Squeals of delight echoed as we opened the door to our room on the 23rd floor of Singapore’s Yotel.
Standing tall, and with beautiful eyes, was our room service lady, and robot concierge, Yolanda. She was a little impatient to deliver the bath towel ordered, but then she is very much in demand. Yolanda and her side-kick Yoshi are the star attractions at the 30 floor skyscraper in the heart of the city’s Orchard Road shopping district.
They are just one of the great pulls of this funky hotel. Rooms are compact, with remote control beds and bathrooms with fabulous views across the city, as you bathe in the glass shower, plus Smart televisions and tea and coffee making facilities. The Komynuiti restaurant is wonderful in the morning for buffet style breakfasts and during the day serves up tasty Asian fusion style food. There’s a small gym and neat swimming pool to relax in too.
And you’ll need to put your feet up after a day’s sight-seeing in this incredible city, where the environment is the number one priority.
Robot lobby at The Yotel. Photo: The Yotel
Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but if you are a savvy traveller, you can save by using the online booking and discount service, Klook, where you can organise your trip before you arrive and confirm everything from food tours to tickets to all the major attractions.
One of the best is a visit to the exotic Gardens by the Bay. As you stand on the 128 metre OCBC aerial Skyway, suspended between two supertrees 22 metres above ground, all you can see is green, with the Singapore Strait in front full of passing container ships.
Created by the National Parks Board as a showcase of horticulture and garden artistry, it is a wonderful place to spend a few hours. You can stroll round three waterfront gardens and at night watch a brilliant light show for free.
Tickets are needed to look round the flower dome, the biggest glass greenhouse in the world, which maintains a temperature of between 23 to 25 degrees Celsius to keep flowers and plants from across the globe healthy.
Cloud forest at The Gardens of The Bay. Photo: Visit Singapore
Fans of the film Avatar can enjoy the misty cloud forest, full of aliens and blooms inspired by the hit movie. Close by is floral fantasy which is a nod to eccentric pieces of art made from flowers.
The gardens are shadowed by the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, cleverly made up of three towers topped by a skypark observation deck which affords magnificent views of the city and the Formula One Grand Prix’s race circuit.
Dubbed the “Lion City” after a visiting Indonesian prince named the island after the animal he said to have seen, Singapore is also known as “instant Asia” because it shows visitors glimpses of cultures brought by immigrants.
It’s bright and it’s brash and it’s definitely controlled, with locals needing permission — and charged eye watering amounts — to buy and drive a car . There are strict rules and big fines for misuse of drugs and alcohol, as well as dropping chewing gum and litter.
But the rules bring an inner peace and tranquillity, which is certainly on offer at the newly opened Pan Pacific Hotel, just off the main strip in Claymore Road.
Swish rooms at The Pullman. Photo: The Accor Group
With solar panel technology, an in room filtered water system and a bio digester which transforms food waste into cleaning water, it is a green oasis. The 23 storeys house 346 bedrooms and the hotel is divided into four terraces, forest, beach, garden and cloud, best seen upwards from the lagoon swimming pool, where a huge mirror ceiling makes you think you are on a palm island.
Bedrooms by the pool have access to the water and are close to the hotel spa, where experienced staff are on hand to massage away any tension.
There’s green shrubbery everywhere you look, complemented by wooden finishes. Club bedrooms have cool sitting areas with views of the city and access to a special lounge for VIP breakfasts and cocktail hours. Food with a Peruvian twist is served in the Mosella restaurant with the sweetest oysters and champagne in the Florette bar.
A great way of getting your bearings is via The Big Bus Tour, which offers 24 or 48 hours of sight-seeing and takes in all the landmarks and districts including the lively Little Italy and China Town, with ongoing commentary. You can use it to get to all the attractions including the Museum of Ice Cream, a pink filled building dedicated to the cool food and a great place to take selfies.
As well as designer shops, Orchard Road is also home to The Hilton’s largest hotel in Asia Pacific. With large, airy modern rooms, the hotel is a haven for families with interconnecting rooms, special deals for attractions and plenty of activities to keep everyone happy. Sunday is the day to try out the magnificent Estate Brunch, where you can enjoy free flowing champagne as you try out the finest foods from around the world in an astonishing array of rooms packed with different cuisines.
Across the road is the trendy Pullman Hotel, oozing with five star luxury and big bedrooms and the slogan “our world is your playground’’. With a colourful interior in its 326 rooms and a swimming pool complete with animal inflatables, it’s a great central spot and its Eden Restaurant serves up great cocktails and modern cuisine.
A day out at Sentosa Island, a former British military fortress, which is now home to hotels, beaches and fabulous attractions, is a must.
There’s everything from the S.E.A Aquarium, with more than 100,000 marine animals, the Mega Adventure Park, which allows you to fly along a zip wire above the forests and across the beach, the 4D Adventureland ready to engulf you in animated technology, Universal for rides and shops and the Sky Helix and Cable Car, which give fabulous views of the island and Mount Faber.
So much to do in a city which really is modern living at its best!
Factfile:
Singapore is a 13 hour flight from the UK via all the major airlines.
For airport parking, lounges and transfers, holidayextras.com can help.
Accommodation: yotel.com hilton.compullmansingaporeorchard.com
Attractions include: gardensbythebay.com.sgsentosa.com.sgbigbustours.com/en/singapore/singapore-bus-toursmarinabaysands.commuseumoficecream.com/singapore
Tourist information is available via visitsingapore.com and for booking before you visit, try out klook.com