• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work & Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
      • Readers’ Choice Awards
        • hotelier Robert HauckHis Story: Robert helps launch a new hotel in Singapore
        • horoscopes for julyHoroscopes for April 2023!
        • What’s On: Things to do, what’s new and more
        • luxury villas in BaliLuxury villas in Bali to buy or rent!
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • horoscopes for julyHoroscopes for April 2023!
        • HSBC Singapore Sevens 2022What’s on this week and beyond
        • Art course and drawing lessonsParties and themed camps to captivate your kids!
        • easter events toy shops in SingaporeHave a Hoppin’ Good Time this April at Tanglin Mall
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • Art course and drawing lessonsParties and themed camps to captivate your kids!
        • Too much OCD or ADHD medication for kids?
        • Seriously cool children’s furniture & kids beds
        • easter events toy shops in SingaporeHave a Hoppin’ Good Time this April at Tanglin Mall
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • Home News: New furniture, home décor & services
        • Seriously cool children’s furniture & kids beds
        • Contemporary Rugs and Floor Coverings – who bought what?
        • Havana Interiors home stylistsNeed decorators, home stylists or an interior designer?
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • Travel News & Hotel Deals
        • luxury villas in BaliLuxury villas in Bali to buy or rent!
        • property in sydneyBuying property in Sydney
        • international health insurance for singapore expatsHealth insurance for Singapore expats
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • New Nibbles: Foodie news!
        • tadcaster best steak sandwich singaporeThe ‘best steak sandwich’ makes its debut in Singapore!
        • easter brunches and buffets singaporeEaster Brunches – Easter food buffets & free-flow!
        • All you need to know about Crab Bee Hoon in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • Beauty news: New beauty products, makeup and more!
        • Fashion News and Sales in Singapore!
        • Niessing gold jewellery in SingaporeI discovered a 150-year-old jeweller in Singapore!
        • slimming facial massage review facial ginzaWe review a Japanese slimming facial massage!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • health supplements singaporeProbiotics and health supplements to boost your immunity!
        • Health News: What’s up!
        • Too much OCD or ADHD medication for kids?
        • weight gainLondon Weight Management reviews dangers of weight gain
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • Close

Guide to living in Woodlands

6th September 2017 by Michaela Bisset 4 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/where-to-live-in-singapore-guide-to-woodlands/

Whether you’re already living in Singapore and looking to move to a new neighbourhood or moving here from overseas, nothing beats hearing from the residents themselves! We speak to Alicia Mirabelli and her family, about the ins and outs of living on Beechwood Grove in Woodlands.

Woodlands Singapore
The Mirabelli family

THE SPECIFICS

Where do you live? Beechwood Grove.

Exact words you tell a taxi driver to get home? “Beechwood Grove; it’s nearby the Singapore American School, Street 41”

What’s the name of your neighbourhood? Woodlands.

Closest MRT station? Marsiling MRT.

How long have you lived here? Two years.

Why here? Our family moved from Ang Mo Kio to be closer to my children’s school.

THE SCENE

When you walk out of your place, the first thing you see is: A beautiful residential neighbourhood of homes – and palm trees!

The closest store to your front door is: FairPrice is close by; we can walk there which is really handy.

Your neighbours are great, but you wouldn’t mind a little less: Our neighbours are great! We can count on them to help move items, change a tyre, or share a cup of tea. Our streets are quite narrow though, so when people park on the streets it gets a little tight.

The unofficial uniform of your street is: Flip-flops, shorts and t-shirts.

Which celebrity would be most likely to move in next door, and why? Angelina Jolie could move in across the street, because the house is so huge that it would fit her and her large family

When you’re in need of a dose of culture, you: Have a meal at one of the local hawker centres.

If you’re missing home, you: Head to the city – usually to Tanglin Mall or Orchard Central.

A mandatory stop for out-of-town guests is: Lau Pa Sat for the great local food options, and it gives you a real feel for the city.

You’d swap houses in a second with: My friend, Kate! She has a huge house with a great pool, perfect for neighbourhood parties.

A common myth about your neighbourhood is: It’s full of Americans! Yes, there are quite a few American families; however, there are many other nationalities living here as well. Also, Woodlands seems to get a lot of bad press about it being so far from the city. However, we have found it is perfect for our family. It’s only about a 20- to 30-minute ride to the city and honestly, that is close compared to where we lived in the States.

Living in Woodlands has given us the opportunity to have a larger home and enjoy a sense of community, while still having access to the MRT’s North-South line (the “red line”) that goes straight to Orchard. Our neighborhood also arranges exercise classes, bike rides, morning coffees and fun evening outs.

If you’re ever woken up at night, it’s almost always due to: It’s really quiet here. If I’m ever woken up, it’s due to thunder. We have some massive storms that roll in off the coast and the thunder is quite loud.

A late-night rager on your street is likely to be: On occasion, neighbours will get together for a happy hour and bring food and drinks to share; we like to play games and spend time together.

THE SUPERLATIVES

Your hands-down favourite neighbourhood joints are: We go to Causeway Point, a mall about a 15-minute walk away, for sushi at Ichiban Boshi and the Cathay movie theatre. Nearby is the horse track and Cheval Café Bar Bistro where it’s nice to have dinner, and sometimes you can get a peek at the horses. We love Italian food and there is a great Italian restaurant, IO Italian Osteria, at Hillview – it’s about a 15-minute drive.

You won’t find better local food than at: Al-Ameen at 35 Marsiling Industrial Estate Road does great Indian food.

The strangest thing you’ve ever seen on your street is: When a local neighbour’s wife passed away, the family set up a huge tent that took up the entire road for about seven days. Hundreds of people came by to pay their respects, and people were cooking food all day long.

We love a good bargain. The best deals in your neighbourhood are: At the local hardware shop – you can pick up many useful household items at a reasonable cost.

The guiltiest pleasure in your area is: The amazing treats made for us by our neighbours – we swap recipes!

One thing you’d never change is: The close proximity to my children’s school; it saves them a lot of time in travelling to and from school. Now, they have more time for homework, sleep and hanging out with their friends.

But one thing you wouldn’t mind seeing go is: Our neighbourhood sees quite a few expats come and go. It breaks our hearts to form good relationships and then see friends leave to go to other countries; I wish we could all stay for a longer time.

What’s unique about the neighbourhood? Our Halloween activities! The annual trick or treating at Woodlands is unlike anywhere in the world. The Halloween committee requests government permits to block the streets, people decorate their houses, and we set up security, plus a first-aid station. Between 5,000 and 7,000 people come to our small community to trick or treat; adults and children dress up in costumes and go from home to home asking for a special treat. Each home purchases candy for the event and we also ask for donations from the people attending, which really helps with the costs. It’s a lot of fun for everyone.

 

This is an extract from an article that first appeared in the June 2017 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy for the full article, or Subscribe now so you never miss an issue!

We have a whole heap of Neighbourhood Guides and videos to help you get to know your hood! Or, check out more about Living in Singapore.

 

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

Categories: Living in Singapore Neighbourhood Guides Tags: Living In Singapore Moving in Singapore Moving To Singapore Woodlands

Michaela Bisset

Michaela is London born but Singapore grown. Third culture kid. She’s always on the lookout for the best drinking deals and latest vegetarian bites.

You May Also Like

hotelier Robert Hauck

His Story: Robert helps launch a new hotel in Singapore

luxury villas in Bali

Luxury villas in Bali to buy or rent!

Facing University challenges university in singapore

Prepare your child for university in Singapore

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2023 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.