An overview of Yacht Charter Singapore, a guide to renting a yacht in Singapore, and everything else you need to know about Singapore.
About Singapore
Around 10 million tourists visit Singapore each year, not bad for a small island state! Some of those people will use Singapore as a 3-4 day stopover at the start or end of their longer sailing holiday in, say, Bintan, Batam, Phuket or Bali.
Many things attract people to Singapore – cultural diversity, colonial history, world-class shopping, the beaches of Sentosa Island, the Jurong Bird Park with its flock of 1000 flamingos, and the world’s only Night Safari where you can explore animals from around the world with no visible barriers between you and the 1200 wild animals!
You want nightlife? The riverside shop houses of Boat Quay have been transformed into dozens of bars, pubs, and restaurants, Clarke Quay is party central with chic bars and clubs such as Ministry of Sound open to 6am, and real ale breweries such as The Pump House and Brewerkz are full every night. High-class restaurants offering every possible type of cuisine can be found all over the city.
In September 2008, Singapore hosted the first ever Formula 1 night race, and in 2010 the first integrated resort with casinos open its doors at Resorts World Sentosa, followed by Marina Bay Sands at Singapore’s central business district of Marina Bay.
Add to this the fact that virtually everyone speaks English, the city is clean and safe, and the public transport system is widespread and efficient, it is really no wonder that tourist numbers are growing every year.
Getting There
Singapore’s Changi Airport is a major Asian aviation hub, being served by around 80 airlines flying to more than 180 cities in over 50 countries in virtually every continent. With Terminal 3 opening in early 2008, Changi now has the capacity to handle over 60 million passengers a year.
Changi has received over 250 awards from travelers and travel magazines, and was rated the world`s best airport by Skytrax in 2006. Someone once noted that walking through the terminal buildings was like walking through a 5-star hotel lobby!
Fast and easy air connections are available to all the other sailing destinations of SE Asia such as Phuket, Thailand, Langkawi, Malaysia, and Bali, Indonesia, so dual destination holidays are easy to arrange.
Shopping
Need some retail therapy after the rigours of sailing around SE Asia?
If so, the centre of Singapore probably has more shopping centres per square kilometer than anywhere on the planet! Everything from local goods at roadside stalls up to famous international brands available in high-tech shopping malls, you can find it all in Singapore.
There are various focused shopping areas with distinct cultural ambiances eg Chinatown, Arab Street, Little India, but Orchard Road is the daddy of them all, hosting dozens of multistory shopping malls. Typical opening hours are 10am to 9 or 10pm, but midnight shopping is also possible in many parts of the city.
And if you are exhausted after all that, why not enjoy a ‘Singapore Sling’ cocktail at the world famous Raffles Hotel!
Climate and Weather
Sitting almost on the equator, the climate is tropical, with no significantly distinct seasons like in the US and Europe. The temperature does not vary dramatically throughout the year, with an average maximum of 31 degrees Celsius, and an average minimum of 23 degrees Celsius. The wetter monsoon season occurs in November to January, with May to July being slightly hotter months.
Hot and sticky is the best description! Thank goodness for aircon!
Cuisine
Singapore’s cuisine is a reflection of its strong multi-cultural heritage, with a fusion of Indian, Malay, Chinese, Tamil, and much more, coming together over the decades to provide a truly cultural experience in its own right.
In the hawker stalls found in every corner of the island (and open all hours!), you will find Chinese food stalls using traditional Malay ingredients and cooking techniques, Malay food stalls serving halal versions of traditionally Tamil food, and any other combination you can think of.
In the up market nightlife areas, you can find high-class restaurants from every corner of the globe, and don’t forget the local Singapore seafood specialties such as chili crab or barbecued stingray.
The Singapore Grand Prix
The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, and first ever night Formula 1 Race, was held in September 2008, and by all accounts it was a great success. One of only two “in city” venues on the grand prix circuit, it is becoming a major highlight on the world’s racing calendar.
The race circuit is 5.067-kilometres (3.148-miles) long, and, similar to Monaco, runs through the streets of the city. The race organisers install powerful lighting systems to make for safe racing at night, and to allow good viewing for spectators and TV viewers.
The race runs over two days in late September. Saturday is qualifying day, where the starting positions are determined in reverse order of the driver’s lap times. Sunday is the actual race, starting at 8 pm, and runs for 61 laps.
To add to the excitement, 3 support races have also been confirmed: the Aston Martin Asia Cup, Formula BMW Pacific and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.
Grandstand seating and hospitality areas lining the track are able to accommodate more than 80,000 spectators. While auto racing is the main attraction, throughout the weekend there are hundreds of other related events and parties that make it THE major event during that time in Asia.
Yacht Charter for Corporate Entertainment, Events, and Team Building
If you’re looking for the ideal venue for conducting your next business event – we highly recommend doing it on a motor or sailing yacht. Events on yachts are often far more impactful than just hiring another hotel meeting room. We have a full range of boats and activities for corporate entertainment in Singapore or for unique, sailboat based, team building events.
Our Charter Yachts
In addition to our very own fleet at YachtCharter.sg, we are truly the Yacht Charter Singapore because we know the region and boats, and can find you the ideal charter yacht, be it crewed, sail, motor or catamaran. Click here to see our Singapore Charter Yachts or simply contact us and we’ll recommend the best boat for you.