24 Hours in Singapore – Stay at Novotel Clarke Quay, Take a FunVee Ride & a River Cruise

Tour9-RJohn

Most often than not, we come across visitors to Singapore who just have a whole day to sample the many sights that Singapore has to offer. This can be a daunting task considering the myriad of attractions that the city has on offer. So if you are visiting or have time to see Singapore in just one day read on.

Where to Stay?

Novotel Clarke Quay in Singapore is one of the most convenient hotels to stay at especially because it is located some 15 steps away Clarke Quay, one of Singaporeโ€™s best entertainment spots. The rooms are spacious and has a bath with a separate shower, ergonomic work area, TV, DVD Player and wireless internet. The rooms have either a city or river view.

Clarke Quay lies on the mouth of the Singapore River and is always teeming with life and activity. It has a colourful kaleidoscope of restaurants, bars, entertainment spots and retail shops. This makes the location of Novotel a popular choice. The MRT station is also a short walk away.

There is a money changer and a 24-hour convenience store just a couple of steps from the hotels main entrance. Novotel is also close to Singaporeโ€™s central business district and to Orchard Road – Singaporeโ€™s Premium Shopping District.

They have a pretty decent breakfast and their buffet lunch is superb. They also house a couple of really good in-house restaurants.

Novotel Clarke Quay is located at 177A River Valley Road, 179031 Singapore. For more details on their All-Inclusive Explore Singapore Package, click here.

Novotel9-RJohn

Novotel view from the Singapore River

Novotel1-RJohn

Our King Bed Superior Room

Novotel2-RJohn

The work area

Novotel3-RJohn

The walkway towards the hotel lobby is equipped with computers for guests to use

Novotel4-RJohn

Clarke Quay is about 15 steps away from Novotel

Tour1-RJohn

Walking through Clarke Quay with Allan and Gerard

Novotel5-RJohn

The Square Restaurant where breakfast and buffet lunch is served

Novotel6-RJohn

My choice of a good hearty breakfast

Novotel8-RJohn

The seafood and Japanese cuisine are really delicious in the buffet lunch

Novotel7-RJohn

Not forgetting the desserts, they were simply quite lovely

What to do?

The best way to see the city is to hop on City Tours Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing Bus. This uniquely designed vehicle offers travellers an easy way to tour the city.

The City Tours current fleet includes FunVee Single Deck Open Top Buses, Double Deck Top Buses & Captain Explorer DUKW Amphibious Vehicles.

Use the tour as though you were glancing through a table of contents. Hop on to one of these vehicles and go around the sights in Singapore. Get off if you want to take a closer look at the attraction and hop back on to the next vehicle that comes by. This way you can see all the attractions that the island has to offer.

This is also a cheaper and time-efficient way of experiencing the city. The company also offers travellers a free iPhone app which will aid in navigation.

The City Tours Tourist Hub is located at the Singapore Flyer on 30 Raffles Ave, 039803 Singapore. For more details on cost, timetable and map, click here.

Tour4-RJohn

The Singapore Flyer, the City Tour Buses start from here

Tour5-RJohn

View of the city from the FunVee Open Top Bus

Tour7-RJohn

The iconic Merlion with Marina Bay Sands for backdrop

For a relaxing route back to Novotel Clarke Quay, hop on an electric bumboat run by the River Cruise from any of their many jetties and soak in the sights along the banks of the Singapore River.

The iconic Merlion, Raffles Landing Site, the Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands are some of the landmarks that make for good photographs. The Singapore River has its own share of historical tales in the formation of Singapore and is a great way to end the day.

The Clarke Quay jetty is a few steps away from Novotel.ย  For more information, visit their official site.

Tour6-RJohn

The electric bumboat used by the River Cruise

Tour10-RJohn

A bumboat ride makes for beautiful photo opportunities – The Singapore skyline

Tour2-RJohn

On the river cruise with Sy and Rosemarie

Tour3-RJohn

Another shot of us with Gerard on the Singapore River

Tour8-RJohn

A bumboat cruising the river with the Esplanade as backdrop

Check these out and leave us a comment or two. Your experiences would also prove very useful to the next person checking this post out when researching options they can take if they only have 24 hours on the sunny island we call Singapore.

Disclaimer: We thank Accor Hotels for inviting Travel and Beyond to an exclusive hosted stay. All opinions are our own.

Joseph Ellis

14 comments