Exploring the world one bite at a time
The country Singapore in Asia
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
We stayed for seven days in Oasia Hotel and loved every minute of it. We chose the club formula to indulge in the extra service offerd. Our room was beautiful and modern. Situated at the 24th floor the view was absolutely breathtaking. The bathroom was very clean, the rain shower was a real treat and there was a separate bath (which we didn’t try). Absolutely loved the style of the rooms, with lots of wood, the overall feeling was of warmth and comfort. Internet connection was very good.
The impeccably dressed staff was very friendly and welcoming and did everything they could to cater to all our needs. I absolutely adored the pool at the 22th floor and took the opportunity to go for a swim every day. Towels were provided at the pool.
With the club formula we enjoyed happy hour from 6pm till 8pm. A free cocktail and some nibbles to start of your evening. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Breakfast buffet was also excellent with a choice between western style or eastern style or a combination if you preferred. At the egg station the chef prepared your eggs just the way you liked. Staff was very observant and removed your plates once you were finished eating.
A definitely plus: you can take the elevator to the basement which is connected through a hallway to the metro. There are also shops and a food court nearby. Very convenient indeed!
Oasia Hotel Novena, Singapore by Far East Hospitality, 8 Sinaran Drive, Singapore 307470, Singapore
Stayed October 2013. You can find my review about Oasia Hotel Novena, Singapore by Far East Hospitality also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, location 5/5, sleep quality 5/5, rooms 5/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 5/5.
The Marina bay area is definitely stunning. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is especially breathtaking. The building in itself is surreal and the view from the platform is even more fantastic. At night there is a 3D water and lights show which is absolutely worthwhile.
Marina Bay, Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018980, Singapore
https://www.marina-bay.sg/
+65 6329 3535
Visited October 2013. You can find my review about Marina Bay also on TripAdvisor.
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