Singapore: Holiday-shopping like nowhere else

Get ahead of everyone else and fly to Singapore for that early Christmas shopping. With Singapore’s exceptional finds, great international brands, bargains and wide choices of products, Cebu’s most avid shoppers will find plenty to love in the shopping districts of Singapore especially if they’re looking for best buys that make the perfect Christmas gifts. From fashion and accessories to gadgets and even home furnishings, the streets of the Lion City are teeming with stores and shops to fit every budget, lifestyle and preference.

Those with a taste for the good life will enjoy the brand-name buys that downtown Singapore offers. Lined with the shops of the world’s most luxurious labels, the stretch of Orchard Road is a shopper’s dream come true. Indulge in everything from the most elegant pieces to psychedelic accessories. Orchard Road lets you invest in always-classic designs from Prada, Gucci, Bvlgari, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, while helping you stay current with trendier finds at The Paragon, Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria, Palais Renaissance, Tanglin Mall, Hilton Shopping Gallery, Pacific Plaza, Tangs, Lucky Plaza and Centrepoint Shopping Centre. With more than 30 shopping malls conveniently connected through underpasses and themed sidewalks, the Orchard Road shopping district gives shoppers the ultimate shopping experience that lets everyone enjoy every bit of it whether outside the malls or walking along the trendy and cosmopolitan streets.

Another downtown shopping attraction is the Marina Bay area, home of Suntec City Mall—Singapore’s second biggest mall. Cool finds and a seamless shopping experience await fashionistas, sports enthusiasts, hobbyists, collectors and foodies who visit Marina Bay’s linked malls. Apart from housing top fashion labels, the shopping centers here also sell sporting goods, French beauty products, collectibles, gourmet delicacies and even offbeat souvenirs. Must-visit places include the Marina Square Shopping Mall’s Groove Nation for clothes with attitude; the Esplanade Mall for handcrafted musical instruments; and the Millennia Walk for watches. International fashion brands as well as novelty items are also found at Singapore’s first underground mall, the Citylink Mall. It has a range of shops that a lot of Filipinos love including its anchor tenant, HMV music store.

And for those who crave for total lifestyle shopping, VivoCity is the place to be! VivoCity is Singapore’s largest retail and lifestyle destination. Known to be the city’s iconic shopping haven, it constantly surprises visitors with its vibrant mix of retail and entertainment concepts. It is one of Singapore’s trendiest and most sophisticated malls where many young people converge and hang out.

For those with more cultural persuasions, it’s off to the ethnic enclaves. Find yourself in shopping nirvana while browsing the unique finds and irresistible bargains available at the Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, Holland Village and Bugis shopping districts. Chinatown’s exciting bazaar-like atmosphere enchants with its colorful cheongsams, herbal preparations, home ornaments, jade jewellery and other Orient-inspired goodies.

Interesting shopping experiences await at Little India. Buy fresh flowers, exotic saris, gold trinkets, Indian sweets and even Persian carpets, all under a jasmine-scented haze and with Bollywood music playing in the background. Don’t forget to stop by the Mustafa Center and have a feel of the Indian market experience with merchandise stacked ceiling-high.

For the more eccentric people in your life, head over to Kampong Glam for a variety of skirts, scarves, carpets and crafts, as well as second-hand records and CDs by local bands. More hip finds abound in Bali and Haji Lanes, while semi-precious stones, sexy bellydance-inspired ensembles, curios and antiques can be found along Arab, Bussorah and Baghdad streets.

Bugis Street, on the other hand, is known to bargain hunters especially those looking for unique brands. This Street is a cobblestoned wide avenue sandwiched between the buildings of Bugis Junction. Midway through its length is the new entity of Bugis Square, a granite-tiled plaza containing a dancing fountain and surrounded by the food, shopping and entertainment outlets of the Bugis Junction complex on all sides.

More antiques, crafts and quirky gift ideas can be found in cozy Holland Village, known as the bohemian district of Singapore.

For some off-the-beaten-path shopping, head to the suburbs area particularly Changi Village way up north. The unassuming little district offers not just a view of how the locals live but also bargains in t-shirts, electronics, carpets, batik dresses, kimonos and even table linen. There is also the MRT-accessible Toa Payoh Central selling textiles, pots and pans and accessories. Just less than 10 minutes away from Orchard Road by train, this shopping haven is within the MRT station that is connected to Singapore’s biggest Bus Interchange.