Singapore location advice

[singapore_xp]

Ok.. so I'm now in Singapore and doing some house hunting... the problem is, I have NO IDEA which areas to look in. I've searched the forums and found that the ex-pats tend to live in the east or city areas.. but I need some more advice...

To give you an idea, I'm looking for Singapore's version of the following:
Glebe, Sydney, Australia
Shimo-Kitazawa, Tokyo, Japan (or parts of Shibuya)
Prahran, Melbourne, Australia
Soho, New York

Basically, to sum it up, I'm looking for where the late 20's, early 30's crowd tends to hang out.

Orchard rd tends to be a bit of a tourist trap, so I'm looking for something a bit more down to earth and relaxed.

Hope someone can help..

[vaishali]

Hmmm, Holland Village might be up your alley.

East Coast is more for families I think.

Saying that, areas in and around the Orchard area are quite good, like River Valley, Cairnhill, Newton, Bukit Timah etc. Close to Orchard but far enough away to not feel crowded.

[Cheekybeek]

Yeah Holland Villiage, has that Glebe feel to it. Lots of nice eating places, trendy shops, and a healthy expat population. It has a very eclectic feel to it.

[marvin06]

Hi,

We're possibly moving to Singapore mid year and I'm trying to get a view on pricing (rent) for a house or townhouse, 4 bedrooms, Holland Park area.

Plenty of ads ranging from 3k per month to around 25k per month!, but no pictures so hard to judge quality from afar. We don't need a mansion, but would like something with a bit of a yard (have a dog), and a garage if that's possible.

Any views appreciated.

Regards