Exploring the world one bite at a time

Category: Singapore (country) (Page 1 of 3)

The country Singapore in Asia

Singapore Zoo: “Excellent Zoo”

Very beautiful zoo that takes pride in showing the animals in their natural habitat. No cages whatsoever, you get to enjoy the animals up close and personal. I got a chance to encounter a snake. 🙂 The panda’s are an absolute highlight and don’t forget the night safari which is a very special experience.

Information
Singapore Zoo
Mandai Lake Road 80
Mandai
Singapore 729826
Singapore
http://www.zoo.com.sg/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Zoo
https://twitter.com/tweetwrs?lang=en

Visited October 2013. You can find my review about Singapore Zoo also on TripAdvisor.

The Helix Bridge: “Impressive architecture”

The architecture of this bridge is quite stunning. The bridge itself offers great views of the Marina Bay area. At night it is beautifully lit. A top photo spot!

Information
The Helix Bridge
Between Marina Bay (Marina South) and Marina Centre
Singapore 038981
Singapore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_Bridge
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1045_2011-06-30.html

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about The Helix Bridge also on TripAdvisor.

Marina Bay Sands: “Most iconic hotel in Singapore”

Marina Bay Sands is without a doubt one of the most famous landmark buildings in Singapore. So, yes, rooms in this magnificent building are very expensive. You pay for the unique location, the beautiful views, the incredible infinity pool and the impeccable trained staff.

Often heard complaints are that the hotel is too busy. While this is certainly true (at any given moment of the day the lobby and pool are bustling with people), during my stay this really never bothered me. I always found a free spot at the pool, did not have to wait long at check-in nor at check-out and we always got seated at breakfast in less than five minutes. Marina Bay Sands is huge, so it’s quite normal that you have a lot of people everywhere. If you’re looking for a quiet place, I recommend you book another hotel.

I was lucky enough to stay in a room with a view on the city center as well as in a room with a view on the Gardens by the Bay. I must say I preferred the city view (which is also more expensive). Nothing beats the gracious Singapore Marina Bay Skyline, not even the lights of the beautiful Supertrees. The room at the city center was a lot bigger, but the garden view room had a balcony and the opportunity to step outside for a moment. Very nice, but sadly it seemed almost impossible to get the room airco temperature higher than 20 degrees.

The bathroom was very well equipped, as should be expected from a hotel with this reputation. The shower was very big, the bath tub could fit two persons and there were two sinks. I really liked the shower which was spacious and very comfortable! So nice to clean the sweat of your body after a hot day.

The Club room on the 55th floor is superb. From 17 till 19u guests can enjoy multiple treats. Quality champagne, spirits, beer, juices, beautiful canapés, great cheeses, sweets, fruit, fish and lots more. After a visit to the Club you don’t need dinner anymore. 😉

The pool is gorgeous, although the water was very chilly. It was just incredible, swimming on the 57th floor with those breathtaking views. I can honestly say: never in my life have I seen so many people take selfies of themselves in a pool. But to be fair, who can blame them?

Breakfast was also excellent. the huge buffet was very well organized in different sections (egg station, fruits, indian food, dim sum, vegetables, cheeses, fish, bread, noodle soup, English breakfast,…) so it never felt too crowded. Staff was super professional and very friendly. And the food itself was a culinary trip through Asia. Shout-out for the noodle soup and dim sum with spinach and shrimp.

This hotel has only one disadvantage: the price tag.

Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956, Singapore

Stayed March 2015. You can find my review about Marina Bay Sands also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, rooms 5/5, service 5/5.

Singapore Botanic Gardens: “Gorgeous green park”

This place is a must see when you visit Singapore. Such beautiful gardens. The park is very well kept and breathtakingly beautiful. The impressive orchid garden with all its different colors and shapes of orchid was my absolute favorite.

Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569, Singapore
https://www.sbg.org.sg/
+65 6471 7361

Visited October 2014. You can find my review about Singapore Botanic Gardens also on TripAdvisor.

Gyu Kaku Chimjes: “A must for meat lovers”

Gyu Kaku is a classic Japanese barbecue restaurant. The meat you order, is served raw on a plate and you have to bake it yourself at your table. The table contains a build-in charcoal grill with an ingenious ventilation system which makes sure the amount of smoke that escapes in the room stays minimal.

The interior is classic Japanese and the layout makes sure the disturbance by other guests is minimal.

As an appetizer we ordered some prawns and scallops. For the main course we (of course) went for the Wagyu beef. The prawns and scallops were cooked in an aluminum container on the charcoal grill and were very good. The Wagyu beef was excellent. Luckily we got some pointers from the staff how to grill the meat to perfection.

I was a little disappointed though in the side salads. Choice was limited and my wakame salad really wasn’t much to speak of. But I guess you go to this restaurant for the meat anyway.

We drank some excellent sake with our meal, recommended by the staff. Staff was very friendly and professional.

Gyu Kaku Chimjes, 30 Victoria Street Chijmes “#01-01/03 Chijmes”, Singapore 187996, Singapore
http://www.gyu-kaku.com.sg/
+65 6333 4001

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Gyu Kaku Chimjes also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

LeVeL 33: “Superb dining experience on a top location”

If your looking for a place that combines great food with stunning views, this is the place to be. The view from the open air terrace is absolutely breathtaking. At LeVel 33 you have a great overview of the Marina Bay with its most striking feature being the Marina Bay Sands hotel. We went there for drinks and dinner at 6pm so we could enjoy the dusk setting in. Seeing all the lights appearing on the sky scrapers was magnificent.

