Seated in Michael Wilson’s Michelin-starred restaurant Marguerite, set within the Flower Dome, we tucked into a delightful four-course meal. For a moment, we let go of the urge to worry about ticking off the next stop on our Singapore trip. It was then that we realised just how many short-haul and business travellers must be craving to experience this city on fleeting trips of only two or three days with hardly any time to spare.
This city’s welcoming, familiar atmosphere makes it hard to leave without exploring — even if it means revisiting its famous spots. If ‘cliché’ comes to mind, dismiss it, because these places always offer something new, drawing visitors back to see them in a fresh light.
This itinerary is designed for those escaping disappointment at destinations and long queues. For us, it was a full circle moment as we finally witnessed places we’d often written about as travel journalists. Your choices might vary depending on your schedule and interests, but the city’s iconic landmarks are famed as the beating heart of the ‘Lion City’ because they entice all kinds of guests and also because most luxe hotels, like ours — Mandarin Oriental — are located in the vicinity.
The first order of business post-touchdown is always hunting for food. So we crossed the Helix Bridge, which offers a view of the Merlion, Singapore’s mythical lion-fish mascot, in search of breakfast. On impulse, we chose a café at the ArtScience Museum, saving us time and allowing us to check out the popular Future World: Where Art Meets Science permanent exhibition by teamLabs c a digital playground with 17 interactive installations including slides, doodle corners, a crystal universe and aerial climbing and more — all designed to bring out your inner child. Anime fans also have The World of Studio Ghibli, running through February here.
With most shops closing at 10 pm, finding late night activities in the city centre can be tricky. For night owls, we recommend taking an MRT to Spring Leaf station to catch the free shuttle to the Singapore Night Safari, where wildlife adventure tram rides run till 11.15 pm. Since the park is open until midnight, there’s time to explore trails like Leopard, Fishing Cat, Wallaby and many others to get up and close to these majestic creatures.
A highlight for us was spotting rare species like the Malayan Tapir roaming freely while fulfilling our long-standing dream of braving the eerie-sounding jungles at bewitching hours.
Make travelling 22 kilometres to this place worth it by adding one or more experiences at Mandai Wildlife Reserve such as the half-day at Bird Paradise, where we wandered among 3,500 birds in eight aviaries, with feathered friends sometimes flying right above us or perching nearby. Covering regions from Asia to Australia and beyond, this park doesn’t just offer a glimpse into the daily life of winged creatures but includes activities like feeding sessions, ‘keeper talks’ and even glamping.
Though work kept most of our days occupied, nights were all about returning to Chinatown for local dishes at Hawkers Centre, Kopi and Kaya Toast and browsing the one-dollar souvenir stalls. Speaking of souvenirs, it’s hard to leave Singapore without picking up something from Charles & Keith, at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands — an ideal place to go all out on retail therapy, given that luxury designer labels, upscale dining options and even traditional sampan boat rides are all within the mall.
Across the road from the iconic Marina Bay Sands lies Gardens by the Bay, where we spent the final afternoon of our trip knowing we would linger here until nightfall.
And we began with the leisurely lunch serving standout dishes like Marcona Almond, Charentais Melon and the divine dessert of Chocolate, Peanut and Salted Caramel with Banana Sorbet. To our delight, dining at Marguerite also granted us complimentary entry into the Flower Dome, currently hosting a vivid Flower Carnival, complete with ferris wheel rides and a carousels crafted entirely from fresh blooms.
However, the limited-time interactive exhibition dedicated to impressionist master Claude Monet, titled Impressions of Monet, completely stole our hearts by showcasing his famous house, water lilies and other iconic works. Yet, the real enchantment lay in the mist-laden Cloud Forest featuring Lost World, Cloud Walk, Crystal Mountain, Tree Top Walk, Secret Garden and the piece de résistance , the mesmerising indoor waterfall.
A friendly local had advised us to explore the domes first, as they close by eight in the evening — a valuable tip we were grateful for as we would have lost track of time venturing outdoors between Floral Fantasy, Kingfisher Wetlands and Dragonfly Lake, among other attractions. Alas, we ended up beneath the towering Supertrees, as dusk fell, we awaited the famed light and sound show, the Garden Rhapsody — a magical conclusion to our happy days in Singapore.
