Charles Dickens may have spoken of a tale of two cities; however, Singapore is like a tale of three or four! From the laid-back vibes of the island of Sentosa to the metropolis of the city and its combination of traditional and futuristic, Singapore offers a bit of everything.
Now, I can't speak about Singapore's politics or anything like that; I'm speaking purely as a tourist. I really loved my trip. I travelled with my friend and former flatmate, with whom I’ve visited Brussels, Budapest and Copenhagen, and we had a great time. Topline: the people are super friendly; the cost of food and drink is like London; transport is cheaper than London; and everything just seems to be super organised and run like clockwork.
Beach break
We opted to stay in Sentosa, a man-made island in the south of Singapore. In fact, the most southerly point of South East Asia was on our resort grounds. With the beach and pool mere moments away from our seaview room and the plethora of hotel restaurants, we were in paradise. After a very long flight and little sleep, we made our way for dinner and to enjoy an evening dip in the pool to start the holiday as we meant to go on.
We'd nabbed a deal at the Shangri-La - very fancy, I know - and the resort had everything we could need for a relaxing stay. We spent mornings, evenings and sometimes even full days lazing poolside reading, in the pool itself, or sitting in the jacuzzi section. While it was one big pool for both adults and children, an area was sealed off for adults only and it made a big difference. The cocktails served poolside were incredible, my favourite being a summer spize, which was watermelon, jalepeno and tequila. It wasn't overly sweet nor overly spicy. I didn't neglect the other watermelon cocktails on the menu though... but I did bypass any that didn't contain the pink fruit. What can I say? I love watermelon.
A short amble away was Siloso Beach, with a little private section for the hotel, plus the bit for the general public. I spent time on both, actually preferring the latter with its softer sands (originally shipped in from a couple of the neighbouring countries) and views behind the little islets of the many boats. From the hotel section, you had an enviable view of the cable cars, which my travel buddy went on, and was very complimentary of the island views from the high up spot.
I'm so glad we chose to stay on the island - we truly got the best of both worlds: city break and resort life. The weather was hot for the entire duration of our stay; however, we did have a few tropical showers. These were bursts of 10 minutes tops, then back to sun, and at one point I was able to swim in the rain, which was a rather cathartic experience. It was in this pool that I finally started making progress on another of my 30 before 30 items: I started swimming again, thanks to my friend.
My biggest indulgence on the trip has to be the two, back-to-back treatments I had in the spa. First, I had an aloe wrap to soothe my skin after all the sun; I've had one before, which was great, but this was even better. As well as being wrapped like a little cling film, aloe gel burrito, the therapist added a heated blanket on top of me while the aloe sunk in. It was so blissful that I drifted off to sleep. Then second, my God, I had the BEST massage I've ever had in my life. I've had many a massage in many a country and many a hotel, and none even came close to this experience. It was meant to be a neck and back massage, but the therapist massaged my whole body with techniques I'd never felt before. It felt like she had 10 hands, massaging and healing my sore back. It was heavenly. I'd not have batted an eyelid if she'd had quoted me £300 for it, but it didn't even cost a third of that.
Lush flora
Surrounding our hotel was an abundance of flora and fauna, and in the morning, we could hear beautiful bird song from our balcony. We spied the perpetrators of these different songs on our balcony and around the resort grounds, plus a plethora of other creatures like peacocks and large monitor lizards.
On one of our mornings, we joined a jungle walk. Well, we meant to join a group one, but in the end, it was just us two and the guide. I had hoped to see some monkeys, given the signs around the hotel and on balconies warning guests to mind their possessions in their presence, but we learnt that while they do frequent the area, they are coming out and about less and less.
Speaking of flora and fauna, many will be familiar with the joys of Changi Airport, and the plethora of things you can do there, such as seeing a waterfall, visiting a butterfly garden, watching new releases at the free cinema, and admiring a cactus garden... it's like a full day out! Word of warning though, apart from the waterfall and the shopping mall (the Jewel), everything else is only accessible after you check in. Many airlines do allow for early check-in, but BA is not one of them...
Sightseeing in the city
The most recognisable landmarks of Singapore are in the city centre; Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel building, and the merlion statue to name a few. We visited all but the statue - though we did see it across the bay from a distance.
