Best Period to Travel to Singapore + Neighbouring Countries?

Hi all, i have been wanting to visit singapore for a very long time but it keeps being deprioritised for various reasons

i was just wondering if i could get some opinions on the best time to travel there as i am flexible on travel times

ie.

1) best time in terms of air fares (quick google suggests august for some reason + post school holiday weeks

2) best time in terms of weather, i would like to avoid monsoon and scorching humidity if possible

Additionally, i was thinking that a quick trip to kuala lumpar would be quite cheap as a mid trip detour

But were there other places people know often have cheap connecting flights to maximise the trip? i.e. Bali or thailand or something?

Last time i tried to book, there were plenty of great deals and flights, but the return leg was always the issue that ended up costing 1/3 of the total trip. Thats why i was hoping to get some advice from seasoned travellers for the optimimal way to visit

Also when staying there, aside from the Luxury Escapes hotel deals, are there other hotels people can reccommend that are modern and clean?

i would be travelling with a family of 4, but open to ditching the kids for a short 3-4 day trip :D

Comments

  • If you're keen on going around SEA, a redemption flight on SQ to Bali/Phuket (or anywhere else in SEA) with a layover in Singapore costs the same as one straight to Singapore.

    • whats a "redemption flight"? i have zero flyer miles. Approx 350000 Westpac altitude rewards. But not sure what i can do with those. its only worth about $500 in gcs

      also how long can u stay in singapore during the layover? ive done 3 day layovers via japan once. not sure about rules with other countries

      • -3

        also how long can u stay in singapore during the layover? ive done 3 day layovers via japan once. not sure about rules with other countries

        If only there was some sort of interconnected international network of computers, you could use your own computer to talk between all the devices on this network, and hopefully there would be one (perhaps operated by the government of the country you want to visit), that might hold this sort of information. Sadly at this point we can only dream.

        • +2

          jfc

          if only there was a community of people we could ask for a direct answer based on direct practical knowledge and experience instead of having to google and research and deduce information without knowing for sure if you found the correct resource in the sea of internet spam

          why even participate in a "forum" and default responses to "just google it"

          did it ever occur to you i have and just want to cross reference information with real humans

          • -1

            @furythree: So you would go to a foreign country, and hope that randoms on an internet forum gave you correct visa advice?

            • @brendanm: so you would go on the internet and assume everything you see at face value is all thats being done?

              its almost like a single question on the internet can just be just one of several sources used to verify or point in the right direction

              let me guess you also hand in research papers citing a single source to back things up and expect full marks

              https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/734877

              like you took this to a professional PC repairer to diagnose instead of asking randoms on the internet right?

              you hop on forums asking randoms for help instead of professional advice. but cant relay the same courtesy SMH
              Time to get your head out of your ass

              • @furythree: Lol, one has no repercussions, the other has you falling afowl of a foreign countries immigration laws πŸ˜‚

                • @brendanm: sounds like reading comprehension is also not your strong suit either

                  • @furythree: A bit rich coming from someone who conflates asking a computer question, with asking for immigration law advice.

                    • @brendanm: not if you consider it an analogy not a conflation

                      but i guess you wouldnt know the difference

                      since we've already established your comprehension skills

                      and since u are so hard stuck inside your own personal bubble of experience

                      let me help open your mind a bit on use cases that isnt black and white.
                      In some ocassional circumstances you would find tips/tricks to maximise free visa/layovers beyond what "muh guvment website" would tell you
                      The official sources would only give you objective information and requirements but not things like legal loopholes

                      So it helps by asking open ended questions from experienced travellers of popular destinations to find new information that you can then take away to explore and verify further

                      If i wanted basic visa information, yes i wouldve already got that from the official site. But there may have been extrenuating benefits/circumstances for certain passport holders you may not immediately think of

                      for example, a few years ago as a noob traveller, a friend told me i didnt need to apply for a japanese visa by being an australian passport holder if i only wanted to stay a few days. I managed to do 2 x 3 day layovers travelling from aus to other countries using tokyo as a layover city both directions. Even if that information was there on the website, one wouldnt immediately think to split up a trip to a city into 2 parts. Someone whos done it before or may realise its obvious and pointed it out as a helpful tip.

                      whereas your default helpful tip was to waste words being a sarcastic narcissist

                      • @furythree:

                        not if you consider it an analogy not a conflation

                        It's not an analogy though, as the things are not remotely similar.

                        The fact that people still can't understand what sort of questions are great for a community, and what sort are best from an official source, blows my mind.

                        whereas your default helpful tip was to waste words being a sarcastic narcissist

                        Congratulations on using the word narcissist incorrectly.

    1. The weather is the same all year. Google when burning season is, avoid that.

    SQ is Sing Air.

    • arent there more wet/humid seasons though i heard

      • +6

        If you're going to ask on the internet advice, then challenge any advice, why don't you just google the annual climate charts?

        FFS.

