Guide to Drinking in Singapore: Bars, Hawker, Duty Free

When in Singapore, EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE.

A packet of tissue is at S$0.30. A 500ml bottle of water is at S1.20. A 500ml can of beer is at $5.20. A liter of vodka is at S$89 (grocery) or S$200 (bars)

There's foam coming out of my mouth as I type this.

Budget travelers may ask, "So where do I buy drinks in Singapore?"

Beer + Fireworks

DEFINITELY NOT IN BARS

Bars and clubs have ridiculous beer and cocktail prices, even at Happy Hour. Beer prices also differs depending on the time of the day. Sold by half or full pint, beer in Singapore would set you back S$7 to S$25. You might also be interested to know that Singapore bars sell bottled water for S$6. LOL.

WTF! 7 cocktails for S$77+

Clinic Bar's cocktail prices

CORNERS / STREETS

For cheap(er) drinks, get them at convenience stores like 7-Eleven for S$4 to S$9. Hawker centres may also be a good place to find cheap beers in Singapore. I saw a stall at Makansutra Glutton Bay selling 330ml Tiger at S$5 a can. Some even have a 3 for S$18 promo.

My S$5.20 beer bought at 7-Eleven

FINALLY, HEAVEN!!!

Being budget travelers, we just buy our alcohol supply at the airport Duty Free where vodka, tequila, gin, rhum, brandy, whiskey, and even beer are sold at its normal price. To prove, we bought a liter of Smirnoff vodka at duty free for S$18. But when we checked 7-Eleven, they sell the exact thing for S$89. WHA..WHY..I DON'T...I CANNOT...UNDERSTAND :|

Our normal-priced stash

As a guide to all drunkards, below are some alcohol prices at the Singapore Duty Free Shop.

The Sojourn Singapore Review

Since Rucksack Inn was already fully booked, I scoured the interwebs for other Singapore hostels that 1) will fit our budget 2) has free wifi and 3) has a good location. I logged on to hostels.com and this new place called The Sojourn caught my interest. Judging from the photos, it seemed to be a decent place to stay. Not to mention, it's very near the train station and just a couple of blocks away from THE Orchard Road. Still, I want to make sure if the place is really nice (or if it's just the photos) so I googled it and found...nothing. Except for this post which was not even *that* helpful. Despite lacking proof that The Sojourn is worthy of our money, I went ahead and reserved 2 dorm beds for S$72.

We arrived in SG at 5pm, bought an obligatory vodka at duty free, and took the train towards Somerset Station where our inn was located.

A litre of vodka to go, pls

The Sojourn Singapore is located along the residential area (i think) of Devonshire Road. From Somerset train station, you'll have to take Exit A to get to Devonshire road then walk towards right until you see a row of white terrace houses. Note that The Sojourn doesn't have a signboard. Just look for Unit 131...it's the one with a hanging lamp at the entrance.

Devonshire Road (photo from Sojourn Facebook page)

No signboard, look for the hanging lamp! (photo from Sojourn Facebook page)

Me!!!

Upon arrival, we were greeted by their Pinay staff Ms.Josephine. After paying the room in full and depositing S$10 for the room keys, we were given a brief tour of the 2-storey property. The whole place is mostly in black and white--a minimalist yet classy design. It actually looked like a boutique hotel, rather than the usual backpacker's hostel/inn/b&b.

At the ground floor is the lounge area where guests could relax and mingle with each other. It's also a comfortable place to watch movies or read books.

Comfy couch

Books, DVDs, Cable TV

Free wifi is available all over the property. If you don't have a wireless wifi-enabled device, a computer station with 4 desktop computers are available for guests to use for free 24/7. The computer station, together with the dining area and kitchen, are also in the ground floor.

Great internet speed

Dining area. Notice the high ceilings!

