Gardens by the Bay – Flower Dome. Photo / Gardens by the Bay
Flying through Singapore? Turn a layover into the perfect mini-holiday by staying an extra day or two and following few key tips, writes Anna King Shahab
Singapore is small, and the public transport system and ease of getting cabs make it simple to traverse — but some attractions are a bit further flung and you have no time to be repeating your tracks. Mapping out your picks and planning day by day means minimal travel time and more time spent feeling the holiday vibes.
Don’t waste precious mini-holiday time on a Continental breakfast — head to Great Nanyang Heritage Cafe and get among the locals. This Singaporean kopitiam (cafe) opened less than two years ago but manages to nail the nostalgia of bygone days without feeling twee, thanks to carefully curated decor including old vinyl covers and original photographs. It opens nice and early, and arriving early is a smart idea as a queue soon forms.
That said, it stays open till 9pm, so if you can’t fit a morning visit in, a spot of supper perhaps? The helpful menu will set you up for ordering your coffee like a local from then on (the Visit Singapore website also has a helpful guide to no less than a dozen styles of coffee). Don’t skip the classic kaya toast — a thick slab of cold butter and a veil of house-made kaya (coconut jam) sandwiched between toasted thinly sliced bread. My dining companion gave me the full toast experience, ordering runny soft-boiled eggs which she cracked into a bowl and topped with plenty of white pepper and a slosh of soy sauce. We then happily dipped our toast into the runny egg mixture — delicious. There’s an extensive menu of noodles, rice, curries, and more. Our hor fun with egg (wok-charred rice noodles in an umami, egg-flecked gravy, topped with juicy prawns) was the epitome of comfort food.
Unless you’re planning on solely dining at a bunch of the many, many excellent hawker centres, just pick two and make the most of the offerings therein. You’ll save travel time, and save some room in your tummy for some of the other myriad culinary offerings. Old Airport Rd Food Centre reopened late last year after an extensive renovation and boasts as diverse a lineup of stalls as you could hope for, with the added bonus of pretty decent fan-cooling. If you’re basing yourself on Sentosa for a family fun break, you don’t need to travel into the city; the closest hawker centre Seah Im, just over the bridge, mightn’t be as famous with tourists but it’s very good, as the steady custom from locals attests. Don’t miss the yam rice with duck — superb.
Singapore stakes a hefty claim on the list of Asia’s Top 50 Bars list and its cocktail scene is ever-evolving. Nothing says holiday more than an attentive bartender fixing you the perfect tipple. At Bar Stories, a rustic and intimate bar upstairs on eclectic Haji Lane, bossman and renowned mixologist Dave Koh doesn’t do things by the book; he somehow reads guests’ minds and rustles up bespoke concoctions as eye-catching as they are delicious. Night Hawk, tucked behind an incongruous door in the heart of bustling Tanjong Pagar, is another intimate spot, seating 22 in a slick but wonderfully cosy interior inspired by the introspective atmosphere of its namesake Edward Hopper painting, Nighthawks. It might help you relax further knowing that in Singapore, there’s not a huge premium on the price tag of cocktails according to the fitout, location or level of service — the price of a cocktail hovers in the mid-20s in most bars, so don’t be afraid to book bougie.
A half-hour drive north of the business district, Bird Paradise opened two years ago and is part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. You’ll get to discover a different side to Singapore when you leave the bustle of buildings for the bustle of birds for a few hours. There are thousands of them, spanning 400 species, and the pathways around the 17 hectares they inhabit are lushly landscaped, themed around ecosystems such as rainforest, wetland, and grassland. Feeding sessions and shows in the large open-air stadium get you up close and personal — the Birds of Prey show is especially cool.
Even Singapore’s city centre is blessed with abundant greenery, which sees the island dubbed a “city in the garden”. Gardens by the Bay is a big drawcard for visitors, and as it’s divided into free, semi-free and paid entry areas, visitors can experience it whatever their budget. While paid areas including the Flower Dome and the Skyway between the Supertrees are rightfully popular, you can escape crowds entirely in free-access areas sections such as Serene Garden, a tranquil Japanese zen-inspired space where you’ll often be the only tourist, alongside a few locals exercising, dog-walking, or forest bathing. You can even stay there — Garden Pod Hotel is an award-winning, sustainable container-build nestled amid podocarpus, junipers, silver palms and bamboo with stunning views of the city skyline.
The Dempsey Hill precinct is somewhere you can tick off a whole heap of holiday boxes in one place: lush scenery, history, shopping, entertainment and dining. Formerly a nutmeg orchard and then a British Army barracks, the enclave retains a heritage charm and a verdant setting. A generous organic garden sustains the kitchen at Urban Farm — a meal in the greenhouse-like dining room is a lesson in low-key luxury. The more recently opened Air CCCC also boasts an impressive organic garden sprawling across the site.
A former clubhouse has been renovated in chic style and if it reminds you of somewhere, it might be Bali — it’s courtesy of the Potatohead group and gazing from the tropical brutalist interior out across the greenery almost could even afford you a little Balinese bliss within your Singapore mini-holiday. The Museum of Ice Cream is fun for the whole family, with ice cream tastings throughout the 12 zany rooms. And you can live your Wonka dreams at Mr Bucket Chocolaterie, where the impressive design encompasses multi-sensory zones in which to experience chocolate to its fullest.
Staying somewhere with a unique vibe can amplify the mini-holiday feeling. Handily located between Chinatown and Clarke Quay — directly opposite Clarke Quay MRT station, so no time wasted pounding the pavements — 21 Carpenter nails the interesting boutique hotel brief. Design studio WOHA merged a collection of 1930s shophouses and added a modern extension above, and heritage elements throughout tell the story of the corner building’s history as a remittance house, where Chinese labourers came to send money home.
The rooms are a bit luxury and a lot comfort (with supremely comfortable beds), and there’s even a clever petite rooftop pool with a direct view of Marina Bay Sands. What really made it special though was the staff — young, friendly, and knowledgeable, I gleaned loads of tips on where to eat, drink, shop and more from them. Ground floor bar and restaurant Kee’s is well worth visiting not just for guest breakfast but for lunch, dinner, or a few small plates with a cocktail — even if you’re not staying, add Kee’s to your cocktail crawl, the drinks are excellent.
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