"Sentosa Safari Event Travel Preparation for Singapore!"

#PokemonGO: Hi Trainers,As an American Trainer currently in living in Singapore that has traveled quite a bit. Here are my thoughts about what to bring or to take note.Purchasing your FlightI can only speak from experience for the U.S. Those of you in West Coast, Fly to L.A.X for the cheapest flights to Singapore. For ease of travel, flying out of San Diego Airport or San Fran would be most enjoyable.Airlines from best to worstUnited --> ANA : This flight was a round trip flight. Lay overs are about 2 hours in Narita which is quite decent. Gives you enough time to check out the amazing store they have there as well as gives you a break from flying. Had an amazing time flying with ANA. United was just normal. If you see an 15 hour layover flight, and you land in the morning in Narita/Haneda, absolutely take the opportunity because it gives you more than enough time to see Harujuku, Shinjuku, and Shibuya.Air China : Great option if you want to go for the cheapest flights out of the other competitors but you opt in by flying to Beijing. Lay overs can be fairly long.Singapore Airlines: More expensive but the service is great. The planes are about normal. Would suggest flying out from SFO. They offer a non-stop flight as well so you do not have to worry about transferring airports.Air Canada : Horrible experience. Lost my luggage, long layover, expensive ticket.If you haven't purchased your flight, you should do so in the next week since the price to fly will only go higher. I typically used Google Flights.ToiletriesBring Stick Deodorant as its very difficult to find it in Singapore. Singaporeans typically use Liquid Ball Deodorant.Everything else can be found here at your local NTUC, Guardian store.LanguageSingapore's Business Language is English! Therefore you do not have to worry about reading signs in a language you are unfamiliar with! Everyone here speaks English very well. If you do understand Chinese that is more of an advantage for you when talking with some of the locals. Not all locals speak Chinese/English though but majority do.TransportationWe have three modes of TransportationMRT -Mass Rapid Transit ( Train & Bus)As you leave Changi and pick up your bags, head straight over to Terminal 2. Terminal 2 will have the Green line MRT. At the counter, ****please kindly ask the Service counter for an MRT card. It should cost SGD $12 and come with an MRT and SGD $7 on it.***\* How long will this last you? SGD $20 should last you 5 days of constant traveling. MRT is fairly inexpensive such as from Changi --> Sentosa will cost you about $1.20 SGD.To arrive to Sentosa from Changi Airport, you will want to take the Green Line MRT to Outram Park. From Outram Park, you will change to the Purple Line to Harbour Front (You do not need to leave the station to switch! Just follow the signs to the purple line!). Once you arrive, you will be at Vivocity! You will have a choice to take another short MRT at the top level of Vivocity mall to head to Sentosa, or you can simply just walk 10 minutes via the boardwalk to the island itself. If you are lost, simply ask someone. Everyone is fairly friendly and will be able to help you!Google Maps is your friend! Make sure you switch to the Train Symbol as it will give you the most direct train route to take!Grab ( We do not have Uber!) - Make sure you download and Sign - Up for Grab. We have other apps but Grab is easiest for tourists as Gojek is still only in beta.Taxis - You can flag down taxi's at taxi stands. They cost about the same as Grab so no worries.​Data & CommunicationI am currently an M1 user but for foreign tourists, it would be best to check out Singtels Tourist plan. You can pick it up at any Singtel store but some may be sold out. I know that the one at Vivocity (which is the destination you want to go to where the Safari zone is located) is always on stock. It costs about SGD $18 for 7 days of 100 GB of 4g Data and 500 minutes of local call. Definitely avoid purchasing those dreadful international packages that AT&T and Verizon offers. It is not worth it.Download Whatsapp! If you want to communicate with your family and friends at home, Whatsapp allows you to do so without roaming fees etc. Everyone in Singapore uses it to communicate too, so you will hear often "Whatsapp can?".FoodFood is readily available everywhere. Some are quite expensive and some are quite cheap. Mcdonalds for