First up, Marina Bay Sands. As we walked around the bay and towards it, you could see it in all its majesty. A taxi driver expressed some discomfort that it was so synonymous with their country, which as a commercial entity - a hotel - I could see why, but it is an imposing structure that is impressive both inside and out. It smelt gorgeous upon entry on the ground level, and that precision of excellent ambience continued up to our drinking spot of the evening, located on the 57th floor. We had a few drinks at C'est La Vie as day turned to night, and the panoramic views over the city were very impressive. My friend made the booking a month in advance to secure our spot, and it was worth it. Like everywhere else on our visit, the staff were friendly, and the service quick. Note, because of the lofty heights and the fact it is outdoors, it was windy, but to be honest, in the 31-degree plus temperatures, the breeze was welcomed.
Gardens by the Bay is a must visit, not least for its twice-nightly light shows at the Super Trees. We first visited the Cloud Garden, which had a temporary Avatar installation. To be honest, it was pretty cool without the Avatar angle - think Barbican Observatory on a larger scale. Following this visit, we ambled though the outdoor area to bag a prime position for the ever popular light show. We got there a good 45 minutes prior and people were already claiming spaces. The iconic structures come to life with light and sound effects for around 15 minutes once it got dark, and it was absolutely epic!! It's super dramatic and captivating, as the movement of the light matches the sounds; we heard classical compositions as we watched the lights.
As I mentioned earlier, I really loved the juxtaposition between old and new in Singapore. As well as these futuristic landmarks, we also visited the Sri Mariamman temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, which is adorned in ornate statutes on the outside and beautiful, colourful murals on the inside. Guests and locals alike can visit, but you must remove your footwear outside and have your legs, chest and shoulders covered. Covering shawls and scarfs are available at the entrance. We also passed by the Buddha Tooth Relic temple, but didn't venture inside.
As for the rest of the sightseeing, we took a brief meander east of the centre to snap photos of the colourful houses of Koon Seng Road, then got the bus to Little India. If you're in the market for jewellery; my goodness, this is the place to go: gorgeous, gold jewellery twinkles out of most shops. I was like a magpie, but managed to resist... until I went on a full on shopping spree in Chinatown that is. Hey, I needed souvenirs!
A dedicated sightseeing bus aside (yes, of course I went on one here, y'all know I love them), when it comes to travelling around the city, the MRT (tube) is SUPER easy to use. You tap in and out using contactless - same goes for buses too, actually - and even though it goes against every fibre of a Londoner's being, you stand on the left when on the escalators. I've got to note, a little novelty for me was the ceiling handles on the tube being low enough for me to comfortably hold and balance myself with, unlike ours here!
A foodie destination
Singapore is 100% a foodie destination. The dedication to flavour is fantastic. I couldn't get enough. As is the running theme of juxtaposition, the food is influenced by multiple cuisines: Chinese, Indian and Malaysian fare, and it's all so damn good. Starting at my hotel, which usually wouldn't be a fair representation of a country's cuisine, there were four types of breakfast available each morning and I had more nasi gorengs than I care to admit. For a couple of my poolside lunches, I had this is open sandwich with sundried tomatoes and ham. Nothing to write home about, right? Wrong! Even with such a basic order, they added layers of flavour to the dish. Add the fact these and the cocktails were bought directly to our deckchairs with just the swish of a QR code... perfection.
As for the city, well, the Hawker Centres are renowned. Huge food markets that are a large part of Singaporeon culture, these centres host a variety of vendors serving a wide range of food for affordable prices. Some even have Michelin-starred vendors! We visited two Hawker centres during our stay, including the famous Lau Pa Sat. I ventured away from my nasi goreng here, and tried the signature chicken rice, which although looks plain, is packed full of flavour. Another spot we made sure to dine in was Chinatown. We made a beeline for the recommended dim sum restaurant Yum Cha. My fave dish there was the bbq pork bao - soft, sweet and savoury all at the same time.
I didn't go to Singapore with any expectations at all as I'd been so busy with work and various responsibilities. However, I'm glad, as I was very pleasantly surprised. If the country was closer to the UK, Singapore would be somewhere I returned to again and again fairly regularly.