Singapore
Suggested Itinerary
Singapore’s bustling economy and vibrant cultural landscape make it one of the most alluring places to visit in Asia. Explore its ethnically diverse neighborhoods, partake in a world-class array of shopping, dining and entertainment that is virtually unrivalled, and see for yourself why Singapore remains one of the premier luxury travel locations in the world.
Destinations include: Singapore.
Singapore
Check into the Fullerton or Raffles Hotel. The Fullerton is a masterpiece of understated comfort and contemporary elegance set in a landmark 1928 neo-classical building, while The Raffles, founded by legendary hoteliers the Sarkies Brothers in 1887, is one of Asia's most iconic colonial-era hotels.
Stroll through the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which was founded in 1859. Here you can join a tai chi session or just leisurely walk through the lovely, manicured greenery located right in the center of Singapore. The Gardens have world-class displays of tropical flora and fauna, in addition to several wonderful sculptures and architectural touches.
Learn about Singapore's unusual confluence of Chinese, Indian, and Malay cultures at the Asian Civilizations Museum. There are 11 exhibit halls filled with more than 1,300 works of art, rare antiques, and cultural artifacts illuminating subjects such as Singapore’s maritime history and the impact of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Dine at The Chijme (pronounced "chimes"), a complex of colonial buildings dating back to 1854 that is now home to some of Singapore’s chicest restaurants and boutiques. Have Chinese cuisine from the Guangdong reigon at Lei Garden, whose signature dishes include prawns in black bean sauce and sauteed mixed vegetables and gingko nuts in a rice paper nest.
Visit the Singapore Zoo for their famed Night Safari, which allows you the rare opportunity of seeing nocturnal animals awake. The zoo is a 170-acre park home to 160 species, 50% of which are endangered species from Southeast Asia, including the greater one-horned rhinoceros, the barasingha, or Indian swamp deer, and the red dhole.
Indulge in a treatment at the spa, which offers a variety of massage packages.
Have a private culinary experience at At Sunrice, The Singapore Culinary Academy and Spice Garden, with founder Mrs. Kwan Lui. She will take you around the grounds where you can taste the spices right off the tree and learn about a cuisine unique to Singapore, Peranakan (Nonya), the result of blending Chinese ingredients and cooking techniques with spices used by the Malay community.
Explore the city's downtown core including Orchard Road, the main thoroughfare of central Singapore. Its high-end department stores, broad sidewalks, and stately trees recall New York's Fifth Avenue or London's Regent Street; virtually every international luxury brand is represented. The outlets of local designers and smaller labels are clustered nearby in the Club Street–Ann Siang Hill district.
For dinner, try Min Jiang at the Goodwood Park Hotel. Locals say that this is the best Chinese restaurant in Singapore, and it is difficult to fault that claim. The elegant restaurant specializes in Sichuan cuisine but serves an excellent Cantonese dim sum and favorites from other provinces as well.
Participating in an ages-old local tradition and have a Singapore Sling at the bar at the Raffles, where the cocktail was invented between 1910 and 1915.
Visit
Singapore's Chinatown, where restaurants, grocers selling smoked duck, dried vegetables and Chinese products, and specialists in Chinese medicine line the street.
At Tea Chapter, learn about the art of preparing and serving Chinese tea. Sit back and watch carefully as the staff shows you how to pour and appreciate a proper cup. You can also buy a wide variety of teas and elegant utensils here.
Visit Eu Yan Sang Medical Hall, one of Singapore's most respected centers for traditional Chinese medicine. Stop in for a cup of ginseng tea, and browse the shelves of unusual dried ingredients said to remedy almost any ailment known to man. Members of the staff can also do consultations and prescribe something for what ails you.
Marvel at the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's main Hindu shrine. Take off your shoes and enter the temple below the multi-tiered gopuram(gate statuary) above the entrance, which is covered with intricate, polychrome sculptures of Hindu deities.
Have lunch at one of the hawker stalls that serve Singapore's justly famed street food, a local obsession.
Explore the smaller Little India neighborhood, centered on Serangoon Road. Here, countless small shops and clusters of market stalls sell all sorts of Indian items: flower garlands, bangles, saris, textiles, Bollywood soundtracks and DVDs.
See The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Little India's oldest temple, dating back to 1881. This is also the starting point of the procession for the yearly Thaipusam festival, in which devotees attach heavy weights and portable shrines to their skin with skewers (kavadi) and carry them across the city to another shrine.
Attend a concert of performance at The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Set right on the Marina Bay waterfront, The Esplanade is a futuristic performing arts center that opened in 2002. The calendar includes everything from Chinese opera to jazz festivals, classical Indian dance to pop concerts. There are also many changing contemporary art exhibits within the buildings and the grounds.
Have dinner at the Esplanade at My Humble Home. Not set in a house, and decidedly not humble, this "artistic restaurant" is a high-concept collaboration with Beijing artist Zhang Jin Jie. The menu condenses the best of classical Chinese cuisine, reinvented and refined to match the surroundings.
Wander through the Bugis Street Night Market, which is situated along a walkway through Bugis Village, opposite Parco Bugis Junction. The three-story indoor market has over 100 stalls, which sell a variety of goods: casual clothes, accessories, bags, CDs and more.
Visit the surreal and technicolor Haw Par Villa and gardens. Originally known as the Tiger Balm Gardens, this villa is a gaudy parade of more than 1,000 brightly-painted statues inspired by Chinese legends and myths.
Eat at Blue Ginger, which specializes in the distinct local cuisine called Peranakan, a fiery mix of Chinese and Malaysian influences. Sample unusual specialties such as prawns sautéed with black pepper, or the signature dessert, chendol, a stew of red beans topped with crushed ice, coconut milk, and palm sugar and laced with durian puree.
Spend an afternoon on Sentosa, a small island resort to the south of Singapore whose name means peace and tranquility in Malay. All manner of outdoor activities are possible here, including skim boarding, mountain biking, golf and hiking, and the dining scene is just as varied and delectable as it is in the city.
Stroll along the Singapore River to Clarke Quay, home to restored warehouses dating back as far as the 1880s, which have been converted into shops and restaurants.
Dine at Au Jardin Les Amis. Set in a restored 1920s plantation-style cottage on the grounds of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, this restaurant serves up some of the city's most exceptional haute cuisine. Chef Galvin Lim’s menus, emphasizing classic European cuisine, change frequently; recent dishes have included crab salad in vegetable nage (an aromatic broth in which crustaceans are cooked), langoustine with caviar and grilled pork belly with braised lettuce.
Take a Traditional Chinese Bumboat for a cruise down the Singapore River. Learn the pivotal role the river played in Singapore's economic progress. Proceed with a drive-through the Finger Pier, Keppel Dstripark, Tanjong Pagar Terminal, Keppel Terminal and Brani Terminal for a glimpse of the daily port operations.
Have dim sum for lunch at Crystal Jade, which has several outlets around Singapore. The usual suspects are on the menu - flat rice noodles wrapped around shrimp and chive, water chestnut cakes, and egg tarts - but be sure to try their Teochow (or Chiu Chow, as it is spelled in the US) specialties on offer such as o luah, a delicious oyster pancake, and orh nee, a dessert of mashed taro with pumpkin.
^Top
