Singapore or Bali...? That is the question.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to take DH on a small (probably no more than 10 days) for our first wedding anniversary.

I really can't decide between Singapore or Bali. There are pros and cons for each, I get that. I know we will spend much less in Bali, but I don't want to do the whole typical aussie tourist thing but the people look amazing and the scenery looks AMAZING!

Singapore looks SOOOOOO lovely, and I would really like to see all it has to offer, while enjoying the cultural experience.. But to be honest, I don't know too much about it. I know it is DH's pick.

Can I have your travel stories, recommendations to either of these destinations. If you have been to both, which would prefer. We don't want to spend a fortune either...

I'm pretty excited... And thanks in advance.

Woohoo how exciting kimmi!!

Have been to Bali many years ago, haven't been to Singapore. Quick thought - have you checked the travel advisory website? I think Indonesia might be not advised to visit at the moment.

Hmmm , Bali does have a current warning in place.....

I really want two places to choose between, do the research and then decide. Maybe Malaysia? Thinking thinking

Singapore is awesome!!!! Great food, great people, great shopping. It's not cheap compared to Bali.

The food in Singapore is what we love the best!! We go for the food. Also it's VERY clean and VERY safe place.

If u go to Singapore do not chew gum or throw rubbish as you will be arrested lol very strict laws there. If you are caught with a knife or blade in pockets they will hang you. No excuses lol it's very strict but makes you feel very safe there.

We just adore Singapore. :) the zoo is fantastic!!

I'm definitely leaning towards Singapore.... Looks fantastic. I'm not worried about a dirt cheap holiday, I just can't justify flying beyond Asia for such a quick trip.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so I might get on google now and have a look at more info :)

Singapore!

Ok, so I see Singapore is made up of different 'districts' or 'zones'. Where would you recommend to stay? I was to be very central.

I have only been to Singapore & hated it. DH has been to both & without a doubt would return to Bali & would not return to Singapore.

Maybe we just didn't go to the right places in Singapore but IMO there is nothing there worth seeing. Our hotel was crap, the people were rude, the zoo is a zoo & if you have been to a zoo, well you know what to expect, the botanic gardens are lovely, Raffles Hotel is just a building. A pretty building, but just a building. The city itself is very clean & pretty. We didn't really go shopping as we were heading to Thailand but we did wonder around a bit. Shops open late. We were there in 2007 for 2 nights.

I highly recommend Thailand. Lovely people, great food, cheap cheap cheap shopping. I loved Bangkok. It's very busy though. We didnt' have kids then so it suited us.

ETA: Didn't read all the responses but it looks like I've been outvoted lol!

Ooo I loved Malaysia. Some stunning places to visit in Malaysia and KL itself is awesome.

Also loved Thailand. We plan on taking the kids back to Thailand soon, we loved it.

DH is now suggesting Japan...

I hadn't thought of this as I wanted to go somewhere neither of us had been and I used to live there.... I'd really love to go back... Ahhh, the decisions.

I loved Thailand.. We got engaged there, so it holds a really special memory for us ... nawwwww

Japan! Awesome!

So exciting, I love planning holidays!

I went to Singapore AND Bali last September. There was a travel warning back then but honestly, you'll find that EVERYWHERE. Even the US and parts of Europe have travel warnings.

We wanted to avoid the touristy thing in Bali too (and it was a wise choice - the 6 hours we spent in Kuta were horrid!) so we went to Ubud. It's up in the mountains, touristy enough that people speak English but not so touristy that it makes it a bad experience.

The two are very different. Singapore is busier, cleaner and pricier than Bali (though the food is really cheap). Even though Bali was much 'dirtier' (piles of rubbish on the side of the road that had to be burned because they don't have garbage collection), I still loved it. You got that real 'cultural' feeling in Bali, where as in Singapore it was another big city and could have been anywhere.

We checked trip advisor for reviews and worked out where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on that. Not so much in Singapore as DF had been there before, but in Bali we did it every day. We ended up going to most of the top 10 restaurants, and found the most AMAZING mexican place (yep, mexican).

Dammit, I've been dying to go back to Singapore and talking about it is making it worse! :lol:

I've been to both Bali and Singapore a few times and would definitely choose Singapore over Bali. So much more to do than Bali, incredible food, tons to see. Depending on how long you wanted to go away for, you could do Singapore with a little side trip to Bintan Island, which is actually Indonesia but a 45 minute ferry ride from Singapore. A few resorts where you and hubby and can just chill and enjoy the pool, beach, golf, spa and just doing nothing. As for where to stay in Singapore, I would go either Orchard Road district, ie in the middle of the shops, or I'd stay on Sentosa Island again - casino, Universal Studios, aquarium, golf etc - and still only a quick trip across the harbour into downtown Singapore.

I love Kuala Lumpur too. Dying to go back there, but want to go back sans kids so I can spend all my days shopping for shoes and handbags.

Went to Hong Kong just before Christmas and that was pretty good too. Would still choose Singapore though.

I like Singapore partly for the fact that everything you want to see and do is easily accessible by public transport - and you can see the whole country in a relatively short holiday, like the 10 days you're thinking of.

I thought Singapore Zoo is the best zoo I've ever been to (and I'm pretty widely travelled) and I loved the Night Safari there, too. Changi prison is a heart-rending place, with a lot of history. The mix of chinese, malay and indian food is really awesome, and wonderfully cheap if you go to hawker's halls and so on. There are huge markets there, the lovely botanical gardens with its internationally renowned orchid centre, a theme park island (Sentori? can't remember the name) if you're into that kind of thing... There's a company that runs a series of guided themed walks around different parts of the city, relatively cheaply, and I did 4 or 5 of them on different themes, and found them fun and fascinating, and they give you a real insight into the architectural, cultural and historical aspects of Singapore that you might otherwise not even realise existed.

It doesn't have to cost a lot, though of course if you're after 4 star accommodation, it will. I suggest finding accommodation close to a metro station, because it's so safe and easy to get around, and the technical 'centre' is very characterless in my point of view.

I loved it :)

At the moment we are tossing between Singapore and Japan.... The thing is we only have about 10 days, and if I went to Japan, I'd need much longer by the time I caught up with people etc..

Thinking Thinking.....

Japan!!!!!!!!

Ps. Personally, and this is just my opinion, I could not think of anything worse than going to Bali. Unless you like drunk, bogan Australians.

No, bogan drunkenness is not my idea of a good time... lol

n2l - You'd be surprised. Kuta was like that, you could spot the bogans everywhere by the Bintang clothes (on the whole family) and the girls with braided hair, but the other parts of Bali I visited were stunning. Ubud is gorgeous, which is where we stayed for 10 days and Padang Bai was also really pretty. If I went back to Bali and wanted to stay somewhere beachy (as opposed to up in the mountains where Ubud is) I'd probably stay there. Kuta was exactly as horrid as you'd imagine, though strangely our friends loved it there.

10 days would be great in Singapore. Being so close to Malaysia (they actually do 1 day tours to Malaysia from Singapore) you could also go there if you wanted to see a couple of different places.