Singapore 2013
We decided to go to Singapore for the New Year period 2013/14 after having a quick look around on our way to Europe a few years previous.
Day 1 - Arriving in Singapore
We had a 0900 flight from the Gold coast so lost the best part of today travelling. We arrived in Singapore at 1500 local time and arrived at our hotel at around 1700 after navigating through immigration at the airport.
After checking in, we went for a wander and had a drink at the world famous Raffles Hotel.
We found a place for dinner and had a great meal followed by a walk to Marina Bay to see some sights.
Raffles Hotel
Marina Bay by night
“Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion).
The resort includes a 2,561-room hotel, a 120,000-square-metre convention-exhibition centre, the 74,000-square-metre The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall, a museum, a large theatre, “celebrity chef” restaurants, two floating crystal pavilions, art-science exhibits, and the world’s largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines.”
We had the worst night’s sleep last night due to the construcion of a new train station right outside the hotel.
We asked reception if we could be moved to another room, which we were, but it was actually a downgrade from our original room and still suffered from construction noise, even though we were now on the other side of the hotel.
Day 2 - Gardens by the Bay
These Gardens by the Bay were amazing!
Last time we came through Singapore on the way to Europe, they were still being built. But now they are all finished and fabulous. The eco-friendliness of the gardens blew us away too. Because of the tropical climate in Singapore and the abundance of rain, all the overflow is harvested and fed back to the plants via sprinklers.
Just a delight to see…
“The Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares in the Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir.
The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Gardenand Bay Central Garden ,”
The Flower Dome
“Step into the Flower Dome and stand in awe of nature. Spectacular and innovative, it is the largest glass greenhouse in the world as listed in the 2015 Guinness World Records! Be amazed by changing display of flowers and plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid regions.”
Lunch above the gardens
We had lunch in one of the ‘trees’ in the garden – the view was spectacular…
Day 3 - Laying low in Singapore
Today we laid low and wandered around Singapore and did some shopping in readiness for our big night out.
We also went to the Mustafa Centre.
Imagine a discount shop atmosphere and multiply it by about 10,000 but with no cheap prices. Five floors of chaos where you can buy anything your heart desires. Just a shambles from start to finish…
It was sooo chaotic that we forgot to take photos…
“Mustafa Centre is a shopping mall in Singapore, situated on Syed Alwi Road in the cultural district of Little India. It is a retail hub attracting many shoppers with its wide variety of products and services.”
Day 4 - Sentosa Island
“Sentosa is an island resort off Singapore’s southern coast, connected to the city by road, cable car, pedestrian boardwalk and monorail. By Sentosa Station, Tiger Sky Tower has panoramic views that can stretch as far as Indonesia.
On the south coast, Palawan Beach is lined with food stalls and bars, and has a suspension bridge to a small offshore island. Palm-lined, crescent-shaped Tanjong Beach is more tranquil.”
The chairlift over
A lovely, relaxing trip over with good aerial views of the city and harbour…
The luge
So much fun that we had multiple goes…
Dinner at Sky on 57
We had the most magnificent ‘once in a lifetime’ meal at Sky on 57. Dinner consisted of amazing flavours, looked special and the view was stunning as the city lit up. I wouldn’t want to share the moment with anyone else… 💕
Back to Sentosa for a skydive
Gardens by the Bay at night
The beautiful Gardens by the Bay look even more brilliant lit up at night…
New Year's Eve fireworks
Watching the Singapore fireworks with 300,000 other people… and then being caught amongst the crowd in the MRT while trying to get home.
We should have walked.
** Having lost a good portion of our photos, these are the only ones we have of the fireworks
Our last day - Singapore Zoo
We spent our last day at the Singapore Zoo. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it seemed smaller than I had imagined.
The orangutangs were so cool to watch swinging through the trees at full tilt. One in particular caught our attention as it looked at us with such sadness in it’s eyes.
Heartbreaking 
Unfortunately, I left the zoo with the realisation that I didn’t need to ever see another one again… and that was ok.
