Essential Tricks

Book the rooftop jacuzzi slot as soon as you check in. Each room has one complimentary hour, and evening slots are the most popular. Sunset is the best time, when the heat softens and the city lights begin to shine.

Choose the full window deluxe category if natural light matters to you. Several cheaper rooms have no or limited windows, which suits some travellers for sleeping but feels confining for others.

Go to Hong Lim Food Centre for lunch with the office crowd. Look for stalls with long queues, order char kway teow or curry noodles, and pay in cash or by QR code. A full meal costs a fraction of a restaurant dinner.

Use Clarke Quay MRT to reach Sentosa directly. The North East Line runs to HarbourFront without changes, and from there the boardwalk to the island is free and pleasant in the early morning.

Watch the Garden Rhapsody light show at Gardens by the Bay in the evening. It is free, runs twice nightly, and the walk back along Marina Bay offers the best skyline views in Singapore.

Carry an umbrella at all times. Tropical showers arrive suddenly, especially in the afternoon, and the hotel lends umbrellas to guests at reception.

Ask for a room on an upper floor on Friday and Saturday nights. Noise from the nearby nightlife is lower higher up, and the views over the rooftops are better.

Respect Singapore's strict rules. Eating and drinking on the MRT are forbidden, chewing gum sales are restricted, and littering brings heavy fines. Following them keeps the city as clean as visitors find it.

Keep the hundred dollar deposit in mind when planning your budget. It is returned at check out, but card holds may take several days to disappear from your statement.