Arriving in Singapore
We arrived in Singapore just after midnight on Saturday, 11/6/04. We were staying at the Singapore Conrad, and had asked them to pick us up at the airport, since the city was so new to us, and we knew how late we were getting in. The man who picked us up brought his son, and they were really nice.
The Singapore airport must be the most impressive in the world, or at least way up there - it's beautiful, organized, clean, and has everything you could imagine. It's a great place to fly into, and I really recommend it as a great airport to fly into for SE Asia.
The first thing that hits you when you walk out of the airport is the air; it's very humid, because of how close you are to the equator.
Other first impressions that first night - how clean the city is, and how lovely. The plants and flowers are amazing. The streets are so well laid out. The city is stunning.
The Conrad is a very pretty hotel, we got checked in quickly, and got a few hours of sleep. When we woke up, we got ready for the day and my old friend Brenda from high school, who had moved to Singapore, came and met us at the hotel. We went for a walk, and ended up at the Raffles Hotel, to go to the Long Bar - home of the original Singapore Sling. I had read, prior to going, that the Singapore Slings had gone downhill a little, because they now make them in huge vats for the tourists, and they just aren't as good made in such huge quantities.
We then went over to my cousin's house; he and his wife also live in Singapore.
We stayed in this lovely hotel for our first two nights in Singapore. It's near the Marina, and is also walking distance from the Raffles Hotel, the place that invented the Singapore Sling - a fun place to see and get the historic drink.
We liked this hotel a lot. We got it on Priceline for a good price, ($90 US) and then between the three of us, paid a few bucks more a piece to upgrade to the club floor - which was a great move!!!
We ended up on the top floor of the entire hotel. The rooms were beautiful, the beds and pillows were lush, the free breakfast was amazing; you had the choice of having it in the private club lounge, or going downstairs and having it in one of the restaurants. Because of this, when I woke up really early, I was able to get up, go downstairs, wander around, and get free coffee at an outside table to enjoy the morning, for no charge, while I read, and they were all SO NICE to us...then later move upstairs again for breakfast.
We loved having the lounge available all day, to stop in, and get a free cold soda after walking in the heat. This was a great perk, and one I'd really recommend doing for the bit more you pay - especially if you can get a discounted price on the originally room, then just call in to upgrade off of that.
Right in front of the entrance to the hotel, there is the largest fountain in the world, which is interesting to see. It's called the Suntec City Fountain of Wealth.
Finally, a bit of trivia; the building that houses the Conrad is one of several, that is actually supposed to resemble a hand; if you look at it you can see the 5 fingers, with the short one being the thumb. Pretty cool!!
We were lucky enough to have family that lived in Singapore; otherwise, we would never have known about this amazing, out of the way place. This small restaurant is actually in the private civil-service clubhouse, and you'll have to pay about $2.00 Singapore to have a "short term membership" for the night to eat there - TOTALLY worth it!! (That's for your party, not per person.)
This place is not for the faint of heart - it is VERY spicy!! That being said, the food is amazing. You eat off banana leaves, and there is kind of a "game" to this place; the men that work there wander around with big pots of amazing foods; different curries, rices, breads... and as they pass you, they try to dump it on your banana leaf. If it hits your leaf, you're going to have to pay for it. So you spend half the time trying to eat the super spicy food, and half the time keeping eyes in the back of your head for them trying to sneak up on you from behind you! It's a funny, fantastic time, and unforgettable. We did this our first night in Singapore, and I'd do anything to go back. I know that someday I will.
Prices were really reasonable, try to get a table outside - there's no AC!!!!
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