Emma’s Trip of a Lifetime - The Beautiful Destination of Singapore
Departure
I arrived at London Heathrow to meet with my fellow travel specialists at Miles Morgan Travel and Samantha from Gold Medal. We started our trip on a high as Sam had managed to get us to experience the Qantas business/first class lounge, where table service meal and drinks were included or a buffet choice upstairs. What a fantastic start to our trip!
We then flew on our overnight flight with Qantas Airlines, the food, staff and online entertainment were amazing.
Day 1
Arriving in the afternoon of Thursday 13th March, into the most beautiful airport of Singapore, we were greeted by our driver for the week from Destination Asia. This is who Gold Medal use for their transfers and tours in a lot of the Asian countries that they provide holidays for.
Not too long a transfer we arrived at the first hotel The Clan we were staying at for three nights. It is a boutique type 5* hotel within walking distance of Hawker Centre (local food mall), the metro station, and Chinatown.
After a quick shower and change we meet in the hotels bar for a cocktail then decided between us we would have a wonder as Singapore is such a safe city to explore. We ended up at the La Pau Sat’s Hawker Centre for some food. We found a table in the court, and then off we dispersed to see what food delights there were and what everyone would come back with - a few went for the Satay Chicken at Satay Street, Indian and BBQ'd Tiger Prawns. Me and Michelle from Miles Morgan Travel’s Monmouth branch tried a jug of local beer Tiger to finish the evening off.
Day 2
After a lovely breakfast with plenty of choice at The Clan hotel, we had a show around this lovely luxury modern hotel. The rooms are delightful and have a lovely view. They have three different room types we stayed in: a Deluxe Twin, a Premier Room, and a Grand Premier Room. All rooms come with free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee making facilities, iron, ironing board, filtered water tap, air conditioning and in room safe. Premier and Grand Premier rooms come with extras such as handmade soap selection, customised in room refreshments up to a choice of five, turn down service, choice of pillows and all day in room breakfast between 11.30am until 4pm.
We then went to see the infinity sky pool which overlooked the city. There is also a jacuzzi and gym on the highest level of the hotel (floor 30). There is a lovely terrace at this hotel to enjoy further views of the city. The most unique experience at The Clan is the Traditional Tea Blending Ceremony which happens on most days. The Clan also has an unusual collection of umbrellas stored in their reception area.
Off we went then to have a site inspection of a sister hotel which was the Oasia Novena Hotel, situated near Orchard Road and the business district. This hotel is larger than The Clan, and has more of a light and airy feel. It has a wellness focus with yoga classes, a gym and two swimming pools.
The hotel has four different room types to choose from starting with a Deluxe Twin or King Size, Deluxe Plus Room which have tea and coffee making facilities, in room safe, ironing facilities and complimentary Wi-Fi. The next rooms are the Club Rooms and the Suite Room these rooms have a lot more included: priority check in, exclusive access to the club lounge, complimentary breakfast, all day refreshments, evening cocktails and canapes, complimentary wellness activities, two pieces of laundry per night, a pillow menu, and bespoke scents for the room mist.
We then had a lovely waiter service lunch at The Marmalade Pantry which is a modern bistro and a delightful cake stand.
After returning to The Clan we had the afternoon at leisure so we all decided to experience the sky pool and jacuzzi which was so relaxing. The only thing I would point out is that you must make a reservation for this as they only allow an hour at a time due to the limited number of sunbeds available.
We were extremely excited for the evening as we went to have a hotel site visit at Raffles which included 7 course evening meal in a private dining room, followed by the none other Long Bar where the first Singapore Sling was made. What can I say but we felt like royalty from the time we arrived, with an exclusive show around this beautiful traditional colonial hotel, it was brilliant!
Raffles opened on 1st December in 1987 and was originally a ten room hotel. Compared to today, it has so many more which are now called suites. Lead in is the Studio Suites, then the Stateroom Suites, followed by the Courtyard Suites, Palm Court Suites, Personally Suites, two bedroom Residence Suites. You felt like a royalty walking into every suite, and they even have a hall of fame of the celebrities that have been privileged to stay at this wonderful hotel. It also features a wonderful swimming pool, fitness centre and spa which included treatment (hydrotherapy experiences, holistic healing modalities, age defying facials).
Raffles hotel has several restaurants to choose from including the Butchers Block which is the one we ate in. The others are Tiffin Room, Yì by Jereme Leung and the Raffles Courtyard. They also offer history tours of their wonderful hotel.
After our fairytale experience at Raffles, we decided to finish the night off by heading to a bar area called Chijmes, recommended to us by the Qantas Cabin crew.
Day 3
After another fabulous breakfast at The Clan hotel, we met with our Destination Asia tour guide Catherine Ross - she was incredible, a real character and she took us on a tour to see Haji Lane (Malaysia area), Little India and finished off in Chinatown.
