Shopping in Singapore

Shopping in Singapore is like a national sport for most Singaporean's and visitors alike, you will have a marathon of shopping choices. Most shops open early and close at 10pm every day of the week. And if you’re bitten by the shopping bug in the wee hours of the morning, there’s always Mustafa Centre – Singapore’s only 24-hour shopping mall. With the relativity low crime, Singapore is such a lovely place to just wander around shopping and eating, which seems to be everyone's favorite pastime.

Many crew come to Singapore with a view to seeing the sights and partying rather than going on a bargain-hunting binge, yet somehow they always end up leaving with an extra bag or asking if any other crew have space in their suitcases.

ORCHARD ROAD
During one of your layovers go to the famous Orchard Road. Here you will find mall after mall of glitzy clothes, shoes, electronics goods, furniture, rugs, cosmetics, etc. There's always a big sale going on somewhere, you will soon find yourself laden with shopping bags.

Like all big shopping excursions you will need to take a coffee break at some point. No problem there's always a cozy cafe somewhere where you can take the weight of your poor aching feet and have a relaxing cuppa. All the major places like Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Spinelli are here, or if you prefer a homegrown cafe there's always Delifrance, The Coffee Club or Prima Deli.

In the department stores and boutiques, prices are fixed. One exception is the electronics stores at shopping centres like Lucky Plaza or Far East Plaza. Some advice you will have to be prepared to start haggling for that digital camera or the new playstation 3 at a price about 25% below that being offered.

Singapore has a Chinatown, which is good for art, antiques and craftware from Singapore and the Southeast Asian region. If you are looking for all kinds of exotic spices and silks, then Little India is your shopping stop. Arab Street is the place to haggle for textiles like batik and sarongs.