Megamalls In the City: Suntec City, Marina Square and Vivo City
While Orchard Road is a must-visit destination for tourists regardless whether you are a shopperholic or not, there are three magamalls that are located in the tourist areas outside Orchard Road which are easily accessible to tourists if you do not want to venture to the suburban malls. The scale of the three malls are bigger than most suburban malls and target both local shoppers and tourists alike.
Suntec City
The Fountain of Wealth in Suntec CitySuntec City is built on a reclaimed land and was opened in 1995. The place is built based on the principle of Feng Shui and the city is shaped like a man's left hand with five fingers (Tower 1 to 5) and a the Fountain of Wealth simulating wealth (water) flowing into a golden ring. Regardless the validity of such claim, the place has been flooded with people in a place which is out of the way in a non-prime location previously. The Esplanade MRT station (still wondering why it is not called Suntec) is expected to be in service in 2010. Suntec City is connected to City Hall MRT via the underground City Link Mall which is 10-15 minutes walk.
The place has a hugh convention hall which has held many important conventions and conferences over the years. There are many first class restaurants located at the basement near the fountain. The anchor tenant for Suntec is the French giant CarreFour which has been there since its inception. Click here to find out the shops available in Suntec.
The Hippotours and DUCktours counter is located just beside the convention hall food court (Food Republic) on level one. We highly recommend the DUCKtours which gives a detailed tour with explanation in the City Hall area to appreciate the history and interesting facts in this area. Click here for more information.
Marina Square
Like the Suntec City, Marina Square is also built on reclaimed land and is located in between Suntec City and Esplanade. Marina Square shopping mall is connected to Mandarin Oriental, Pan Pacific, Marina Mandarin and Ritz Carlton hotel. The place is quite large and house many restaurants, shops and cinemas. The anchor tenants are local emporium John Little and cinema chain Golden Village.
Vivo City
Located beside the Habourfront Centre and right opposite Sentosa island, the ferry terminal for ferries to Batam and cruise ships, Vivo City is currently the largest shopping in Singapore. It sits on the land previously occupied by the exhibition halls at the now defunct World Trade Centre (WTC), Singapore's premier exhibition and convention centre in the 80's.
Click this blog which has quite a fair coverage on the restaurants complete with pictures available in Vivo City. The Anchor tenants are VivoMart (giant), Best Denki, Golden Village, Food Republic and Denso. Click here to access the Official website.
The magnificent and clear view of the Resort World Sentosa (which is currently undergoing last phase of construction) is best viewed from Vivo City.
View ASkMeLah Tourist Map in a larger map
Last updated on Dec 2009