Hours
in Singapore
T
he Lion City’ is four hours’
flying time from Hong
Kong and is located a mere
one degree north of the
equator, meaning you can expect hot
and sticky weather for most of the year.
In order to get there, take your pick
from one of the many airlines flying
direct from Hong Kong including
Cathay, Singapore, United as well
as budget options Jetstar, Scoot and
Tigerair.
Here’s how my daughters (ages 6
and 3) and I filled the perfect 48 hours
in Singapore:
Friday afternoon
Singapore has a huge range of
accommodation to suit all budgets. I
chose the family friendly Shangri-La
as I wanted to be close to the action of
downtown. Despite the hotel’s location
off the busy Orchard Road, it also has
the feeling of a big tropical resort. So
much so I had to hide the view of the
pool from my kids, or there would be
no chance of us getting out to explore!
Travelling around Singapore is
relatively cheap and easy, using taxis,
buses or the MRT. Our first port
of call was the Marina Bay Sands
complex. This houses a number of
attractions, from the casino and shops,
to exhibitions and outdoor gardens.
It’s worth checking in advance to see
what’s on at the ArtScience Museum
(on Friday kids go free), where we
were lucky enough to catch a fantastic,
interactive Dreamworks exhibit.
The biggest hit of the afternoon
were the Gardens By The Bay.
Covering a large expanse alongside
the waterfront, you can stroll through
the gardens, or pay to enter one of the
conservatories. There’s a special area
for kids, consisting of a Water Garden,
Fish Pond and Adventure Zone (don’t
forget to pack your swimmers). The
girls spent hours running through
the water fountains, whilst Disney
tunes blasted from the speakers. A
ten minute walk away is ‘Satay By
The Bay’, a deliciously named hawker
centre where individual vendors sell
food from small booths. Singapore
has a multitude of them, all clean and
cheap and perfect for hungry kids.
Friday night
If your kids are into animals, you are
spoilt for choice in Singapore with a
Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari
With many of my Hong Kong friends upping sticks and
relocating to Singapore last summer, I decided it was time
to see what all the fuss was about, writes
Nicola Burke.
and Zoo. We decided on the Night
Safari, a 30 minute journey north from
the hotel. As the park is not open till
7.30pm, there is no point wasting this
experience on young kids. We started
our evening watching the interactive
Creatures of the Night Show. Then it
was off for a ride on the Tram Safari to
catch a glimpse of nocturnal animals
in specially lit enclosures. All in all a
magical experience, even if my kids
were asleep by the end of it!
Saturday morning
After a delicious buffet breakfast at
our hotel (my kids are now converts
to sweet Kaya toast, a Singaporean
staple), we hopped in a taxi to Merlion
Park. Here we boarded our bumboat
for an hour’s tour of Singapore’s
waterways. The boat is one of the
best ways to acquaint yourself with
Singapore and provides fascinating
commentary on the sights and history
of the city. Even though my girls
weren’t particularly taken with the
history, they loved seeing the colourful
neighborhoods and waving to people
on the shore.
Singapore is home to a number of
ethnic enclaves; Chinatown, Little
48
’
Mini
break
66
