During his visit to Singapore during the Formula 1 (F1) weekend, a man claimed he spent a night along Marina Bay.
Instead of splurging on a hotel, he resorted to sleeping outdoors after struggling to find budget-friendly options amid the soaring prices.
However, the man admitted that he could have planned better to avoid such a situation.
The tourist, who goes by the name Tom Brew on TikTok, shared his experience in a post on 15 Nov.
By making do with a piece of cloth on the grass, he saved himself from the exorbitant hotel prices.
Based on a clip showing his spot along the river, he even had a view of the Singapore Flyer.
Source: @tom.brew4 on TikTok
According to Tom, hotel prices hiked up more than fourfold during the peak season of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend — which happened between 3 and 5 Oct.
His screenshots revealed that prices of a single bed at Little India dipped as low as less than S$100 from 9 to 10 Oct, the week after F1.
Source: @tom.brew4 on TikTok
During the F1 weekend, however, prices at the same location were much higher when he attempted same-day bookings.
Even a single bed in a dormitory would have set him back almost S$500, and rooms appeared to run out quickly.
Source: @tom.brew4 on TikTok
While he saved some money, Tom acknowledged that he was “very tired” because of the poor sleep.
In the comments section, he also mentioned he encountered mosquitoes at night which made him itch the next day.
“So maybe next time I will indeed do a bit of pre-planning,” lamented Tom.
Source: @tom.brew4 on TikTok
Several netizens pointed out that this was the price of visiting Singapore during the F1 weekend.
Source: TikTok
Meanwhile, another user suggested more budget-friendly options such as Hotel 81 outlets.
They added that although the hotel outlets are not located near Marina Bay Sands, it still “beats sleeping in the heat, humidity, and being food for mosquitoes”.
Source: TikTok
A commentor also observed that many people sleep around Marina Bay.
In response, Tom confirmed that there were others like him who had spent the night there.
Source: TikTok
The tourist had observed a few homeless people resting under the bridge.
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Featured image adapted from @tom.brew4 on TikTok.