Did you know that there’s a floating café and bookstore aboard an actual ship right here in Singapore? We heard that the popular travelling international book fair, Doulos Hope is now docked in Singapore, so we just had to pay a visit.
The Doulos Hope ship is docked at VivoCity, and entrance is completely free: you can either pre-register to visit online or simply walk-in and register on-site. Doulos Hope used to be an actual cruise ship, but has since been decommissioned and converted into a floating international book fair and café that travels to ports all around the world. The bookstore boasts some over 2000 titles from more than 15 different book categories, so you definitely have plenty of options to choose from depending on your interest.
Prices for books start from as low as just $2.50 each, and you can find books like fiction novels from bestselling authors, classic literature, motivational/inspirational self-help books, cookbooks, children’s picture books, comics, science books, religious texts and more. They’ve got a pretty vast selection of titles, but our favourite part of the bookstore is definitely the view. We got to look out over the ship’s deck as we browsed to enjoy the cool breeze and stunning view of the sea—truly a one-of-a-kind book shopping experience you won’t find anywhere else.
Aside from books, you can also find a small selection of Doulos Hope merchandise like lanyards, wristbands, mugs and stationery; along with some other lifestyle goods like play dough, fidget spinners, playing cards, and keychains (from $5), just to name a few. One thing to note is that they use a unique currency of “units” to price all their items (ie. 100 units = $5 SGD); but not to worry, there are plenty of charts pasted all around the store that you can refer to and make the price conversions easily.
After perusing the book store, we headed to the Hope Café, the in-house café onboard the ship. Don’t expect a fully-fledged dining experience from the café, as they don’t offer any cooked or pre-prepared food items. But they do have a modest selection of chilled soft drinks and snacks like chips, popcorn, biscuits and chocolate from $1.50 each. Though the F&B options at the café aren’t much to rave about, the view definitely makes up for it. There’s large communal tables where you can relax and enjoy the amazing views of Sentosa and beyond.
The Doulos Hope is currently docked along the Sentosa boardwalk at VivoCity, and open daily (except Mondays) from 3pm to 10pm.
Doulos Hope
Dates: Now till 28th July 2024
Address: VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk, Sentosa Boardwalk, Singapore 098585
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 3pm-10pm
