A last-minute getaway was planned within 2 weeks of travelling, it was very exciting.
James and I just happened to be in Singapore for the Formula 1 that started on Friday 14th September to 16th September. The timing was impeccable. Last-minute accommodation during event periods is always hard to find as rooms are ordinarily booked months in advance especially events like F1. We were lucky the Fairmont Hotel still had a Harbour view available and got a good price for it, well I say good price but still over the top.
I love travelling to Singapore for the warm hospitality of the people, the delicious food and of course the sensational shopping. There’s so much to do here that a stopover for a couple of nights is never enough, we could only do 3 nights as we purchased a 7 nights package deal for a resort in Fisherman’s Village Koh Samui then 5 nights in Chaweng Beach Koh Samui.
Airlines
Singapore Airlines is my favourite airline in the world. The host/hostess are polite, attentive and service is provided not long after take-off.
Each meal throughout the flight is always delicious and well presented, unlike other airlines.
All sectors taken on this journey did not disappoint.
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/au/flying-withus
Hotel
The Fairmont Hotel – This was a return stay for me since the Year 2000 when I visited for 2 weeks with my friend Deb. Deb and I had a fabulous time in Singapore.
On this occasion, James and I were warmly greeted by staff and presented with delicious chocolates and me with a red stem rose. Entering our room, there were rose petals scattered along the long entry passage to the room where 2 red stem roses with petals shaping a heart were on the computer desk with another box of chocolate. And the bathtub also had red rose petal on the outskirt of the bath. James mentioned it was a special occasion which it was, so it was as a lovely surprise especially being a member.
The view from our Deluxe harbour view room was sensational, we had a view of the pool, Marina Bay Sands, the Formula 1 track and the Paddock at the Formula 1 Grand Prix where the live performances and DJs were playing.
The bed was humongous and comfortable and the bathroom massive.
This hotel has several restaurants and bars, however, we only enjoyed tea at Antidote or room service. The cheeseburger with fries at room service was one of the best burgers I have had.
Enjoying the swimming pool wasn’t feasible on this trip but we did get to catch a glimpse of it from our room. A circular pool with lounge chaise circled around the pool, a little off-putting for me.
https://www.fairmont.com/singapore/
Dining
Antidote – The staff here are friendly, hospitable and service prompt. I enjoyed some Green Jasmine Tea in a pot on 2 occasions costing approximately 14.12 SGD and a cappuccino 10 SGD, pretty crazy prices.
Simply wrap – Located in the food court downstairs, my chicken wrap was delicious and the lady was super generous with the filling. The orange juice was freshly squeezed and must say taste a lot better than Boost in Australia. The difference, it was made with love.
https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/singapore-stamford/bars/antidote/
Indo Chine – Located at Chjimes was a nice restaurant in an outdoor setting. We also have this restaurant in Sydney but have not experienced the cuisine yet. The food and service were great, however, the cocktails were abominable. My Butterfly effect cocktail was revolting, it tasted like off pineapple or petrol and there seemed to be a lack of alcohol.
And, James Dry Martini tasted like cheap gin.
Even though the food is great, I do not recommend dining here. Drinks and service have to be just as good not less & these guys missed the mark.
https://indochine-group.com/chijmes/
Peach Noodle House at Gardens by the Bay in Marina Bay Sands – A Chinese restaurant located in an area with 2 other restaurants. The service was quick and the food delicious. As much as we would have loved to dine in China town as planned we didn’t have the energy to trek out of Marina Bay Sands to then decide on a restaurant amongst many.
The ladies greet you with a pencil and paper menu to select your choices. We chose a long soup with wontons and noodles, Mongolian beef, chicken and cashew and a pot of green tea.
The food was delicious and serving generous. The green tea was free-flowing just how I like it.
http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/dining/supertree-dining/peach-garden-noodle-house.html
Pauls Salon De The –
A French tea salon that I first discovered in Paris, France was also in Singapore. This salon has the best savoury or sweet pastries worldwide. Other locations I have dined at besides in France are in Athens and Washington Dc, USA. The food tastes exactly the same everywhere.
The tuna or ham & cheese baguettes, tuna savoury pastries, quiches, escargot raisin pastry, croissants, chocolate eclair, profiteroles or strawberries tarts and the buttery biscuits are the best.
