If you've lived in Singapore long enough — our gauge is about 20 years or so — everything is boring. The Singapore Flyer? Bah, we get the same view from our CBD office without the vertigo. Staycation in a five-star hotel? We rather spend our money on a real holiday. Theatre, zoo, shopping? Nothing interesting on now, overdone, just did that. Also, Valentine's Day is looming — and there's only so much sex a couple can have — so what else is on the agenda? The team at Coconuts Singapore racked our brains and found some stuff worth getting excited about. In fact, who's waiting for Valentine's Day? We're already working through this list as we speak. Have fun!
1. Soak in hot spring water
Founded by a Chinese merchant in 1908, the Sembawang Hot Spring features a bricked up well, a couple of metal pipes pumping out natural mineral water from the ground and... well, that's about it. At first glance it looks a bit like an abandoned wasteland and if you don't see the small groups of people soaking their legs in pails and chatting with each other, you'll probably think it is. For your date, we suggest you and your partner each bring a plastic tub to soak your whole body in, an exfoliator so you can scrub each other and a bottle of wine. Pro-tip: If you have sinus, soak some Vicks Vaporub in the tub of hot spring water and hold your face over the steam for about 30 seconds.
Cost: $0
2. Soak in a Japanese onsen with a snow mountain view
OK so maybe scrubbing each other's backs in full view of aunties and uncles is a bit unnerving. If you're willing to fork out the cash, go to Ikeda Spa Prestige and soak in their onsen (Japanese-style hot spring bath) instead. The traditional washing area and 'window' will make you feel like you're sitting right in the middle of the countryside in winter. You'll be separated from your partner in the onsen, but before or after that you can do a couple combo featuring a chocolate massage (the massage oil is mixed with chocolate essence for a delightful aroma without the ick), a white chocolate scrub and a red rose-infused hot bath.
Cost: Onsen only $80 per person, Valentine's Day Choco Love Spa package $188+
3. Ride into the sunset
Who needs to jostle with a million other couples on Orchard Road when you can commune with nature, in particular, horses? Gallop Stables' outlet in Pasir Ris comes complete with a cafe and cycling trails, but what you want to go for are the trail horse rides. There's an hour-long one for inexperienced riders that will take you round the Fairways Green Track. There'll be a handler, but just pretend they're not there and talk romance along the way.
Cost: $95 — 100 for 45 mins
4. Tour Sentosa on a Segway
Sure you've been to Sentosa. But have you explored it with an official guide riding a Segway Personal Transporter? Loads of Instagram-worthy photos can be taken as you say hi to the Merlion, mark your spot on the three sun-kissed beaches and catch a pink dolphin frolicking in the water.
Cost: $12 for Segway newbies at the Gogreen circuit, $98 — 118 for Sentosa tour, includes Meet the Dolphins and Fur Seals session
5. Go for a drive in a supercar on the F1 track (and on the ECP too, if you wanna)
Ultimate Drive lets you take a supercar along the famous F1 track for 15 minutes or stretch it out to half an hour via the East Coast Parkway. If you're super driver, go ahead and take the wheels, but you've also got the option of having someone drive you. You can't both get in one car, though, so if you want this to be a coupley thing, be prepared to splash some dough on a car each. You can split the drive though, so you each get a taste of the Ferrari and Lambo.
Cost: $298 — 788, 20% off if driven
6. Eat an animal together — every part of it
If you both love to eat and experiment, definitely do this. Inspired by one-Michelin-starred restaurant in London St. John, WOLF is the first to offer nose-to-tail dining in Singapore. Yes, that means you eat an entire animal, from nose to tail. Not only is the idea quirky, the dishes promise to be, too. Order up anything from pig's head & trotter brawn ($18) to honeycomb tripe gratin (part of $32 — 36 weekly lunch menu), but think twice about posting the photos on Facebook — you might give your vegetarian friends a fright.
Cost: $10 — 78 mains on ala carte menu
7. Eat on a farm, kampong-style
Actually you know what? If both of you really like animals and nature, why not just go the whole way? Bollywood Veggies is a farm and bistro, and easily one of our favourite spaces in the city. There's a minimum attendance if you want to do a full farm tour or a cooking class, but they'll give you a map if you want to wander on your own. Afterwards, tuck into a farm-to-table meal of banana curry, jackfruit lemak and acar fish at the Poison Ivy Bistro (that's owner Ivy Singh-Lim in the photo, she whips up some of the delish food!) before taking home some fresh produce.
