Singapore has become one of the most prosperous countries in the world and attracts more than 15 million visitors a year - and for good reason.

It’s a tiny country in south-east Asia, with a rich past of British colonisation, but in the last fifty years has strived ahead in leaps and bounds becoming a sought-after place to live, work and holiday.

Travellers are drawn by obvious attractions - clean streets, extensive shopping, museums, restaurants, bars, the plush hotels and the friendliness of the locals.

I recently spent three days in Singapore and this time wanted to get off the beaten track. I’d been to Singapore a few times over the years, mainly as a stopover on the way back from Europe, but Singapore wants people to visit the country as a destination, not just a stop off point.

My accommodation in Singapore was at the Oasis Hotel Downtown. It’s a new hotel in the heart of the CBD, is uniquely covered in greenery from top to bottom. On the top floor are several swimming pools, with incredible views over the city.

The first thing you always notice about Singapore is just how clean and efficient the place is.

I decided to catch the metro from the airport into the city, it was cheap (about NZ$2.20), it was fast, it was refreshingly cool, and it got me exactly where I needed to go, in probably the same time it would’ve taken if I’d taken a taxi.

I began my first day by walking the streets on a Sunday morning through Chinatown to Little India, which are must-see attractions in Singapore, where you can mix with the local communities, shopping and sampling some ethnic food as you soak in the colour and bustling atmosphere.

Singapore is a beautiful city to walk around, I lost count how many kilometres I walked, back along the Kallang River and around to Marina Bay. I stopped for an obligatory photo at the Merlion statue, with views of the Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer in the background. It was mid-morning, it was searingly hot, and hundreds of people happily gathered in groups, smiling for photos, as I made my way to the nearest shopping centre to get a two-minute blast of air conditioning before continuing on.

In the afternoon I met up with Suhail, who was my guide for a couple of days. We visited grand and historic buildings like the Supreme Court, the National Gallery, and we stopped for a drink at Chijmes, a series of beautiful buildings which used to house a Catholic Girls School, and is now a series of bars and restaurants. We also travelled to the neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, built in the 1930s and described as Singapore’s first housing estate. Strolling through the streets and alleyways is a great way to experience how locals live with art deco-style apartment blocks mixed with shops and restaurants. You are still so close to the CBD but feel a world away.

That evening, we were in the grandstands watching the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, which is held on the streets of the city each year, and attracts tens of thousands of locals and visitors as Singapore comes alive with not just the motor racing, but concerts and a party atmosphere.

The next morning, Suhail and I were up early, heading out of the city to catch a small ferry (known locally as a bumboat) as we headed to the small boomerang-shaped island of Pulau Ubin. The ferry costs just NZ$2.10, takes 15 minutes, and will go as soon as there are ten passengers ready. It’s a rickety boat that dodges its way around ships as you cross the South China Sea to get to the island.

The island is old Singapore. It’s quiet, there are almost no cars, very few people live there, making it a hugely popular place for Singaporeans to visit. We were there on a quiet Monday morning, but I’m told that at weekends it can be teeming with people who want to experience a break from the city. I did what you do on Pulau Ubin - I hired a bicycle, and set to off to explore. The island is covered in fruit and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps and with next to no traffic, I had the small roads and paths pretty much to myself. It was hard to believe I was still in Singapore - at one point I had reached the top of the island, and several hundreds metres across the harbour was Malaysia.

There are several places to park your bicycle and set off on foot. There’s a boardwalk that goes out over the harbour, before you can be brave and climb up a lookout tower with incredible views over the island and over the South China Sea.

Even thought it was overcast, it was swelteringly hot, and after a couple of hours of riding through the forests, Suhail and I sat down for a refreshing beer as I slowly dried off while we waited to catch the ferry back to the mainland. To get the ferry to Palau Ubin you can get a taxi or public transport from Changi Point Village. It’s well worth a visit for a bit of Singapore paradise.

Back in the CBD, we found ourselves at the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands where we experienced what the future would be like with Future World. It’s a new permanent exhibition, which is very much hands on and a great place to visit for the family. You explore a digital universe, and watch creations that you design literally come to life. As we walked through, watching people drawing pictures of a bird, and then watching those birds magically appear, flying past you on the wall, it struck me once again that Singapore has such an extraordinary mix of old and new. One minute you’re walking past an historic building, housing memories of the British colonials, the next you’re looking up at the magnificent modern skyline as you walk through the endless parks and gardens throughout the city.

You won’t go hungry or thirsty in Singapore. The country is renowned for its food and drink - a Singapore Gin Sling and tossing peanut shells on the floor at the Long Bar at Raffles is a must for tourists. It’s the only place in Singapore where you’re allowed to litter! I also found out that Singapore has a burgeoning craft beer scene. We tried a variety of local craft beers at the RedDot Brewhouse in the neighbourhood of Dempsey, and sat in the Bavarian-style beer garden as the sun went down, before sitting down for a Chinese meal at the Full of Luck Club in bustling Holland Village.

Hawker stalls operate throughout Singapore where you can experience living life as a local, sitting on plastic chairs eating for next to nothing from an array of food stands. The neighbourhood of Katong provided the best Laksa I’ve ever had in my life. The restaurant 328 Katong has received a lot of media coverage in recent years, after the glamorous owner, Nancy Lim, beat renowned chef Gordon Ramsey in a challenge to make the best laksa in Singapore. And I can see why. For around NZ$8 I got a steaming hot bowl of Laksa which hit the spot and leaves you in no doubt that Gordon Ramsey never stood a chance!

Singapore has something for everyone. While still the perfect place to stop off between Europe and New Zealand for a couple of days, as Singapore grows and changes faster than almost any other city in the world, it has well and truly become a destination.

 

(Tim traveled courtesy of Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board.)