Singapore – Our Last Port

Nov. 14th – 17th: On Nov. 14th we arrived at 8:00 a.m. in Singapore, the final port of our 16 day cruise. We spent 4 days in Singapore before we headed home on November 17th.

Since we couldn’t check into our hotel until 4:00, we arranged a private tour with Tours by Locals. First stop was Fort Canning Park which is known for its spice garden.

Singapore has a population of five million people from four major communities; Chinese (majority), Malay, Indian and Eurasian.

We wandered the colourful streets of Kampong Glam which is Singapore’s Muslim Quarter; the major landmark is The Masjio Sultan Mosque. The Mosque was built in 1824 by the first Sultan of Singapore. There were lots of restaurants in the Kampong Glam quarter but the food was a bit too spicy for us.

Next we visited the Chinese district. The Thian Hock Keng Temple is Singapore’s oldest and most important Buddhist temple.

Next was the Tekka Centre which is part wet market, part food centre and part shopping mall in Little India.

Our last stop before we checked into the hotel was the top floor of a 54-Floor public housing complex which provided an amazing 360 degree view of the city. Our guide told us there are more than 10,000 high-rises in Singapore, the majority located in the Downtown Core. The skies of Singapore are where most of the population lives and for this reason there is an emphasis on greenery (many of the buildings having “greenery cutout floors”). Another interesting comment was that over 80 per cent of residents live in high-rise public housing blocks (like the one we visited) which are provided by the Housing and Development Board on leasehold land; there is an impressive home ownership rate of over 80 per cent.

We stayed at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore which is located near the mouth of the Singapore River in the Downtown core of Singapore. It was originally the General Post Office Building so the lobby area was large and very interesting. It was an excellent location as we could walk to restaurants, the Merlion statue and The Gardens by the Bay park.

Across the street from the Fullerton Hotel is One Fullerton Promenade. This promenade overlooks Marina Bay and is home to Singapore’s iconic 28-foot Merlion statue, a half-fish, half-lion stone carving that shoots water into the bay. The Merlion’s fish-like body commemorates the island’s origins as a fishing village (then known as Temasek), while its lion-like head pays homage to the city’s original name, Singapura (“The Lion City”).

Across the bay from One Fullerton is the Marina Bay Sands. It is best known for its suspended infinity pool (which was featured in the 2018 movie Crazy, Rich Asians). Some interesting information about the Marina Bay Sands: At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at $6.88 billion US. The resort includes a 2,561-room hotel, and a 120,000-square-metre (1,300,000 sq ft) convention-exhibition centre. The complex includes three towers topped by the Sands Skypark, a skyway on the 57th floor with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150 m (490 ft) infinity swimming pool. The Skypark is set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 66.5 m (218 ft). Interestingly, the resort is owned by Las Vegas Sands in agreement with the Singaporean authorities.

We had several lunches at Bacha Coffee; we loved the ambience and the food and coffee were excellent. They provided glass straws for the water which was a nice touch.

We walked to The Gardens by the Bay which is an urban park spanning 105 hectares (260 acres) right next to Marina Sands Bay Hotel. Gardens by the Bay was part of Singapores’ plans to transform its “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”, with the aim of raising the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city. With our limited time in Singapore, we saw only a portion of the garden, but what we saw was amazing.

Our favourite part of the Gardens by the Bay was Cloud Forest. A massive glass greenhouse with plants, flowers, wood statuses and a 35 meters tall waterfall which creates a mist inside the facility. There is a circular path at the back of the waterfall and an observation platform near the top.

Garden Rhapsody is a light and music show that takes place twice a day, at 7:45 p.m. and 8:45 p.m., in the heart of Gardens by the Bay. The Supertrees are 25 – 50 metres (82 to 160 feet) tall, light up with hundreds of LED lights and move to the music – all part of a 20 minute show.

Singapore’s waterfront area is very walkable, and the city is safe, multicultural and spotlessly clean. It has an impressive “green” mandate and although it is a small country it has many interesting attractions. Singapore is the most expensive country to visit in South Asia and one of the most expensive in the world; however, we are glad we spent 4 extra days here.

The following photos were taken around our hotel on our last day.

We had read that Singapore, Jewel Changi Airport was not just a transit hub, so we arrived at the airport 7 hours before our 11:15 p.m. flight home so we could explore. The design of this huge “mall-like” structure and the programmes it offers was designed to bring in the locals as well as transit passengers for a unique experience. The massive dome-shaped structure encompasses 5 floors above the ground and 5 basement levels and houses airport operations, indoor gardens, retail stores, restaurants and a hotel, including spaces designed for community and leisurely activities. It has a 40-meter indoor waterfall, the world’s largest. It took us over 4 hours to just walk the mall area. We ate at a Thai restaurant that overlooked the waterfall. I nice way to end our time in Singapore.

This is the last post for our East Asia Adventure. It really was 3 trips: a 5-day pre-cruise time in Tokyo and Kyoto, a 16 day cruise on the Oceania Regatta and lastly 4 days in Singapore at the beautiful Fullerton Hotel. We enjoyed all parts of our trip and the people we met along the way.