Cost: $0 for entry
8. Enjoy a meal in pitch darkness
Easily one of the most thrilling dining experiences we've ever had in Singapore, Nox is a modern European restaurant set in the glorious Arab quarters that forces you to engage all your senses, but that of sight. You'll learn what to expect over a quick cocktail and amuse bouche, then a blind or visually-impaired wait staff will take you upstairs to a room that's completely void of light. Seriously. You can wave a hand right in front of your face and you won't see it. The meal here is prix fixe — yeah, we know, you're sick of set meals, especially the V-Day ones — but it contains good doses of experimental and plain fabulous, promise. And they also do vegan/vegetarian.
Cost: $88++ on regular days, $288++ for the Valentine's Day special (What? You gotta pay for romance in this city, OK?)
9. Go to surfers paradise
Wavehouse Sentosa is a great way to see each other frolic about in a swimsuit without looking like a perv. 'Nuff said. There's the Flowrider if you're just starting, but if you're both Bondi Beach regulars, we guess the Flowbarrel is the closest you can get.
Cost: $12 — 105 depending on how long you can last before running off to the beach to take selfies
10. Go cosmic bowling (top pic)
OK, so maybe you don't really bowl under a blanket of constellations, but glow-in-the-dark bowling is kind of close. Orchid Bowl dims it down on Sun, Mon and Wed from 8pm — midnight at their The Chevrons outlet. Oh and if you leave the coloured pin standing on its own you get a game voucher.
Cost: $4.20 — 4.80 per game for non-members and cardholders
11. Stroke some kitties
Singapore welcomed our first cat cafe last year and it was crazy. You have to book in advance if you don't want to wait hours to get in and last we heard, they were all booked up. But hey, if you both love cats, Neko no Niwa is a pretty neat spot. And once you're done there, you can take a walk around the area to see how Boat Quay's revamp is shaping up.
Cost: $12/hr per person, $5 for every subsequent 1/2hr per person
12. Paint together while you appreciate tea
Mondays are couple days at Arteastiq, a European-style tea lounge that holds Art Jam sessions thrice weekly. If you insist on dating in crowded Orchard, escape here for three hours and enjoy a cup of English floral, fruit or dessert tea while you show off your artistic chops on a 50cm x 50cm cotton canvas each. Running Man fans, Kang Gary was at Arteastiq just last month.
13. Custom a couple scent at Singapore's oldest perfumery
You can go to Penhaligon's, which you probably knew nothing about until they first opened at ION, or you can sink your senses in your city's own history at Sifr Aromatics, run by a third-generation perfumier. Johari Kazura may have inherited the idea from his grandfather, but his dedication is profound — besides learning on the job, the man's also taken classes in the French Riviera. Call to make an appointment and when you're done, hop next door to the teh sarabat stall and catch up on life.
14. See what Singapore looks like from a chopper
Probably not an activity for just about any date (see cost below), but if you've got dough to splash or really, really want to apologise for being an arse, why not? For 30 minutes Singapore Heli-Services will fly you above the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, CBD, Northern coastline, Southern Islands and much more, while the pilot gives you a live commentary via the stereo headsets.
Cost: About $1,299 for two
15. Drink craft beer... on tap... at a hawker centre
For real, man! As if it wasn't enough he'd set up a craft beer stall in the middle of Chinatown Food Centre, good man Daniel Goh has now collaborated with Brewers' Craft to present Smith Street Taps. The specialty stall is also in Chinatown Food Centre and offers up brands like Brewdog, Deschutes and Jungle Beer, on tap! Ermagad is right.
Cost: About $9 — 13 a pint
16. Sing karaoke
In Clarke Quay. Wait wait wait, hear us out. Clarke Quay's not just a spot for epic brawls and drunken dips, it's also where Tang Music Box is located. If you both love singing (or if it's your second date and you wanna show off your falsetto), we really can't think of a better place. The Mini room looks like a restaurant booth (just the right size for a good natter if you end up dumping the mike at some point) complete with a 'digital menu' and you can blow the entire minimum spend The Meeting Place, a 'convenience store' smack dab in the middle of the venue that offers more than your run-of-the-mill karaoke snacks (think sea salt chips and Hello Kitty biscuits).
Cost: Cover charge for a Mini is $5 — 10 per person with a $40 minimum spend
17. 'Spin' your playlist at a retro-style bar
Want to go full 'hipster'? Go cafe-shopping in Jalan Besar and top off Friday night at retro-style Suprette. They brew their own beers weekly on their WilliamsWarn and give half-pint samples away for free on Playlist Night, which you'll have to chope in advance. If you have great taste in music (trust in the Suprette peeps, they'll let you know if you suck), you'll be listening to your jam all night. Also, they've got a pretty complete whisky list.
