Short-term housing in Singapore for a Corporate For'ner (and family) ?
May 5, 2013 7:43 PM Subscribe
I'm moving to Singapore for a couple months this summer for Work, along with my spouse and our young child (3-year old). Please help me find the right spot for our small family to survive & thrive for 6-8 weeks. Also looking for tips for occasional childcare.
My employer will cover the cost of travel and housing (yay) but I suspect it'll largely be up to us to find a furnished apartment or condo that's available for a short-term stay. It'll be out first time in Singapore, and my wife hasn't been outside of the US as an adult, although she's quite plucky and will no doubt adapt quickly & devour the culture with enthusiasm.
Our considerations:
- My spouse would prefer to be amongst, or near, other Westerners / Expats. Not necessarily US-ians; in fact I think she'd prefer Brits or Aussies. The intention is to find some kindred spirits i.e. perhaps other moms with young children. We've heard there are some apartments that are more 'expat friendly' than others, or at least where there may be other families. Neither of us is at all averse to living near locals / being integrated with the community, as long as we're near other professionals with kids.
- Ideally we'll live within about 20 minutes' commute (via public trans) of my office, which is close to Labrador Park, just north of the West Coast Highway (wish I knew what part of town this is called!)
- Want to avoid outrageous cost. I think my employer is planning for something on the order of $4000-$6000 (Sing) a month. Realistic?
- We'd prefer an location from which my wife and daughter could easily wander for daily outings to parks, playgounds, casual dining / hawkers, coffe shops, etc. Doesn't have to be very near a dense Retail (shopping-for-shopping's sake) area.
- Are there e.g. apartment complexes with common outdoor areas (courtyards w/ swimming pools)?
Also, I am wondering what sort of day-care options exist; we'd be looking for a situation such as 1-2 days a week where our daughter can be in a safe environment with other toddlers. She's pretty adaptable and social, is almost ready for Pre-School here in the US.
Thanks for your tips!
My employer will cover the cost of travel and housing (yay) but I suspect it'll largely be up to us to find a furnished apartment or condo that's available for a short-term stay. It'll be out first time in Singapore, and my wife hasn't been outside of the US as an adult, although she's quite plucky and will no doubt adapt quickly & devour the culture with enthusiasm.
Our considerations:
- My spouse would prefer to be amongst, or near, other Westerners / Expats. Not necessarily US-ians; in fact I think she'd prefer Brits or Aussies. The intention is to find some kindred spirits i.e. perhaps other moms with young children. We've heard there are some apartments that are more 'expat friendly' than others, or at least where there may be other families. Neither of us is at all averse to living near locals / being integrated with the community, as long as we're near other professionals with kids.
- Ideally we'll live within about 20 minutes' commute (via public trans) of my office, which is close to Labrador Park, just north of the West Coast Highway (wish I knew what part of town this is called!)
- Want to avoid outrageous cost. I think my employer is planning for something on the order of $4000-$6000 (Sing) a month. Realistic?
- We'd prefer an location from which my wife and daughter could easily wander for daily outings to parks, playgounds, casual dining / hawkers, coffe shops, etc. Doesn't have to be very near a dense Retail (shopping-for-shopping's sake) area.
- Are there e.g. apartment complexes with common outdoor areas (courtyards w/ swimming pools)?
Also, I am wondering what sort of day-care options exist; we'd be looking for a situation such as 1-2 days a week where our daughter can be in a safe environment with other toddlers. She's pretty adaptable and social, is almost ready for Pre-School here in the US.
Thanks for your tips!
Your wife has not left the country before. Has she gotten a passport? Does you child need one?
posted by Cranberry at 11:52 PM on May 5, 2013
posted by Cranberry at 11:52 PM on May 5, 2013
I'm Singaporean, but I'm afraid I don't really know where you could go look for short-term housing. Asking at the expat forums is probably a good idea; there are tons of foreigners working here so I'm certain there will be ample resources available (I just don't know where they are!) I'll just try to answer the questions you have to the best of my knowledge, apologies for any rambling in this reply as I just had some beers.
If you rent a condo, its pretty certain to have common outdoor areas, and a swimming pool, and other facilities as well like outdoor grills (known as BBQ pits here). Most of the people living in condos are likely to be professionals as well, with or without kids. Some condos have a higher ratio of expats than others.
As far as costs go, Singapore is in the midst of a property boom that the government is still trying to cool, so expect prices to be high. You'll have to check out rental websites and forums to find out what the rough prices are like; my experience with many websites though is that the prices listed there might not always be accurate; some agents use them to lure customers by putting a low price so prospective buyers will contact them, only to be told the unit has already been sold.
I'm guessing by Labrador Park you're referring to the MRT station named Labrador Park, which is on the Circle Line (CCL). As mentioned upthread the area's usually referred to as either Telok Blangah or Pasir Panjang. There are some interesting places to see in the area, but it isn't as walkable as other parts of Singapore due to the huge expressway.
Since you seem to be planning to take public transport, you'll most likely be using the Circle Line to commute. Second trying to find somewhere in Holland Village or farther down/up the CCL. Almost all the stops from Buona Vista to Caldecott are residential areas; so are the parts beyond, but that's out of your 20 minute range. I would suggest you have a look at places at one-north / Fusionopolis too; that area is basically one huge tech park, and I believe they've built several apartments to cater for the large number of foreigners working in the companies there. There are good places to hang out and explore all along the CCL.
One thing you should do is make full use of Google Street View; have a look at the area around any potential apartment in Street View and see if it looks suitable. Singapore's very well mapped on Street View; you can even enter most of the parks!
