TPE-SIN on Singapore Airlines Business Class (SQ881)

After enough lounge time, and a freshly showered toddler, we headed to the boarding gate. At Incheon, the lounges are spread out along the length of the terminal — east, central, and west — so you can usually pick the one closest to your gate. At Taoyuan, almost all the lounges and restaurants are clustered together on Level 4 in the middle of the terminal, so we had a long walk to the gate.

This was my first time on Singapore Airlines. SQ881, TPE-SIN, was operated by a two-year-old A350-900. Looking at the business class seats for the first time, the calm color palette, the embroidered cushions, and the overall finish gave the cabin a noticeably premium feel.

What surprised me was that the seats weren’t full flat. They were angled lie-flat, meaning the seat reclines back but not to a full 180 degrees, and the ottoman section to the side of each seat is shaped in a way that doesn’t actually let you slide your feet in once you’ve reclined. Even at full recline, the seat is just an angled position with no proper space to stretch your legs forward. A slightly awkward design.

For a flight under five hours, it wasn’t really a comfort problem. The seat itself was very comfortable, and the medium-haul time meant I didn’t need to fully lie down. But after assuming Singapore Airlines business would default to full-flat seats, the angled lie-flat was a small letdown for my first SQ experience.

Our son fell asleep during taxiing again. Once the seatbelt sign came off, a flight attendant came over, reclined his seat for him, and then checked his name against the manifest. The other airlines I’ve flown business with — Asiana and Thai Airways — addressed me as the generic “ma’am” or “Mrs.” Singapore Airlines knows your name and uses it. It’s a small detail, but the kind of thing that adds up to a more attentive overall experience.

I’ve found Asiana to be reliably friendly even as the rest of the in-flight product has slipped, and Thai Airways genuinely warm in how they handle passengers. I’d always been curious about what extra dimension a perennial top-of-the-rankings airline like Singapore Airlines actually offers, beyond friendliness. The answer, for me, was a sense of professionalism. The crew didn’t just feel friendly, they felt very polished and well-trained. Whether that’s the uniforms, the atmosphere of the cabin, or the way they carry themselves, the overall effect is that they seem genuinely good at what they do.

Other nice touches: in-flight Wi-Fi is free for business passengers throughout the flight, and the welcome service came with champagne and a hot towel — a small detail many airlines have quietly cut. Cabin amenities such as a hairbrush, earplugs, eye mask, socks, and slippers are available on request, though the actual amenity kit is reserved for flights longer than six hours.

There are a number of standout features of Singapore Airlines business class, but for me the biggest one is probably the food. The meal service came not long after takeoff. With Singapore Airlines business, you can either pick from the standard on-board menu or pre-order from the Book the Cook program, which has a separate menu and is worth looking at in advance.

Book the Cook options vary by departure airport. From Taipei, none of the Book the Cook items really jumped out at me, and the on-board menu had a Taiwanese Soy Sauce Braised Pork Belly I really wanted to try, so I skipped the pre-order.

That turned out to be a mistake. I was in the very last row of the business cabin, and by the time the cart reached me, two of the four on-board options — the Taiwanese Soy Sauce Braised Pork Belly and the Seafood Guanmiano Noodle Soup — were already sold out. The remaining options were beef and chicken. I picked the beef. If I’d known, I would have ordered through Book the Cook.

The smoked duck breast appetizer was excellent. Duck is hard to mess up, and the texture was nicely tender. Among the bread options, the garlic bread looked the way garlic bread is supposed to look, so I tried it and ended up finishing the whole thing despite already being full.

The beef main was closer to well-done than I usually like, so the meat itself was a touch overcooked for me, but the flavor was fine. What surprised me was the side vegetables. The bell peppers and broccoli were good, and the potatoes were genuinely excellent. I rarely think a side of vegetables on a plane is genuinely good. Singapore Airlines’ reputation for in-flight food is well-deserved. Dessert was a choice of fruit, cheese, or ice cream. I went with the fruit, which was just fruit. My husband had the strawberry cheesecake ice cream, and a single taste made me regret not getting it myself. Ice cream is rarely a wrong answer.

While I was eating, our son woke up from his nap, so I ordered a kids’ meal for him. It came with a main, fruit, and a snack. He ate only the fruit, refused to look at the chicken and rice, and started demanding the snack. He didn’t touch the main meal at all. I keep wondering when the day will come that he actually eats his in-flight meal.

After we finished, I ordered a Singapore Sling, Singapore’s signature cocktail and one I’d been curious to try. There’s a story that the bottled Singapore Sling served by Raffles Singapore (the cocktail’s birthplace) is the same drink served on Singapore Airlines flights. Looking back, the version on the plane did taste similar to the one I later had at Raffles’ Long Bar in person — though it could just as easily have been a placebo effect from knowing the story.

With my Sling, I browsed the in-flight entertainment for a while. Since my son was born I’ve barely been on a long flight, and my usual Asiana flights have such limited IFE that I’d mostly given up on watching anything in-flight, defaulting to the flight tracker or writing blog drafts. Singapore Airlines’ IFE was overwhelming in a good way. Movies from many countries, TV shows, a huge content library. I spent a while browsing before settling on Barbie. Korean subtitles aren’t a given on in-flight movies, but Singapore Airlines has many films that do include them, which made the flight a lot more enjoyable for me.

Our son watched two Pinkfong movies back to back. The funny part was that he refused to wear the headphones (he claims they’re scary), so he watched them entirely on mute, and still found something hysterical, giggling through the entire flight without bothering anyone.

Between the meal and one movie, the five hours to Singapore went by quickly. I’d barely slept the night before and was on what was basically a whole-day journey, but by the end I didn’t feel exhausted. The seat wasn’t full flat, but it’s still business class.

Arriving at Singapore Changi, I got my first taste of how streamlined the immigration process is. I’d filled out the SG Arrival Card in advance, and the automated gate process for adults was essentially instant. Our son required a brief manual check because of his age, but the whole thing was over in about a minute. Changi’s reputation for technology really lives up to itself.

Immigration moved so fast that I had to wait a while for our checked bag to come out. Once we’d collected it, it was around 10 p.m. We grabbed a Grab from the airport taxi stand and headed to the hotel.

We’d left home at 5 a.m. and arrived in Singapore at 10 p.m. — roughly 17 hours of travel for a destination that’s a 6-hour direct flight from Incheon. Adding 11 hours to a travel day just for an aircraft type is mildly absurd, but it was actually a fun day overall. I’d been worried our son would struggle with the long travel time, but he handled it well, and we started the trip in reasonably good shape.

A Failed Pre-Flight Visit to Jewel Changi

On our return day, our flight out was at 10 a.m., so we left the hotel around 6 and aimed to be at the airport three hours early. The trip had been 5 nights and 6 days, but because of the late arrival on day 1 and the early departure on day 6, we’d really only had 4 full days of sightseeing. It felt much too short.

The reason we’d left so early — three hours is a lot for Changi, which is famously efficient at immigration and check-in — was that I wanted time to see Jewel Changi before our flight.

I’d assumed Jewel was inside the airport. The kind of thing you’d visit after check-in, between security and the gate. Turns out, no. Jewel is a connected mall on the landside, not airside. Once you’ve checked in and gone through immigration, you can’t go back. If you want to see Jewel before flying out, you need to drop your bag, visit Jewel first, then go through immigration. My plan to check in, hit the lounge for breakfast, and then see Jewel didn’t work.

Jewel’s signature jungle dome and indoor waterfall were what I’d most wanted to see at Changi, so missing them was a real disappointment. The silver lining was that I had a five-hour layover in Singapore planned for September on the way to the Maldives. I’d see Jewel then. I packed up the disappointment and headed for the lounge.

SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 3

Singapore again. Immigration was, again, more or less instant — about a one-minute wait. I love this part of flying through Changi.

Because the Jewel plan had fallen through, my lounge time was going to be much longer than I’d originally planned. SilverKris has locations in each Changi terminal, but apparently the Terminal 3 location is the newest and the largest.

The Terminal 3 SilverKris is split between a business lounge and a first class lounge. I went to the business side. The space inside splits into a left area and a right area. The left side has more food, far more seating, and a much bigger crowd. The right side is smaller, has less food, and is correspondingly quieter — the kind of place people go when they want a calm space to rest in. For breakfast, I claimed a spot on the busier side.

It was clearly peak breakfast time. The lounge is enormous, with a lot of seating, but there were almost no free spots, and it took me a while to find one.

The menu has the basics — yogurt, bread, ham, potatoes, laksa, dim sum, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, several hot dishes, fruit. Our son ate his usual rotation of hard-boiled egg and yogurt. I tried the laksa, which I’d been wanting to.

There’s a noodle station where you pick your noodles and toppings and they assemble it. The laksa was actually more substantial than I expected, with a thicker, richer broth than the one I’d had at Lau Pa Sat. The spice level was very mild, so I added one of the chilies from the topping selection, but it turned out to be a milder green chili that didn’t really change the flavor.

The rest of the food was solid across the board. The scrambled eggs in particular looked so good I couldn’t walk past them without trying some. After breakfast, we moved over to the quieter right-side space for the rest of our time.

The right-side space has its own smaller selection of food, including some dishes you don’t see on the main side — shakshuka, congee, things like that. The space is more compact and there’s less seating, but the seats are more widely spaced and there’s a window view of the planes, so it feels brighter and more open. There’s also a bar with staff. At the time of my visit, cocktails and alcohol were only served in the evening, but apparently that’s been expanded recently to 24/7. Next time, I’ll definitely have a cocktail there, the way I did at Incheon.

We spent the rest of the morning here — our son ate watermelon, my husband and I had a glass of wine each — and headed to the gate just as our son’s patience was running out. My first visit to the Terminal 3 SilverKris Business Lounge was a really good one.

SIN-TPE on Singapore Airlines Business Class (SQ872)

SQ872 from Singapore to Taipei was on the same A350-900 as the outbound, but on an older aircraft — eight years old this time, versus two. I’d even been assigned the same back-row business seat in the same layout, so the cabin felt very familiar.

After boarding I got my welcome champagne, and again, no amenity kit since the flight was under six hours — but slippers were already at the seat without needing to be requested. We were also given a small Mickey Mouse build-it toy as a kids’ gift. Our son had zero interest. He went straight for the IFE. I built the toy.

After takeoff, I got another champagne and a small bowl of nuts, and then it was straight into the meal service. Having been caught last time by the “back row + sold-out menu” problem, I’d pre-ordered through Book the Cook this time. From Singapore there are far more Book the Cook options than from Taipei, and choosing was hard. I ended up picking the Singapore-style prawn noodle soup. My husband chose the gyu yakiniku. Our son had the kids’ meal.

For bread, the garlic bread had been so good last time that I went with it again. The flight attendant also recommended a thin, dark, cracker-like bread topped with a subtle layer of cheddar, which turned out to be excellent — almost like something you’d serve as an appetizer with wine. The bread on Singapore Airlines is consistently good.

The shrimp salad came next, with the dressing applied at the seat. It had a noticeable cilantro note, so it might be a love-it-or-hate-it for some.

Then my main course: the prawn noodle soup. It was, simply, very good. The bowl came with shrimp and big pieces of pork — the kind of cut you’d find in bak kut teh — and while the pork was a bit chewy, I finished essentially everything, broth included. This was the best in-flight meal I’ve ever had. It tasted a little like a Korean instant noodle called Saewootangmyeon, with a slightly fiery, savory broth. I love noodles, and the heat level was just right. My husband’s gyu yakiniku was apparently just as good, which means we both came away very satisfied. If you fly Singapore Airlines business and have the option, pre-order through Book the Cook.

Dessert was a slight letdown. I’ve noticed this on Singapore Airlines before — dessert is the weakest part of the meal program. Book the Cook does have some dessert-forward options that I’d love to try sometime.

After the meal, I watched Moana 2 on the IFE, and we were at Taoyuan before I knew it.

For a 6-hour direct flight that could have been simple, I deliberately routed through Taipei just to try Singapore Airlines business class. From the SilverKris lounges to the actual flights, none of the extra time or expense felt wasted. My first
Singapore Airlines business class experience was only four hours each way, but it was enough to convince me I want to try a long-haul flight with them next.

Klook.com

Star Alliance Lounges at Incheon Terminal 1

Incheon Terminal 1 has four lounges worth knowing about: the Asiana Business Lounge, Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris Lounge, the Matina Lounge, and the SkyHub Lounge.

If you like open, airy spaces, Asiana Lounge is the most spacious. If you’re there mainly for the food, Matina is the strongest pick. If you want a balanced experience of food and ambience, SilverKris is the move. And if you’re flying late at night or in the early morning, SkyHub matches that timing best.

Matina and SkyHub are both accessible via The Lounge Members access, a paid program, so they tend to get extremely crowded — with wait times to enter at most popular hours. If you’re flying Star Alliance business and have the choice between Asiana and SilverKris, I’d personally pick SilverKris.

SilverKris Lounge at Incheon operates on three time windows: 06:15-11:00, 13:45-16:25, and 08:50-23:30. The hours appear to be aligned with Singapore Airlines’ Incheon-Singapore flight schedule, so they occasionally shift depending on the day’s flights.

In terms of size, SilverKris is much smaller than the Asiana Lounge. But the food and drink quality is on a different level. The menu is varied, the food is consistently good, and there are dedicated staff for the bar and the coffee station, which makes for a more comfortable experience than the typical self-service setup. As a small bonus, SilverKris serves laksa and kaya toast — two staples of Singaporean cuisine — which always feels like a nice preview when you’re heading to Singapore.

Our son is a picky eater, so he only had bananas and milk that morning. My husband and I, on the other hand, had a full early breakfast. My favorite item on a previous visit had been the tuna tataki, but that had been replaced with salmon this time around — a small disappointment. We tried the shakshuka, sausages, chicken salad, and an Indian curry, all of which were good. There are a few Korean items on the menu as well for travelers who prefer something more familiar. The menu rotates periodically.

The cocktail list is one of the small pleasures of this lounge. There are a few Singapore Airlines-themed cocktails — the SilverKris Sling, the Kris Club — along with mocktails like the Kris Fizz and Kris Babe. I’ve been working through them on each visit. Last time I had the SilverKris Sling, which tasted very juice-forward. This time I tried the Kris Club, which I liked much better. And of course they serve the classic Singapore Sling, which is worth trying at least once.

While we were eating, I remembered something I’d been meaning to do: stop by the Asiana Lounge next door, possibly for the last time.

Asiana, a Star Alliance member, is being merged with Korean Air over a two-year transition that started in 2025. By 2026, Asiana is expected to move to Incheon Terminal 2, and its Star Alliance membership will end, which most likely means the Asiana Business Lounge in Terminal 1 will close along with it. Since our next trip is booked in Singapore Airlines economy, this felt like the last realistic chance to see the place before it disappears.

The Asiana Business Lounge has three sections — East, West, and Central — and the total space is genuinely vast. The downside is that all Star Alliance passengers are funneled here, so it’s also the most crowded, and the food is the weakest of the Terminal 1 lounges by some margin.

