From Doha at the beginning of our recent trip, Chris and I had a 7 hour overnight flight to Singapore where we had booked a one night stay. We spent 3 nights exploring Singapore in November 2013 however we were both excited to visit this most iconic and attractive of cities again.
Similar to 2013 as a busy global flight hub, Singapore topped and tailed our Borneo trip and the highlights of both short visits this time are recorded in this one post.
We started this first visit with the Singapore Riverboat Experience ~ the tale of 2 quays! That being Clarke Quay and Boat Quay.
We boarded at Clarke Quay and listened to the interesting information explaining the history of Singapore and the quays throughout the tour.
Traditional houses built around 1842 for Chinese traders and labourers line Boat Quay. When built the tallest indicated wealth but these historic houses are now dwarfed by the modern skyscrapers behind.
Anderson Bridge was built in 1903 and is named after Sir John Anderson.
The Merlion is the iconic symbol of Singapore and is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The fish part is to remember Singapore’s origins as a fishing village and the lion comes from Singapore’s original name ‘Singapura’ which means lion city in Sanskrit.
With its up-market hotels, shopping malls and expensive restaurants Marina Bay is the luxury area of Singapore.
Completed in 2010, the Marina Bay Sands hotel is one of the most famous landmarks of the city. Chris and I went up the 57 stories to the observation deck at the top of Marina Bay Sands on our previous visit to Singapore in 2013.
Our airport taxi driver explained construction of a fourth tower has started and is planned to open in 2028.
We also went inside the Art Science Museum in 2013 and then saw the Essential Eames’ exhibition.
Above is the theatre which hosts around 3,000 performances each year. Once we had completed a round tour of Marina Bay the boat headed back to Clarke Quay.
We recommend this short boat trip from Clarke Quay as a good way of seeing some of the main sights, hearing some of the history of Singapore and without having to expend too much energy in this hot and humid city.
From the boat tour, Chris went back to the hotel and I continued my little Singapore adventure on foot. Above is the historic colonial Old Hill Police Station with its vibrant colourful window frames. During World War 2 this building was taken by the Japanese as an interrogation centre.
As part of Fort Canning Park, Raffles Garden is named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern day Singapore. With tropical foliage these gardens are a relaxing retreat from the main city.
From Fort Canning Park I headed past the manicured lawns of the government buildings.
The Victoria Concert Hall has been home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 1979. The oldest part of the building was first built in 1862.
In 2013 we missed Raffles hotel as we couldn’t find it! This time I was determined and using Google Maps I managed to locate it! This historic luxurious 5* hotel was named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and is one of the most famous hotels in the world.
The famous Singapore Sling was invented in 1915 the Long Bar at Raffles hotel by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender. The Singapore Sling consists of: Widges London Dry Gin, Benedictine, Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco, Ferrand Dry Curacao, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, grenadine and spice plantation bitters! It tasted delicious although not the cheapest at $39 SG (£23) + taxes!
With U2 randomly playing in the background
As an external guest you can enjoy a wander around the well manicured gardens of Raffles Hotel.
From Raffles I made my way across the river and the Anderson Bridge towards the Fullerton hotel.
Next to the Fullerton Hotel I came across the ‘First Generation Sculpture’ which shows a group of young boys jumping into the river.
I decided to venture into the Fullerton hotel in search of a coffee. However I was tempted by the ‘Cake Boutique’ and selected a toffee crunch cake which looked particularly mouthwatering! This consisted of light sponge, mousse and thick caramel stuff and was the best cake! (From someone who is more of a savoury person and doesn’t usually eat cakes).
Later that everning, we were a few minutes walk from Robertson Quay and had a delicious Italian meal in Rosso Vino at a table overlooking the river. This was fairly pricey at £65 for one main each and one glass of wine each.
Accommodation
For our first night in Singapore (pre Borneo) we stayed in the Holiday Inn Express which was in a good location close to Clarke Quay. There was a fabulous long infinity pool on the roof which also offered great views across the city.
***Fast forward nearly 2 weeks***
Second Singapore visit (post Borneo)
We had booked a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore and as our long flight home was late the following evening we had another 1.5 days in Singapore at the end of our 2 week trip.
In 2013 Gardens by the Bay was fairly new having been opened in 2012 so we thought we would have a return visit. We accessed it by taking a lift at the Marina Bay Sands to the 6th floor. This takes you to a tree lined walkway over the busy road beneath.
Gardens by the Bay is free to enter however tickets are needed if you wish to visit some of the attractions.
A couple of hours before we had booked online tickets to the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome which meant we just had show on my mobile for the QR code to be scanned to enter. The cost for a combined ticket to both was $32 SG (around £19) each.
The Cloud Forest showcased some beautiful and exceptionally well maintained orchids.
Above is a sculpture by an artist called Dale Chihuly ‘a celebration of light and form made for this beautiful setting’
The Cloud Forest had an impressive waterfall and the entire dome maintained a moist atmosphere to mimic the ecology of tropical highlands.
Next to the Cloud Forest we entered the Flower Dome, another similar exhibition set in a huge greenhouse!
The Flower Dome holds the Guinness World Record for being the worlds largest glass greenhouse! Exhibitions include cactuses, trees from Australia, trees from the Mediterranean and also tulips!
There was an extensive display of a wide range of different types of colourful tulips!
Following a refreshing cider and a snack of spring rolls in the ‘Satay by the Bay’ covered restaurant area, we walked around the Gardens by the Bay for a bit, past the tropical foliage and the water lily pond.
There are several themes and sculptures throughout the Gardens by the Bay. The one above of a sleeping baby is a 7 ton bronze sculpture.
The Apple Store in Marina Bay is located inside a huge sphere! This wasn’t here in 2013.
We highly recommend a visit to Level 33 sky bar for incredible views of Marina Bay.
Level 33 is home to the highest micro brewery in the world. We had one of their ‘exclusive’ beers each together with a snack.
China Town
Our hotel this time was a 10 minute walk from Singapore’s China Town. I visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple which is a Tang dynasty-style temple dedicated to Chinese Buddhism.
The temple was free to enter and I didn’t have to remove my shoes or cover my head!
Located inside the temple is a giant stupa weighing 3,500 kg and made from 320 kg of gold.
I had a walk around the colourful streets of Singapore’s China Town.
I also visited the Sri Mariamman Temple, a Hindu temple. Hinduism was established in Singapore by migrants from the Indian subcontinent in 1819.
Accommodation
This time we stayed in the Carlton City hotel where our room was on the 23rd floor and had panoramic views of the city.
The hotel was modern and functional and also had a sky bar. We had a drink and a snack each during our one night stay in the hotel although the views were not quite as impressive as those of Level 33! But overall, a great hotel in a good location.
Changi airport
Our flight back to London wasn’t due to depart until 23:20 however we made our way to Changi airport early so we can have a look at the famous Jewel, a lush 10 storey complex of shops, restaurants and a hugely impressive indoor water feature!
We were able to check in and drop our cases early, so as well as having a wander around the Jewel complex, we also used the last of my airport lounge passes and spent time in the SAS Premier Lounge with complimentary food and drinks.
Summary
This post concludes our Qatar-Borneo-Singapore trip. We had an amazing time and with Borneo being the 3rd largest island in the world, there is still plenty more to see. We enjoyed our re-visit to Singapore, one of the most efficient and organised, if not the most efficient and organised cities in the world. Doha was OK and probably worth a day or so, especially to visit the Museum of Islamic Art which was quite spectacular.
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