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If you have not been to Singapore for a while you’ll be in for a big surprise! Singers used to be the kid in the Asian class sitting quietly in the front row, glasses on, head in a book or frowning at the others chewing their gum…She is now all grown up, has let her hair-down and is ready to party, maybe even to gamble…

Yes Singapore used to be rather rudely called the safe, boring and soul-less place to holiday for those who wanted an easy Asian vacation – Asia on Training Wheels…But things have changed big time, helped by the building of two integrated resorts at Sentosa Island and Marina Bay. Singapore is definitely an exciting, wow, happening, and dare I say it even trendy place to hang out for a few days…

Hats off to the Singapore Government for allowing this ultra modern development and making Singapore a destination in it’s own right rather than simply an easy place for a stop over…

View from our rooms at the Fairmont Hotel, out over Marina Bay.

There is so much to see and do here but (drumroll please….) after a lot of thought and planning this is what we did for a perfect weekend reunion celebration with friends in Singapore…. See if you agree?

Where to stay?
Fairmont Hotel – Executive Club. When you haven’t seen your friends for ages and you are of a certain age when BIG birthdays have a lot of candles… you need to splash out right? There was also a requirement for French bubbles and the Executive club lounge obliged with Moët every evening between 5-8pm – very nice! As were the rooms, swimming pool, choice of three restaurants for breakfast, gym, tennis courts, spa etc etc A good choice and well worth the splurge.

Freshly squeezed juice and posh teas for breakfast at either Prego restaurant or the Executive Lounge on 23rd Floor…

DAY ONE:

Things for the boys to enjoy…
Having all arrived on many different flights from all over the globe, the girls started with a day of pure bliss and pampering….. and the boys went off to be boys. Well that was the plan until they were declined entry at the
I fly Singapore Skydive on account of past sporting injuries and dislocations, and the Go Karts weren’t operating on a Friday morning…so they ended up having a blast queuing up with the school kids at Universal Studios for the scary rides!!!

Girls Spa day…
Singapore’s world acclaimed ESPA have recently opened their first flagship Asian, and Singapore’s largest spa on Sentosa Island. Our day there was a beautiful gift from dear friends. The best Spa I have ever been to… and there have been a few! From the moment we walked into the serene, beautiful grounds, everything was decorated and landscaped just the way you’d only seen in magazines before. From the outdoor bathing pools, the treatment rooms, the champagne lunch, the sleep zone, the take home body oil gifts… We couldn’t fault a thing, it was very hard to leave…

Sundowner drinks and dinner
If you are staying at the Fairmont, not on the Club floor then this is the time to pop next door to the World famous Raffles Hotel for an equally famous Singapore Sling or two… before heading out to dinner at Flutes at the Fort
The restaurant is in a beautiful 1908 colonial black and white bungalow. There are so many special places to eat in Singapore, we picked Flutes as one of the best and it didn’t disappoint.

Flutes at the Fort – dining on the balcony

DAY TWO:

Gardens by the Bay
Even if plants hold no interest for you, I defy anyone not to be impressed by the award winning Gardens by the Bay . The Singapore government’s intention is to transform Singapore from a “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden” has worked! The park is 250 acres of reclaimed land and contains two massive cooled conservatories – Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. A fantastic innovation for a city whose tropical climate makes this a welcome relief from the heat for most of the year…

Climbing up to the top of Cloud Forest

Flowers from the Flower Dome…

Pollen restaurant, inside the Flower Dome offers a $70 luncheon menu and is fine dining at it’s best…

Marina Bay Sands is a short walk from Pollen through the gardens or Pollen’s private buggy can whizz you there in a jiffy if needed. The fabulous architecture was inspired by a pack of playing cards and dominates a newly developing skyline. It’s an impressive resort. Take a wander around inside the hotel and maybe take a ride to the top of the building and see if you can get a quick sneak peak at the rooftop infinity swimming pool, that has got everyone talking.

Or visit the casino – it’s free entry for foreigners, interestingly Singaporeans nationals are charged $100 entry fee in an attempt to discourage local gambling. If you have time treat yourself to some retail therapy, or at the very least window shopping, at the high end shops. Or perhaps take in a Cirque de Soleil show, ride in a boat inside the resort building, go ice skating, and see for yourself why this is often billed as the worlds most expensive casino…

The ice skating rink in the Marina Bay shopping Mall

Dinner at Hawkers market
By the time dinner arrives it’s time to go cheap and local, so wander down to one of the various Hawkers markets and enjoy some local cooking… Satays, pig knuckles all washed down with beer… yummy!

DAY THREE

How about a trip to Resorts World Sentosa to take in the sights – here there are a myriad of options on how to spend your day. Our pick of the crowd was the newly opened, largest S.E.A. Aquarium in the world…

Dinner at Coriander Leaf has been consistently one of our favourite restaurants, afterwards wander around the historical riverside Clark Quay

Taster plates from Coriander Leaf

I hope this has given you some ideas for things to do and see when you next visit Singapore – do let me know if you have other favourites to share!

Little Wandering Wren

Location:Singapore