I first visited in 2023, and at the time I remember thinking, *is this really a business class lounge?* Two years later, the menu hasn’t really changed, and the quality has held flat. With the merger looming, I suspect they’ve stopped investing in it. The drink selection is decent but there’s no dedicated bar staff like at SilverKris. What it does have is the most seating variety, the best view of the planes outside, and the kind of open, airy feeling that the smaller lounges can’t really replicate.

So if I had to choose between the two, I’d still go with SilverKris. But walking through the Asiana Lounge knowing it’s probably about to disappear gave the visit a slightly bittersweet quality.

Incheon to Taipei on Asiana Business Class (OZ711, A380)

Once boarding time rolled around, we headed to the gate and I let our son watch the plane for a bit. The aircraft for Incheon to Taipei was an A380-800 — a four-engine, double-decker giant. It’s the kind of plane that burns so much fuel and needs such high passenger loads to break even that airlines have struggled to make it work, and it’s gradually being retired across most fleets after 2030. I’d never flown on a double-decker before, so I was honestly a little excited.

Asiana’s upper deck on this aircraft is split between Business Smartium and Economy. There are 66 business class seats in this configuration, which is generous. Asiana’s fleet skews older, and on most short and medium-haul routes you end up on an A330 with their “slide-style” recliner seats — the ones that tip backward at an angle rather than going truly flat. The A380, though, also serves long-haul routes to the US, so the seats on this flight were proper staggered fully-flat business seats.

After getting up at 5 a.m., our son fell asleep during taxiing. As soon as the seatbelt sign came off after takeoff, I reclined his seat fully so he could keep sleeping. Since he hadn’t eaten in the lounge, I’d been hoping he’d at least try the in-flight meal, but he was out cold for the entire flight.

I’d already overeaten at the lounge and was planning to skip the meal myself, but eel donburi was on the menu, so I decided to try it. The scallop salad was actually quite good. The eel donburi was decent without being memorable. The dessert looked nicer than it tasted. As business class meals go, it was on the underwhelming side, but for a two-hour flight it felt about right.

A two-hour flight in business class is mostly takeoff, meal, and prep for landing. There’s barely time to lie down. The Incheon to Taipei leg ended quickly. With so many business seats on this aircraft, the cabin felt a bit closer to premium economy than to a proper biz cabin. But the A380 itself was the experience I’d come for, and getting to fly it once before it disappears entirely was a small bonus.

EVA Infinity Lounge at Taoyuan Airport

On the return leg, our connection at Taipei Taoyuan was only about two hours, so we headed straight to the lounge.

Taiwan has three full-service carriers, which is unusually generous for a country its size: China Airlines (SkyTeam), EVA Air (Star Alliance), and Starlux (Oneworld). All three are well-regarded. Since I was flying Star Alliance, I went to EVA Air’s lounge.

EVA Air operates four lounges at Taoyuan, arranged by access tier.

The Garden is EVA’s top-tier lounge, reserved for Diamond cardholders in their Infinity MileageLands program. The Infinity is the business-class lounge — open to Royal Laurel, Premium Laurel, and Business Class passengers, as well as Star Alliance partners in First or Business class. The Star is for elite frequent flyers, including Gold cardholders in EVA’s own program and Star Alliance Gold members on partner airlines. The Club is for EVA’s Silver-tier cardholders.

For me, that meant The Infinity. All four lounges are conveniently located on Level 4 of Terminal 2, alongside the food court area, so finding it was easy.

Walking in, my first impression was honestly mild surprise — for a full-service airline’s business class lounge, it felt a little dated. And the location was strange. No windows facing the planes, just an inward-facing view of the airport interior from a portion of the seating. I’d expected the prime airport real estate that FSC lounges usually get. Instead, it felt closed-in on all sides, and the relatively tight seat spacing added to that feeling.

We weren’t particularly hungry — we’d eaten well on the Asiana flight — so I didn’t try most of the food. Our son hadn’t touched his in-flight meal, though, so we set him up for dinner here. The menu was actually more varied than I’d expected for such a tight space, with a solid range of Taiwanese dishes and a decent dessert spread.

He ate the Taiwanese-style braised pork over rice and beef noodle soup, along with the pickled daikon side, and ate enthusiastically — which is rare for him. Across our entire Singapore trip, the second-best meal he had was here at the EVA Infinity Lounge, after only the satay at Lau Pa Sat. He’s a kid who mostly survives on fruit and yogurt while traveling, so seeing him eat real food was a small win.

My husband and I weren’t hungry, but I did try the make-your-own bubble tea station, and I loved it. I really like bubble tea but find that ordering from a shop usually means committing to a full-sized drink I won’t finish. Being able to mix exactly the amount I wanted was perfect. There were also pavé chocolates on the dessert table that looked excellent — the kind of thing you’d pair with wine or coffee — though I was too full to enjoy them properly.

After his big dinner, our son had a yogurt, then a Häagen-Dazs ice cream, then a shower before the flight. I didn’t get a photo of the shower facilities, but I’ll note: even though EVA had more shower rooms than SilverKris, SilverKris’s were noticeably better in terms of design and comfort, particularly when bathing a child. The EVA staff, on the other hand, were attentive, circulating regularly to clean and maintain the facilities. The lounge is clearly well-managed even if the design feels a bit tired.

Overall, would I say I disliked the EVA Infinity Lounge? Not at all. The actual space is smaller than SilverKris, but SilverKris feels more open thanks to the windows and ceiling height. The shower count favors EVA, but the actual shower experience and the kid-friendliness favor SilverKris. The food menus are both varied enough that either choice would be fine. For a business-class lounge at a full-service airline, the EVA Infinity Lounge feels a little underwhelming, and a refresh would do it good. Then again, compared to Incheon’s neglected Asiana Lounge, it’s still in noticeably better shape.

Taipei to Incheon on Asiana Business Class (A330-300)

The aircraft for the return flight from Taipei to Incheon was a 10-year-old A330-300. The outbound had been the A380 with full-flat seats; this time we were on the slide-style recliner. I’d known going in that the A330 was the more likely aircraft for shorter routes, but I’d been hoping for another A380. A small disappointment.

The 2-2-2 seat layout meant our son and I sat together, and my husband took the seat behind us. Unfortunately, the passenger directly in front of our son turned out to be very sensitive, and we had a rough flight because of it. Our son wasn’t crying. He was watching cartoons relatively quietly. But he occasionally said things like “we’re going up!” during takeoff, or laughed too loudly at something on his screen, and the passenger in front of him visibly bristled every time.

I kept trying to keep him quiet, even handing him candy to slow the talking, but there’s only so much you can do with a small child on a two-hour flight. Toward the end I was just grateful it was a short flight. This was my son’s twelfth time on a plane and the first time we’d had this kind of situation, and I was so flustered in the moment that I didn’t think clearly. In retrospect, I should have asked the flight attendants to mediate.

I was still too full from the lounge to eat anything substantial, and the meal options for this short flight didn’t really appeal anyway. I left most of it untouched and had a small glass of wine. By the time we landed at Incheon I was completely drained — partly from the long routing, partly from the stress of the flight, and partly from sheer tiredness.

Final Thoughts on Asiana Business Class

For some context on my baseline: I’ve flown FSC business class about five times with Asiana — Jakarta-Incheon round-trip, Bangkok-Incheon one-way, and now Incheon-Taipei round-trip — and three times with foreign carriers, on Thai Airways from Incheon to Bangkok and Singapore Airlines from Taipei to Singapore round-trip. All of these are short to medium-haul, so my comparison set is limited. But even with that caveat, the gap between Asiana business class and what other carriers are doing on similar routes felt pretty clear by the end of this trip.

