Orchard Road

- Orchard Road in Singapore is one of the major tourist attractions of the island, for tourists its shopping, luxury, restaurants and sightseeing.

Access is easy since the SMRT Singapore North-South line runs along Orchard Road. The street version of Orchard Road is a one-way road over about 2.5 km from the Orange Grove Road intersection to Handy Road, a Orchard Hotel is there almost every 100 meter. There is one shopping mall after the other and most malls have restaurants and food courts integrated, food courts offer good food in a self service environment. Probably the biggest shopping mall on Orchard Road is Ngee Ann City a conglomerate of luxury stores with all kind of items imaginable plus a huge bookshop, this is Kinokuniya, they say its the largest bookstore in Southeast Asia. A short distance of Ngee Ann City is ION Orchard in a new architecture style construction, they offer, what? shopping, shopping and dining etc. in a different packaging again with high prices. The fact is that almost all shopping malls at Orchard Road offer the same stuff in different packaging and other names, but all this malls are scrammed with people and it sounds like they make a lot of money. The best is when you touch down in Singapore, first visit the Singapore Visitor Center at Orchard Road, they have almost all the information you might search for and if you cant find the paper form ask one of the employee there, they are bright people and willing to work and help.

Aside of the shopping malls and sometimes integrated into the malls are Orchard Road Hotels, plenty of them they are there and they all have one parameter, the closer to Orchard Road the higher the price for the rooms. A Orchard Hotel is almost every 100 m, one of the is the Orchard Parade Hotel another is Crown at Orchard, centrally located and in a interesting style. At the upper reaches of the road is Orchard Hotel, close to the Thai Embassy and somehow opposite the Singapore Hilton Hotel and hotels on Orchard Road, plus plus. Its sometimes difficult to understand where all the people are coming from  

who are around here, it seems that the Singapore marketing machine is doing a good job and the next higher level had just came into operation at Marina Bay Singapore with the Marina Sands Hotel, shopping and casino. A hotel near Orchard could be a good choice there are many more hotels in all price ranges and walking distances are rather short, anyway a Orchard Hotel is a good choice to start exploring the City State. The Tang Plaza with the Singapore Marriot Hotel could also be a starting point, behind at Scotts Road is the Grand Hyatt Hotel owned by the Sultan of Brunei, this hotel has a very good style and is quiet.

Orchard Road got its name from fruit orchards on both sides of the road in 1800s. A Mr. Orchard had a garden and plantation there hence its name. There are a few historical spots along the road one is Goodwood Park Hotel previously known as Teutonic Club, it exists since well before World War I. The great Singapore orchid garden is on the north-west side of Orchard Road. Orchard Road Singapore is synonymous for shopping, some nightlife, restaurants, Singapore food, food courts, bistros, bars, hotels, nightclubs plus plus.

Tang Plaza housing the Singapore Marriott Hotel is a landmark at about the center of Orchard Road topped with a stylish Chinese pagoda tower its one of the major department store in the city, its situated at the intersection between Orchard Road and Scotts Road, the shopping mall was started in 1934. Ngee Ann City a little bit to the south is another Consumer Temple where it is visible how the consumer philosophy is challenging any religion since the religion of today is consuming and not abstract philosophy which doesn’t make sense anyway. All the popular brand names are there ready to pull money from you for stuff you can buy elsewhere for a fraction of the price but with another name. Takashimaya department store at the Ngee Ann City has South East Asia largest bookstore called Kinokuniya. Wheelock Place is another book and Media store such as CDs and DVDs on different themes.

At Lucky Plaza cheating is rampant, don’t buy something there, they virtually will pull your pants and socks off, Lucky Plaza is situated just beside Tang Plaza and is a gathering point for the Pilipino workers during weekends.

At Far East Plaza around the corner where the Tang tower pops up, at Scotts Road is famous for cheap fashion items, low price garments and food courts. Visitors may find cheap and good local food at the food courts here. Close to Somerset SMRT station is Centrepoint shopping mall with Robinson and Mark & Spencer. Plaza Singapura is another interesting mall located next to the Istana entrance, there is the Golden Village Cineplex and plenty of shops. Close to Centrepoint Mall is

                               
Orchard Road