Living Rich in Singapore

From the 70th floor of the Swiss Hotel in downtown Singapore, we could see all the way to Malaysia. But, the skyline was dominated by the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore’s newly remodelled waterfront. Excited to check out this iconic hotel, the shopping malls, and the light show, the waterfront area was the obvious first stop on Friday night. Between the laser show and the huge modern super malls, it was like walking into the future.

[Photos top to bottom: View from the 70th floor of the Swiss Hotel, Marina Sands Hotel during the light show]

The plan was to go to the bar in the skypark on the top of the Sands hotel, but our flip-flops and shorts didn’t satisfy their dress code. Singapore’s a trendy, chic city and clubs and lounges are much more prevalent than the pubs and sticky-floor bars we’re used to. Armed with closed toed shoes and our fanciest jeans, we went to the skybar on Saturday for a drink and sunset views. The skypark has a bar, an observation deck, an infinity pool, and other amenities, but they make it difficult to explore. Separate tickets are issued for the observation deck, and most areas, including the infinity pool, are for hotel guests only. The bar is designed to prevent you from getting any views you didn’t pay for, and although the drinks are $20 each, the views from the bar are obstructed. Still, we managed to get some pretty spectacular pictures by squeezing behind their wall of plants.

[Photo: City view from the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel]

In search of more reasonably priced drinks, we took a water taxi from the hotel through the marina to Clarke Quay, an endless line of bars, restaurants and clubs along the river. A sea of people flooded in and out of bars, as they talked over loud music and downed drinks. The place was a non stop party. We found ourselves at home in a bar on the edge of Clarke Quay, listening to live music and drinking Australis’s own Victorian Bitter draughts.

[Photo: Clarke Quay]

The next day we looked for a quieter place to recharge. Our hotel concierge had told us about Singapore’s Little India – an entire neighbourhood dedicated to my favorite cuisine. Because the concierge had warned us not to go there alone, and especially not to go at night, we headed for little India in the light of day for lunch. Ten minutes into the cab ride, the city changed; the streets widened and were lined with Caribbean colored buildings. Consistent with the rest of Singapore, the roads and walkways were spotless, and the restaurants, although not quite as inviting as the open window cafes you would find downtown, were welcoming. With the warnings from our hotel replaying in our heads, it seemed impossible, but this was little India. We walked into the Lagana Bistro, and were instructed to take off our shoes as we took seats on the floor. Shoes or no shoes, their garlic naan, rice and Dahl hit the spot.

[Photo: The unusual seating arrangement at Lagana in Little India]

Singapore seemed to be perfectly put together – its mix of buildings and space staved off the claustrophobia typically induced by large, densely packed cities. It also has the right balance of culture and Las Vegas style night life. After a weekend in Singapore, we were reluctant to leave and determined to come back.