Business class as a category is rapidly evolving — with newer seats, better in-flight entertainment, and more thoughtful service across most airlines I’ve tried. Asiana feels increasingly stuck with older recliners, dated IFE, and a service experience that’s quietly getting worse. With the Korean Air merger on the horizon, this is most likely the last Asiana business class review I’ll ever write.

Klook.com

Fairmont Singapore Signature Suite Review

Fairmont Singapore has a very different atmosphere from Sofitel Sentosa. Where Sofitel had been bright and resort-like, Fairmont feels more like an urban business hotel. The lobby has high ceilings and light-colored flooring, but the natural light is limited, so the dark wood columns, heavy furniture, and large dark-toned artwork on the walls give the space a quieter, more serious feel.

It doesn’t feel oppressive — just composed. The doormen wear neat tailored suits with caps that add a small touch of formality. The overall vibe felt more suited to travelers in Singapore for business than for sightseeing, and I mean that as a compliment.

My husband eventually came back with the backpack. Since we were already running late by then, we grabbed a quick breakfast first and did the proper check-in afterward. This was where I started revising my impressions of Singapore hotels. At Sofitel Sentosa we’d had almost no orientation during check-in or check-out — no one had told us where breakfast was, where to claim our welcome drink, how the shuttle ran, or anything else. At Fairmont, the receptionist walked us through everything carefully: the hotel facilities, the shared amenities with Swissôtel next door, the dining venues in the connected mall. She was friendly and helpful in a real way, not in a memorized-script way.

So I quietly adjusted my opinion. The problem hadn’t been Singapore. The problem had been Sofitel Sentosa.

By the time we got upstairs to the room, it was just before 10 a.m., which is genuinely remarkable for an early check-in. I was grateful to drop our bags off and head out for the day without dragging luggage along.

We’d booked the Signature Suite — 602 sq ft, with two balconies. The bedroom and living area aren’t divided by a wall, so it’s not a true two-room suite like the one we had at Sofitel, but the room is generous enough that the bed and the sofa-and-coffee-table corner are well separated. With our son asleep on the cot, my husband and I could still hang out at the other end of the room in the evenings without worrying about waking him.

The king bed was very comfortable. The cot was set up when we came back that night from the Zoo, which I appreciated. Our son was 32 months at the time, and I’d been a bit worried the cot might be too small, but he slept fine. I did notice, though, that we’re getting close to the end of the era where a hotel cot is a viable option for him. The next trip might be different.

The lounge area had a sofa, a coffee table, and a TV. Honestly, the sofa wasn’t anything special — it wasn’t one of those plush hotel sofas you sink into and don’t want to leave — but it was roomy and comfortable enough. Just a normal, decent living-room setup in a hotel room.

The bathroom was clean and well-organized, and there was a separate non-slip bath mat available, which made giving our son his bath much easier. Amenities were Le Labo Rose 31. I’m personally more of a Hinoki person, but Rose 31 is also lovely. Children’s amenities were prepared separately as well.

If I had to summarize the Signature Suite in one sentence, it would be that it’s a well-built, no-frills suite that does the basics very well. The interior finishes and furniture quality aren’t quite at the level of the Sofitel Sentosa Prestige Suite — Sofitel was, fairness aside, the more “design-y” room of the two — but the Fairmont suite was completely comfortable, spacious, and we never felt cramped or like we were missing anything.

What I really loved about the room, though, were the two balconies. We were in a corner suite on a high floor, which meant two large windows on different sides of the building, opening onto two completely different views. The room felt bigger than it actually was because of how much light and city came in through them.

One balcony looked out onto Marina Bay Sands, the War Memorial Park, the ArtScience Museum, and Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay. The other looked over CHIJMES and the National Museum of Singapore. Two distinct snapshots of the city from a single room, and they shifted dramatically between day and night. By day it was all clean architectural lines; after dark, Marina Bay Sands and the surrounding skyline lit up, and I kept finding myself wandering out onto whichever balcony I hadn’t checked in the last hour, just to look out.

A note for Korean readers who’ve been comparing the two: the conventional wisdom is that Swissôtel The Stamford has the better view, because Fairmont sits slightly behind it and a portion of the angle is technically blocked. That’s true. But I thought Fairmont’s view was more than enough. I’d recommend it without hesitation.

The Breakfast and Pool I Didn’t Get To

Fairmont shares its facilities with Swissôtel The Stamford, which means there are three breakfast venues available to guests — Prego, Clove, and Asian Market. I would have genuinely loved to try one each morning and compare them properly. I tried none of them.

On the first morning, my husband was off in Sentosa rescuing the backpack, so by the time he was back we were too pressed for time. The second morning we had a separate breakfast reservation at Raffles Singapore next door, which I’d booked in advance and didn’t want to skip. The third morning we were checking out before sunrise to catch our flight, so there was no chance there either. Three breakfast restaurants on offer, and I made it to none of them. A frustrating bit of bad scheduling.

What I did eat on that first hectic morning, while my husband was traveling back to Sentosa, was kaya toast at Toast Box in the basement of Raffles City Mall.

Raffles City connects directly to the hotel, but at that early hour almost nothing in the mall was open. The supermarket on the basement level (CS Fresh Mart) and Toast Box were the only signs of life. Since I’d been wanting to try kaya toast at some point on this trip anyway, and we needed to eat quickly before heading to the Zoo and Bird Paradise, I changed the plan: skip the hotel buffet, eat kaya toast.

I wasn’t really expecting much from it. Toast is toast, I’d thought. How much can really be done with two slices of bread.

It was much better than I’d expected. Crisp bread, kaya jam, a sliver of cold butter sandwiched in the middle, with a soft-boiled egg on the side to dip the toast into and a cup of coffee. The egg-dipping is what makes it. I’d assumed I wouldn’t finish the order — I’m not really a bread person and I rarely eat much in the morning — but I actually wished there had been a bit more of it.

Since coming home, I’ve started making kaya toast for myself fairly regularly. It’s become one of those quiet souvenirs from the trip. Most tourists will tell you Ya Kun Kaya Toast is the more famous version and Toast Box the second-most. I’d love to try Ya Kun on a future trip and see how it compares.

So, no Fairmont breakfast review from me. Just a kaya toast endorsement.

I also didn’t make it to the pool. Fairmont and Swissôtel share their pool deck, and from my balcony I could look right down on it. Two round pools, surrounded by tall walls. It’s not the kind of “rooftop infinity pool with a city skyline” experience you find at Marina Bay Sands — it’s enclosed, clearly designed for actual swimming and family use rather than for the photo.

On a different trip I’d have built in time for it. But Singapore has a lot to see, and traveling with a young child compresses your sightseeing hours in ways that are hard to undo. The pool just didn’t make the cut. Next time, longer trip, more pool time.

The Real Reason to Book: City Hall Location and Raffles City Mall

If I had to point to one single thing as Fairmont Singapore’s biggest strength, it’s the location. The hotel sits about a three-minute walk from City Hall MRT station, and City Hall is consistently the most-recommended area for Singapore accommodation. There’s a real reason for that.

Singapore is small and well-connected, so technically you can stay almost anywhere and still get around fine. But the City Hall area sits in a different category in terms of walkability. A lot of the city’s most-visited spots fall in that awkward zone where a taxi feels excessive but a walk in the heat feels a bit punishing — unless you’re starting from a place like this, in which case they all suddenly become a pleasant stroll.

And because Raffles City Mall is connected directly to the hotel, along with several other nearby malls full of cafés and restaurants, you always have an air-conditioned exit option whenever Singapore’s weather decides to win.

