Driving to Singapore

[ajay]

I plan to drive with the family to S'pore this December. the last time i drove there was in the 90s! Kindly guide me on
1. preferred route from Malaysia (I guess 2nd link?)
2. entry requirement/pass
3. any other considerations to bring car over there

The idea is to drive straight to the hotel (most probably in geylang or little india area). stay for 3 nights & use public transport while we are there

places to visit :
sentosa island (too many interesting places around the sentosa..)
museum (my eldest like to see something related to the army/navy etc)
anything else worth going for the kids? my 4 kids are 4 ~ 14

Second option : go by train (more fun.. but carrying luggage could be an issue)

[mnoor]

First thing first, DO NOT BOOK ANY HOTEL AT GEYLANG AREA especially when you are going with family. Very likely you'll end up gettting a hotel in a red light area! As for Little India, avoid Desker Road hotels... this is just like Lorong Haji Taib!

As for seeing army and navy matters at the museum, I am of the view that you will not get anything at the National Museum. See link http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/nms/nms_html/index.asp but instead you go here, relatively near the National Museum, what we call it the Battle Box as per linked:- http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/nms/nms_html/index.asp

I recommend you go to Marina Barrage with your children... you can see how Singapore preserved precious water and there's a shot of show room with visual and audio narration regarding this matter. Many find this to be interesting, informative and has educational value for you and especially to your children. Your children can also make use of the water play park at Marina Barrage and you can have a mini picnic there. If you're a photo buff, don't leave your digital camera in the hotel room when you visit the Marina Barrage as you can snap photos of S'pore's skyline thereat. December is school holidays, so you and your family won't be walking alone even if you go there during weekdays, but I do recommend you go there on a Saturday or a Sunday.

Have you tried doing shopping at 2 or 3 a.m. in any shopping centre? If you have not, Mustafa Shopping Centre is a 24-hour shopping centre. Try this and you won't regret. But be cautioned, do not go during early evening hours especially during a weekend, you'll get swarmed by shoppers.... ramai gila beb, nnt you pening he he!

Sentosa is a good place to relax, but if you intend to go to Universal Studio Singapore which is in the casino area, be informed that the roller coaster is not in operation yet due to safety reason. Instead go to Marina Sands Sky Park http://www.marinabaysands.com/SandsSkypark/Sands_Sky_Park.aspx

Oooooppppssss, be careful of the exchange rate, you'll be surprised how low the RM can go down when you exchange it to SIN$! My suggestions, do it now, else it will slip further in December!

Adios and Selamat Datang ke Singapura!

[Zeus73]

I plan to drive with the family to S'pore this December. the last time i drove there was in the 90s! Kindly guide me on
1. preferred route from Malaysia (I guess 2nd link?)
2. entry requirement/pass
3. any other considerations to bring car over there

The idea is to drive straight to the hotel (most probably in geylang or little india area). stay for 3 nights & use public transport while we are there

places to visit :
sentosa island (too many interesting places around the sentosa..)
museum (my eldest like to see something related to the army/navy etc)
anything else worth going for the kids? my 4 kids are 4 ~ 14

Second option : go by train (more fun.. but carrying luggage could be an issue)

Some links for you :-
West-Malaysian Registered Vehicles
Vehicle Entry Permit Fees/Tolls
Autopass Card Matters

[ajay]

thnks bros..

mnoor,
i'm looking for cheap accommodation for 3-night stay. i rather spend more money on something else. how bad really is the area? any other cheap area you can suggest?

zeus, need clarification :
1. so i need autopass card. how about IU? do i need to rent or can manage without it? vehicle insurance certificate equals to "insurance cover note"?
2. if i only need to drive to & fro the hotel & check point, how much should i top up for the ERP? or i can just pay the balance during departure?
3. i plan to take public transport while we are there, probably buy day-pass or something?
4. VEP is $20/day but only applicable after 10-day free. so in my case zero pay for me, right?

[eng7575]

can try this hotel, but i dont know the service n quality, but i found out the price is ok, rating good. i book it, will be in Singapore on Dec also.

