me it’s worth it! Our group ordered a ton of different dishes to share but we did make a couple of mistakes I will warn you about, so you have the best experience! Unless you can’t live without the ambiance, don’t visit the River Walk location because that’s the most expensive one, we did that without knowing. I would also recommend an earlier dinner because we visited way too late and we were too full to do anything else. Our last tip is to actually buy seafood, it seems silly but it’s not worth the cost if you don’t. If you hate seafood, it’s not the place for you but we provided a few other great options!