2/28/2019

SINGAPORE SAMPLE SHIMMERING


EXPLORING EAST'S brightest new star......

SINGAPORE has a reputation for being super-safe and super-clean city. But visitors should also be aware there is zero tolerance on crime - a 29-year-old Briton hit the headlines recently after being sentenced to 24 lashes for drug offences.

Now there are a host of new design hotels in the city, a fantastic bar and foodie scene and it is ideal, either as a final destination or as a stopover en route to Australia.

You'll enjoy fun time in this brightest new star in the East here's how to get the best out of it in two days.

Download the app Grab - Singapore's version of Uber then head to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, where you can pop up to the rooftop Lavo restaurant for brunch with a view. The ricotta pancakes with lemon and blueberries are divine. If you want something a little different, how about chicken and waffles?

Next door to the hotel is the lotus flower-shaped Art Science Museum, which hosts exhibitions from design to technology.

A short walk away the Gardens by the Bay covers 250 acres and features 220,000 plants.

The 18 futuristic, steel-clad ''trees'' are actually giant exhausts for the turbines that cool the biodome greenhouses.

Head to one of Singapore's giant malls and you'll never be short of shopping and dinning opportunities, but it is even better for a reviving blast of cool air in a city that is renowned for its high humidity levels.

At Ion on Orchard Road, there are plenty of  designer stores to browse, although there are budget options too. And as a tourist, you can even claim back the seven percent Goods & Services Tax.

When you are ready for a snack, go to basement food court for some toasts with kaya, a caramel like spread of sugar, coconut milk and eggs.

In Chinatown, chef Ivan Brehm conjures up superb flavors at Nouri. A five course tasting menu with wine pairings costs Pound 155 per person. Dishes include  Afro-Brazilian friters with tumeric, coconut sauce, bread and salted  prawn vatapa and  nasturtium marshmellow with candied orange.

A short walk is Native, where Vijay Mudaliar crafts, cocktails from weird and wonderful ingredients including erm, pureed grasshoppers.

Escape the hustle and bustle and see a different side of Singapore by taking the North South line of the metro to Kranji and the Kranji War Cemetery, where 4,000 Commonwealth soldiers killed in two world wars lie buried.   

Before you head back, join the locals in the Kopitain cafe in Kranji station, where a bowl of lakes - a spicy noodle soup costs less than Pound 2.50.

Back in Central Singapore, see places featured in the recent hit movie  Crazy Rich Asians  from the  sidecar of souped-up, chauffeur driven Vespa. The two-hour tour, which costs from Pound210pp , includes a stop for food.

Hawker centres are an institution here, no frills food court where the prices are great and food is top-notch.

In Queenstown, Timbre provides a modern take on one, with outlets housed in shipping containers.

Before you head to Changi Terminal 1 for your flight to the UK or wherever, kick back at Timber rooftop pool - it's open until mid-night [Courtesy Daily Mail]

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