The Saff, room is smaller, but near china town, mrt

or can consider this Albert Court Village Hotel, near little india, have bigger room

[silverbeauty]

thnks bros..

mnoor,
i'm looking for cheap accommodation for 3-night stay. i rather spend more money on something else. how bad really is the area? any other cheap area you can suggest?
Geylang is not as bad as it sounds. Authorities has clamp down on these activities but not totally eradicated. There are numerous decent "budget" hotels there ie.. Hotel81, Fragrance, Value etc.. Just get a room on higher floor. Hotels are concentrated between N1 18.698 E103 52.534 and N1 18.817 E103 53.080 )
An alternative is Balestier/Thomson area ( between N1 19.582 E103 50.525 and N1 19.196 E103 51.189 ) or West Coast / Pasir Panjang ( nearer to 2nd link, between N1 17.544 E103 46.085 and N1 17.491 E103 46.232 )

Balestier/Thomson is in centre of Singapore, lots of makan and short drive to city
I have put guests in Value Hotel@Thomson and all of them love it. Though it is a budget hotel, it has a pool !! http://www.valuehotel.com.sg

West Coast/ Pasir Panjang is to Western Part of Island, much more peaceful/less human/mechanical traffic and city is a drive via the West Coast Highway. Vivo City / Sentosa a short drive away.


zeus, need clarification :
1. so i need autopass card. how about IU? do i need to rent or can manage without it? vehicle insurance certificate equals to "insurance cover note"?
It depends on your driving patterns. If it is just customs to hotel and hotel to customs and in-between use public transport, then no need to get. Pre-plan your route from customs to hotel, avoiding peak hour when ERP is activated.
Read this link for more info on charges http://www.newasia-singapore.com/faq/ho ... ntal?.html

2. if i only need to drive to & fro the hotel & check point, how much should i top up for the ERP? or i can just pay the balance during departure?
Please read my reply above. Charges is variable and proportional to time

3. i plan to take public transport while we are there, probably buy day-pass or something?
Get a store value public transport card. Read this link for more info http://www.thesingaporetouristpass.com/html/faq.php

4. VEP is $20/day but only applicable after 10-day free. so in my case zero pay for me, right?
Here are some requirements for foreign-registered cars entering Singapore:
(a) Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) and Toll Charges
Foreign motorists are required to pay tolls and a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) charge at the checkpoints when they drive into Singapore. Payments have to be made using the electronic smartcard, called the Autopass Card.
The Autopass Cards are sold at the primary clearance/immigration booths or VEP/Tolls office at Singapore checkpoints. Motorists are required to produce valid road tax discs and insurance certificates for their cars when buying the Autopass Cards.
VEP fees are charged at SGD n20 per day on Monday to Friday (from 0200 hrs to 1700 hrs).
There is no VEP charge on Saturdays, Sundays and all Singapore Public Holidays as well as from 1700 hrs to 0200 hrs on weekdays.
Toll charges are calculated on a per trip basis. Car drivers have to pay toll charges on arrival and departure from Tuas Checkpoint (SGD 3.20 per trip) but only on departure at the Woodlands Checkpoint (SGD 1.20 per trip). Motorcyclists are not charged at the Woodlands Checkpoint, but have to pay SGD 0.50 when departing from and arriving in Singapore at the Tuas Checkpoint.
For more information, please refer to FAQs on driving into Singapore or visit the Land Transport Authority website (click on Motoring Matters, Guide to Driving Into and Out of Singapore).
(b) Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)
All motorists driving into the city or travelling on certain major roads and expressways are required to pay an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) fee during the ERP operating hours. ERP is a scheme to help keep Singapore roads congestion-free.
For foreign motorists intending to pass through ERP-priced roads during its operational hours, they can either choose to install or rent an In-Vehicle Unit (IU) to pay ERP fees. For those who do not wish to rent or install an IU, they can choose to pay a fixed ERP fee of SGD 5 per day, regardless of the number of times they pass through an ERP gantry in the day. This will be paid together with their VEP and toll charges via the Autopass card when they depart from Singapore. This fixed fee scheme starts from 1 Sepember 2003 onwards and is only applicable for those who do not have an IU installed in their foreign-registered cars.

[muurali]

can try this hotel, but i dont know the service n quality, but i found out the price is ok, rating good. i book it, will be in Singapore on Dec also.

The Saff, room is smaller, but near china town, mrt

or can consider this Albert Court Village Hotel, near little india, have bigger room

Albert Court is expensive.....

[ajay]

thnkx silverbeauty.. you're a beaut

[eng7575]

i calculate on std room, is RM200 more expensive than the staff, but thinking to bring family is better.

try booking.com, i found some hotel is cheaper than the plublish rate at hotel own web site or

http://accommodation.yoursingapore.com/

[eng7575]

RM200 is for total 3 nite, so 1 day maybe RM 70