SINGAPORE: A mix of everything you could want

May 27 2008 By Ben Rossington

SO OFTEN seen as a ‘kangaroo’ destination - somewhere travellers stop for a day or two to break up a long-haul journey - Singapore is starting to carve out a reputation in its own right.

The smallest country in southeast Asia and one of the few remaining city states in the world, Singapore mixes modern Western with traditional Malay influences.

From the multi-billion pound business district to the old fishing communities, Singapore manages to fit two very different worlds on to an island less than 300 square miles wide – helping to explain why it drew nearly 10m visitors in 2006 and more last year.

The capital, Singapore City, rises majestically with a raft of skyscrapers and imposing hotels shooting high into the air.

The Singapore Flyer – a 165-metre high ferris wheel purposely built bigger than the London Eye – dominates the Marina Bay area which is the subject of much redevelopment and will, next year, see the opening of the island’s first casino resort.

Also set to sweep through the marina is this September’s highly-anticipated F1 Grand Prix, the first ever night race on the F1 calendar, for which new roads and a state-of-the-art pit complex are still being built.

But next to the new are flavours of the old. The magnificent Raffles Hotel, birth place of the famous Singapore Sling cocktail, stands proudly in the middle of the city while the five-star Fullerton boutique hotel is near the mouth of the Singapore River.

This former General Post Office building, once housing the country’s longest post counter, has been transformed into a sumptuous destination that simply drips with luxury.

The standard of the 400 rooms and suites, many of which face downtown Singapore making for spectacular night views, is so high that the Queen dropped by to meet the Prime Minister during her last visit.

And if it’s good enough for the Queen ...

The Fullerton not only allows its guests to stay in high comfort but also helps them shop in it too.

Discovering the many ‘shopping cities’ that Singapore offers can be an exhausting ordeal, especially in the sticky humidity of the summer, but the Fullerton offers a concierge service that allows you to drop off your newly-acquired goodies at a special point in the heart of the shopping district and have them delivered back to your room free of charge.

After a hard day’s shopping, Singapore at night is a difference experience.

The food smells that emanate from all corners entice diners with offers of exotic dishes, from classic oriental food to the likes of chilli crab – Singapore’s signature dish which must be tried.

Alongside the array of restaurants are the traditional hawker markets, which sell everything from chicken rice and a variety of more familiar options to the not-so-enticing ‘pork brains’ and ‘hundred-day-old eggs’.

Meals are reasonably priced although drinks can be pricey. The upshot of this is that the country doesn’t suffer from the blight of binge drinking and streets are pleasant to walk down on Friday and Saturday nights.

Not that the nightlife suffers from it. Down by the river, Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are at the heart of Singapore’s highly sophisticated and cutting edge nightlife and wining and dining scene.

There is something here for everyone, from ultra stylish and chic cocktail and vodka bars, to award-winning restaurants and some of the world’s most highly acclaimed nightclubs – including Ministry of Sound.