Heading south from the hotel, you can walk to St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the National Gallery Singapore, the Victoria Concert Hall, on toward Merlion Park, The Fullerton Hotel, and Lau Pa Sat, and even further to Chinatown if you push it.

Heading west, you can reach CHIJMES, the National Museum of Singapore, Fort Canning Park, Clarke Quay, and Boat Quay, with the option to loop back via The Fullerton and Merlion Park to make a full circuit.

Heading east, you’ll pass the Makansutra Gluttons Bay hawker centre, the Helix Bridge, the Singapore Flyer, and if you have the energy, the ArtScience Museum and Marina Bay Sands.

Heading north, you can walk through to Bugis Street, Arab Street, and Little India.

In every direction, there’s something landmark-worthy or visually interesting between you and your destination. Walking from A to B in this neighborhood isn’t really walking from A to B — the in-between is the tour. That was, more than anything else, what made Fairmont’s location feel so worthwhile. I’d happily stay here again on a future visit for the location alone.

Aside from walking, anyone visiting Singapore as a tourist has probably thought about taking the Big Bus at some point, and its main boarding point is at Suntec City, just east of the hotel. While picking up our tickets there, I noticed the basement food court was packed with locals — mostly office workers — rather than tourists. Curious about where they were eating, I went looking and ended up at Turkish Lezzet House, a Turkish restaurant my husband’s Turkish friend had recommended.

We had iskender kebab, kebab rice, and moussaka. Arab Street also has a stretch of Turkish restaurants, but the prices and atmosphere there are clearly geared toward tourists. Suntec City’s basement gave me the same kind of food at much more reasonable prices, with a more local feel. If you’re picking up Big Bus tickets at Suntec City, the basement food court is worth a look for lunch or dinner.

If Fairmont specifically isn’t available, the City Hall neighborhood has plenty of alternatives in different price ranges — Swissôtel The Stamford, Raffles, Carlton, Kempinski, Pullman, and others. Pick what fits your budget and travel style, but if at all possible, stay in this part of the city.

The other big upside of Fairmont is being directly connected to Raffles City Mall. Toast Box aside, the basement has a full food court with a wide range of cuisines, and the mall itself has plenty of restaurants, shops both luxury and otherwise, a TWG outlet (a classic Singapore souvenir), and a decently sized supermarket.

I picked up pre-cut fruit there a couple of times — mango of course, but also sugar-apple (sour-sop), which I’d been curious about and finally got to try. The supermarket is more expensive than FairPrice locations elsewhere in the city, but the convenience of having it directly attached to the hotel is hard to overstate. When you’ve been outside in 33-degree humidity all day with a tired toddler, the elevator-ride distance to a full mall starts to feel like a quiet kind of luxury.

Final Thoughts on Fairmont Singapore

I’d say my stay at Fairmont Singapore was probably the high point of our entire Singapore trip. Early check-in, friendly and attentive staff, a spacious suite with two balconies and views of two completely different Singapore skylines from the same room, a connected mall with everything we needed, and a location that made the city feel walkable in every direction. There wasn’t really a moment where I thought something was off.

In hindsight, splitting our stay between two hotels turned out to be the mistake. If we’d just been at Fairmont the whole time, we wouldn’t have lost half a day to a backpack rescue, and we wouldn’t have had the Sofitel disappointment hanging over our overall impression of the trip.

Normally I don’t really like to re-book hotels I’ve already stayed at — there’s so much else to try — but Fairmont Singapore is one I’d come back to without hesitation. I’d recommend it especially to people visiting Singapore for the first time, to families, or to anyone who wants a calm, well-located, well-run hotel to come back to after a long day.

If you’re choosing among Singapore’s 5-star hotels for your first visit, Fairmont Singapore would be my top recommendation — for the location, the Marina Bay views, and the connection to Raffles City Mall.

If you’re trying to decide between Fairmont, Swissôtel, Raffles, and the other City Hall area hotels, you’re not really going to make a bad choice. For me, Fairmont gave me everything I wanted from a Singapore hotel without anything I’d want to change.

Klook.com

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Check-In & The Prestige Suite Review

We spent our first night near Changi Airport at the Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy (a smooth, easy start to the trip, which I’ll write about separately). With a late checkout secured, we wrapped up some nearby sightseeing the next morning and headed to Sentosa — with our hotel booking confirmation in hand, since you need it to avoid paying the Sentosa entry fee by taxi.

Singapore is compact and traffic-light by design (the government tightly controls the number of vehicles on the road), so the ride was quick. As we crossed into Sentosa, I noticed the vibe shift immediately. The high-rises disappeared, replaced by lush tropical trees. It felt quiet, green, and genuinely different from the city we’d just left — which was kind of surprising, considering how close they are to each other.

The resort’s first impression? Legitimately impressive. The lobby isn’t enormous, but it has high ceilings and opens up beautifully onto a central courtyard — a stretch of manicured lawn, a fountain, and a sense of space that made the property feel much larger than it is. The black marble floors give it a quietly chic edge. That courtyard is the image I keep coming back to when I think of this place.

Then came check-in.

There was a large wedding party checking in ahead of us — every single one of them, at the single desk, with what appeared to be the only staff member available. No one came to assist. No temporary station opened up. We waited a long time. (I’d already had some unanswered emails to the resort before arrival, so this wasn’t a great sign.) Singapore is supposed to be one of the most efficient cities in the world. This corner of it had apparently missed the memo.

Once we finally got our keys and made our way to the room — which, I’ll note, is genuinely a journey from the lobby — we arrived at our Prestige Suite: 688 sq ft of separate bedroom and living room. I’d chosen a split-room suite deliberately, because our son goes to sleep around 8–9pm, which means our evenings essentially end at 7. Having a proper living space so we could eat snacks and decompress after he’s down was a non-negotiable.

The room itself was genuinely good. High ceilings, warm wood finishes, spacious without feeling cavernous, and — unlike some reviews I’d read beforehand — it didn’t feel dated to me. The design felt considered. The furniture worked. I was relieved.

The bedroom had a king bed, the pre-requested crib, a couch, and a TV — with a large floor-to-ceiling window overlooking… other people’s parked cars and foot traffic. Because we were on the ground floor. So the curtains stayed closed.

The living area had a much bigger sofa, a stylishly designed bar unit with a coffee machine and minibar, and a welcome fruit basket with a note. The bathroom was all mirrors — large ones over the sink, one by the bathtub, more on the cabinet doors — which made it feel simultaneously larger and slightly overwhelming. Amenities were Balmain.

Oh, and there was a separate set of kids’ amenities. More on that shortly.

Breakfast at Kwee Zeen

I’d seen reviews warning that Sofitel Singapore Sentosa’s breakfast wasn’t worth it. I went anyway, mostly because there’s genuinely nothing walkable nearby, and making a trip to the main island just for breakfast felt excessive.

After a good night’s sleep and stepping out of the room, I realized that check-in had included zero orientation. No mention of where breakfast was, what time it started, where anything was. I wandered toward the lobby and happened to spot the restaurant — Kwee Zeen — on my own.

There are indoor and outdoor seats. We chose outdoor, since it was a cloudy morning and didn’t feel too intense. The indoor section matched the lobby’s aesthetic well — cool, considered, consistent in style. The outdoor section felt like it had been appended as an afterthought. An odd contrast.

The buffet spread was… basic. Salads, bread, cold cuts, egg station, cereal, fruit. An outdoor crepe station and a noodle station. I tried the prawn noodle soup — it smelled amazing, but tasted surprisingly flat. The eggs were unremarkable. The bread selection was extensive, which would be great if you’re into bread. I’m not, particularly.