There are various day care companies in Singapore, but I don't have kids so I don't know much about them. I do know there are several in the vicinity of your workplace and along the CCL.
Singapore is probably one of the easiest places in Southeast Asia for an American to settle in and feel comfortable; English is spoken everywhere, things are very Western, and good "Western" food is easily available. So you guys shouldn't have any trouble enjoying your stay. If you have any more specific questions feel free to drop me a message!
posted by destrius at 9:22 AM on May 6, 2013
If you rent a condo, its pretty certain to have common outdoor areas, and a swimming pool, and other facilities as well like outdoor grills (known as BBQ pits here). Most of the people living in condos are likely to be professionals as well, with or without kids. Some condos have a higher ratio of expats than others.
As far as costs go, Singapore is in the midst of a property boom that the government is still trying to cool, so expect prices to be high. You'll have to check out rental websites and forums to find out what the rough prices are like; my experience with many websites though is that the prices listed there might not always be accurate; some agents use them to lure customers by putting a low price so prospective buyers will contact them, only to be told the unit has already been sold.
I'm guessing by Labrador Park you're referring to the MRT station named Labrador Park, which is on the Circle Line (CCL). As mentioned upthread the area's usually referred to as either Telok Blangah or Pasir Panjang. There are some interesting places to see in the area, but it isn't as walkable as other parts of Singapore due to the huge expressway.
Since you seem to be planning to take public transport, you'll most likely be using the Circle Line to commute. Second trying to find somewhere in Holland Village or farther down/up the CCL. Almost all the stops from Buona Vista to Caldecott are residential areas; so are the parts beyond, but that's out of your 20 minute range. I would suggest you have a look at places at one-north / Fusionopolis too; that area is basically one huge tech park, and I believe they've built several apartments to cater for the large number of foreigners working in the companies there. There are good places to hang out and explore all along the CCL.
One thing you should do is make full use of Google Street View; have a look at the area around any potential apartment in Street View and see if it looks suitable. Singapore's very well mapped on Street View; you can even enter most of the parks!
There are various day care companies in Singapore, but I don't have kids so I don't know much about them. I do know there are several in the vicinity of your workplace and along the CCL.
Singapore is probably one of the easiest places in Southeast Asia for an American to settle in and feel comfortable; English is spoken everywhere, things are very Western, and good "Western" food is easily available. So you guys shouldn't have any trouble enjoying your stay. If you have any more specific questions feel free to drop me a message!
posted by destrius at 9:22 AM on May 6, 2013
As far as neighbourhoods go - I have no clue about the specifics of property prices in Singapore right now - destrius' Buona Vista to Caldecott range is going to be rather nice to live in. The thing is, the CCL (aka 'orange line') does pretty much go in a circle, so you might want to look at a bus+rail commute, or even just bus, because public transport is A++. Google Maps is usually pretty good at giving transit directions, as are the recently-renamed 'How2Go' and gothere.sg.
I'm partial to the Bukit Timah area, having lived there for four years - lots of expats, quite a few childcare/kindergartens, quiet (a lot of schools, and my own, in that area). Otherwise the one-north area, served by the Buona Vista MRT station is pretty liveable too, only that it doesn't have the settled-ness of Bukit Timah. Holland Village is nice, but somewhat more traditional. There aren't as many new-ish, likely to be rented out, property developments in that area, if I'm not mistaken.
destrius is also 100% right in that Singapore is very easy for Americans to settle in. And 'good "Western" food' totally reminds me that Peperoni's (in Bukit Timah and a few other locations) is like mouth-meltingly good, and super kid-friendly.
Have fun in Singapore!
posted by undue influence at 12:25 AM on May 9, 2013
I'm partial to the Bukit Timah area, having lived there for four years - lots of expats, quite a few childcare/kindergartens, quiet (a lot of schools, and my own, in that area). Otherwise the one-north area, served by the Buona Vista MRT station is pretty liveable too, only that it doesn't have the settled-ness of Bukit Timah. Holland Village is nice, but somewhat more traditional. There aren't as many new-ish, likely to be rented out, property developments in that area, if I'm not mistaken.
destrius is also 100% right in that Singapore is very easy for Americans to settle in. And 'good "Western" food' totally reminds me that Peperoni's (in Bukit Timah and a few other locations) is like mouth-meltingly good, and super kid-friendly.
Have fun in Singapore!
posted by undue influence at 12:25 AM on May 9, 2013
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It may be a bit tricky to find a short term rental setup that isn't a serviced apartment, but it's probably still worth a look - try PropertyGuru listings. You can search by distance from MRT stations, which is very useful. With your budget, you shouldn't have a problem finding a condo in a nice area. Most condos have pools, and the larger ones will have playgrounds, tennis courts and other facilities.
The Labrador Park area is what I would refer to as Telok Blangah, but if I were you, I wouldn't look for an apartment in the immediate vicinity - it's not a particularly nice area to wander around. Check out Holland Village (Holland Village MRT station) and the Bukit Timah area near the Botanic Gardens (Botanic Gardens MRT station). They're both really nice areas, popular with expats, and a fairly short bus ride from Orchard Road, which is the main shopping stretch. Holland Village has more shops and restaurants, while the Botanic Gardens MRT station is, well, right by the Botanic Gardens. But they're about four minutes apart by subway anyway, with the Botanic Gardens being a little further away from Labrador Park. In either case, your commute would probably closer to thirty minutes factoring in the time you'd take walking to and from the MRT stations.
I don't have any advice regarding childcare, but perhaps you could try one of the expat forums, e.g. http://forum.singaporeexpats.com?
Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions!
posted by gorgonzolagirl at 11:25 PM on May 5, 2013