Cost: $12 — 20 per drink
See more cool things to do with your S/O:
Spas in Singapore that make you feel you're on vacation
Hotels in Singapore that make you feel you're on vacation
8 unusual cupcake flavours to try with your daredevil other
If you've lived in Singapore long enough — our gauge is about 20 years or so — everything is boring. The Singapore Flyer? Bah, we get the same view from our CBD office without the vertigo. Staycation in a five-star hotel? We rather spend our money on a real holiday. Theatre, zoo, shopping? Nothing interesting on now, overdone, just did that. Also, Valentine's Day is looming — and there's only so much sex a couple can have — so what else is on the agenda? The team at Coconuts Singapore racked our brains and found some stuff worth getting excited about. In fact, who's waiting for Valentine's Day? We're already working through this list as we speak. Have fun!
1. Soak in hot spring water
Founded by a Chinese merchant in 1908, the Sembawang Hot Spring features a bricked up well, a couple of metal pipes pumping out natural mineral water from the ground and... well, that's about it. At first glance it looks a bit like an abandoned wasteland and if you don't see the small groups of people soaking their legs in pails and chatting with each other, you'll probably think it is. For your date, we suggest you and your partner each bring a plastic tub to soak your whole body in, an exfoliator so you can scrub each other and a bottle of wine. Pro-tip: If you have sinus, soak some Vicks Vaporub in the tub of hot spring water and hold your face over the steam for about 30 seconds.
Cost: $0
2. Soak in a Japanese onsen with a snow mountain view
OK so maybe scrubbing each other's backs in full view of aunties and uncles is a bit unnerving. If you're willing to fork out the cash, go to Ikeda Spa Prestige and soak in their onsen (Japanese-style hot spring bath) instead. The traditional washing area and 'window' will make you feel like you're sitting right in the middle of the countryside in winter. You'll be separated from your partner in the onsen, but before or after that you can do a couple combo featuring a chocolate massage (the massage oil is mixed with chocolate essence for a delightful aroma without the ick), a white chocolate scrub and a red rose-infused hot bath.
Cost: Onsen only $80 per person, Valentine's Day Choco Love Spa package $188+
3. Ride into the sunset
Who needs to jostle with a million other couples on Orchard Road when you can commune with nature, in particular, horses? Gallop Stables' outlet in Pasir Ris comes complete with a cafe and cycling trails, but what you want to go for are the trail horse rides. There's an hour-long one for inexperienced riders that will take you round the Fairways Green Track. There'll be a handler, but just pretend they're not there and talk romance along the way.
Cost: $95 — 100 for 45 mins
4. Tour Sentosa on a Segway
Sure you've been to Sentosa. But have you explored it with an official guide riding a Segway Personal Transporter? Loads of Instagram-worthy photos can be taken as you say hi to the Merlion, mark your spot on the three sun-kissed beaches and catch a pink dolphin frolicking in the water.
Cost: $12 for Segway newbies at the Gogreen circuit, $98 — 118 for Sentosa tour, includes Meet the Dolphins and Fur Seals session
5. Go for a drive in a supercar on the F1 track (and on the ECP too, if you wanna)
Ultimate Drive lets you take a supercar along the famous F1 track for 15 minutes or stretch it out to half an hour via the East Coast Parkway. If you're super driver, go ahead and take the wheels, but you've also got the option of having someone drive you. You can't both get in one car, though, so if you want this to be a coupley thing, be prepared to splash some dough on a car each. You can split the drive though, so you each get a taste of the Ferrari and Lambo.
Cost: $298 — 788, 20% off if driven
6. Eat an animal together — every part of it
If you both love to eat and experiment, definitely do this. Inspired by one-Michelin-starred restaurant in London St. John, WOLF is the first to offer nose-to-tail dining in Singapore. Yes, that means you eat an entire animal, from nose to tail. Not only is the idea quirky, the dishes promise to be, too. Order up anything from pig's head & trotter brawn ($18) to honeycomb tripe gratin (part of $32 — 36 weekly lunch menu), but think twice about posting the photos on Facebook — you might give your vegetarian friends a fright.
Cost: $10 — 78 mains on ala carte menu
7. Eat on a farm, kampong-style
Actually you know what? If both of you really like animals and nature, why not just go the whole way? Bollywood Veggies is a farm and bistro, and easily one of our favourite spaces in the city. There's a minimum attendance if you want to do a full farm tour or a cooking class, but they'll give you a map if you want to wander on your own. Afterwards, tuck into a farm-to-table meal of banana curry, jackfruit lemak and acar fish at the Poison Ivy Bistro (that's owner Ivy Singh-Lim in the photo, she whips up some of the delish food!) before taking home some fresh produce.