The one genuinely Singapore-specific touch I kept wishing for was kaya toast. Just kaya toast. That would have elevated the whole thing.

I’d used my Accor Plus membership for a 50% discount on breakfast, and our son ate free at his age, so the math worked out. Without that discount, I’m not sure it would feel justified. But — and this is worth noting — the atmosphere at breakfast was genuinely warm. Sofitel Singapore Sentosa draws a lot of families, and seeing so many young children running around made it easy and comfortable. Our son barely raised an eyebrow from anyone. That part was lovely.

After eating, I took a slow loop around the resort grounds before heading back to the room. Quiet, tree-lined paths, birdsong. The ambiance of the resort itself is genuinely peaceful.

The Pool: Deep, Beautiful, and Beer-Adjacent

We’d originally planned to take Sentosa’s tram to Siloso Beach, then head to VivoCity for lunch before coming back for an afternoon swim. Our son had other plans. The moment we were back in the room after breakfast, he started lobbying hard for the pool.

Since the afternoon sun in Singapore is intense and our son’s enthusiasm was at peak levels, we gave in and headed down early.

The pool was nearly empty that early in the morning. Cool at first, but Singapore’s heat takes care of that quickly — especially once the clouds cleared and the sun came out fully. The pool is a single, generous length that deepens toward the far end — up to 2.5 meters — with a lifeguard stationed accordingly.

(Side note: I was in the middle of freediving training at the time, working toward Level 2. Watching the deep end, I genuinely wished I’d brought my snorkel to practice duck dives. That far end is legitimately good for adults.)

On one side of the pool, there was a small station with complimentary kids’ goggles and life jackets — though everything was sized for older children, which didn’t quite work for our three-year-old. We made it work. He had a blast anyway.

Then my husband wanted a beer. App-based ordering opened at 10am. We waited, placed the order the moment it went live, and… nothing arrived for 30 minutes. There was no one to ask. Eventually our son’s lips started turning blue (time to get out), so I took him back to the room while my husband waited for the beer. He gave up, rejoined us in the room.

A few minutes later, the room phone rang. The beer was ready for delivery — almost exactly one hour after ordering. I still don’t know what happened. Did they brew it?

Beer-related mysteries aside, the pool was a highlight.

LEBAR & The Welcome Drink

Our original afternoon plan — the Sentosa tram and beach — had slipped away with the morning swim, so we pivoted. A nearby hawker center (Lau Pa Sat) had its Saturday Satay Street opening at 3pm. We’d go early, around 4pm, before the crowds.

Before that, we stopped at LEBAR — the resort’s bar — to use the Accor welcome drink perk. I chose sparkling wine; my husband chose beer (again, brave man). Our son sat down and was asleep within five minutes. Swimming will do that.

Since our son’s naps tend to run about an hour, we decided to linger. My husband ordered a carbonara (he loves it; this was his view of the menu), and with happy hour running, he got 1+1 on his beer. I used the time to catch up on our trip budget spreadsheet. It was, genuinely, a lovely hour.

The staff at LEBAR were the warmest we encountered during our entire stay. The setting — all marble surfaces, open on all sides, perfectly shaded — was breezy and comfortable even in the 2pm heat. This was the one space where everything clicked: good atmosphere, good service, good company (including one very efficiently napping toddler).

The Shuttle Bus Schedule & VivoCity

Getting in and out of Sentosa by taxi every time would add up fast. The resort runs a shuttle to VivoCity — the massive mall right at the Sentosa Gateway — with departures every 15–30 minutes, so even if you miss one, the wait isn’t long.

While waiting for the shuttle, we discovered the Doctor Fish pond tucked between the lobby and the bar. Tiny fish nibbling at your feet — our son was too nervous to participate, but watched with fascinated horror from a safe distance. The fish, I’ll note, were enormous. The biggest I’ve ever seen at one of these things.

VivoCity itself is well worth knowing about. It’s large, with a solid mix of shops and restaurants, and it connects directly to the MRT — so it becomes a natural hub for day trips. The FairPrice supermarket there is one of the larger locations I visited, and it was an excellent spot to pick up snacks, fruit, and groceries for the room. Mango, sliced and packaged, was SGD 4.70 — more than the SGD 5 for four packs I’d found at a hawker centre fruit stall, but noticeably better quality and presentation. Worth it.

Shuttle times are worth checking in advance — but once you’re in the rhythm, it’s a convenient and free way to move between Sentosa and the city.

Final Verdict: Is Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Worth It?

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa is a beautifully built resort. The architecture, the materials, the sense of space — it all suggests somewhere that was designed with care and genuine investment. The rooms are good. The grounds are peaceful. The pool is excellent for adults. LEBAR is a gem.

And yet. Would I come back? No. Would I recommend it? Not without significant caveats.

On Sentosa as a choice for Singapore: Unless you’re specifically there for Universal Studios, or you want a deliberate reset from the city, a hotel in Sentosa isn’t the obvious choice for a short Singapore trip. The beaches aren’t the kind you’d come to Southeast Asia for. It’s close to the main island, but it adds a logistical layer. If you want a quieter base with a bit of resort energy, a Sentosa hotel makes sense — but it’s a specific use case, not a default.

On Sofitel Singapore Sentosa specifically: The service was, frankly, not at the level I’d expect from a property of this caliber. The staff count seemed low for the resort’s size, and those who were present didn’t appear to be working from a consistent playbook. Check-in was slow and offered no orientation. Nobody told us where breakfast was, where to pick up welcome drinks, or how the shuttle worked. We had to figure everything out ourselves.

The beer-taking-an-hour episode. The “Okay.” response when I raised a legitimate concern. These things add up.

And then there was MyKids.

When booking, I’d spotted an add-on called “MyKids” and paid extra for it, assuming it was some kind of family package. I received no explanation of what it included at check-in. Midway through our stay, I went to the front desk to ask what the MyKids package actually was.

“It’s food-related,” I was told. And nothing else.

After our stay, I looked it up. The MyKids package includes: children’s meals (lunch, dinner, afternoon snacks), unlimited soft drinks and juice for kids throughout the day, unlimited Kids’ Club access at Villa Des Enfants, in-room movies, and welcome gifts. There was apparently a Kids’ Club on the property. I didn’t know. We didn’t use any of it. I received nothing — except the Balmain amenities for my son’s bath. When I raised this at the desk, the response was a single “Okay.”

We’re generally easygoing travelers. It takes a lot for us to feel genuinely disappointed in a hotel. Sofitel Singapore Sentosa managed it. The facilities were lovely; the experience around them was not. The Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy — a step down in category — delivered a noticeably better experience.

I’d love to return to Sentosa island someday. A longer trip, a proper resort stay, more time to actually be on the island.

Just not here.

Klook.com

Best Hawker Centers for Lunch (Local Favorites with Great Value)

I personally recommend having lunch at hawker centers frequented by locals, where you can get excellent value meals compared to Singapore’s expensive restaurant prices. Here are my top lunch recommendations:

Best Hawker Centers for Dinner (Relaxed Evening Atmosphere)

Some hawker centers operate mainly during the day with stalls closing in the evening, others become more vibrant in the evening with increased crowds, and some operate 24 hours. Here are recommendations for more relaxed dinner atmospheres with special evening menus:

• Newton Food Centre: One of the most famous hawker centers among tourists, featured in the movie ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. Known for seafood dishes, though some stalls may overcharge tourists, so be cautious. Prices are slightly higher than other hawker centers.
• Zion Riverside Food Centre: Located alongside a canal offering quiet outdoor dining with cool river breezes – preferred by locals.
• Old Airport Road Food Centre: One of Singapore’s largest and oldest hawker centers, popular with locals featuring traditional Singaporean home-style cooking and Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded stalls.
• Seah Im Food Centre: Near HarbourFront Station and Sentosa Island, popular with commuting locals and Sentosa visitors. Many stalls operate until late hours.

