SINGAPORE FAM BAM (September 11-14, 2019)

With so many travel opportunities, it has become one of my biggest dreams to bring my family in one of my travels abroad. After missing them so much during my 1-year stint in Bahrain, it has become my ultimate goal. That is why when Cebu Pacific had a seat sale last February 2019, I immediately booked my whole family a flight to Singapore. We were a total of 8 adults and 1 infant. Yes, we have gotten bigger. To be honest, the price I got wasn’t as low as the usual. But since this was a must-do for me at the time, I booked it anyway.

Since the ticket was booked early, I was also able to hunt down promos for the Universal Studios tickets. We got the 3+1 offer. Amazing, right?! So we bought 6 tickets and got 2 for free.

As for accommodation, it was a bit hard to choose the perfect place for 8 adults and 1 kid.

In 2017, my travel buddies and I stayed in Serangoon. That was a good place in a quiet neighborhood near the bus stop. However, it was a little bit pricey.

In 2018, my eldest sister and I stayed in Somerset. It was actually a very nice place at a very affordable price. Not to mention that it is also just a few minutes’ walk from the Orchard Road and the Somerset MRT station. It is the best possible option for SG accommodation. However, it cannot accommodate our large number.

So— after much searching and deliberation, we chose a flat in Geylang. I heard from a friend that Geylang is not really a good place to stay. But after visiting Singapore a few times, I think it really depends on searching where in Geylang it will be. Don’t stay near the bars if you’re not into that. Luckily, we found a perfect home for all 9 of us. Apart from being near to the bus station and food establishments, the place also has a pool! We really got so lucky!

Let me share our Singapore Family Tour itinerary and cost breakdown.

Please take note that I only paid for the group’s airfare, accommodation and USS tickets. I also shared with some of my parent’s meal (My two sisters chipped in on that). But the rest of the food, shopping and other fees, they paid for their own. The food allowance could be higher or lower depending on your budget and preferences.

TOTAL PREPAID COSTS:

Airfare: Php4,084 x 8 adults = Php 32,672.00

Airbnb (5 Days/4 Nights): Php 31,185

Universal Studios Singapore via Klook:  Php2,600 x 6 = Php15,600 (plus 2 tickets)

4G 100GB sim card via Klook: Php349.00

DAY 1

Since our flight is at 5:35AM via 5J 813, our family went to the airport early despite checking in online. You know when your parents don’t want to hurry so they’d rather wait longer? Yeah it was like that. 

We arrived in Singapore at 9:35AM and went straight to pick-up our prepaid sim card from the outlet (Klook has a very detailed explanation about the pick-up so you don’t need to worry about finding the right place.). It is very important to have the sim for data access. We needed the map to avoid getting lost. ^_^

Since everyone’s famished at this point, we went to get our brunch at the Jewel @ Changi. There were connecting buses that you can ride from the Terminal going to the Jewel. Just follow the signage and you wouldn’t get lost.

This was the first time for me to visit the place and the interior is superb! My family enjoyed taking photos and resting there while watching the indoor waterfalls.

After our brunch, our group walked to the MRT station. Again, follow the signage and you wouldn’t get lost. This is one of the reasons why I love Singapore. It is very tourist friendly.

At the MRT station, we decided to buy a netlink/ezpay card for the other 4 adults. My sister and I already have our own card from our last year’s tour. We just needed to reload it. In buying a card, you must pay SGD10 for it— it is refundable though, if you return the card before you leave SG. Of course, we didn’t do that because we got the cute limited-edition ones. We took it home as souvenirs. We can also possibly use it again if we get to visit SG in the future.

Using the MRT, we arrived safe and sound at the Aljunied Station where we can walk or ride a bus going to our accommodation at 3 Lorong 14 Geylang. It is about 15-minutes’ walk from the station. We only walked on our first 2 days. We used the bus on the remaining days because our parents got too tired.

With the parents resting, us 6 went ahead to Orchard Road. We visited the malls there. My sister and I also brought the rest of the crew to our favorite library@Orchard. We visited the Takashimaya Square and of course, we had our chocolate shopping at the Lucky Plaza. It was really fun to watch them gushing over how cheap the chocolates are. ^_^

We had an early dinner at the Lucky Plaza food court and just bought some take out from the food shops near our flat for my parents. 3 Lorong had good variety of food to choose from for as low as SGD2 per meal.

DAY 1 COST BREAKDOWN:

Grab from Home to Airport x 2 = PHP750

Travel Tax 1,620 x 8 adults = PHP12,960

Net pay card SGD 30 each x 6 adults = SGD180/ PHP6,437

Net pay card reload SGD 20 each x 2 adults = SGD40/ PHP1,430

Five Spice Brunch est. SGD 35 (good for three) x 3 = SGD105/ PHP3,754

Lucky Plaza Shopping = SGD 80/PHP2,860

Lucky Plaza early lunch SGD7 x 6 = SGD42/PHP1,501

Dinner SGD3 x 2 = SGD6/PHP214

DAY 2

Since we wanted to enjoy Universal Studios to the fullest, our group woke up early to grab some breakfast before heading to USS.

Again, you don’t have to worry about getting lost. Just make sure that you have an MRT map with you (available online or at the station) or a google map. Klook also gives instructions on how to go to the destinations you would like to visit.

We reached USS before 10AM so we had time to take pictures outside. The rest of us enjoyed the ride while my parents just watched. ^_^ They were not really amusement park type of people.

After USS, our family went straight to Clarke Quay to get our free Love Locks. All tourists can get a free love lock! Just visit the information area of the mall and show your passport.