If you come across this quaint store anywhere in the world make sure to either dine-in or take away.
https://www.paulsgcatering.com/about
Nightlife
1 Altitude – What a fabulous setting, 360 views of Singapore and 2 levels. The first level is the bar and dance floor, the 2nd level has another bar, seating and the opportunity to see the 360 views of Singapore. When visiting Singapore, this is definitely the place to enjoy sunset drinks.
We paid 68 SGD per person from 6pm – 9pm entry and you can stay for the rest of the night with 1 drink included. If you are not interested in sunset drinks, the alternate option is entry after 9pm, the entry fee is 88 SGD with a drink included.
We met a charming Singaporean named Jack whilst on the top level and enjoyed a friendly chat.
Ce La Vie – This is another rooftop bar/restaurant and club that is worth spending an evening at. If you miss sunset then don’t worry it’s still worth coming to visit late at night as the view of Marina Bay and Singapore is sensational with the city lights.
We were lucky to be in Singapore at the same time as one of my favourite DJ from Melbourne Australia Dirty South played at Ce La Vie. We pre-purchased our tickets online in Australia. After the F1 Grand Prix finished at 10.10pm, we headed straight over to Ce La Vie via taxi. Taxis are so cheap here.
As soon as we arrived at Ce La Vie we were lucky to have an outdoor table with a view of Singapore. It never ceases to amaze me that you leave Australia to venture away and somehow travelling to all parts of the world you always seem to encounter fellow Australians. We met some friendly Melbournians at a table beside us and chatted with a few guys in the group for a while.
About an hour later, Dirty South turned up and smashed it for a couple of hours. Overall, it was a great night of dancing and by the end of the night, I could no longer dance let alone walk.
Sightseeing
Hop on and Hop off Bus – Now, this is a great way to see Singapore let alone any city you go to. The Hop on and off buses have different routes at different price ranges. The cheapest one we did was the red line @ $43 SGD for a single day. Unfortunately, our day started late due to a big night out at Ce La Vie. To make good use of our pass, we remained on the bus for 3 hours and did the whole red line route, which passed China Town, Little India, Orchard Road shopping district, Financial district, Botanical Gardens which from the outside looks like a must-see place, Art and Science Museum, Bugis street, Chjimes, the famous Raffles hotel.
Be wary of change over times late afternoon as our tour terminated at a shopping mall and we had to wait approximately 20 minutes for the next one.
Cloud Forest – The Cloud Forest is the world’s first indoor forest with indoor mist. I highly recommend a visit to the Cloud Forest, where you will see a magnificent display of plants from all over the world and large crystals are also on display. Our day started late so we were pressed for time and just did the Cloud Forest, not the. … straight after our Hop-On and Off bus. Here you will also see the crystal displays with lots of amethyst, calcite, and limestone displayed. Anyone that knows me knows my love of crystals.
Flower Dome – This Flower Dome is also located at the Gardens of the Bay, unfortunately, we ran out of time.
http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/attractions/cloud-forest/visitor-information.html
The Super Trees – Located at the Gardens of the Bay. you will see 22 metres supertrees alight. Watch them come to life nightly at 7:45 PM and 8:45 PM with a spectacular light and sound show. This is a must-see so plan your day well.
Singapore Night Zoo – Now this zoo looks like an amazing experience where a whole day is required to really enjoy its marvel. I have not had the opportunity to visit this zoo but will ensure on the next visit. Please take the time to look at the link attached.
https://www.wrs.com.sg/en/night-safari/
Shopping
Now if you did not know already, Singapore is known for many things and shopping is high on the list. Below is a list of my favourite shopping malls I frequent on every visit.
Louis Vuitton Singapore Island Maison – A must see store located in a dome on the river at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. My favourite luxury brand most popular for its signature monogrammed handbags and luggage.
https://eu.louisvuitton.com/eng-e1/point-of-sale/singapore/louis-vuitton-singapore-marina-bay
Far East Plaza – This is one of my favourite places to shop, as they have unique fashion shops here from the locals and it’s also a good place for shoe shopping and great bargains. I have shopped a storm here over the years going back to 2000 trip with Deb who introduced me to this shopping centre.
