Category: Central Singapore (Page 1 of 2)

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.

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.

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.

We spent a full day in East Coast Park enjoying some kayaking, biking and the excellent hawker center over there. If you love to do something active, East Coast Park is a great place. You can do lots of water sports (kayaking, kite surfing, fishing, sailing,…), you can go biking along the beautiful bike roads and you even can rent roller blades. This beautiful park stretches along the East Coast of Singapore and offers lots of opportunities to just relax and enjoy yourself.

East Coast Park, Along East Coast Parkway and East Coast Park Service Road (Bedok), Singapore 455486, Singapore
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/east-coast-park

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about East Coast Park also on TripAdvisor.

Nice hotel with very friendly and helpful staff. We booked the club formula and were happy with that. We enjoyed the happy hour at the club, although sometimes there wasn’t enough room for everyone and it could get rather crowded. The club had a nice selection of wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages. The canapés weren’t that great and the food selection was limited (although I really enjoyed their cheese). No problem for me though, a great way to start off the evening with some nibbles and go out for dinner afterwards.

Breakfast at the club was great: a nice selection of food with all the classics combined: English breakfast, dim sum, bread and cheese, vegetables, yoghurt and fruit. A few times we were lucky to see the sunrise from our table by the window. Breakfast in the cub was never too crowded, so we could enjoy the start of the day in a relaxed manner.

We also tried the breakfast at the Ellenborough Market Café on the ground level: the breakfast buffet was abundant and very good: almost every Asian cuisine was represented. I loved trying all the different dishes and was very fond of the noodle soup which changed every day. Dim sum selection was also excellent. At the egg station the chef prepared your eggs any way you wanted. The Market Café is rather busy in the morning, but staff is efficient and we almost never had to queue for dishes.

I also had lunch at the Ellenborough Market Café and was really impressed by the excellent buffet: a nice selection of all the different flavors of Singapore. Really good and a great option if you (like me) like to try out new foods.

The room in Swissotel was comfortable, although the view wasn’t anything special (our window looked directly at another building). Staff went to great deals to assure we were satisfied and came by at least twice a day to make sure we had everything we wanted. Everyday we got new water bottles and chocolates and fresh fruit was waiting for us on arrival. In the hallway were always green apples available to have a healthy snack. The bathroom could use a make-over though. Although it was clean, it was clearly worn out and I even spotted some mold in the corners of de bathroom sink. I’m also not a big fan of taking a shower in the bathtub.

I also used the spa facilities for an express pedicure, but I have to say, I have had better pedicures at home. The girl messed up the nail polish a little bit, but she was very nice overall. Very useful: laundry machines are available for washing and drying your sweaty clothes (not a luxury in the Singapore heat).

The location of the hotel is great, right next to Clarke Quay, every evening bustling with life. The hotel is located right next to an MRT station, really useful if you like to explore the city. I also really enjoyed the pool. Never to crowded, very well taken care of and with a beautiful garden. If you like, you can have a cocktail in the Blue Potato, situated right next to the pool. I found the staff at the Blue Potato not very helpful (didn’t dry the seats after a heavy rain shower).

My boyfriend and I really had a lovely stay in this hotel and felt very welcome. Only complaint is the bathroom, which really needed a make-over.

Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore, 20 Merchant Road, Singapore 058281, Singapore

Stayed March 2015. You can find my review about Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, cleanliness 3/5, service 4/5.

First time my boyfriend and I went to a Korean restaurant, so we really needed some guidance in ordering. Sadly it was clear this restaurant wasn’t used to dealing with tourists. We went there for lunch and were surrounded by local workers. Which is, of course, a good sign, when locals frequent a restaurant. Our waiter didn’t provide us with much information about the dishes. He only offered one suggestion. I guess his English just wasn’t that good, but he really didn’t put much effort in helping us.

So my boyfriend choose the lunch special he recommended: the galbitang (clear beef rib soup). I went for the dduk bulgogi (beef in a pot). We decided to share the dishes so we could try both. Another waiter served our food and was kind enough to bring a large spoon and two extra bowls which made sharing easier.

After we ordered the lunch special we immediately were presented with a lot of side dishes. We really didn’t have a clue what most of the dishes were, but I can assure you, they were excellent! Our main dish was soup served in a black stone pot. Sharing was a little bit hard, because of the difficulty of transferring the glass noodles to the little bowls, but we had lots of laughs with it.

I found the galbitang not to be that great, but I really, really enjoyed the dduk bulgogi. Such a wonderful sweet soup with thin sliced meat, mushrooms and noodles. An absolute delight.

The interior of the restaurant isn’t much to speak of, but we didn’t mind: we really enjoyed this introduction in Korean cuisine.

Ju Shin Jung, 27 West Coast Highway #01-18/19, Yess Centre 1F, Singapore 117867, Singapore
http://jushinjung.com/
+65 6464 0872

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Ju Shin Jung also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

The Singapore Flyer offers a unique experiences and outstanding views on Singapore. The giant wheel moves very slowly, so you have lots of opportunities to take great pictures. It takes about half an hour to complete the tour.

We booked the Moët & Chandon Champagne Flight in advance. No hassle with waiting lines, very comfortable. Staff was super friendly and accompanied us to the entrance. We had the cabin all for ourselves! It was great. The champagne was excellent and there were strawberries and chocolat to have a bite with the champagne.

Singapore Flyer, 30 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039803, Singapore
http://www.singaporeflyer.com/
+65 6333 3311

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Singapore Flyer also on TripAdvisor.

A beautiful spot right in the middle of the busy city center. Fort Canning Park is an ideal place for walking, enjoying nature and to catch a breath from the busy city life. This place has quite some historic value. First accounts of habitation date back to the 14th century. Lots of important people lived here (for example Raffles himself). There are remnants of fortifications and there even is a bunker dug out in the hill. You can also admire the old lighthouse that once guided ships into the harbor of Singapore or go on two different walks which offer some interesting background information about the history of this hill. Nature lovers will be pleased too, lots of gorgeous, beautiful trees and flowers. There is even a spice garden for those who love to cook.

When I visited Fort Canning Park, the Fort Canning Center was being renovated, but I’ll expect the renovation will be finished by summer for the celebrations of 50 years Singapore. Sadly I wasn’t possible to enter the bunker and corridors dug out in the hill at this time.

Fort Canning Park, Cox Terrace Fort Canning Cultural Centre, Singapore 179618, Singapore
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/fort-canning-park
+65 1800 471 7300

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Fort Canning Park also on TripAdvisor.