These areas have beautiful traditional wall murals which can look so realistic. Local quaint cafes, lifestyle shops and boutiques, fresh flowers garlands, gold jewellery shops, Mustafa centre with traditional clothing, Sultan Mosque, brightly coloured houses. It's worth visiting to see the different mix of cultures in Singapore.
That evening we had a site visit to the wonderful 5* Pan Pacific Hotel which has 38 floors, 790 rooms, 6 suites which can be made up to 2 or 3 bedrooms. This is the second largest hotel in Singapore. You walk into the lobby and it's just amazing!
They greeted us with one of their signature cocktails, then we had a choice of one of their homemade chocolates or macarons - I chose a Mango Chocolate which was delicious. We visited the Club Lounge which was 38 floors and looked like a spaceship. We were greeted at the club lounge with a glass of champagne then browsed around the delightful food they were serving the Club room guests from 6-8pm including drinks. The rooms are decorated to very high standard with a modern luxurious and spacious feel.
The Pan Pacific has a great choice of restaurants to choose from. We ate at the Edge restaurant, which is a very high standard buffet restaurant and its food was amazing.
After our wonderful site visit to the Pan Pacific, we had the rest of our evening free so we decided to pay a visit to the Ce La Vi Skybar and club lounge of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This is the iconic hotel, standing at 57 Floors high, seen in most of Singapore’s promotional photos. What a night we had drinking champagne and cocktails, looking at the most spectacular night view of this beautiful city. Then we danced the night away in the club, wishing the night would be never end! Best night ever!
Day 4
We met our lovely tour guide Catherine Ross again to explore the beautiful Gardens by the Bay which the Marina Bay Hotel overlooks. We were extremely lucky as they had Sakura Magic - Cherry Blossom display which was spectacular. There are two domes: one called the flower dome and the other the cloud forest. We had visited both and at every corner I turned, all I could think was wow. I’ve never seen so many wonderful flowers and plants. It would have been nice to have stayed longer, but due to our schedule we unfortunately couldn’t. I definitely will be back for a longer visit.
Next up was lunch and our site visit at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay Hotel. This hotel is near the Marina Bay area and features 583 guest rooms. The lead in is the Urban Deluxe Room then the Lifestyle Premier Room followed by the Signature Marina Bay View and a Family Room. They also do Club Rooms which offer exclusive access to the club lounge. They also have suites on offer, so there’s quite a few room types to suite your needs. All the rooms are done to a high quality standard with a very modern light and airy feel to them. They have several different restaurants to choose from including the famous American Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We ate in the Peppermint Restaurant which was a buffet style with a great choice of food. They had a lovely 25 metre outside pool plus a large gym, spin class studio.
We then had to transfer to our next hotel stay The Outpost on Sentosa. We quickly checked in then had the afternoon and evening at Universal Studios. I've been to the Florida one many times so wondered how it would compare! I was pleasantly surprised even though it was small which was to be expected we had a great time exploring the Far Far Away Land (Shrek), the new Minion land, The Lost World - Jurassic Park. There were hardly any queues for the rides and very few people compared to the USA crowds. We enjoyed a coke float in the 1950's Mel's Diner and then watched the firework display before heading back to our hotel.
When we got back to our room, we could hear a noise like someone had their TV on really loud but when I looked out of the window there was a massive outdoor cinema which looked fantastic!
Day 5
We had several hotel site inspections today, but all were within walking distance and belonged under the same hotel umbrella as The Outpost we were staying in. The Outpost is more for an adult vibrant, trendy getaway, and has a very stylish contemporary feel. There’s an adult only rooftop pool and day club. They also have entertainment. For example, there’s a Bollywood night on the first evening we were there but didn't get to experience it as we were at Universal Studios.
When you check in at the hotel, you are given a choice of five snacks/drinks for your stay. They have three different room types which are Deluxe Room, Deluxe Pool View Room and Deluxe Seaview Room.
The Outpost also shares a pool with its neighbouring hotel The Village. The pool these two hotels share is spectacular as it has been based on the Turkish Pamukkale Thermal Waters. It also features a lazy river and a kids’ pool.
The Village hotel is catered more for families, offering a beach-style rooms that are decorated with pictures drawn by children (who have won a competition to have their artwork displayed). The Deluxe Room is the lead in, then a Family room and Deluxe Family room, which we couldn't believe. It has sliding doors to partition off the two rooms with a bathroom in each and a TV in each plus adorable little hotel robes for the children. They have a very cheap snack vending machine on every floor.
The hotel features a great size restaurant called The Native which is open for breakfast, lunch and evening meal. It’s brilliant place for a family holiday with Universal Studios, Cable car, S.E.A Aquarium, etc.
