Singapore Travel Guide
8/21/2008 at 9:33 AM
Tags: Jetstar Asia, Low Cost Carriers, LCCs, Asia Travel (all tags)
Low cost carrier Jetstar Asia was jumping up and down at the recent Skytrax LCC awards, because it got two trophies: Best Low Cost Airline in Asia and Best Low Cost Airline in South East Asia. (Surely the second follows from the first, right?)
We're not so excited about the awards, but the special they're promoting in celebration is pretty neat. The airline is having a big fare sale with some tickets going from S$2 ($1.40) for travel until mid-November. The $2 fares are for the short hop from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, but longer flights aren't too bad either, as long as you like multiples of 11--fares are $11, $22, $33 and so on.
Buyer beware: Unlike the European airline industry where you'll always see taxes and charges loud and clear, the final bill on your Jetstar Asia could be a lot more than $11 or $22.
Related Stories:
· Jetstar Asia Prepares to Leave the Nest [Jaunted]
· Jetstar Asia coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: jetalone]
by amandak
7/28/2008 at 9:18 AM
Tags: Fall Travel, Car Racing, Mancations (all tags)
If you're addicted to old school Mario Kart on Wii, or just love fast cars, head to Singapore for the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, slated to take place on September 28, with practice runs on the 26 and 27. The coolest thing about this Grand Prix is that it's the first race of its kind held at night and the first street race in Asia.
The course will be lit with state-of-the-art technology and a high-tech lighting system designed to highlight the 23 curves and twists of the course that will line the marina. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Bourdais and Fernando Alonso are all set to take it on.
Race tickets are available online but moving fast, so don't waste time. Also, a variety of hotel packages offering rooms combined with tickets (at reasonable prices) can be found here.
Related Stories
· Singapore Grand Prix [Official Site]
· Datebook: Singapore [NYT]
· Mancations coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Formula_1_Singapore]
by sedona
5/16/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: Changi Airport, Singapore, Airports (all tags)
The great hub of Singapore's Changi Airport is already on the way to getting bigger, but now it's also getting better. Head to the third floor of the Terminal 2 building and you can now hang out in the Entertainment Deck, formally referred to as the "one-stop integrated entertainment zone."
The powers-that-be know that transit passengers have needs--could they mention this to other airports?--so the Entertainment Deck is there to help us pass the time: there's a free LAN gaming room, Xbox and Playstation consoles to use for free, a free cinema, music booths and a comic and collectibles shop.
You read right, heaps of that stuff is free to use. Isn't Changi Airport a friendly place? It almost makes you want to get stuck in transit waiting for a delayed plane... but not quite.
Related Stories:
· Changi Entertainment Deck [Official Site]
· Changi Airport's Getting Greedy for Terminals [Jaunted]
by amandak
3/19/2008 at 10:00 AM
Tags: Changi Airport, Singapore, Low Cost Carriers, LCCs (all tags)
The paint on the third terminal at Singapore's massive Changi Airport is barely dry, but they're already thinking about the fourth. According to the Singaporean transport minister:
We must expand our capacity and add the fourth terminal because our status as a global aviation hub is threatened by rivals.
Although we still see Singapore as the clear choice for a hub fly-through, apparently officials fear that Dubai, Bangkok or Hong Kong could overtake them. Using an "if we build it, they will come" philosophy, Singapore hopes that the stray long-haul passengers who've started flying through Dubai instead will return.
With plenty of budget airline action happening in the Australasian region too, the budget airline terminal at Changi is also going to be expanded. They're predicting an increase in LCC passenger numbers from 2.7 million up to 9 million by 2009. With that many passengers circling the skies, we're hoping to see plenty of bargain prices.
Related Stories:
· Singapore Plans Fourth Changi Terminal [Business Traveller]
· Behind the Scenes at Changi T3 [Jaunted]
[Photo: stupz]
by amandak
2/29/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Ferris-Wheels-of-the-World, Ferris Wheels, Attractions, Singapore Flyer, Tourist Attractions (all tags)
We've been getting excited about the Singapore Flyer for years now, and after this month's soft opening, it'll officially open tomorrow, March 1. But the the good Ferris wheel people of Singapore won't rest then, because they'll be preparing for the really proper Grand Official Singapore Flyer Launch, scheduled for April 15.
