Amenities and Conveniences

Most housing estates in Singapore come with suites of "services" (some prefer to call it "infrastructure" even though it is so much more).

They range from food (coffee shop, food court, hawker centre, wet market, provision shop, bakery), beauty (barber, hair salon), health (clinic, traditional Chinese medicinal hall), transport (bus terminal, MRT station, petrol station), education (school, library) to social services (community club).

Among them, coffee shops, hawker centre, food courts, wet markets and provision shops are unique to most visitors.

Coffee shops are our local version of western cafes where you can have your breakfast, lunch and dinner or just have a cup of coffee or tea while enjoying a chat with friends. Depending on the size, there may be other food stalls selling local dishes like fish ball noodle, roti prata, carrot cake, hokkien or wan tan noodle.

Hawker centre are like a big common place where all hawker stalls selling their brand of local dishes and delights congregate. There are some with more than 100 stall in operation. It is like being in a food heaven and you will be spoilt for choice.

Food courts are found in almost every shopping centre/mall nowadays. Unlike coffee shops and hawker centres, these are up-market, trendy, air-conditioned and very well furnished. You can find a variety of local delights, Japanese, Korean and even Western cuisines. This concept of having hawker centre style dining in air-conditioned comfort started in the 80s in Scotts Shopping Centre where PICNIC, the first food court, opened in Singapore.

These are the places where the majority of us have our meals. A typical meal costs between S$3 to S$5 for a bowl of noodle or chicken rice depending on the location.

Provision shops are our local version of 7-Eleven convenient stores. Such businesses are often passed down through the generations. Most owners are very friendly and always willing for a good chat. However, these are being edged out by the big boys and will disappear from our landscape soon.

Wet markets, taken literally, refer to markets with wet floors. In wet markets, you can find raw produce like pork, beef, mutton, fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables. These are fresh compared to those you find in supermarkets. They come direct from the abattoir, fish and fresh goods wholesale centres.

Wet markets are usually situated beside hawker centres. How convenient right? After buying your groceries, head right over to the hawker centre for a good meal.

Do you see a concept of self sufficient living clusters? That is exactly what it is. Every residential cluster is like a small satellite township with its own internal services for its residents making convenience the living norm in Singapore.

With every satellite town comes a town centre that buzzes with activities from the shopping centre/mall, cinemas, fast food restaurants, fashion shops and the whole suite of "services" previously described above. Places of worship like churches, temples and mosque are close by too.

In Singapore, no matter which part of the island you are staying at, you will not feel restricted in any way even without a car. Everything is within easy reach via our very efficient public transportation system.