After a good night’s sleep, we were interested to find out what breakfast would be like. Although the Orchard Grand Court is a serviced apartment, it also offers guests the option of an inclusive breakfast in its Crystal Cafe. Unlike the apartments which have a contemporary feel, the Crystal Cafe is a traditionally furnished restaurant with wood panelling with its own entrance just around the corner on Killiney Road.
Decorations still adorned the walls as a lasting reminder of the Chinese New Year celebrations some time ago. A large buffet selection of hot and cold breakfast items was laid out in the centre of the restaurant and we feasted on fruit, yoghurt, steamed dumplings and chocolate croissants helping to set us up for a day of sightseeing.
Leaving the hotel, we took a bus to the Arab district of the city making use of our Ez Link cards. Do remember that if you are travelling on buses in Singapore it’s important to also tap out as you alight the bus as the fare is charged on distance travelled.
During Singapore’s early history, under Sir Stamford Raffles orders, the colony was divided according to ethnic groups to include European, Chinese, Arab and Indian. Our morning walk took us first to Kampong Glam, north of the Singapore River. After leaving the bus we walked through the grounds of the Malay Heritage Centre which had yet to open for the day.
From there we were able to get our first glimpse of the Sultan Mosque which is the major focal point of the district, standing majestically at the top of Bussorah Street. This impressive building has pink coloured walls and large onion shaped golden domes. Each dome is decorated with glass bottle ends which were donated by lower income Muslims during its construction. The reason for this was to enable all Muslims, whatever their means, to be able to contribute to the mosque’s construction. Morning prayers were in progress at the time of our visit so we didn’t have an opportunity to look inside and view its huge prayer hall.
In recent years the district has been beautifully restored with many of its original colourful shophouses converted into cafes, art galleries and gift shops still retaining strong links with the Malay and Muslim community.
Our stroll continued along to Little India by which time we were feeling hot and thirsty so we popped into a small cafe for glasses of freshly blended watermelon juice. Feeling refreshed, we set off again to explore its narrow streets with brightly painted shophouses. Filling the air was the heady aroma of spices drifting from cafes, food shops and street vendors.
Little India is home to both Hindu and Buddhist temples and we managed to seek out two of them. Located on Serangoon Road is the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Easily recognisable from afar with its tall entrance tower, this temple is decorated with hundreds of small ornate sculptures of figures from Hindu culture and mythology. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali and its architectural style is that of southern Indian Tamil temples. A little further along the road stands the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple which is one of the oldest in Singapore, dating from 1855 and dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
We explored more of Little India’s bustling narrow streets and took a look inside the Tekka Centre which is Singapore’s largest indoor wet market selling a vast array of fresh produce. Upon entering, the pungent smell of raw fish made me feel slightly nauseous but after moving away from the fresh fish counters I soon felt better and became used to the odour.
Leaving Little India we took the MRT from Jalan Besar over to Chinatown to complete our tour of the three cultural enclaves. As we came out of the metro station it was impossible to miss a giant pink pig straddling the road junction celebrating the Year of the Pig.
We began our tour of the area by strolling along Keong Saik Road with its quaint former shophouses now home to Chinese restaurants and gift shops. We continued along to a covered street where dozens of stalls were trying to persuade the crowds to buy anything from electronic gadgets to football shirts. Our legs were starting to feel a little tired again so it was a good excuse to pop into the Chinatown Point Mall for some ice creams and to consider what to do next.
Decisions made, we took the MRT along to Bayfront and strolled along the Marina Bay promenade, soaking up the views of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and lotus shaped ArtScience Museum. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is an iconic building with its triple towers linked at the top by a cantilevered sky park. This 3 acre rooftop park features the world’s longest elevated swimming pool, gardens and even a jogging track.
The complex also includes a 300 store high-end shopping mall, known as the Shoppes of Marina Bay Sands where we found a canal running the entire length of the mall. Its design is similar to that of The Venetian in Las Vegas but instead of gondolas, here one can take a ride in a sampan.
The lotus inspired ArtScience museum is equally impressive and boasts a retractable roof. It is surrounded by a beautiful mirror pool filled with flowering water lilies. and lots of seating to relax and enjoy the views.
Continuing our tour of the Bayfront area we crossed the Meadow Bridge which leads to the entrance of the Gardens by the Bay. These national gardens are a showpiece of garden art as they present horticulture in a totally different way. Admission to the gardens is free of charge but tickets need to be purchased to enter the flower dome and cloud forest conservatories. Tickets are also required to access the 22 metre high OCBC Skyway which connects two of the towering Supertrees via a 128 metre long elevated walkway.