LeVel 33 brews its own beer. You can see the large stainless steel containers where the beer is brewed. Very nice touch. The interior is very welcoming with a friendly staff. If you’re a beer lover you might like the beer tasting platter, which offers you the possibility to taste all the different beers they brew.

The food on the menu is European style. We (4 persons) ordered two main courses and a lot of side dishes so we could share and taste everything. The food was delicious. Really great with some inventive combinations of ingredients. The desserts were a perfect finish for a lovely evening. Loved it!

Would definitely go back here!

LeVeL 33, 8 Marina Boulevard #33-01 Marina Bay Financial Centre Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1, Singapore 018981, Singapore
http://www.level33.com.sg/
+65 6834 3133

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about LeVeL 33 also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

Haw Par Villa: “Surreal place”

Haw Par Villa is a curious place indeed. There is no entrance fee, so no excuse to not go there for a short visit. The MRT brings you right to the entrance of the park.

The park of the former Haw Par Villa is full with colorful painted statues and dioramas. I found this place well worth the visit, but I can imagine it is not for everyone. Some parts of the park have been repainted and the statues look like new, in other parts the decay is very visible (the food corner was closed and you could clearly see parts of the roof came off). For me this was also part of the charm of Haw Par Villa, you can imagine it must have been quite something in the days the park was built by the owner of the Tiger Balsem company.

If you’re interested in Chinese folk tales, the dioramas will guide you through the most popular ones. And if you like horror movies, you’ll definitely enjoy the Ten Gates of Hell. Very gruesome indeed.

You need about three hours to visit Haw Par Villa and read the explanations provided by the sculptures.

Haw Par Villa, 262 Pasir Panjang Road Haw Par Villa, Singapore 118628, Singapore
http://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/culture-heritage/heritage-discovery/haw-par-villa.html
(65) 774 0300

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Haw Par Villa also on TripAdvisor.

Genki Sushi: “Great kaiten sushi place”

To be honest this must have been one of the best kaiten sushi experiences I’ve had in my life, outside of Japan. We arrived at Genki Sushi sometime before six, so we managed to dodge the queue, but it wasn’t hard to understand why a short while thereafter we saw a huge queue of people waiting to be seated.

Every table has a tablet which provides an overview of all the different dishes. The interface of the tablet is very intuitive. You just click on the dish you want to order and minutes later a special sushi train brings your order to your table. This form of kaiten sushi guarantees your sushi is super fresh.

The sushi selection at Genki sushi is huge, so it was hard to choose from. But everything we had, was excellent. A real treat!

Genki Sushi, 181 Orchard Road #03-32 Orchard Central Orchard Central, Singapore, Singapore
http://www.genkisushi.com.sg/
+65 6238 0900

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Genki Sushi also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

Jurong Bird Park: “Lovely Bird Park for young and old”

Jurong Bird Park is definitely worth a visit. The park in itself is beautiful with lots of luscious green trees and beautiful flowers. You can really enter the world of the birds and admiring them up close. I really liked the sections were you could wander between the birds and you could see them fly and play in their natural habitat.

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed feeding the lories. Those lories are kind of brutal though and if you’re not careful they’ll pull the little food container right out of your hands. For some reason they also enjoy sitting on people’s heads. An ideal photo opportunity!

We also enjoyed the High Flyers Show and the Kings of the Skies show. The trainers let the birds fly very close above the audience. Magnificent to see these birds in action. It was even possible to have our picture taken with our own camera by a troop of flamingo’s.

I wasn’t that fond of the cages with the large birds of prey though. I always feel sad seeing those magnificent birds being confined to such a small cage. I have to add though that Jurong Bird Park puts a lot of effort in conservation and making the public aware of the consequences their actions may have on bird life.

I recommend taking out a full day to enjoy everything this park has to offer.

Jurong Bird Park, 2 Jurong Hill Jurong Bird Park, Singapore 628925, Singapore
http://www.birdpark.com.sg/
+65 6265 0022

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Jurong Bird Park also on TripAdvisor.

Kusu Island: “Nice little island”

A charming little artificial island worth visiting if you have some time to spare. The journey to and from the island is not that agreeable since you are trapped inside the ferry with no possibility to go outside and enjoy the ride. The cabin of the ferry is drenched by the stench of the fumes from the motor. But it is the only way to get to the island, so you’ll have the endure it.

Kusu Island itself is very beautiful. If you want to spend an afternoon on a quiet beach swimming and enjoying the sun, this place is perfect. There are two temples on the island: Tua Pek Kong Temple and Keramat Kusu. Both very different but well worth the visit, although you’ll have to climb more than 100 stairs to get to the second one. We got a yellow ribbon tied around our wrist at the second one and received a blessing for good health and luck.

Kusu Island means Turtle Island, so naturally there are lot of turtles on this island.

When you don’t plan on spending the day on the beach, two hours are enough for visiting this cute little island.

Kusu Island, Kusu Island, Singapore 000704, Singapore
http://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/singapore-islands/kusu-island.html

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Kusu Island also on TripAdvisor.

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