Holland Village

From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle

Holland Village, a short bus ride from the Singapore Botanic Gardens, is a popular place to hang out for expats and Singaporeans alike. Bounded by Lorong Liput, Lorong Mambong and parts of Holland Road and Holland Avenue, Holland Village has not lost its village atmosphere. No one knows exactly how Holland Village got its name, but it's common speculation that perhaps it was the favourite place of residence for the Dutch in colonial times. When the British troops were still in Singapore, Holland Village was their preferred place of abode; long after they left (in 1968), the semi-detached bungalows and terrace houses in which they used to live are still much sought after among new expat arrivals to Singapore.

Holland Village set the trend for wine bars in Singapore when Palm's Wine Bar (since closed) opened over 20 years ago. Since then, the area has developed a reputation as a fashionable place to eat and drink. Chic restaurants abound, offering a gamut of cuisines, from Mexican Cuisine and South Seas-inspired Cuisine to Indian Cuisine and Italian Cuisine. Holland Village is particularly lively at night.

Holland Village is best known for its host of fashionable restaurants and cafes concentrated on Lorong Mambong just back from the main road. Also popular are the arts and craft shops inside the Holland Road Shopping Centre. Here, you can find the Indonesian ikat shops, or Indian handicrafts stores. The shopping mall is also home to some genuinely excellent, though very pricey, antiques and art, as well as some New Age wares that promise to help you throw off the shackles of materialism for twice the going rate. Alternatively, you can pick up ethnic decor items at Holland Village from the rattan shops in Lorong Liput.

Opposite the Lorong Mambong restaurant strip at Holland Village is a surprisingly (and appealingly) unkempt market selling fruit and vegetables, meat and fish. No doubt it'll be torn down and renovated soon. On the other side of Holland Avenue, Jalan Merah Saga looks like a Sydney suburb; a strip of classy cafes, galleries, restaurants, suburban homes and condominiums populated largely by expat families.