Ok, because I haven’t been anywhere lately, and because I can’t write about previous holiday destinations, as I won’t be able to remember all the juicy details, I want to write about something I have lived through recently- a holiday experience / honeymoon through my close friends.
Never having visited, I now want to fly to Singapore. Thinking it was just a robotic, man-made city lacking in identity, I disregarded it entirely. During our friends five-night stay in this wealthy state, they bombarded me through our chat that it is a ‘must- go- to’ place. To be honest, whilst they were there, my WhatsApp ring tone didn’t stop beeping. Photos, descriptions of sights, their culinary experiences and their overwhelming impressions are all recorded on our chat.
After doing some research for this article, I started with the 50 questions! Why this? and why that? To begin with, the statue ‘The Merlion’ – Mer as in sea and lion as in lion is symbolic of what Singapore used to be and what it is today. Singapore used to be a fishing village, the fish tail representing that but the lion’s head stands for Singapore’s original name ‘Lion city’. It definitely sounds like a lion’s city as it roars both day and night. Not only is it a thriving financial hub, it is a buzzing, magical place for tourists and travellers alike. Tourists are left feeling enchanted by the spectacular high rises, modern buildings which have a backdrop of temples, shopping district and soothing botanic gardens. This luxurious red dot in Southern East Asia made a huge impact on the honeymooners, Nicolas and Christina.
The first of the beep beeps were photos of their deluxe contemporary hotel, The Fullerton Bay, which they fell in love with. While I was at home with the kids, living the routine, I was receiving photos with them in the lap of luxury! So annoying! I told them to wait until I fly away, to see if they like it when their phone doesn’t stop beeping. Although they were advised to stay at The Marina Sands, they opted for a smaller hotel which boasted nicer guest rooms. This elegant waterfront hotel simply added to their wonderful experience.
Nicolas and Christina are foodies who love and appreciate a variety of cuisines. Here, I would have had a problem! Saying no to this, no to that, raw this, raw that would have driven my husband crazy. From fine dining to tasty street food, they tried a lot and ate a lot. The lobster they ate was enough to last them a lifetime from what they told me. Shopping on Orchard Street led them to many food courts located on the top floors above the shops, that’s where they enjoyed their Teppanyaki. Ranked 9 out of 8500 restaurants they ate at ‘The Edge’ in the San Pacific Hotel which had the biggest buffet ever! Lucky honeymooners!
At Clarke Quay, ‘Jumbo’, offered them the ultimate chili crab experience, truth be said, it ended up being very ‘hot n’ spicy’, actually a bit too hot for Christina! They were in the right place at the right time to enjoy the annual ‘River festival’. Vibrant in colour with spectacular shows and events, they ended up at a silent disco! Meaning – three choices of music, guests wearing earphones and crazy silent dancing! My bucket list is definitely getting longer! Another first for them was the Michelin star restaurant experience at, ‘Osia’ which is renowned for its stone baked flat bread. You need to know I was probably told about the bread because I am a bready kind of person. Needless to say their food was heavenly!
The beeps kept beeping again and again from the famous ‘Marina Sands Bay’. I received glorious pictures from the deck, at the bar and of their drinks, must mention they were a tad bit too expensive! Just below the sky, the ‘Flight Bar & Lounge’ took their breath away as did the popular, magical light and water display. From what I saw from their live videos, the panoramic views from the very top were simply intoxicating. And all the while here’s me on home ground conjuring plans that will fly me away to Singapore too. Yeah right!
A day well spent was on Sentosa Island, known as the state of fun. From what I was told, it was a complete entertainment zone where their inner child came out to play. Only after googling it did I realise what they were talking about. If you are interested, best to just google it. No words can describe what amusement town has been created. Nicolas and Christina only went for a day and chose to visit the Universal Studios, S.E.A. aquarium and to take a ride at the mega zip adventure park where they saw enough greenery to last forever.
Shopping received a big thumbs up! ‘Unique, luxurious, expensive’ (Christina). But when I asked Nicolas how he would describe this world’s oyster, his exact words were: f****** awesome! Need I say more?
Suddenly Singapore is firmly on my list!
