[slideshow_deploy id=’31835′]
I had never been to Singapore before my recent visit, and quite frankly, I didn’t know what I had been missing. Singapore, this almost perfect and pristine city-state, has lots to offer. Whether for the business or leisure traveller, Singapore has it all.
I was staying at the perfectly located Conrad Singapore, with easy access to downtown and set within the ever-evolving Marina Bay area, overlooking the Straits of Malacca, which incidentally connects the Pacific Ocean to the coast and is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The hotel is adjacent to the Sun Tec Singapore Convention Centre and close to arts and cultural venues, such as the ArtScience Museum and the world-renowned Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Asia’s largest casino is just minutes away in Marina Bay.
With over 1000 shops scattered within the clinically clean and modern local shopping malls, as well as 300 multi-cultural restaurants, there is plenty to enjoy. And don’t forget to pop into the Louis Vuitton store, located on the water and approached via a drawbridge walkway – quite unique.
Not only is the hotel ideally situated, but the extremely helpful and well-informed staff make each guest feel so welcome, which in a city so busy and transient, I found unusually endearing. Furnishings in the public areas of the hotel are to a high standard and there is a modern feel throughout. On entering, giant floral displays are found on every flat surface and an enormous winding staircase dominates the ground floor.
There are 507 guestrooms and 29 suites, which are all comfortably furnished and well appointed. My room of choice would be the corner room on one of the executive floors. It has a side window and a huge main window, which allows far-reaching views of some of the most iconic landmarks, including the Singapore Flyer in one corner and the Lion Head immediately in front of the huge main window. Night time can really be appreciated in such a high-elevation room, from where I enjoyed admiring the magnificent skyline, which is ostentatious yet very attractive.
A room or suite on the Executive floor includes access to the Executive Lounge, which serves delicious Asian and Western food and copious snacks during the day with an extensive pre-dinner finger buffet. Breakfast is also served in the Executive Lounge, which avoids the sometimes-overcrowded main dining area, which gets particularly busy on weekends. With their award-winning app, Conrad Concierge, guests can remotely pre check-in and provide their estimated time of arrival in addition to being able to access all the luxury services on offer.
A stunning feature of the hotel is the beautiful pool area, which is surrounded by skyscrapers and bright lights. A late night dip is invigorating and lets you soak up the unique nightscape. There is an adjoining fully equipped fitness centre, which is conveniently open 24 hours for guests to use at their leisure.
With Singapore this year celebrating 50 years since its foundation, 2015 is a perfect time to visit, especially since its famed Botanic Gardens has just joined the international league of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is a major coup for Singapore. It’s also worth visiting Gardens by the Bay, Singapore’s futuristic new green space, featuring the best in horticultural and architectural design with over 500,000 plants from every continent in the world.
Last year Singapore welcomed over 15 million visitors. I hope they were all as charmed by this magnificently impressive city-state as I was – I have a feeling they were.
by Amanda Bernstein
Conrad Singapore, Two Temasek Boulevard, Singapore, 038982, Singapore
Tel: +65-6334-8888
Email: Conrad_Singapore@conradhotels.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.