Night Market Atmosphere Hawker Centers (Vibrant Evening Vibes)

Essential Hawker Center Tips

Payment: While more hawker centers now accept card payments, many still operate cash-only, so bring cash. QR code payments are also available.

Securing Tables: Before ordering food, reserve your table by placing tissues, water bottles, umbrellas, or other personal items on the table.

Finding the Best Food: Stalls with locals queuing are almost guaranteed to be excellent. Each hawker center has different famous stalls and signature dishes, so observe which stalls are most popular.

Bring Supplies: Tables don’t provide napkins or tissues, so bring wet wipes or tissues. This is especially important for messy foods like chili crab that require hands-on eating.

Singapore hawker centers offer the perfect solution for experiencing authentic local cuisine without breaking your travel budget. From affordable 3-6 SGD meals to UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage, these food courts provide insight into Singapore’s multicultural society while satisfying your taste buds. Whether you’re looking for a quick local lunch or a memorable dinner experience, hawker centers deliver authentic flavors, cultural immersion, and unbeatable value that make them essential stops on any Singapore itinerary.

Klook.com

Singapore Heritage Architecture Recommendations

• Raffles Hotel: Colonial Architecture (British Colonial) + Renaissance Revival
  • Icon of Singapore’s classic luxury
  • A representative colonial-style hotel opened in 1887
  • The birthplace of the famous Singapore Sling cocktail
• The Fullerton Hotel: Neoclassical
  • Heritage luxury where history meets stunning night views
  • Former Central Post Office building constructed in 1928
  • Stroll along the river to enjoy views of the Merlion and hotel sands singapore
• National Gallery: Neoclassical + Art Deco Elements
  • Southeast Asia’s largest contemporary art museum
  • Art museum converted from the former Parliament House and Supreme Court buildings
  • Historic site where Lee Kuan Yew declared independence in 1965
  • Experience Asian art exhibitions + admire historic architectural details including dome ceilings and marble floors with classic charm
• Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall: Renaissance Revival
  • Performance arts venue + iconic clock tower landmark
  • Used as a hospital and military headquarters during World War II
• St. Andrew’s Cathedral: Neo-Gothic Revival
  • Singapore’s largest Anglican cathedral
• Boat Quay: 19th Century Commercial Colonial Style
  • Former commercial port and trading hub
  • British-style warehouses + colonial shophouse buildings
  • Renovated into restaurants, pubs, and riverside nightscape hotspots
• CHIJMES: Neo-Gothic Revival
  • 19th-century French convent building in Gothic style
  • Now a beautiful dining and bar complex
  • Variety of atmospheric French and Italian restaurants; outdoor dining tables under ambient lighting highly recommended

Raffles Singapore Breakfast(Tiffin Room) Review

Raffles is a representative colonial-style hotel that opened in 1877 during the British colonial period. It’s Singapore’s oldest hotel and one of the few remaining 19th-century hotels in the East. This iconic luxury hotel has hosted countless world-renowned figures, from Queen Elizabeth to Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin, Rudyard Kipling, and Somerset Maugham. Somerset Maugham, in particular, extensively reflected his experiences staying at Raffles in his literary works.

As a symbolic architectural landmark where colonial-era luxury, literature, and politics coexisted, Raffles was one of the places I absolutely had to visit during my Singapore trip.

Since Raffles is a luxury hotel with extremely high nightly rates, I couldn’t afford to stay there. Instead, I decided to experience breakfast at the Tiffin Room and try a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar.

Since I was staying at the Fairmont Singapore, located right across from Raffles, it was just a 5-minute walk away. I would have loved to see Raffles in the early morning darkness, but by the time I arrived, it was already bright daylight. I reached the Tiffin Room around 7:30 AM, and many people were already enjoying their breakfast.

Since Singapore has high humidity year-round, we sat indoors. However, after seeing the absolutely beautiful courtyard through the window, I deeply regretted not eating outside!

Although I had seen photos beforehand, Raffles showed no signs of being an old hotel, thanks to major renovations in 1989 and 2017. The colonial architectural style was beautifully preserved. The Tiffin Room, where we had breakfast, was small in scale but exuded luxury in every detail of its interior design.

Breakfast Setup and Menu Options

Each table came pre-set with Alain Milliat jams in various flavors, honey, and even premium ketchup in small bottles—all the sauces, jams, and condiments needed for the meal. While I didn’t try the premium ketchup (since there were no accompanying dishes), I was curious about what makes premium ketchup different!

Raffles’ breakfast buffet features appetizers, salads, fruits, and desserts, while main dishes are ordered à la carte with no quantity restrictions—you can order as much as you want.

Signature breakfast items include:

• Various fresh-pressed juices, coffee, and tea
• Omelettes and pancakes (signature dishes)
• Egg Benedict, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, boiled eggs
• Asian options: Nasi Goreng, Mee Goreng, Singapore Laksa, dim sum selection, kaya toast, congee, vegetable dal curry, vegetable rice noodles

Raffles Long Bar Singapore Sling Review

Since the Long Bar is still a bar, I was concerned about visiting with a child and potential dress code requirements. However, research confirmed that children are welcome and there’s no dress code. I saw many grandfathers in Hawaiian shirts, and shorts were perfectly acceptable.

We were seated immediately when the bar opened and ordered two Singapore Slings for my husband and me. While there weren’t suitable drinks for our child, since we weren’t planning a long stay, I gave him peanuts from the table instead.

The Long Bar provides complimentary peanuts at every table to accompany cocktails. If you’ve ever researched Raffles Singapore’s Long Bar, you’ll know about their famous tradition of throwing peanut shells directly on the floor.

In the early 20th century colonial era, Southeast Asian plantation owners who frequented such bars would eat complimentary peanuts and casually discard shells on the floor—this was the natural scene. The Long Bar faithfully recreates this unique tradition. This peanut shell-throwing custom isn’t just a gimmick but a historical recreation of colonial-era habits!

The discarded peanut shells become part of the atmosphere, naturally harmonizing with the Long Bar’s plantation-style interior and creating a relaxed, casual ambiance. While bars typically require dress codes and formal table manners, Raffles Long Bar maintains this tradition to convey the sentiment of “freely enjoy your time.” This naturally explains the absence of strict dress code regulations.

The Long Bar represents “the only legal space in Singapore where you can throw something in a public place”—quite unique in Singapore’s clean, rule-heavy environment. This small act of “permitted rudeness” becomes a cultural experience element, creating more memorable experiences for visitors. This ‘minor impoliteness’ of throwing peanut shells on the floor paradoxically allows guests to fully experience the leisurely, romantic bar culture of 100 years ago—a charming attraction!

This unique appeal has made it so popular with tourists that it’s included in Klook Singapore passes, becoming one of Singapore’s essential tourist attractions.

While eating peanuts, our Singapore Slings arrived! Almost everyone visiting the Long Bar comes for this iconic cocktail, which also has its own story. During an era when women found it difficult to drink cocktails in bars, bartenders created this pink cocktail that resembled juice, giving birth to the Orient’s first cocktail designed for women—the Singapore Sling.