        • -2

          i appreciate the advice, but what are you upset about. im just clarifying since it literally differs from what i have googled.

          its not challenging, its clarifying to be sure?

          is it not normal to find "weather is same all year" to be a questionable statement since there are 4 seasons, even if SQ is near the equator/tropics

          • @furythree: SQ = Singapore Airlines

          • @furythree:

            is it not normal to find "weather is same all year" to be a questionable statement since there are 4 seasons, even if SQ is near the equator/tropics

            There are 2 seasons: Hot and dry (usually April/May to October/November) or less hot and wet (November/December to March/April)

            Burning season is usually around September or thereabouts, if memory serves.

            Best time to go is usually tail end of monsoon season, Jan/Feb to March/April.

            • @KSMLJ: this is exactly what i was looking for! thanks

              wow so "burning season" is a real term

              whats the weather like july -aug?

              • @furythree: No probs!

                To clarify, 'Burning Season' is when Sumatra clears their agricultural land for the next season by burning off all the old unwanted chaff etc, and the west to east trade-winds during that period blows all that smoke and dust (aka The Haze) to Malaysia, Singapore, and sometimes it even reaches the Philippines.

                July-Aug is usually right smack in the middle of the hottest humid period.

                Having said that, it is almost always close to 100% humidity all year, as Singapore is an island sitting right on the equator, but the monsoon season makes it a bit more bearable, so depending on what you are planning to do, the monsoon period might actually be a good time to go.

  • Visiting Singapore Nov/Dec am interested in this thread.

  • +1

    Malaysia is great. Love it. Food paradise and almost everyone speaks English to some degree if that matters. Penang, KL and Malacca are all pretty good. If you want some beautiful beaches, have a look at the Perhentian Islands. Been to Maldives and these are comparable.

    • are there easy flights to those islands?

    • thanks very useful too

  • +2

    The only difference in Singapore weather is that it rains more in November/December but you get the odd shower every second day the rest of the year anyway so there's not much difference.

    Temperature wise the difference in averages is only a couple of degrees a month over the entire year and the humidity is high all year. Sure, it's slightly lower at some times but in the scheme of things it's still hot and steamy all year round.

    If you want to go to Malaysia just cross the causeway and go to Johor Bahru.

    I went to Singapore last September and had a couple of days there earlier this month. Even the locals were saying it was too hot this time lol.

    Also when staying there, aside from the Luxury Escapes hotel deals, are there other hotels people can reccommend that are modern and clean?

    Why would you limit yourself to Luxury Escapes deals? Just go on Hotels.com or any other site, punch in Singapore and sort according to budget and location. Just a warning, accomodation in Singapore is expensive no matter where you stay. You want somewhere close to an MRT station and bus stop to make getting around easy. Public transport is fast and efficient in Singapore.

    I stay at 30 Bencoolen as it is close to two different MRT lines and there's a bus stop across the street. It's about $250 a night.

    • but you get the odd shower

      I'd call it more of a downpour than a shower

      • True lol.

        At least they don't normally last long though and Singapore has a lot of covered walkways so I never found the rain too annoying.

    • i was originally planning around september. but that looks to be burning season
      so i assume that will be too dry and hot

      luxury escapes

      more that i was just using those type of places as an example of hotel type and deal range. Was seeing if people could reccomend alternatives. Want to treat the family with a nice hotel

      are taxis expensive if you are not near a MRT or bus?

  • +1

    Although that says 'March to August', in reality April/May and Oct/Nov are transition seasons and the weather can be all over the place eg in May this year there was a 'heat wave' with 37C temps and pouring rain

    https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/explainer-erratic-weat…

    I've been in 'wet season' and barely had any rain (a few showers at night), and in 'dry season' and had 2 days of pouring rain.

    So just go when fares are the cheapest, it wont matter too much

    AirAsia is good for flights to Malaysia esp if you dont have carry on. Penang is interesting if you like history and food.

    Singapore is pretty expensive; although you can get away with cheaper meals eg hawker centres; but as soon as you hit a sit down restaurant you will be up for AUD25++ without drinks. Malaysia is much much cheaper (but, correspondingly, is definitely not as 'well kept' eg Penang has open storm water/ drains everywhere)

    • since it seems like sept is a dry hot period i might need to replan for earlier

      august may have to be it to try and avoid monsoon season and before burning season then

  • Definitely Singapore with return passing Bali for another few days before returning back.

    • is there a strategic way to do this?

      i.e. Syd to bali via singapore and return from bali?

      or the other way around? i did a quick test search and the price doesnt seem to be cheaper either way

      • I like how you go to Bali from Sydney that you arrive there still morning local time due to time backward 2 hours and the trip only 6 hours. Some Denpasar flight to Singapore is in morning, thus you arrive in the morning too there. thus I like Syd to Bali first then Bali to Singapore then you can go back from Singapore which normally night flight to arrive morning in Sydney.

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