We then visited an amazing tranquil hotel called The Barracks and it was once the British’s military’s outpost. The hotel transports you back to the golden age of travel. This hotel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has lush greenery surrounding its pools. Your waiter services breakfast, evening canapes and cocktails, all served from a delightful small venue called The Living Room. They also offer complimentary drinks and snacks throughout the day.
With just 40 rooms they all have old world but with deluxe sophistication with leather-accented furniture, dark wood with a modern nostalgic charm. There are 5 rooms types which are a Premier Room, Premier Room Pool Access, Suite Room, Garden Suite and Duplex. Feel in love with this hotel it was beyond belief.
Our final hotel on Sentosa to visit was The Oasia Sentosa which is an idyllic place to recharge your batteries with their award winning spa, that is why the symbol of the hotel is the Green Apple which represents wellness. The spa has Asian inspired treatments which three of us experienced the next day.
They have five different rooms types at this hotel with the lead in being the Premier Room, Courtyard Premier, Junior Suite, and Duplex Suite. All the rooms create a calming atmosphere to help escape everyday stress. They all feature natural wood furnishings. They also have complimentary coffee, still water, tea, mini fridge, and Wi-Fi. An iron and ironing board are available on request. We ate at the Singapore's award winning waiter service Bedrock Restaurant and the food was outstanding.
After lunch we had a bit of an exclusive site inspection as the hotel is not even open to the public until the beginning of April, this is called the Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree and as you can guess by the name it's built in the Mandai Wildlife Reserve which is Singapore's home to Zoological Parks - Bird Paradise, Night Safari, River Wonders and Singapore Zoo. This hotel covers 4.6 hectars and has taken 8 years to build (delayed by 2 years because of covid) The heart of the resort has been biophilic designed to influencing every aspect of the signature amenities and services. The brand new resort features 338 rooms over 5 levels which blends in with its natural surroundings which overlooks the Upper Seletar Reservoir.
The Hotel has several room types to choose from including the Retreat Twin/King, Rainforest Twin/King, Sanctuary Twin/King, Rainforest Suite, Sanctuary Suite, Mandai Treehouse and the Grand Mandai Treehouse and Rainforest Two Bedroom Room. They are all designed to give a tranquil feel and use recycled wood to incorporate some on the furniture in the rooms.
The Treehouses have a sperate small pool that can be used. The hotel features a lovely ballroom which can hold up to 300 people when all opened out. It has 2 restaurants called the Forage - Trust a Chef Menu and the one we ate in Planters Shed - which is a buffet style one and had so much choice. The restaurant was so light with a lovely glass front, it was like eating in the rain forest. The hotel features a delightful swimming infinity pool which overlooks the reservoir plus there is a spa to experience as the hotel. We felt so privileged to view this extraordinary property.
Day 6
This was sadly our last day, so after breakfast myself, Sam and Tracey went back to the Oasia Awarding winning Spa for a sixty minute massage. This was an amazing way to spend your last few hours here in this wonderful country. The other three of our group Caroline, Michelle and Elby went off to do the Cable car and visit the beach.
We then all met up for our last hotel site visit which was the Parkroyal Pickering Hotel. This eco-friendly garden concept hotel really stands out in the city as it has so much greenery incorporated in its exterior and overlooks Chinatown or Hong Lim Park. The lead in Urban Deluxe Room, Lifestyle Premier Room, Signature Executive Room and an Urban Suite. The rooms are tastefully decorated with light wood and done to the highest level. They have one restaurant and bar called the Lime and are with easy walking distance to Chinatown where there is more choice of food to be had.
This hotel features an herb garden which they use in the food and drinks they serve. Other facilities are a relaxing outdoor infinity pool which overlooks the Singapore skyline. The pool has several relaxing pods where you can go to read a book. Next to this is the St Gregory's Spa and Gym.
We experienced lunch at the Lime Restaurant which again is a buffet style cuisine but what catches your eye is the three chocolate fountains when you enter - white, milk and strawberry. With our tummy's filled, we had the afternoon free, so we decided to spend the next few hours at the Marina Bay Sands hotel to see the designer mall, floating Apple shop, and Singapore’s largest Louis Vuitton shop. There’s even a boat trip you can take around the mall. Our last Singapore Sling had to be back to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel to take in the magnificent views of Singapore with Malaysia skyline in eyes view it.
We then headed back the most wonderful Changi airport in the world to visit the Jewel which is a manmade waterfall that lights up and is surrounded by more than 2000 trees and palms, 1000 shrubs over a 21,000 sqm area. This was just breathtaking and what a way to end our wonderful trip and sadly to say so long Singapore but hopefully not goodbye as looking forward to revisiting this amazing country sometime in the near future.