Of course, a travel with the fam is not complete without some mishap. One of us left their passport at the flat. Good thing my sister and I already got our own love locks from our SG tour last year. I agreed to give the lucky one my love lock in exchange for a promise that she will always carry her passport with her when travelling abroad.

Did we use it in the locks? Of course not! ^_^ We took it home as souvenirs.

We had some dinner at the mall. We can’t really give any recommendations as to where to eat. We really didn’t care as long as it had a good price and tasted fine. We really sacrificed a lot just to be able to shop more. ^_^

DAY 2 COST BREAKDOWN:

Breakfast SGD3 x 8 = SG24/PHP858

USS Food SGD10 x 8 = SGD80/2,860

USS Tumbler (souvenir for us sisters) SGD7 x 3 = SGD21/PHP750

Dinner SGD10 x 8 = SGD80/PHP2,860

DAY 3

We decided to take it slowly today. We woke up at 9AM and left for the Mustafa Center (near the MRT Farrer Park Station) to do some shopping. Here you can find some more chocolates, gold, perfume and other goodies you can take home. This time we left our baby at the flat with our parents so they can rest and maybe enjoy the pool if they wanted.

Take note that there are some things that you can buy at Mustafa Center at a cheaper price but there are some that are cheaper in Lucky Plaza. (For example, Mustafa Center sells 4 large Cadburry at SGD10 but Lucky Plaza sells 5 pcs. of it at the same price. However, gold is much cheaper in Mustafa than in Lucky Plaza.) As such, the group decided to visit Lucky Plaza again in order to exchange currency and shop more.

On the way home, we bought some food for brunch and got back to the flat.

At 3PM, we headed out to visit the Fullerton Hotel and the Merlion. We walked through the Helix Bridge going to the Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands to take pictures. My mom enjoyed this walk because of the sightseeing and the flowers along the way.

At around 5PM, we had some rest at the Gardens by the Bay. There is a bazaar at that time, so we got to enjoy some stalls and shows. When it was almost time for the garden lights display, we headed out to the observatory deck for the free show. Take note that there is another show at the Esplanade a few minutes after the one in the Gardens by the Bay. We could have made it if we ran (like what my sister and I did last year). However, since we have my parents and 1 baby with us, we decided to just stay at the Garden.

DAY 3 COST BREAKDOWN:

Mustafa Center Shopping = SGD40/PHP1,430

Ice Cream at the Garden SGD5 x 8 = SGD40/PHP1,430

Lucky Plaza Shopping = SGD85/PHP3,039

Dinner SGD5 x 8 =SGD40/PHP1,430

DAY 4

That morning, our family decided to have our brunch at the SG Chinatown. We met my college classmate Cindy at the Maxwell Food Center and she showed us her recommended “suki” where we bought Hainanese Chicken for everyone.

What is the best thing to do in Chinatown? Shopping! Here, you can buy lots of souvenirs such bags, shirts, keychains, ref magnets and many more.

After shopping, our group went to Sentosa Island to visit Imbiah Station and Beach Station respectively. Imbiah Station is where you can find attractions such as the famous Madame Tussauds, the Butterfly Garden, the Sentosa Merlion and more. Since majority of my company wasn’t really interested with wax figures, we skipped that one and went straight to the Merlion. After some picture-taking, we had a short picnic at the Beach station. We decided not to swim because it was too hot and humid outside.

Before going back to Geylang, we had a short stop at the Somerset Station to buy our favorite Ben & Jerry’s customized pint.

We had a free time at night. Some went to enjoy the pool while I went to meet my college classmates, Cindy and Edwin, for a “kumustahan” at Starbucks in Kallang Center.

DAY 4 COST BREAKDOWN:

Chinatown Brunch (We shared food with everyone) = SGD30/PHP1,072

Chinatown Shopping = SGD19/PHP679

Ben and Jerry’s @ Somerset SGD14.2 (per customized pint) x 6 = SGD85/PHP3,038

Dinner SGD5 x 7 (I was not included because I was treated by my friends for dinner ^_^) = SGD35/PHP1,251

DAY 5

Tada! It is the final day! It was kind of heartwarming that my family enjoyed this trip that I’ve been dreaming for a long time. It might not have been somewhere farther or more luxurious, but everyone expressed their feelings of not wanting it to end. That made this trip a success on my book.

Our flight home via 5J 806 was not until 6:50PM so our family still enjoyed the pool in the morning.

At 12:00PM, we checked-out and went straight to the airport to grab some lunch. Singapore airport is a really nice place to stay while waiting for your flight. You get to roam around and take pictures on Instagram-able areas. We didn’t get bored at all.

We arrived at Manila around 10:45PM.

As for dinner, we had some take out on the way home. I don’t know how much it cost because I didn’t pay for it. ^_^

DAY 5 COST BREAKDOWN:

Lunch at the airport SGD10 x 8 = SGD80/PHP2,859

Grab from Airport to Home x 2 = PHP750.00

Overall Cost (5D/4N with 8 Adults and 1 infant): PHP131,604.00

***As in all my travel posts, value of currency and prices may change at any time.

***The price for food and beverage were estimated at the highest possible amount from what each of us paid. Again, you can save depending on your budget and preferences.

***The shopping amount here was just mine. I am not sure how much the others spent on their shopping. You can deduct the shopping costs if you want to have an idea of the overall travel expenses without the shopping variable.

For the past 5 days, we managed to save a lot on food because we went to the nearby grocery shop to buy our stock of bread and noodles for the flat and some snacks for when we were touring. This was also the reason why, even if we had to have meals late, we didn’t really get hungry.

Over-all, this was a very nice, laid-back kind of travel. It’s full of picture-taking and shopping. It’s not like the usual exploration type of tour I had with my sisters and my other travel buddies but it was great nonetheless.

Here’s to more travel in the future!