The gardens are divided into three distinct sections and as they are so large we decided to focus our attention on Bay South which is the largest of the three gardens. Dominating this garden are 18 Supertrees, ranging in height from 25-50 metres. These stunning tree like structures are futuristic vertical gardens with their own eco-systems and are home to many plants including ferns, vines and orchids.
We had envisaged the gardens to be crowded on a Sunday afternoon but being so large it didn’t feel busy at all. After spending the afternoon wandering around the lakeside paths we made the decision to return later in the evening to watch the Garden Rhapsody music and light show.
This free spectacle at the Supertree Grove takes place each evening at 7.45 and 8.45 p.m. and lasts 15 minutes. We found a good vantage point a few minutes before the start sitting on some stone steps and were mesmerised as the gardens came to life with the synchronised light and music show. The programme changes every few weeks and on the evening of our visit we were treated to ‘The Enchanted Wood’ performance.
The show began by discovering the enchanted tree and then took visitors on an adventure filled with magical beings and mystical beasts with a soundtrack of choreographed music. It was the perfect end to our first full day in Singapore and one we had enjoyed enormously.
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Any one of these could take a full day. You did well to hit the highlights of each district.
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Thank you, we very much enjoyed our time in Singapore and look forward to returning before too long.
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Ok, so were thinking of going to Singapore in the spring. What would be the best places you recommend there to visit?
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I think it all depends on how long you intend staying there and what interests you. I suggest reading through this series of blog posts for some ideas as I’m sure you’ll be able to compile a list.
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Ok, we have been. Checking out your posts today.
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That’s great, hope they are helpful!
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I guess we barely scraped the barrel when we went to visit Singapore. There’s a lot of good places to visit. Thanks for sharing. It surely brought us back nice memories.
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It’s so pleasing to read that my posts on Singapore brought back such fond memories for you. There is a surprising variety of things to do in Singapore and we loved them all! Thanks for your comments, they are most welcome.
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I like and I share, dear. Thank you. Wonderful photography, by the way.
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Thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated.
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You’ re welcome, dear. Keep up !
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Beautiful areas and interesting information. 🙂
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Thank you for your much appreciated thoughts. Singapore is both interesting and very scenic.
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I doubt I’ll make it there but it’s wonderful to see it through the eyes of others. 🙂
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That’s so nice to read then, thank you.
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What a wonderful sight. The Supertrees look wonderful. If only I could persuade Husband to visit…. He doesn’t like the heat. What was the temperature like when you visited?
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Thank you for your much appreciated thoughts Silver. The temperature wasn’t too bad, it was quite hot but fairly cloudy and didn’t feel too oppressive. The Supertrees are wonderful and I do so hope you can persuade your husband to visit as I’m certain you would both enjoy it so much.
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You certainly packed a lot into your time in Singapore. I am there fairly frequently – not so much as a tourist these days – and you have been to some places I haven’t. So I am marking them down for next time later this year.
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Thank you Lucinda for taking the time to comment, it’s much appreciated. I hope I have inspired you to visit some unfamiliar parts of Singapore later in the year. I hope to be returning again before too long, as an enjoy visiting Singapore so much.
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Another great day out Marion. Enjoyed reading your post as always. Loving the light show…
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Thanks Sue. The Light Show was great and a perfect way to end our day!
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What a marvellous city it is and it is constantly rebuilding and upgrading. I consider them far advanced in their attempts at climate management. The food is amazing and so culturally diverse. I know a small number of locals express disappointment with their government but all I can say is there is practically no crime, it is well organized and safe. So I can’t understand why the complaints when the rest of the world is a mess. Perhaps those who complain could venture out and travel to see what disorganized societies look like and they will then flee back to Singapore and be grateful for what they have. 🙂 I lived on Thomson Road and worked at Suntec City down Marina Bay side with the most fabulous view.
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It’s just my second visit to Singapore but I love everything about it so much. Beautifully maintained gardens and roadsides, no litter, graffiti totally safe and polite, friendly people. I could return anytime Ian. Hope you have had a good weekend. Are you watching The Ashes?
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No, I don’t spent much time on TV but I do check out web news frequently. Glad you enjoyed my Singapore. 🙂
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Singapore is one if my favourite destinations even though I’ve only had two one week visits so far.
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I love how well written and in depth your blogs are. I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore, so it is awesome to get background information and the insights of these places.