Cost: $0 for entry
8. Enjoy a meal in pitch darkness
Easily one of the most thrilling dining experiences we've ever had in Singapore, Nox is a modern European restaurant set in the glorious Arab quarters that forces you to engage all your senses, but that of sight. You'll learn what to expect over a quick cocktail and amuse bouche, then a blind or visually-impaired wait staff will take you upstairs to a room that's completely void of light. Seriously. You can wave a hand right in front of your face and you won't see it. The meal here is prix fixe — yeah, we know, you're sick of set meals, especially the V-Day ones — but it contains good doses of experimental and plain fabulous, promise. And they also do vegan/vegetarian.
Cost: $88++ on regular days, $288++ for the Valentine's Day special (What? You gotta pay for romance in this city, OK?)
9. Go to surfers paradise
Wavehouse Sentosa is a great way to see each other frolic about in a swimsuit without looking like a perv. 'Nuff said. There's the Flowrider if you're just starting, but if you're both Bondi Beach regulars, we guess the Flowbarrel is the closest you can get.
Cost: $12 — 105 depending on how long you can last before running off to the beach to take selfies
10. Go cosmic bowling (top pic)
OK, so maybe you don't really bowl under a blanket of constellations, but glow-in-the-dark bowling is kind of close. Orchid Bowl dims it down on Sun, Mon and Wed from 8pm — midnight at their The Chevrons outlet. Oh and if you leave the coloured pin standing on its own you get a game voucher.
Cost: $4.20 — 4.80 per game for non-members and cardholders
11. Stroke some kitties
Singapore welcomed our first cat cafe last year and it was crazy. You have to book in advance if you don't want to wait hours to get in and last we heard, they were all booked up. But hey, if you both love cats, Neko no Niwa is a pretty neat spot. And once you're done there, you can take a walk around the area to see how Boat Quay's revamp is shaping up.
Cost: $12/hr per person, $5 for every subsequent 1/2hr per person
12. Paint together while you appreciate tea
Mondays are couple days at Arteastiq, a European-style tea lounge that holds Art Jam sessions thrice weekly. If you insist on dating in crowded Orchard, escape here for three hours and enjoy a cup of English floral, fruit or dessert tea while you show off your artistic chops on a 50cm x 50cm cotton canvas each. Running Man fans, Kang Gary was at Arteastiq just last month.
13. Custom a couple scent at Singapore's oldest perfumery
You can go to Penhaligon's, which you probably knew nothing about until they first opened at ION, or you can sink your senses in your city's own history at Sifr Aromatics, run by a third-generation perfumier. Johari Kazura may have inherited the idea from his grandfather, but his dedication is profound — besides learning on the job, the man's also taken classes in the French Riviera. Call to make an appointment and when you're done, hop next door to the teh sarabat stall and catch up on life.
14. See what Singapore looks like from a chopper
Probably not an activity for just about any date (see cost below), but if you've got dough to splash or really, really want to apologise for being an arse, why not? For 30 minutes Singapore Heli-Services will fly you above the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, CBD, Northern coastline, Southern Islands and much more, while the pilot gives you a live commentary via the stereo headsets.
Cost: About $1,299 for two
15. Drink craft beer... on tap... at a hawker centre
For real, man! As if it wasn't enough he'd set up a craft beer stall in the middle of Chinatown Food Centre, good man Daniel Goh has now collaborated with Brewers' Craft to present Smith Street Taps. The specialty stall is also in Chinatown Food Centre and offers up brands like Brewdog, Deschutes and Jungle Beer, on tap! Ermagad is right.
Cost: About $9 — 13 a pint
16. Sing karaoke
In Clarke Quay. Wait wait wait, hear us out. Clarke Quay's not just a spot for epic brawls and drunken dips, it's also where Tang Music Box is located. If you both love singing (or if it's your second date and you wanna show off your falsetto), we really can't think of a better place. The Mini room looks like a restaurant booth (just the right size for a good natter if you end up dumping the mike at some point) complete with a 'digital menu' and you can blow the entire minimum spend The Meeting Place, a 'convenience store' smack dab in the middle of the venue that offers more than your run-of-the-mill karaoke snacks (think sea salt chips and Hello Kitty biscuits).
Cost: Cover charge for a Mini is $5 — 10 per person with a $40 minimum spend
17. 'Spin' your playlist at a retro-style bar
Want to go full 'hipster'? Go cafe-shopping in Jalan Besar and top off Friday night at retro-style Suprette. They brew their own beers weekly on their WilliamsWarn and give half-pint samples away for free on Playlist Night, which you'll have to chope in advance. If you have great taste in music (trust in the Suprette peeps, they'll let you know if you suck), you'll be listening to your jam all night. Also, they've got a pretty complete whisky list.
Cost: $12 — 20 per drink
See more cool things to do with your S/O:
Spas in Singapore that make you feel you're on vacation
Hotels in Singapore that make you feel you're on vacation
8 unusual cupcake flavours to try with your daredevil other