Singapore has always been on our list but we have been waiting for another opportunity to go there, such as the one we got last month with my business trip. The clean and tidy city was a nice getaway for the weekend (2 days for L., 2 + 3 for work for me).

Indian district and Downtown area

As our hotel was near the Indian district, we visited this one first. We asked a recommendation of coffee to a nice lady in the street, who ended up doing the guide for us for 30 minutes. Strolling in the colourful and busy streets was nice and we even had a nice coffee and samousa break in a nice vegetarian Indian place around 11 am. We passed near the Masjid Sultan mosque and starting to walk toward the center of the city.

Singapore has a great architecture combining colonial and colourful buildings with very modern skyscrapers. With our eyes wild opened, we arrived at the Raffles Hotel, which was unfortunately closed for renovation. We then headed to Lau Pa Sat Hawker for lunch. With a mix of Indian, Chinese and Malaysian cuisine, we had too many choices. I was recommended several specialities by my colleague so I took a Char Kway Teow, a dish made of fried noodles and several other ingredients which was ok but not as good as expected…

Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands

Singapore may not be a big city but we walked a lot (23km on the first day). The weather was nice but very humid, which normal there. We walked to the Gardens by the Bay and admired the Cloud Forest under the Flower Dome as well as the beautiful gardens they built. Being under a dome, you can enjoy a fresh break with the AC running there.

Another key stop was to enjoy the Singaporean drink ‘Singapore Sling’ at the CéLaVi rooftop bar at the top of the 400-meter high Marina Bay Sands building. A good tip would be to arrive quite early (around 5/5:30 pm) to avoid the crowd and enjoy the sunset if the weather permits. The view is breathtaking and we didn’t regret the crowded swimming pool you can also access if you pay an expensive night at the hotel as it was chilly at that time and height.

A quick stop by the casino in the Marina Bay Sands, the light show in the Garden and another food court where I took a laksa soup and we were back at our hotel, exhausted from the day but really happy.

Chinatown and Club Street

We moved from our hotel (Boss hotel, which was correct for the time we spent in the room) to the hotel my company has booked for the week in the morning. We rented two biked there to go to Chinatown. The district is not comparable with some markets you can find here in Hong Kong, being so much cleaner and organised, as the rest of the city is.

We then visited Club Street which has been recommended by my friend Marie. The architecture is super nice there, you can enjoy a nice atmosphere of a residential area with many ‘hipster’ restaurants along the way. We stopped at ‘Merci Marcel’ for a quick coffee and reaaaaaaally tasty home-made croissants.

Emerald Hill and Orchard Road

Biking in Singapore was nice but actually, it is not the most convenient when you want to stop to take pictures and go to buy souvenirs. So we dropped our bikes at the hotel and went to visit Emerald Hill and the shopping district of Orchard Road where we were surprised by a big tropical storm (never heard such a threatening thunderstorm!) at lunchtime.

Clarke Quay and CHIJMES

After L.’s departure, I mostly spent my time between the Singapore Expo, the Park Regis hotel, and the area of Clarke Quay which I found very nice to have a drink or a dinner. I had the chance to see my friend Marina who moved to Singapore 3 months ago. She recommended we met in CHIJMES, which was a tremendous idea. This former convent and school now houses restaurants, bars and event spaces. Besides the ridiculously expensive price of the glass of wine, we had a great evening catching-up on a terrace, in this aerated space.

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2 or 3 days are enough if you want to see the key spots of the city. The big advantage to me is the greenery and the parks in the center. Singapore looked calm and relaxing during the 2 days we spent but it also must be a nice place to live all year long.