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Thank you so much for your kind words it means a lot to know that you find my posts interesting. I hope you get an opportunity to visit Singapore one day soon,
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I would love to see this Garden Rhapsody with my own eyes, seen so many great pics about it!
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It really is wonderful and even better in real life. I hope you get an opportunity to experience it for yourself one day. Thank you for commenting.
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I love Singapore. It is one of my favourite cities in the world and I really want to go back. I spend 4 days there, but those were not enough. We just passed little India, but did not have enough time to really explore that area unfortunately. But it looks super interesting and great with the cafes etc. By the way I have nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award as I really enjoy reading your posts. Always some great sights and tips to look out for for the next holiday 🙂 If you want to accept, here are the details: https://theworldofcruiseandtravel.wordpress.com/2019/07/31/mystery-blogger-award-my-first-ever-nomination/
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Thank you for your kind words Anna and for the nomination. I’ll certainly take a look. Singapore is one of my favourite cities too and there are so many interesting things to see and do. It was my second visit and both times we stayed an entire week and could have stayed longer! I hope you manage yo get back there soon.
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Great post, the Marina Bay Sands hotel looks impressive!
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Thank you! The hotel is very impressive and I think very expensive!
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An excellent post and very informative.
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Thank you Sumita for taking an interest in this post on Singapore. Your comments are much appreciated.
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The gardens are stunning, never seen before those super trees earlier, the idea is great, when there is no possibilities to cultivate normally, horizontally, it is possible to do it vertically.
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I’m so pleased you liked the Supertree Grove Gardens Kristina, they are indeed a stunning and a very cleverly thought out concept.
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Welcome to my city! ❤️❤️❤️
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I love Singapore! Thank you for taking an interest in my blog.
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Have you tried our Hainanese Chicken rice yet?
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Yes, it’s my absolute favourite!
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Brilliant photos. Singapore is such a diverse interesting city isn’t it? Lovely friendly people too.
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Thanks Jonno, yes I love Singapore – my second visit and hopefully many more to come!
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Hi there…What a fascinating place Singapore looks to be sure. So much that’s striking in design and the architecture looks amazing. So many contrasting vistas too. I recall seeing the roof-top swimming pool on TV. Hard to believe it covers 3 acres.Wow! Keep safe and keep moving those adventurous feet! Best wishes.Joy x
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Thank you Joy for your ever welcome thoughts. Singapore is one of my favourite destinations and I’m so glad to read that you enjoyed this post. Take care, Marion x
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Again, I have some political reservations about Singapore, but it does look fascinating! There are also Shoppes at the Venetian in Macau, and as they all seem to blur as to who owns them it’s probably not surprising. I like the idea of the swimming pool at the Marina Bay Sands, but I have a suspicion the owner is a firm fan of the current US President, so I’d not be spending any money there. Shame really… Doesn’t take anything away from enjoying your posts, but it does mean I’ll just have to enjoy the place vicariously!
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Thanks Stella for you welcome thoughts on this post on Singapore, it’s always pleasing to read that you are enjoying them. Marion
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Great post and photos! I particularly love the Supertrees.
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Thank you Sheree, Singapore is absolutely beautiful and the Supertrees are so unusual !
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love the photos
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Thank you for your kind words Sharon. It’s lovely to hear from you. Singapore is beautiful.
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Thank you for visiting Singapore! I hope you had a wonderful stay here. 🙂
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I absolutely loved Singapore and our week just flew by. I cant wait to return again soon! Thank you for your much appreciated thoughts.
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I think that Singapore has changed since we were there in March1990. 🙂
Excellent post and wonderful photos. Thank You.
Have a good day!
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I’m certain that there have been remarkable changes to Singapore over the years. I have visited twice but both recently. Thankfully quite a number of the historic buildings remain. Thank you for your welcome thoughts, Marion
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I just love the diversity of Singapore.
Gardens by the Bay was my favourite, we spent day and night there. Amazing 🙂
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It’s so nice to read that you also enjoyed The Gardens by the Bay I absolutely love Singapore and could return at any time. Thanks for your ever welcome thoughts.
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I know me too. It’s one of those special places. Have a great day. 😊
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I love how those gardens light up and I can’t believe there is a canal at the mall!
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The Supertree Grove is so unusual as plants and flowers grow on the artificial flowers creating a beautiful scene, especially at night. The canal through the shopping mall was nice too and beautifully clean Carly. Thank you for taking an interest in this post, it’s much appreciated. Marion
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Singapore 🇸🇬 is a pretty country
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Singapore is very beautiful Sharleena with lots of green spaces. Thank you for your thoughts.
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