US tourists pleasantly surprised by Plaza Singapura, say it has stores they'd 'actually want to go in'

To Singaporeans, Plaza Singapura is just another mall along the famous Orchard Road shopping belt. 

But to first-time visitors like the Harper family, who hail from the US, the shopping centre was a nice change from what they were used to. 

Amber Harper, the mother of the family, recently uploaded a TikTok video last Sunday (Feb 11) documenting their experience at the mall. 

The well-travelled family, who were in Singapore for a few days only, had previously visited shopping centres in other parts of Asia like Thailand and Malaysia.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@harperfamilytravel/video/7334302694510791979[/embed]

However, they felt that so far Plaza Singapura was the first mall they had been to that the whole family mutually enjoyed. 

"A lot of the malls we’ve gone in are not 'regular people' malls, they are 'fancy people' malls," she said, adding that these places usually had luxury brands like Gucci and Dior. 

In contrast, Plaza Singapura had a variety of affordable retailers and eateries. 

"We loved this mall because it had a lot of kid-friendly, casual places to shop," said Amber. 

Apart from the shops, they were also impressed by other miscellaneous things like the themed karaoke joint and the vending machine that dispensed freshly squeezed orange juice. 

Amber shared that the family had visited Plaza Singapura so the kids could spend their Christmas money from their grandparents. 

In the comments, netizens recommended other similar malls that the family could visit in the future, such as Suntec City and VivoCity. 

Others encouraged them to visit heartland malls like IMM and Jem, which are located in the west. 

One local also said they should visit Parkway Parade in the east as it is an "underrated" shopping spot. 

Other tourists were less impressed by our malls

While the Harper family was satisfied by the malls in Singapore, others were not as impressed. 

Last August, one Australian tourist was stunned after visiting Marina Bay Sands (MBS). 

"Don't go to a shopping centre in Singapore unless you're rich," she had said in a TikTok video. 

She noted that the stores here were all designer brands such as Bottega Veneta, Hermes and Balenciaga. 

"I have not yet seen one affordable store that I could actually spend money at," she said. 

Netizens pointed out that she had visited one of the fancier malls in Singapore, which may have given her the wrong impression. 

Others told her that they too could not afford anything at MBS, while some recommended that she visit other "less expensive" malls like Suntec City, Marina Square and VivoCity. 

ALSO READ: Tourist shares 5 things that surprised him about Singapore

melissateo@asiaone.com