Shopping recommendation: affordable shoes, hair salons, unique clothing you won’t find in department stores, jewellery and much more.
http://www.fareastplaza.com.sg/
Lucky Plaza – This shopping mall is a good place to look at technology like cameras, cables and selfie sticks where I bought mine and found that each shop charges different prices. If I walked around the corner I could have got it for $35 SGD instead of $45 argh. I like a bargain but I will not waste my holiday time searching for it.
Tang – I buy makeup here as well as Changi International Duty Free stores but things have changed so much that you never know which terminal has the makeup products you need so either you do your research and find out or best to purchase on Orchard street with your passport then claim the tax-free refund like I did on this visit. Go to this department store for makeup.
Setan – I shop here for makeup or perfume but not on every visit, it just depends on how I go on the availability of products from Tang.
ION Orchard – If you love designer wear this is the shopping mall to head to. I shop here for Louis Vuitton , Zara, Crumpler and Cotton On Body.
https://www.ionorchard.com/en/
Takashimaya – This is a great department store to shop for jewelry and sunglasses. Although, on this occasion I noticed the jewellery display area had been minimized and not as much variety as previous visits. Jewellery was not on my radar this time but I did notice some lovely unique pieces. Make sure to stop by this department store on your next visit ladies.
https://www.takashimaya.com.sg/
Tattoo Parlour – Johnny Two Thumbs is where I got my rose tattoo back in the year 2000. The tattooist was super cool and jovial. I was pretty nervous, so I had my iTunes and my friend Deb by my side too.
I chose a great rose print from their tattoo albums. I love my rose tattoo and had hoped to get another tattoo but it turned out all the tattooists were in Perth Australia for a tattoo conference. What bad timing! I can’t stand needles and finally decided I would get my rose repainted and possibly a new tattoo. Oh well, it’s a good excuse for me to make a return visit, isn’t it?
Tax-free Refund – If you can manage to shop a storm in the same tax-free store make sure to take your receipt and passport/plane ticket with you to the tax refund claim desk at that department store. A refund receipt is provided on the spot so you can claim at Singapore airport. It is worth getting 5 % back, better than nothing right?! Singapore airport tax-free refund has automated machines that are easy to use otherwise there is a counter, however, if you seek service from an attendant you need to show all the items purchased. Regardless, you are still required to have the tax free items in your hand luggage when claiming a refund. It may seem like a hassle, but it really isn’t, just allow approximately 5-10 minutes or even more in case there is a queue which is unlikely.
https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/tourist-information/gst-tax-refund/
Duty-Free Shopping at Changi Airport – Singapore’s International Terminals 1, 2, 3 & 4 are the best worldwide. The terminals have practically everything one needs from a variety of dining, duty-free stores and clothing. There is even a movie theatre and a Butterfly Garden at Terminal 3.
The airport also offers a Free Singapore Tour for tourists who are in transit with 5½ – 8 hours. Pretty great idea. One can leave their luggage at the lockers which we attempted to do, to only be disappointed when advised we could not leave laptops in storage. With 8 hours in transit, trekking around the city with a heavy laptop bag was not an option. But don’t worry 8 hours at Singapore airport flew by for me after hours of shopping.
I bought 1 of the Piper Heidsieck below with the pink lip colour. Cracked open the bottle on NYE 2018.
Events
Formula 1 –Now, talk about a piece of luck, not only being able to book a last-minute trip when Dirty South was Djing at Cel La Vie, we also got to experience Formula 1. The energy was phenomenal and the crowds were huge wherever you walked.
For those who don’t know the Formula 1 Grand Prix began on 13 May 1950 and is a worldwide event that takes place in Melbourne Australia, Monaco, France, Singapore, Belgium, Dubai, and many more countries.
The Saturday, we chilled in our room and watch the practice races from our late check-in til the race finished at 8pm. I was on a high of excitement to finally be in Singapore at the right time. I used to watch Formula 1 when Schumacher was racing, now there are lots of new faces. Lewis Hamilton is on top of his game, being a five-time Formula One World Champion. I believe he is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in history in sport.
https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2018/Singapore.html
We had a sensational time in Singapore. Sydney has a lot to learn from this ever-growing city. Singapore has always been one of my favourite city’s and there is still so much more to explore. If Singapore is on the cards, try and make it a 4-day visit to visit the Singapore Night Safari zoo.
Hope you have an opportunity to explore Singapore and its beauty.
christinetravels 