breakfast is a great alternative since Breakfast restaurants are quite uncommon unless you want to partake in local breakfast like Toast Box or Hawker center foods.Sentosa has a wide variety of options for food but expect Lines/Ques for restaurants like Hai Di Lao or Ding Thai Fung etc. Extremely good and worth the wait! To avoid Lines/Ques, try coming right before rush hour to eat such as 4 - 5PM for dinner, or 11 AM, 2PM for lunch.AccommodationIf you are using Airbnb search locations near Sentosa such as Outram Park, Dhoby Ghaut, Tanjong Pagar, Tiong Bahru, Paya Lebar, City Hall, Raffles City. These areas are close to Sentosa Purple lines and you have access to the Green/Red line to reach other tourist areas.Marina Bay Sands! If you can afford it great. If you cant... do not worry about it. You can always go to Marina Bay and check it out from the bottom. I would recommend not spending SGD $20 to go to the top floor. Swimming in it is a blast though. Lots of people IG'ing there.Other Big Chain hotels that are notable: Pan Pacific Hotel (amazing breakfast options), Raffles Hotel, Marriot.Stuff to do outside of Sentosa!THE NEW POKEMON CENTER WILL OPEN ON APRIL 17th! It will be opening at Changi Airport called "the Jewl". No excuse in checking it out and bringing some Pokemon omiyage's back to your friends and family.Check out the Mandai Bird Park and Zoo! - Purchase the Four park pass. It is worth every penny spent there. Glorious park and greatest amount of fun.Pandas = River SafariElephants, Tigers = Main ZooNight Safari = Amazing option to take on after the main zoo. Would recommend starting Main zoo in the morning --> River Safari in the afternoon --> Night Safari at 6 or 7 PM.Mandai bird park = to hold birds and see penguins! (this is in a different area of Singapore by Boonlay).Check out Marina Bay SandsYou have the highest branded retail stores there as well as some of the high end restaurants!You can see the spitting merlion, the MBS hotel, and if you are near MBS Mall you will be able to see the night show at 8, 9, and 10 PM.Gardens by the bayQuickly head into MBS mall and follow the signs to Gardens by the bay. Its about a 15 minute walk!you will be blasted away at night by light up trees and an amazing light show at around 8:45 PMCheck out the Flower gardens as well! They are absolutely beautiful. This should be done during the day.Check out local hawker center foods!Great food at a great price. Be warned they typically accept only cash.Check out Orchard Road, Somerset, and Novena for more shopping!If you like the nightlife, Clark Quey provides great entertainment and bars along the river.Check out Ann Siang road for some great restaurants.Some of my favorite in the area would be Blue Label Pizza, and Luke's.Stuff to do within Sentosa!Universal Studios - If you have gone to U.S.S anywhere else then you aren't missing out on anything. It is almost a perfect copy of U.S.S in the United States. If you haven't been, check it out! It's quite fun and enjoyable.S.E.A Aquarium - Beautiful Aquarium, as an expat I have already been here countless times and still not sick of it. It is a must "see"!Siloso Beach, Palawan Beach, Tanjong BeachSiloso beach is full of many exciting attraction such as the Gondola that gives you a beautiful view over Sentosa, Bungi Jumping, Wave boarding, etc. If you are expecting to surf, then I will say sorry not here. Check out the Indoor Skydiving center though! It's a tad bit expensive though.Palawan Beach, is a nice family beach to relax and enjoy yourselves especially if you have brought children as they can play in the water park (free) nearby.Tanjong Beach, is more of a local beach. Very empty and quiet as there is not many travelers there because of how far down it may be.I have definitely missed a few things but as a safari zone, Sentosa is a perfect incubator for a lot of fun.Edit: Forgot to mention! No tipping! You can if you want to at a high end restaurant but make sure its cash and directed to the server himself (server might turn you down). If its done through card it will go directly to the company and tips are given to their staff. No free refills usually, and some places will not provide water cups.Taxes are already included in the total price of goods excluding service tax.If you purchase any clothing or goods, make sure you claim the gst tax back at Changi airport before you leave. via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/2H5kmGj