Hi Emma
And thanks mm, lots of what you said I agree with.
This is to Emma.
Holland Village is a great place. Lots of shops and good Cold Storage supermarket and it is the main place in Singapore where Expats live. Ask anyone where most live and that's it. It also has good pubs, again mostly expat. You feel at home there. Lots of locals too, so a good mix. The areas to live spread around the village for about two or three miles..Holland Road, Farrer Road, Adam Road, Portsdown Road, Dover Road etc. Those are the main areas with the
condo's which expats favour. Also, there is, further out, The British Club area, Swiss Club and Dutch club areas, all mostly bungalows and houses, but not strictly true. Large old fashioned beautiful Singaporean 'Black and White' houses in these areas too, but v. expensive.
OK, I will be honest here. You CAN find accomodation for $2500 but you will be pushing it. I am not sure what you will get, maybe a much smaller place, or perhaps a house. I think this will rule you out of any of the newer
condos, with the pools, gyms etc. That is not to say that you could not get somewhere, but maybe not in Holland Area, well, not as much of a place as you would get further out.
East Coast is an up and coming area, but much further out. Lots of parks out there, and of course, the sea is near. However, be warned, it's not the sea as you and I know it. No waves, very warm, but not clear and sparkling like other areas. The water is very safe, controlled of bugs etc, but processed so sometimes it's a bit like swimming in opaque water. Though very clean. And for little toddlers the weather is very warm so too many times on the beach isn't such a good idea. I have to say that most expats do not spend too much time on the beach with the kids, perhaps at weekends, so unless you like the beach areas, it's not such a big attraction living near there.
It would be very very difficult to walk into Raffles from either area. Almost impossible really as the traffic is so heavy, pollution and weather very heavy sometimes, and anyway, taxis are good. The Botanic Gardens is a beautiful area, but not really for tiny kids, although they may now have a play area. To be really honest with you, parks are not somewhere you take your kids all that often as the weather is so hot. To walk from Holland Village into downtown Sing is possible, about a two or three mile walk, but again, alongside very heavily trafficked roads. Never any quiet walks between those areas. The only way you can meet hubby at lunch really is to go by taxi, especially if you're planning on getting pregnant as it would be too much and too far otherwise.
The buses, mrt's and all forms of public transport in Sing is great, cheap, clean and always on time. But, very crowded. Mostly. It is almost impossible to get a taxi at about 3.30 to 4.30 when kids out of school or if it rains, when everyone jumps into one.
Cars are ridiculously expensive, but mm is right, most companies who take you out there give you either a car deal or a no interest finance deal where you can afford to buy one. No worries about losing out with depreciation when you go to sell it also, as cars hold their value.
Pre and antinatal care is wonderful in Singapore, but be warned, it is VERY expensive and be sure that your company will cover you for this. They may not do so. Especially if you go out with just the one child, and they know this when they take you or hubby on. It's not happened to me, as hubby's company would have paid pregnancy care, but I do know of other women it has happened to. Company just refused, and said, well, why not return to homeland....and the people had not looked into the small print of contract, because yes, it was there in black and white.
There are many other options in accomodation you could follow. I would, myself if I returned, consider HDB, local housing schemes, but that is because I know Singapore so well, and I am now older and have many friends there. However, there is no way I would have when I'd gone out first, as I had little ones and I was all at sea about going, very homesick etc and I needed to be around my countrymen, and that meant living in the expat areas, going to expat clubs....etc. I know, when I look back now I could slap myself, but I still realise that I needed it then and people move on. With a tiny one and perhaps one on the way, maybe you should look carefully about where you stay.
There are links on this site to good agents. Or, why not just post a new thread asking something like, 'I have $2500, can anyone find me something in Holland or East Coast?'
My choice would definitely be Holland Village though, as I still love it there, and Wala Wala the pub is great, the hawker centres are good, and you can get anything there. Mind you.......not cheap.
Try not to be put off, I only speak as I find, after eight years stay out there, and two or three visits a year, I still feel Singaporean, even though I'm Welsh.
Can I be an honourary Singaporean you lot?
Byeeeeeeeeee