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So my colleague Neha got married in December (the wedding was insane, three days of celebrations, I'm still recovering) and she just got back from Singapore last week. We grabbed lunch on Thursday at this place near my office and honestly I couldn't stop asking her questions because I've never been and I'm so curious about what it's actually like for couples who just got married.

She and her husband Arjun went for like 5 days? Maybe 6? I can't remember exactly. But they had this whole list of romantic things they wanted to do and apparently some worked out amazing and some were... not what they expected at all.

Let me tell you what she told me because I took mental notes (should've written them down honestly, my memory is terrible).

Gardens by the Bay is gorgeous but GO AT NIGHT

Okay so everyone told them to visit Gardens by the Bay. Obviously. It's like THE thing in Singapore. They went during the day first because they wanted to see everything in sunlight, take nice photos, whatever.

Neha said it was... fine? Pretty gardens, cool structures, but also really hot and crowded. Like, sweating through her dress kind of hot (it was humid, she kept complaining about her hair getting frizzy).

But then they went back at night for the light show thing. And she said THAT was actually romantic. The music, the lights on those weird tree structures, way less people because it was like 9 PM on a Tuesday or something. They just sat on the grass and watched and she said that's when it actually felt like a honeymoon moment instead of just sightseeing.

I think if you're doing one of those Singapore packages for couple things, make sure they include an evening visit. The daytime visit feels like a waste honestly, at least from what she described.

Sentosa is... complicated

Oh man. So Neha really wanted to go to Sentosa because she'd seen all these photos of beaches and cute cafes and it looked super romantic and chill.

Here's the thing nobody tells you (or maybe they do and Neha didn't listen, I don't know). Sentosa is kind of... theme park-ish? Like yes there are beaches but they're man-made and you can see cargo ships in the distance and it's just weird. Not Maldives. Not even Goa honestly.

They spent half a day there and Neha said it felt like they were trying too hard to make it work. The beach was okay but not amazing. They tried this overpriced restaurant that was supposed to be romantic but the service was slow and Arjun got cranky because he was hungry (mood honestly).

Hot take: skip Sentosa unless you're really into Universal Studios. The beaches are not worth it for a honeymoon. You want beaches? Go to Thailand or literally anywhere else.

But (and this is where I might be wrong) apparently the cable car TO Sentosa is actually nice? She said the views were pretty and it felt special for like 10 minutes. So maybe do that and then leave? I'm terrible at giving advice clearly.

The food situation is AMAZING but also confusing

Neha's family is Gujarati, so she's vegetarian. Arjun eats everything. This could've been a problem but actually Singapore was great for both of them.

She said there's Indian food everywhere. Like, actually good Indian food, not the weird fusion stuff you get in some countries. They found this place in Little India (I think it's called Little India? or am I making that up) and she said the dosa was better than what she gets in Mumbai. High praise.

Arjun was happy because there's Chinese food, Malaysian food, Indonesian food, all kinds of stuff. And it's not crazy expensive if you eat at hawker centers instead of fancy restaurants.

Wait, what's a hawker center? I had to Google this after she mentioned it. It's like... food courts but make it Singapore. Outdoor, lots of small stalls, super casual, apparently the food is really good and cheap. They ate at one called Maxwell or something (Maxwell Food Centre? I might be remembering this wrong) and spent like ₹800 for both of them. For dinner. In Singapore. That's insane.

She said this is way better than booking some Singapore honeymoon package that includes meals at hotel restaurants because hotel food is boring and expensive and you miss out on the actual local food.

Marina Bay Sands is worth it but maybe not the way you think

Okay so everyone knows about that infinity pool on top of the hotel right? The one that's in every Singapore photo ever?

They didn't stay at the hotel because it was like ₹30,000 a night or something ridiculous. But they DID go up to the observation deck (you can do this without staying at the hotel, just FYI) and she said the views were incredible. Especially at sunset.

Arjun wanted to do the whole fancy dinner thing at the hotel but Neha said they looked at the menu and noped out. Too expensive for food that looked... she showed me photos and honestly it looked like tiny portions of fancy nothing.

Here's what I think worked better from her description – they went to the observation deck around 5:30 PM (she's very specific about times, I love that about her), watched the sunset, took a million photos, then went to a normal restaurant nearby for dinner. Saved like ₹15,000 and had a better experience.

