Oct 21, 2013

Trip to Singapore シンガポール小旅行

 View of downtown Singapore
 
 
Singapore, one of the international financial centers of Asia, as Tokyo and Hongkong.
Country size is as small as Special wards of Tokyo, with population of over 5 million.
 
I have visited Singapore in the end of August for 4 days to see my old friends and enjoy it's famous diversity of food!
 
 
Sheraton Towers Singapore, Deluxe Room (left and middle), swimming pool (right)
 
 
For 3 nights, I stayed with Sheraton Towers Singapore.
The hotel located near MRT Newton Station, less than 5mins walk from the station. If the weather is not too hot, you can walk to Orchard Road -the entertainment hub and tourist attraction of Singapore-it takes about 15mins.
It's quiet yet not far from the crowd. The hotel itself is quite old but still the service, cleanliness and location are exceptionally good. 
 
 
  Bathroom (left), room amenity (right),
 
 
There are great restaurants inside the hotel, ("Li Bai" Cantonese restaurant, "DOMVS" Italian restaurant, buffet restaurant and bars) but if you care for a local delicacy, there is a food center near by the hotel. Just across the street from the Newton MRT station, NEWTON FOOD CENTRE is there. You can enjoy all the different types of food for a reasonable price (I wouldn't say "Cheap" price because it is not that cheap... well, cheap for the people in Singapore, I guess...)
 

 
 Newton food centre, locates at near Sheraton Towers
 
 
 Singapore's famous Chicken Rice, Fujian style noodle and BBQ Chicken rice (left),
Newton Food Centre's shops and dining area (right)
 
 
There are few things you don't want to miss in Singapore, other than the great food.
Marina Bay Sands is one of them. As soon as it's officially opened in June 2010 (grand opening in Feb. 2011), because of it's characteristic facade, it became a new symbol of Singapore.
Looks like a giant space ship landed on the top of three buildings! The space ship part, "Sands SkyPark", actually is a "Infinity swimming pool / observation deck / restaurants & bars with a panoramic view of Singapore
 
 
 
 Marina Bay Sands, New Symbol of Singapore
 
 Exterior of Marina Bay Sands (left), inside of Marina Bat Sands (middle and right)

 
As I mentioned, many "Must Try" great food in Singapore. "Bak Kut Teh" (or 肉骨茶 in Chinese) is one of them. "Bak Kut Teh" is a pork ribs broth with spices and herbs, usually eaten with noodles or  a bowl of steamed rice.

 
 one of the famous "Bak Kut Teh" restaurants in Singapore (left), "Bak Kut Teh" (right)
 
 Singapore River


A colonial-style Raffles Hotel is one of the oldest luxury hotels in Singapore, another "Must Visit" place in Singapore.
World known cocktail "Singapore Sling" was invented by a bartender in Raffle Hotel between 1910-1915. You can still enjoy their signature Singapore Sling at one of the bars in the hotel.


 Raffles Hotel's Signature Singapore Sling
 
 
One of the great things about Singapore is the diversity of people and food.
The country has many foreign residents and immigrants, such as Chinese, Indian, English, Malay etc, and that connects to a daily necessity.."FOOD"!
I went to Little India and enjoyed Indian Naan bread with curry. Once I stepped into a part of the town, instantly I smell the different types of masala and curry and made me feel like I was in India.
 
 
 Little India area lies between MRT Little India station and Farrer Park station
 
 Variety of colorful and tasty food in Little India's Food Centre
 
Naan Bread with curry dip(left), Food Centre in Little India (right)
 
 
During my short stay, I also have enjoyed Satay -grilled skewers-, Laksa -spicy noodle soup-  in China town and Turkish delicacy in Arabic street.
 
 
 China Town, Chinese temple (top left), Food Centre in China town (top right), Satay skewers (bottom left), Laksa (bottom middle), Chicken rice and poached chicken liver (bottom right)
 
 Dinner at Turkish restaurant (left and middle), night view of Arabic street (right)
  
 
At the last day of my stay in Singapore, I have decided to visit Sentosa island which also recommended by friends who live there.
Going to Sentosa island was easier and quicker than I thought. It is very convenient.

 
 
Way to the Singaporeans' weekend resort island "Sentosa"
 
 Sentosa's Beaches

 Merlion statue at Sentosa Island (left), tropical birds (middle), Universal Studios Singapore (right)
 
 
Inside the island, there are many attractions other than famous Universal Studios Singapore.
There are the beaches, golf course, SPA and 5 star hotels -like, W Sentosa Cove Singapore, Shangri-la's Rasa Sentosa Resort etc-
This time, I didn't have enough time to enjoy those attractions but I would love to come back and stay in one those hotels in Santosa and enjoy the resort.

 
 


No comments:

Post a Comment