Why Singapore is a must see destination?

Singapore is one of the most visited tourist destinations of South East Asia and I totally see why. This island city-state is architectural marvel with a diverse range of exciting activities and attractions to suit different visitors interest.

There are many reasons why one should visit Singapore, I have taken the liberty of listing my top reasons.

1. Visa free travel

• Coming from South Africa this is awesome, there’s nothing that I dread more than applying for a VISA. The process can sometimes be lengthy and cumbersome. It’s great to know that one can visit Singapore at anytime (should the travel budget allow for it).

2. The city landscape, architectural marvel and cleansines

• Singapore’s gorgeous skyline will take your breath away. As you wander around Singapore, you’ll notice a mixture of modern skyscrapers with heritage buildings all around.
• Another thing that you will notice is how clean the city is, it’s simply refreshing.

3. The Marina Bay

• A great starting point to marvel at the architectural icons and attraction that Singapore has to offer. From the Marina Bay Sands to the Merlion Park to the Art Science Museum, the helix bridge the list is endless.

• In the mornings, we ran at the bay, we walked around the bay to get to places of interest and the kids managed to ride bikes. It’s the simple things that make this place a splendid experience by day or by night.

4. Gardens by the Bay

• The gardens by the bay is Singapores top attraction, a truly unique experience – it blends nature and cutting-edge architecture and features the following: –
  • The Flower Dome, the world’s largest glass greenhouse – an impressive 1.28 hectares of flowers under glass.
  • The Supertrees which can be found around the garden, they are man-made trees of up to 16 storeys tall, with 12 at the Supertree Grove.

At night one feels like they are in Pandora with the way the trees light up. It’s a just simply majestic.

• The Dragonfly Lake and Kingfisher Lake are a rich source of aquatic life and also act as an eco-filter to cleanse water pumped in from the Marina reservoir.

5. The family-friendly attractions

• Singapore offers a number of family-friendly activities, making it ideal for travellers looking for an exotic vacation spot with options for children.
  • Sentosa Island – is Singapore’s premier island resort getaway, a man made island that was built for fun and recreation. It includes Resorts World, Universal Studios Singapore, Tiger Sky Tower, Singapore Butterfly & Insect Kingdom, and one of the largest collections of aquatic animals in the world, SEA Aquarium.

• The night safari is another great experience for the little people, coming from South Africa, we were impressed by the animals in the park. Its home to over 2,500 animals across 130 species –– of which 38% are threatened.

6. Food Paradise & Shopping Mecca

• The food culture is big in Singapore with an array of  different culinary experience, from your local to international cuisine. I might just have to arrange a separate trip to this city-state just to explore the different culinary experiences. On our visit, food was something that we did when we remembered we were hungry, we did manage to eat at some lovely child friendly places.

A. Bread Street Kitchen, Singapore

A modern industrial restaurant and bar, located at the Marina Bay Sands, was a perfect late lunch/early dinner place for the family. Its family friendly and I really liked the kiddie’s menu, very creating.

The food all round was a hit, I enjoyed my Quinoa salad with cucumber, avocado, baby spinach, dried cranberries, toasted almond. The dessert was lovely, I also had the Chocolate Fondant with salted caramel, mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Attention to detail, friendly staff and great food is what makes the Bread Street Kitchen a must eat place.

B. 63 Espresso http://www.63espresso.com/

A cosy coffee shop and cafe with great ambience. We had a light lunch at the one located at Orchard Paragon.

I had the Siam Tofu and the Truffle fries. I usually enjoy tofu but I was not blown away by the way they cooked it. The truffle fries were ok, just found the truffle oil slightly overpowering.

I did enjoy my Matcha Latte, its a place I would frequent if I lived in Singapore.

C. DC Comics Super Heroes Cafe 

This was the little people’s choice, at 1^st glance you have your doubts about this place but surprisingly enough, it was a magnificent experience.

This café-retail experience is home to the DC comic universe and the one we ate at is  located at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

The menu has everything from your salads, to burgers, to sandwiches, a patisserie and ice-cream station. They cater to vegetarian which is great. The meat eaters enjoyed their meal, I found my Quesadilla (Hals source of green energy) a bit blend.

• I’m not a big shopper but I appreciate seeing the local clothing brands whenever I travel. Singapore is paradise for shoppers, from high-end to affordable fashion brands there’s something for everyone. There’s the Shoppes at the Marina. the famous Orchard Road, theres’ Vivo City, Suntech City, Marina Square…the list is endless.

Places to Stay

• It seems that the place to stay is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel (should the budget allow) the resort boasts luxury accommodations, upscale shopping and an infinity pool with unparalleled views of the city.

In my personal opinion, we found the hotel overwhelming and we were not even staying there. Its very busy with guests checking in and out, people walking around from Tower to Tower and going to eat, people going to the casino and the SkyPark. If you like big hotels and a hectic vibe, then this place can work for you.

• There’s ample accommodation for every type of traveller.

Where we stayed?

• We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental – a great business and leisure hotel on Raffle Street, opposite the Marina Bay. The hotel is linked to the Marina Square Mall and near Suntech City.

The hotel features: –

• The hotel has rooms and suites – Our room was comfortable and had great views of the Marina Bay.

• 6 restaurants and bars – The hotel offers a range of food choices from Japanese to Cantonese to Italian. The melt café has by far the best international buffet selection. A great way to sample local cuisine and explore an array of food choices.

• Gym – A decent size gym with great equipment. I had every intention of working out at the gym but it’s not everyday that one has the opportunity to run in such perfect environment.
• Spa – A tranquil sanctuary with talented therapist.

• Pool is surrounded by lush green gardens with spectacular views in all directions.

The service at the hotel was great and staff were friendly and extremely helpful. It was a lovely, comfortable stay.

Singapore is a true gem, it does cater for everyone. It can be a perfect girlfriend / boys getaway, a couples retreat, family holiday and shopping paradise.

A truly Splendid Experience!