On our way to our room, Ms.Josephine informed us that the inn is just a month old--thus the stinky smell of newly painted walls. Anyway, we found out that there are no room numbers here. Instead, rooms are named after herbs and spices: Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemongrass, and Tumeric. How cute is that?

 2nd Floor

We were assigned in Tumeric, an 8-bed female dorm room with lockers. Ms.Josephine said we were lucky because it would only be Kin and I in the room. Yey for us!

Our room

9 Hour Flight Delay Courtesy of Zest Air Philippines

Just want to share this awful story about Zest Air Philippines which happened recently. On August 16-17, several passengers of Zest Air's Manila-bound flight experienced a 9-hour delay. Worse, they were not even given proper accommodation and food to compensate for the inconvenience. Kahit pa promo fare sila, they shouldn't be treated that way because they are still customers! I haven't tried flying via Zest Air yet but I don't think I would anytime soon. This is so annoying especially if you have a strict travel schedule. Sira lahat ng travel plans dahil sa flight delays. Thank God I haven't experienced anything like this before...siguro magwawala talaga ako if it would happen!

Below is Byahilo.com's story about Zest Air's unsatisfactory customer service. Kayo na mag-judge. :/

Zest Air Flights s-u-c-k bigtime: My 9hr flight delay experience


"I have been flying via Zest Air for several times now. And since they started flying to major airportslike Iloilo Bacolod and Cebu, I never had any complaints about their service, whatsoever. I am so used to 1 or 2-hour flight delays. I just simply pass it off as a normal occurrence. In fact, last August 20 I flew to Davao for the Kadayawan Festival via Zest Air/

So while we were having a good dinner in Cebu City August 16, at around 9PM, Don received a phone call from a Zest Air agent, Don gave the phone to Fitz who talked to the agent.

Singapore Kuala Lumpur Long Weekend

I'm going again to Singapore tomorrow! Lol! We won't be staying at Rucksack Inn anymore. Instead, I got a dorm bed in this new hostel called The Sojourn near Orchard Road. I hope it's good as well. By the way, I will meet with Sheila and Ian on Sunday morning for breakfast and obligatory touristy photo at the Merlion Statue. It would be a short breakfast though, as we need to be at the Golden Mile Complex bus station by 11:30. The bus that would take us to KL would be the Starmart AirAsia Express (Double Deck!!!) It's going to be a 5-hour ride so I'll probably need get some claypot chicken rice and carrot cake to go from hawker heaven Golden Mile Food Centre. I hope the Petronas Twin Towers look good in real life as it they do in photos. Also, I'll be meeting up with Filipino bloggers Hannah Villasis and Ed Arevalo at KL. Omgnezzz fun!!!!

P.S.

Must pack stuff now!!!!

Rucksack Inn: Singapore's Best Backpacker Hostel

Don't let the dingy looking Chinese-herb smelling staircase fool you. Singapore's Rucksack Inn could probably be the best backpacker hostel EVER.

Ruck Sack Inn is at the 3rd floor

Located at 33-B Hongkong St., this new Singapore hostel has received several positive reviews from travelers all over the world. Room rates are relatively cheap, starting at S$26. You could choose from mixed dorm beds or private rooms. Either way, it would still be a great deal considering the place is near Clarke Quay, one of the bustling centers in Singapore. We got a 4-bed mixed dorm which we booked online several months in advance.

Entrance

Ruck Sack Freedom Wall

Just a note: there are no ensuite bathrooms, just two cubicles with powerful round overhead showers. Don't worry if you forgot to bring toiletries as there are complimentary shampoo and body gel in each cubicles. And if you don't have your own towel, you could rent one for just S$2.

Common wash bin area

If you want to relax and/or mingle with other guests, you could stay at the lounge to read books, watch cable television/dvds, or play PS2/Wii. Three computer units are available for use, free of charge. They also have free wifi in all rooms!

Real-life Big Brother House hehehe

Guitar Hero, anyone?

