Why Is This Place so Great?
Pack your shorts and dresses! Singapore is hot year-round with its record low at 66.2˚F (19.0˚C) in February 1989. Singapore has something for everyone, but artists and foodies will particularly love their visit. As a melting pot of cultures, the city-state has four official languages: English, Malay, Tamil, and Mandarin, and is home to numerous religions and ethnicities. People can easily spot Hindu and Buddhist temples, and even synagogues standing side-by-side. The local food here is something to boast about. The Laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Bak Kwa are all amazing but don’t forget to visit the world’s cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant (Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle stall) to have an amazing meal for less than $2 USD.
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Luxury Singapore
Luxury Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore is located in Marina Bay – the heart of the city’s downtown area. Housed within an iconic 32 story building, the hotel has insta-worthy views of both the Marina Bay and Kallang. This large complex holds 608 guest rooms and suites, all containing walk-in closets, marble bathrooms with separate bathtubs and rain showers stalls, as well as luxurious Asprey bath amenities. Guests who are searching for extra luxuries can pay a little more, or use their Marriott Reward points, to obtain access to the Club Lounge which is located on the top floor of the building. Guests with club access will be able to ride in style in the hotel’s complimentary limousine services and enjoy spectacular views of the Singapore skyline while consuming delectable complimentary food and beverage from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm.
In addition to its gorgeous rooms, the hotel is also home to 4,200 pieces of contemporary art pieces, including works by some of the greats such as Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Dale Chihuly. These pieces of art have been scattered all across the property, but we highly recommend visiting the Chihuly Lounge for afternoon tea, which is filled with stunning glass sculptures created by its namesake, as well as the hotel’s Michelin starred restaurant, Summer Pavilion, that creates culinary masterpieces of its own accord. Its spa has also recently been renovated in 2016 and is the first hotel to partner with premier luxury brand La Mer in the Asia Pacific.
Luxury Activity: Ultimate Drive Singapore
Are you a sports car enthusiast? If so, then you must experience the “Ultimate Drive” for yourself! On this excursion, visitors will have the opportunity to rent one of the company’s supercars from their fleet (ranging from the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Ferrari California, to the McLaren MP4-12) and race down parts of the Grand Prix and Formula 1 Circuits within this grand city.
Unfortunately, the roads won’t be empty during the drive, but you’ll have a professional driver next to you to advise when you can go faster and should go slower to optimize on your experience.
Luxury Dining: Odette
Odette is a must-visit restaurant for fine diners in Singapore. Awarded two Michelin stars and 28th place amongst the World’s Best 50 Restaurants in 2018, the food here is simply exquisite. Executive Chef and Restaurant Co-Owner, Julien Royer, named this restaurant after his grandmother who taught him to cook using the purest ingredients to create remarkable dishes. Consequently, this restaurant serves French cuisine (true to Chef Royer’s heritage) with each ingredient highlighted to showcase its divine and unique flavor. With its menu heavily reliant on seasonal produce, patrons can expect Odette’s 4, 6 and 8-course menus to change quite regularly. Address: 1 Saint Andrew’s Road, #01-04, National Gallery, Singapore 178957
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Lifestyle Hiroshima
Lifestyle Hotel: W Singapore Sentosa Cove
While there are many eco and wellness friendly hotels in the city of Singapore itself, we wanted to feature a hotel in Sentosa for our Lifestylers instead. Sentosa Island is just a 25-minute ride away from Changi Airport and 21 minutes away from Singapore’s city center, but is an oasis of its own filled with beaches, two golf courses, and adventure tourism activities ranging from ziplining, vertical skywalk, to bungy jumping. While vacationing here, we recommend staying at the W Singapore Sentosa Cove.
This 240 room hotel is located in a quiet and secluded spot within the island, just a 10-minute free shuttle ride away from the beach, and is perfect for those looking for a getaway. All rooms are equipped with Bose sound systems, mood lighting, and separate bathtubs and showers. If guests are looking for a bit more luxury during their stay, we suggest booking the AWAY room or any category of suites, which all come with its own private plunge pool.
The W Singapore Sentosa Cove’s wellness facilities are nothing less than world-class. Its 24-hour fitness center is fully equipped with Technogym appliances, free weights, and arguably Singapore’s nicest pool with floating beanbag mattresses for guests to enjoy. The hotel also offers complimentary yoga classes out on the lawn, but guests are welcome to book a personal training session or even one-on-one kickboxing classes if they’re looking for something a little more challenging.
Lifestyle Activity: MacRitchie Nature Trail, The Southern Ridges, and Gardens by the Bay
The MacRitchie Nature Trail is a multi-route course (the longest one is a 6.8-mile loop) known for cross-country, hiking, and seeing wild animals in their natural habitat. Visitors are likely to encounter macaque monkeys, squirrels, monitor lizards, and turtles.