If you can't make any of the opening ceremonies, you can check on things by pulling up the Singapore Flyer webcam: When we checked, the wheel wasn't moving, and the weather suggested you wouldn't be able to see to Malaysia or Indonesia as promised.
Everyone wants a piece of the Singapore Flyer at the moment, with ASEAN politicians taking a ride this week, but the Singapore Flyer wants a piece of us too. They're promoting a What Wheel It Be? contest, where creative uses of a picture of the Singapore Flyer in any kind of work of art could win you some audio equipment. We're just hoping for an invite to the Grand Official Finally-It's-The-Last-Opening launch in April.
Related Stories:
· Giant Ferris Wheels Are the New Final Frontier [Jaunted]
· Singapore's Big Wheel [Jaunted]
· Flyin' the Singapore Flyer [Jaunted]
by amandak
2/12/2008 at 4:36 PM
Tags: Singapore Flyer, Ferris Wheels, Attractions (all tags)
Earlier this week Singapore opened Singapore Flyer, a new 165-meter-tall observation wheel, expected to draw 2.5 million visitors in its first year of operation.
The Singapore Flyer tops London's Eye by some 30 meters, but while the London wheel may be the most famous, it's actually the Star of Nanchang in China's Jiangxi province that was the highest wheelie ride until this week.
Singapore already has Berlin and Beijing breathing down its neck; both cities are set to release even taller wheels. Orlando, Qingdao and Dubai are all planning massive circular structures in the coming years too.
Looks like the halcyon days of "build a giant wheel and they will come" are a thing of the past. For now, Singapore is ready, offering adults 30 minute rides at $29.50 and throwing in gorgeous vistas of one of the cleanest countries in the world. Your move China.
Google map after the jump, though the Google Blimp needs to take a new photo of Singapore's Marina Bay, as the flyer does not appear to show up as of yet.
[Photo: stephen_au]
MORE...
Related Stories:
Official Site
Singapore's Big Wheel
Flyin' the Singapore Flyer
by markj
11/26/2007 at 9:20 AM
Tags: Airports, Changi Airport, Asia Travel (all tags)
Many a weary traveler has passed through the massive Changi Airport in Singapore, usually during a transfer to yet another flight. But there are definitely worse airports to transit through, and we've always found Changi Airport both clean and inviting, and with enough entertainment to keep us occupied for even a long layover. But even the coolest airports are still airports, right?
Enter Changi's new weapon: Terminal 3. "T3" as they're calling it is planned to add an additional capacity of 22 million passengers per year, and while it's not yet up and running, it's open to the public for tours.
Until December 9, you can walk through the public areas for free (check out the funky ceilings), or pay a small fee for either a self-guided or tour-guided twirl around the restricted areas. There are even museum-style displays talking about the building and design process. Checking out T3 before it opens might be your chance to actually enjoy an airport terminal.
Related Stories:
· Changi Terminal 3 Opens for Sneak Preview [NewsAsia]
· Changi Airport Terminal 3 [Official Site]
· Singapore Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: StarvingFox]
by amandak
8/09/2007 at 9:45 AM
Tags: Singapore, Zoos, Animals (all tags)
At Singapore's unique Night Safari zoo, where visitors can walk through a tropical jungle full of animals at night, there must be something in the water. Baby animals are popping out all over the joint, and so far there are 30 new animals to see.
Among the new additions are a baby barking deer, two baby bat-eared foxes, two baby spotted hyenas and a baby Himalayan tahr named Nila. Zoo officials claim the birth spike is a tribute to their successful breeding program, but we still think there's potential for it to become the new fertility-wishing hotspot. Romania's Humping Hill is probably getting a bit crowded.
Related Stories:
· Day and Night Zoo Double-Up [Jaunted]
· Free Range Orang Utans Now Available [Jaunted]
· Romania's Humping Hill [Jaunted]
[Photo: Sapphiren]
by amandak
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