SIN

Holiday Inn Singapore Parkview has first-rate lodging. It's about a half-hour drive by taxi from the airport. The staff speaks Chinese, English, and Japanese. The room was light, bright, and clean, and we had a welcome fruit basket, a nice touch. There is a rooftop swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gym, sauna, Internet access, meeting rooms, and a ballroom. There are restaurants and a bar on the premises. There is Tandoor North Indian restaurant, Window on the Park restaurant, and Clemenceau's Bar, and there is room service. Check-in and check-out is at 12pm.

It is conveniently close to ethnic food street vendors, pubs, supermarkets, popular Orchard Road, and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station.

Email: info@hiparkview.com

Denny's is an international chain restaurant we went to for an American-style breakfast. Just about everything seemed like you may have walked into one in the US. But it wasn't exactly all the same. The menu and furniture all looked the same. When our breakfast came, a watermelon slice was on the plate in place of the hash browns. We weren't informed about the substitution; it was just brought to our table. My partner complained about this, and we should have been informed they didn't have hash browns. Other than that, the breakfast was typical Denny's quality.

Vincent's Lounge is one of the oldest gay bars in Singapore, established in 1989. Discretion is still the operative word here. Come here for a staging spot to find out more current local information about the gay scene.

Telephone: 6736 1360

Keretapi Tanah Melau Berhad (KTMB) is a leisurely and comfortable option of traveling out of the station along Keppel Rd, Singapore into Kuala Lumpur or vice versa. Travelled second class in a overnight sleeper bunk. No air conditioning and only security/privacy is a curtain. It was fine, open window provided a nice air flow, I could sometimes smell the diesel fuel the engine was burning.

(Ekspres Rakyat No. 2) departs 8am arrives K.L. 2:40pm. The second train (Ekspress Sinaran Selatan No. 6) departs 3:05pm arrives K.L. 7:57pm. The third train (Senandung Malam No. 12) departs 10pm arrives K.L. 6:20am. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, there's an additional service (Ekspres Tebrau No. 32) departs 10:30am arrives K.L. 5:40pm.

Plan to arrive about an hour at the train station before departure to clear Malaysian customs. Passengers will need to deboard at Woodlands with all their luggage to clear Singapore immigration before reboarding.

It's cheaper to travel Malaysia to Singapore than Singapore to Malaysia because you'll be paying in Singapore dollars instead of Malaysian Ringgits. You may book it on the internet and pickup the tickets at the train station.

Telephone Inquiries in Singapore:

02-62225165;  02-62213390

SIN - Singapore Airport has two terminals and another being built, and it serves as a hub for Southeast Asia, 20km east of Singapore City.

Terminal 1 has a basement food court, CyberNet Café, and the Oasis Bar, which offers spectacular runway views. A Burger King and a Swensen's are available at both terminals.

Ground transportation includes limousines, taxis, shuttles, and buses. Limousine taxis run from 6am to 1:30am from the arrival hall. Taxis, on meter, also run from the arrival hall. Shuttles run from 9am to 11pm (at 30-minute intervals from 9am to 6pm and 15-minute intervals, or when full, from 6pm to 11pm) to the city centre.

Local bus service is available from 6am to midnight; you need the correct local change prior
to boarding, and the ride duration is 30 to 60 minutes.

SMRT is a holding company whose core business is transportation, including SMRT Trains, SMRT Light Rail, SMRT Buses, SMRT Taxis, SMRT Automotive, Singapore Shuttle Bus, Bus-Plus, SMRT Engineering, and associated company TransitLink.

SMRT fares are based on distance and time of day. I noticed that if you made the mistake of missing your station, you cannot back track without exiting and paying again.

The government is concerned about people jumping off the platform, so a double set of doors must be opened—one set on the platform, the other set on the MRT. Someone jammed the doors with chewing gum, and the government's response was a ban on chewing gum.

Be sure to have proper small fare change before boarding the SMRT bus. Off-peak time: Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm and 7pm-close; Sat 10am-close; Sun/holidays: all day

Hotlines: 800/336-8900, 800/767-4333