Every love story deserves to be on film. So ditch the romantic dinner in Singapore, the pinnacle of dating cliches. After all, everyone does it, literally everyone. (Come on, people.) Unless, of course, you can make the whole romantic dinner yourself. But you can do better than just idling in your serviced apartment. (Don’t just book a hotel room for a staycation either). Looking for date ideas in Singapore? Heighten your dating experience to cinematic heights with these Oscar-Worthy Romantic Date Locations in Singapore.

Table of Contents

• • • 1. Find La La Land at Raffles Marina Lighthouse
      
    • 2. In the Mood for Love at The Scarlet Hotel
      
    • 3. Call Me By Your Name at Upper Peirce Reservoir
      
    • 4. Her at Marina One
    • 5. The Worst Person in the World at Pearl’s Hill City Park
    • MetroResidences Singapore Serviced Apartments—Your Home Base for Travels Beyond

Okay, maybe it’s not technically an indie film, but it’s hard to look away from all the film’s breathtaking visages of Los Angeles. In the film, Ryan Gosling plays Seb, a struggling jazz pianist, and Emma Stone is Mia, an aspiring actress. They both fall in love as they pursue their dreams in La La Land. And after one of their first dates, as they part ways, Seb croons about the City of Stars as he walks along an empty pier. 

Well, we’ll one-up them with an extra lighthouse at the end of the pier—the Raffles Marina Lighthouse. It’s all the way at Tuas, though, a 10-minute walk from Tuas Link MRT. The lighthouse is located at the Raffles Marina Club, but it’s open to the public daily from 8am to 10pm.

But it’s going to be well worth the trek. As evening comes, the sky will be a burst of colours, the sea’s cerulean crashing with the golden sunset. You don’t need to do much with your date. You can talk about life, how things are going, what you both want, as your feet hang over the pier above the calm waves.

Raffles Marina Lighthouse, 10 Tuas West Drive, Singapore 638404

2. In the Mood for Love at The Scarlet Hotel

One of the greatest films of all time, this seminal romantic drama follows Su Li-Zhen (Maggie Cheung) and Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) toe the line of infidelity. Every scene simmers with anticipation, as they pass between hallways, corridors, bedrooms. 

At The Scarlet Hotel, you can recreate how the film explores and teases the tension between the two lovers. The line of dramatic windows covered in vermillion, perhaps it’s also a vision from another timeless love story—《红楼梦》, Dream of the Red Chamber.

You could plan a stay overnight there. Perhaps you can start your stay with a decadent lunch of French pastries at the La Grigne Patisserie. Or let the evening begin with a sumptuous Italian feast over at Pasta Brava, before letting tasting one (or two) wines from their impeccable selections. Then retire into one of their lusciously gorgeous hotel rooms.

The Scarlet Hotel, 33 Erskine Rd, Singapore 069333

3. Call Me By Your Name at Upper Peirce Reservoir

The coming-of-age romantic drama follows Elio and Oliver as they navigate their growing affections. They scour through the most serene, most beautiful parts of Italy as they chase after each other. But in one scene, at Fontanile Quarantina—Elio’s secret spot—share their first kiss. It’s just a small pond, where the waters are clear, surrounded by trees.

Well, we wouldn’t recommend diving into mosquito-infested ponds, big or small, in Singapore. But if you want quiet time over a peaceful body of water, consider the Upper Peirce Reservoir to get out of the glum of your living spaces.

 The reservoir was built to increase the capacity of the original Peirce Reservoir by serving as a water catchment area. It’s perfect for couples that love the great outdoors. There you can barely see traces of the city. And if you two cycle there in the open plains, it’s just like how Elio and Oliver biked to Fontanile Quarantina too.

Upper Peirce Reservoir, Along Old Upper Thomson Road

Getting There:

By Bus

163, 167, 169, 652, 855, 980: Alight at Bef Yio Chu Kang Road (Bus stop ID: 56031) or Aft Yio Chu Kang Road (Bus stop ID: 56039).

Walk around 3.2 km or 40 min via Old Upper Thomson Road to the park entrance.

By MRT

Nearest MRT Station: Lentor MRT Station. It is about 4.2km away.

4. Her at Marina One

Directed by Spike Jonze, ‘Her’ is a sci-fi romantic drama between Theodore and his artificially intelligent operating system, Samantha. Theodore could work through his loneliness with Samantha, bringing her along on trips to beaches and the mountains. The film expounds on the very idea of being human, and how we connect with each other. 

Now, we’re not saying that you won’t find a human date. We promise. We just love how the movie explores how technology interfaces with nearly all aspects of the human condition. We think Marina One perfectly encapsulates that. If the setting for ‘Her’ was based in Singapore, this could be where they would’ve filmed some of the scenes.

We love the garden at the heart of the development, its ‘Green Heart‘. Christoph Ingenhoven envisioned it as a sanctuary for communities to meet at the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District. Kathryn Gustafson of Gustafson Porter + Bowman then developed and designed the garden, where you can take in and enjoy the lush flora amidst the serenity of quiet waterfalls.

 7 Straits View, Singapore 018936

Near Marina Bay MRT, Shenton MRT, and Downtown.

5. The Worst Person in the World at Pearl’s Hill City Park

 You may not have heard of this little gem before. But it is a breathless chronicle across four years in the life of Julie, a young woman. She struggles through the troubled waters of her romances and her career, before she finally takes a serious look at who she really is.

Director Joachim Trier sets the film in Oslo, and in one dream sequence, when she imagines going on a date with another man even as she already has a boyfriend. This is when the iconic sequence starts: the whole world stops as she pours her morning coffee. Then she runs through the streets of Oslo amidst people frozen in time (actual pedestrians joined the production). She then finds this other man and kisses him, before ending up in St. Hanshaugen Park.

As they spend time together in the park, you can see how Oslo splays out right in front of them. You can get the same visage at Pearl’s Hill City Park too. It’s built around a reservoir on top of the eponymous hill, surrounded by the towering Tembusu Trees. If you’re lucky enough, you can see lotus blooming across the pond too. At night, you can enjoy how the towers of Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place lay out in front of you, their windows like stars in the bright night.

Chin Swee Road & Pearl’s Hill Rd, 169879

Nearest MRT: Outram Park MRT

MetroResidences Singapore Serviced Apartments—Your Home Base for Travels Beyond

Looking for your home away from home? Our Singapore apartment rentals and serviced apartments are perfect for a longer period of stay. We have properties in luxury developments across Singapore’s most coveted addresses: Bugis, Bukit Timah, Shenton Way, and Novena.

And, you can rest easy at any of our properties. We adhere to our strict Property Standards that account for the comfort and cleanliness of all our serviced apartments. Our fully-furnished apartments come with amenities like wi-fi, air conditioners, and a fully-equipped kitchen.