24/7 free internet access

In the kitchen, guests could easily make toasts and coffee/tea for free anytime of the day. I love making PB&Js even at 3am! The water dispenser is also a plus because I saved up on buying pricey bottled water.

Dining area

Butter, peanut butter, grape jelly, and Nutella are provided

I love breakfast!

Trying Singapore Hawker Food

Hallooo!!! I'm back from the beautiful "no-spit-else-you-pay-fine" Singapore and I gained weight BCOZ I ATE A LOT NOMNOMNOMNOM.

Arrived on a rainy Friday afternoon and had my first Singapore meal at Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice and Curry Rice (whew!) across Central Mall in Clarke Quay. Red and I ordered the Pork Chop Set A which had fried pork strips with curry, fried egg, and cabbage side dish. Gelo and Rina, on the other hand, got the Steamed Chicken Rice. All dishes come with free soup, extra cup of steamed coconut rice is priced at S$0.60. This restaurant was a great place to kick-off our 4-day [food] trip.

Tiong Bahru across Central Mall

Side dish menu

Drinks Menu

Singapore White Chicken Rice S$3.80

My Pork Curry Set S$3.80

Dessert was Singapore's S$1 ice cream. Got mine at Clarke Quay which was served with soft bread instead of wafer.

Chocolate Ice Cream S$1

Other flavors I'm yet to try

Singaporean Ice Cream Vendor

The weather was better during our 2nd day so we arranged a meet up with our college friend Miko who works in a local PR firm.

Miko and Gelo

As food in Singapore are best experienced outdoors, we asked Miko to recommend a nice hawker centre in Chinatown.

Lunch with Miko

Chinatown Hawker Centre along Smith Street

Hawker Center Menu

White Carrot Cake with Prawns S$8

Seafood Fried Rice (small) S$5

Lunch done. Time to visit an adult shop!!!!1!!111!one!

Stay classy

On Sunday, we followed Anthony Bourdain's steps by visiting Golden Mile Food Centre to try the famous *gulp* Soup Tulang at Haji Kadir.

The Original Soup Tulang S$6 (4 pcs)

I'm in Singapore!

bought basic necessities at the airport duty free..

12 hours later...

yes!!!!

Adam Lambert Live In Manila

Bluedream Entertainment Inc. and World Wide Womb present Adam Lambert Live in Manila!

This one-night solo concert will happen on October 10, 2010 (10.10.10) at SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.

Ticket prices are yet to be announced. However, you may already reserve VVIP seats by calling 7500790 to 91. Look for Justine or Vince. I'll update this post once the ticket prices are already released!

Excited for Baybeats 2010!!!

2 days to go before Singapore's Baybeats Music Festival 2010! I'll attend the 3-day event with my friends, yey! Good thing we made an early booking at Rucksack Inn because Kin said it's just minutes away from Esplanade. I guess we'll save a lot on transportation costs, given that the event venue is just near our place. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to Baybeats. It would be my first time to watch it and I heard there will be a lot of local and international performers. Can't wait to see them play!!! Philippine representatives would be Techy Romantics, The Camerawalls, Chicosci, and Carlos Castano. Canada's Handsome Furs is set to be the main act. For the complete band line-up, checkout Baybeats' official website.

Baybeats 2010, August 20 to 22

PLEASE BE AUGUST 20 ALREADY!!!

Tiger Airways to begin Manila route on October

In addition to its DMIA Clark terminal, Tiger Airways will begin its Singapore-Manila route at NAIA Pasay beginning October 31, 2010.

Saw the note on their official Facebook page:

"Tiger Airways has been awarded rights to serve Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Singapore. This is in addition to Tiger’s current 9 weekly flights to Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA)."

To celebrate this feat, Tiger Airways is having a seat sale today until August 25, 2010. Promo fares start at S$55 plus taxes for travel between October 31, 2010 to July 31, 2010.

Book and buy now at http://www.tigerairways.com/.

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