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Singapore is the new shopping capital of Australasia, and Rescu. asked Joanna Hall for tips, tricks and the best hidden spots for your next shopping odyssey.
Singapore was founded as a trading post between East and West, with a pioneering spirit which continues to thrive in its many shopping malls and markets. When Singaporeans tell you that shopping is the national sport, they’re only half-joking. It’s early on a Saturday morning, and as I wander along Malay Street it is already teeming with enthusiastic shoppers.
Until the 1930s, it used to be the heart of downtown Singapore’s lurid red light district, infamous for Chinese, Japanese and European “ladies of the night”. Today, however, it’s the centre of Bugis Junction, Singapore’s first glass-covered, air-conditioned “street” shopping mall with a reputation for retail therapy – especially among Singaporean teens.
Singapore has a seductive way of luring you into its bustling streets. And when it comes to shopping, there’s a bargain waiting to be snapped up at almost every turn. For Rescu. readers – here’s my five best shopping spots in Singapore.
Orchard Road
The undisputed epicentre of Singapore’s shopping world is Orchard Road. Named after the many nutmeg and pepper plantations which lined the streets in the 1840s, it’s a leafy boulevard which stretches from Plaza Singapura in the east, to Tanglin Mall in the west.
Everyone shops on Orchard Road – especially if they’re in the market for clothes or shoes – but here you can just as easily find Chinese calligraphy and Thai silk as a Prada handbag or an iPod. It can be a daunting prospect to an untrained shopper, however, as it stretches for more than a kilometre-and-a-half and has three train stations covering two-thirds of it.
Pick of the shopping complexes which line both sides of the road are Centrepoint and The Promenade. Centrepoint is among the largest and most popular shopping venues in the country, and home of legendary five-story Robinsons & Co department store. Serious fashionistas flock to the glitz of the Paragon Shopping Centre. If you’re looking for international haute couture, this is the place to find it and be seen.
Kampong Glam
Visitors seeking a more ethnic shopping experience should venture to Kampong Glam, named after the Gelam tree which used to grow in the area. It used to be the historic seat of Malay royalty in Singapore, and its skyline is dominated by the Sultan Mosque on Bussorah Street. Fronting the mosque is Bussorah Mall, where restored shophouses sell traditional clothes, artifacts, handicrafts and jewellery.
Arab Street is the centre of Singapore’s Muslim community, and used to be the main place for the trade of male Muslim headgear, prayer mats and textiles. Its boutiques are a striking contrast to the spacious, contemporary glamour of Orchard Street; they’re small, hole-in the-wall affairs, selling lace, semiprecious stones, trinkets, and feathers.
Little India
A short walk away from Kampong Glam is Singapore’s most famous ethnic quarter, Little India. Lying east of the Singapore River, it’s a major attraction offering an authentic snapshot of the Indian subcontinent, as well as the island nation’s finest example of a preserved historical district.
From the moment you hit Serangoon Road, the district’s backbone which stretches for almost a kilometre, you’re greeted by the sound of the latest Bollywood hit song blaring out of a CD shop, followed by the strong, heady scent of spices and jasmine garlands. But the side streets and alleys are where the best bargains can be found; it’s a colourful treasure trove with everything from saris, ethnic jewellery, silverware and brassware, to giant photographs of movie stars and collectibles from Kashmir.
No visit to Little India is complete without a stop at the famous Mustafa Centre, a 24-hour Aladdin’s cave-cum-department store. It’s perennially busy, but worth the jostle if you’re after the cheapest fixed prices on all manner of goods from cosmetics to electronics.
Chinatown
Back across the river, nestling behind the soaring skyscrapers of the financial district, Chinatown is the cultural hub of Chinese migrants. The sights and sounds of this ethnic quarter offer up a different side of Singapore. Temples stand serenely beside bustling tea shops, practitioners in medicine shops mix herbs and spices into potions, and in the street a fruit seller squats beside a mound of fresh rambutans.
Best buys here include Asian handicrafts and artifacts, such as painted masks and lacquerware, and cheap, kitschy souvenirs. It’s also the place where it’s acceptable to bargain. Chinatown also has a modern face, which is found in the area around the junction of Cross Street with New Bridge Road and Eu Ton Seng Street. Its large shopping complexes, such as the People’s Park, are good sources of Chinese products as well as bargain-prices on anything from electrical goods to luggage.
Bugis Street
Finally, there’s the bustling shopping scene of Bugis Street. Like neighbouring Malay Street, it also has a notorious past, known the world over from the 1950s to the 1980s as a favourite haunt for transgender people. In the mid-1980’s, however, it underwent a major redevelopment and was transformed into a retail complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants and nightspots, mixed in with roadside and back-alley vendors.
Today, the original Bugis Street is sandwiched between the buildings of Bugis Junction, but the new version is a veritable modern-day bazaar; a colourful myriad of sheltered walkways and promenades with hundreds of stalls selling trendy street wear, food, and touristy keepsakes. If you’re looking for cheap t-shirts to take home to your friends, this is the place to find them.
Shopping Tips
- The best time to visit for bargains is June, during the Great Singapore Sale. The city is transformed into a whirl of frantic activity as the island-wide mega sale has discounts of up to 70% for around a month.
- The opening hours of Singapore’s department stores and shops are daily from 10 am until around 9pm or 10pm, so you don’t have to head out early.
- Most purchases attract seven per cent GST, but foreign visitors can claim this back under the Global Refund GST Scheme at the Downtown Cash Refund Centre or Singapore’s Changi Airport (see www.visitsingapore.com).
- Singapore’s local newspapers are good sources of information for sales or special promotions when they happen.
If you don’t feel like carrying your bargains home, many larger stores offer international shipping
Joanna Hall is the editor of the Ultimate Travel Magazine – Australia’s first online magazine dedicated to the best in luxury travel.