People are gonna hate me for this but the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool photos are overrated. Like yes they're pretty but every single person has the exact same photo now. It's not special anymore. Just see the view from the observation deck and move on.

Singapore Zoo night safari is actually super fun??

I was surprised by this one. Neha's not really into zoos (neither am I honestly, feels weird watching animals in cages) but Arjun really wanted to go to this night safari thing.

She said it was actually really cool. You go on this tram ride through the zoo at night and animals are just... around. Not in tiny cages. Elephants walking near the path, deer everywhere, some kind of wild cats she couldn't identify (she's not good with animal names lol).

The whole thing took maybe 2 hours? And it felt different from regular zoo visits. More like an adventure and less like "let's stare at sad animals."

For couples doing Singapore honeymoon tours or whatever, this is apparently a good evening activity. Not romantic in the traditional sense but fun and different. They laughed a lot, got scared when some animal made a loud noise near them, Neha almost dropped her phone trying to take a photo in the dark.

Those kinds of memories, you know?

Clarke Quay is pretty but SO TOURISTY

They went to Clarke Quay because every Singapore package for couple itinerary includes it. It's this riverside area with restaurants and bars and colorful buildings that light up at night.

Neha said it's pretty to look at for like 20 minutes. Then you realize it's just... a tourist trap? Everything is expensive, everyone there is a tourist, it feels manufactured.

They had one drink (₹900 for a cocktail, she's still upset about this), took photos, left.

I think the problem with these Singapore honeymoon tours packages is they route everyone to the same spots. And those spots are nice but they're designed for tourists, not for actual experiences. You end up doing what everyone else does instead of finding your own thing.

Does that make sense? I'm rambling sorry.

Random things that Neha loved:

The MRT (their metro system) is SO CLEAN and efficient. She kept comparing it to Delhi metro and laughing. They could get anywhere super easily.

There are rules for EVERYTHING. Don't eat on the train. Don't jaywalk. Don't litter. It's intense but also kind of nice? The city just feels... organized.

Everything closes early. Like, shops close at 9 PM, restaurants close at 10 PM. They're both night owls so this was annoying. Felt like the city goes to sleep at grandma hours.

The shopping is good but not cheaper than India anymore. This surprised her. She thought Singapore would have better deals but apparently Indian e-commerce has caught up.

Haji Lane is cute if you like Instagram photos. Tiny street with colorful shops and cafes. Very photogenic. She spent an hour there just taking pictures.

The weather is hot and humid ALL THE TIME. She showered twice a day, her makeup melted, she gave up on looking cute by day 3. Just accepted the frizzy hair life.

Things they wished they'd known:

Book stuff in advance. Like, the observation deck at Marina Bay Sands? If you just show up, you might wait an hour. They learned this the hard way.

Singapore is small. Like, really small. You don't need 10 days. Five days is plenty, maybe even too much. They got a bit bored by the end honestly.

It's expensive but not ridiculously expensive if you're smart about it. Eat at hawker centers, use the MRT instead of taxis, don't stay at Marina Bay Sands, skip the tourist trap restaurants.

There's not really a "bad" area. The whole city feels safe. Neha said she felt comfortable walking around at 11 PM which is... not something she'd do in most cities.

Would she recommend it for a Singapore honeymoon?

Yeah, but with realistic expectations. It's not a beach destination. It's not super romantic in the traditional sense. It's more of a clean, efficient, food-focused city break.

She said it was perfect for them because they wanted something easy and safe and different from India but not too different. Like, culture shock level: minimal.

If you want beaches and romance and all that typical honeymoon stuff, maybe look at Bali or Maldives or whatever. But if you want good food, easy travel, cool things to see, nice hotels, and don't mind that it's more city than romance... Singapore works.

Her tip for anyone looking at Singapore tour package for couple options: don't book the ones that cram in every single attraction. Pick like 5-6 things you actually care about, do those properly, and spend the rest of the time just wandering around and eating. That's when they had the most fun apparently.

Anyway I need to actually get some work done (I'm writing this during my lunch break and it's been like 40 minutes oops). But yeah, that's everything Neha told me about Singapore basically. Make of it what you will.