Those who are lucky may even see colugos (flying lemurs) and owls as well! In addition to the animals, hikers have the opportunity to complete an aerial treetop walk across a bridge spanning 820 feet long and 82 feet above ground, which is open Tuesdays to Sundays before 5 pm. This bridge is narrow and only allows one-way traffic.
Consequently, we recommend walking anticlockwise on the loop to avoid walking parts of the trail twice. Southern Ridges consists of a 5.5-mile trail along the southern edge of the island-city that connects Kent Ridge Park, Hort Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, and Mount Faber Park with an optional cable car ride to Sentosa Island from Mount Faber’s peak.
We recommend this trail to hikers who are looking for picturesque views of the city, floral gardens, and lush tropical forests from treetop views. Most people who walk the full trail tend to start at Mount Faber Park because the walk is mostly downhill after the initial ascent up to Mount Faber’s peak and because it is quite difficult to find the Kent Ridge Park entrance.
Consequently, those who are looking to take make a full day out of this trek by ending in Sentosa should complete the hike in reverse and start from Hort Park instead – you’ll only be missing some views of the lush forest.
Gardens by the Bay is typically on people’s top 10 things to see whilst visiting Singapore. Its 250 acres of waterfront space encompasses six main attractions: the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Heritage Gardens, World of Plants, Dragonfly Lake, and Supertree Grove. It would take a minimum of four hours to see all of this, but if you’re short on time then we highly recommend just visiting the Cloud Forest, Supertree Grove, and Flower Dome instead. For more information about Gardens by the Bay click here.
Since Singapore is known for its heat, we highly recommend our Lifestylers to bring lots of water, mosquito repellent, as well as rain apparel (in case there happens to be a sudden downpour) and wear comfortable shoes with good grip.
Lifestyle Dining: Rang Mahal
Since parts of Singaporean culture have been influenced by India, travelers should definitely try some Indian cuisine during their visit. While there are some great establishments in Little India (including Komala Villas Restaurant, which serves only vegetarian dishes) we recommend Rang Mahal for those looking for a slightly more upscale Indian eatery. The restaurant offers extensive vegetarian choices on their menu including Tandoori Fondue, where patrons are served vegetables and garlic naan cubes to dip in their Cheese and Tomato Makhni sauce. Remember to save room for their homemade Kulfi! Address: 7 Raffles Boulevard, Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore, Singapore 039595.
Boutique Hiroshima
Boutique Hotel: The Warehouse Hotel
The building that this hotel occupies originally opened in 1895 as a spice warehouse along the Singapore River as part of the Straits of Malacca trade route. Since then, it was subsequently transformed into a warehouse disco space, oil mill, and finally reopened in 2017 after a lengthy 22-month refurbishment as The Warehouse Hotel is today.
All 37 rooms are decorated in muted earthy colors that blend seamlessly with the building’s original industrial beams, windows, and peaked ceilings that can still be seen around the property. Each room is also equipped with some of the finest amenities, including Bang and Olufsen Bluetooth speakers, custom pillowtop mattresses, and 100% eco-certified Ashley & Co. bath products.
For guests who enjoy high ceilings, we recommend paying a little more for one of the higher category rooms such as the River View Suite, Mezzanine, or either of the Loft Rooms. If someone in your party happens to be claustrophobic, we recommend staying away from the Warehouse Sanctuary, which has no windows.
Boutique Activity: Dine on a Floating Donut
Originally founded in Phuket, the Floating Donut Company is making its way to Singapore to offer discerning locals and travelers the chance to have an amazing barbecue out on the serene waters of the Marina Bay. Each doughnut-shaped boat has the ability to seat and cater up to 10 people and is equipped with a built-in grill, cooler, UV protecting canopy, lighting, fans, and built-in speakers to play your own tunes! There are numerous dining packages to choose from, including a snacks-only menu and a romantic dining package for two.
Once the menu has been chosen, your trip will be hassle-free with everything from cruising, place settings, and clean-up completely taken care of for you. All you have to do is focus on cooking, and enjoy the views of Singapore along the way.
Boutique Dining: Chomp Chomp Food Centre
Chomp Chomp Food Centre is a local favorite in the hawker food scene. If you’re interested in trying some of Singapore’s traditional cuisine, this is definitely the place to do it. Visitors will find everything from Sugar Cane Juice, Carrot Cake (which isn’t sweet but resembles Chinese turnip cakes with a twist), Singaporean style Barbecue Chicken, Hokkien Mee, and even Sambal Stingray for those who are more adventurous. As a popular outdoor food court, Chomp Chomp offers patrons alfresco style seating equipped with wooden benches and tables with sun umbrella coverage, but you may need to wait for seats depending on the time and size of your party. Address:
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