Created to look like juice, the Singapore Sling displays a beautiful pink color. However, its ingredients include gin, cherry brandy, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine, Benedictine, and Cointreau. Despite its innocent appearance, it contains substantial alcohol content with an ABV of approximately 20-28%, usually around 23%. While the fruit flavors make it easy and delicious to drink, one glass can definitely get you tipsy.

Since our son grew bored after some time, I thought we should finish quickly and leave, so I drank mine rapidly—only to be surprised by how tipsy I became!

Raffles Boutique Shop sells Singapore Sling packages. While not inexpensive, they make worthy souvenirs, so I recommend stopping by.

Complete Raffles Experience Summary

This completes the full Raffles Singapore experience: breakfast at the Tiffin Room, cocktails at the Long Bar, and souvenir shopping at the Raffles Boutique Shop!

Each space has its own history and story, with luxury as an added bonus. Raffles Singapore was an excellent component of my Singapore city center historical tour. For the Long Bar specifically, using a Klook Singapore pass can provide more affordable access, so I recommend booking through Klook.

Klook.com

The Most Modern City in the World

Singapore is a small city-state, and most tourist attractions are concentrated in the Central Region, making it a destination that requires less long-distance travel compared to other countries. This naturally makes Singapore a low-difficulty tourist destination.

The Merlion statue – with its lion head and mermaid tail – is probably what most people think of first when they hear “Singapore.” On my second day, when I visited Merlion Park to see this iconic statue, I encountered the largest crowds of tourists, all taking playful photos with their mouths open or striking various poses.

Across from Merlion Park, you can see Singapore’s representative landmarks: Marina Bay Sands(singapore sands hotel), the ArtScience Museum, and the Singapore Flyer. Turn your head in another direction, and you’ll witness an incredible forest of skyscrapers housing numerous corporations.

Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre: A Unique Dining Experience

Located in the Central Business District (CBD) at Raffles Quay, Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre is probably a must-visit spot for every Singapore tourist. What makes Lau Pa Sat special is that at 7 PM every evening, the road in front transforms into Satay Street – vehicles are blocked, and tables and satay stalls appear right on the road.

Eating satay in the middle of a concrete jungle, literally on the street, creates quite a unique atmosphere. However, it gets extremely crowded due to high demand and limited satay vendors. On weekends, it opens from 3 PM, but I went around 4 PM on Sunday with my child to avoid crowds and had an early dinner. On that Sunday afternoon, Lau Pa Sat wasn’t too busy, so we received our satay quickly, along with other dishes like laksa.

Marina Bay Sands(Singapore sands hotel): Where Modern Architecture Meets Waterfront Views

Walking northeast from Lau Pa Sat for about 10 minutes brings you to the waterfront, where you can see Marina Bay Sands(singapore sands hotel) and the ArtScience Museum across the water. Going from the heart of the city center to suddenly seeing the open sea with landmark buildings was when I thought, “Ah, this is Singapore’s unique charm that sets it apart from other cities!”

While advanced architectural technology and unique buildings are common today, when Marina Bay Sands(singapore sands hotel) was first built, its three curved towers topped with the ship-shaped SkyPark was considered a groundbreaking attempt worldwide. Even though I’d seen this building countless times on YouTube and the internet, seeing it in person felt completely different – similar to how seeing the Eiffel Tower in person feels vastly different from seeing it in photos.

Sitting on a bench near the Immersion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes memorial, I found myself wondering: how did they even conceive of building something like this?

Singapore developed rapidly, initially growing as a trading port during British colonial times due to its geographical advantages. After independence, with no natural resources on its small land, Singapore grew through trade and finance, eventually becoming Southeast Asia’s financial hub. But then to intentionally spend astronomical amounts building distinctive modern architecture to attract tourists? This didn’t seem like an ordinary decision.

Most famous tourist destinations are based on history, heritage, art, or incredible natural environments. The few famous urban tourist destinations like American cities have vast content, while Tokyo has abundant food and traditional cultural content. In contrast, Singapore has a short history with few traditional cultural elements and limited entertainment content. Choosing architecture as the content to attract tourists seemed quite remarkable to me.

Building architectural landmarks requires enormous investment, and once built, you can’t tear them down if you don’t like them – it’s not an easy choice to make (excluding oil-rich countries like Dubai).
Honestly, I expected to just think “Oh, the Merlion!” and “Oh, Marina Bay Sands looks unique!” and be done with it. But Singapore’s representative landmarks sparked much more curiosity than I anticipated.

The Fullerton Hotel: Where Colonial Heritage Meets Modern Singapore

Walking toward Boat Quay (about 10 minutes on foot), you’ll pass The Fullerton Hotel, which provides a refreshing contrast to Singapore’s modern cityscape. This Neo-classical granite structure was built during British colonial times and served as a post office, then as a hospital and military headquarters during WWII, before being renovated into today’s hotel. Whether it’s the building’s massive scale or the contrast of this classical-style building next to the forest of skyscrapers, The Fullerton Hotel looked incredibly impressive to me.

After passing The Fullerton Hotel and briefly checking out the Helix Bridge, I walked along Boat Quay, where numerous restaurants line the wharf. Since all restaurants operate terraces facing the wharf, I recommend choosing one to enjoy a beer while feeling the sea breeze. The buildings across the water are mostly classical-style architecture like The Fullerton Hotel, creating a completely different atmosphere from the Lau Pa Sat experience.

A Country Where Diverse Cultures Harmoniously Coexist

Singapore is a multicultural nation with citizens/permanent residents comprising approximately 74% Chinese, 13% Malay, 9% Indian, and other ethnicities. Religious distribution is also diverse: Buddhism 31%, Christianity 19%, Islam 15%, Taoism 8%, Hinduism 5%, and others.

Before visiting Singapore, I assumed Chinese people would dominate since they comprise three-quarters of the population. However, around tourist areas, perhaps due to many people working on employment visas, I didn’t feel Chinese people were the majority – instead, I saw incredible diversity with various ethnicities coexisting.

Singapore’s multicultural nature is best experienced in representative tourist areas like Arab Street, Little India, and Chinatown – each preserving the culture, food, and religion of their respective ethnic communities.

Arab Street: Middle Eastern and Malay Cultural Hub

Arab Street is the center of Middle Eastern and Malay culture, with colorful and exotic atmospheres throughout its alleys. The Sultan Mosque inside is the most symbolic landmark, surrounded by alleys filled with diverse food and shopping options including hijabs, batik fabrics, perfumes, and carpet shops reflecting Islamic culture. Haji Lane features graffiti murals, vintage shops, and unique cafes, making it quite an Instagram hotspot.

While some restaurants serve completely unrelated cuisine like Japanese food, you’ll find plenty of Middle Eastern kebabs, Turkish desserts, and nasi padang – perfect for Middle Eastern food lovers!

I visited during Ramadan, and they were setting up large-scale tables for evening communal dining. Among the various shops selling diverse products along both sides of the street, the carpet and lighting shops left the strongest impression. While these items were too difficult to bring home, their exotic patterns and designs remain vivid in my memory.

The Sultan Mosque sits at Arab Street’s center, and despite being a hotspot, it was absolutely packed with people. Still, with plenty to see and eat, it’s an essential stop for tourists.

I wanted to dine at one of the Turkish restaurants in the alley for my husband who loves Iskender kebab, but the prices were higher than expected for a tourist area, so we decided to try Turkish food elsewhere and just bought drinks. However, the set menus looked well-composed, so I’d recommend trying a meal if you’re interested.

Little India: Authentic Indian Community Experience

About a 15-minute walk from Arab Street brings you to Little India, the center of Singapore’s Indian community, naturally formed when Indians settled during Singapore’s founding. Perhaps because Arab Street was more colorful, Little India felt slightly less impressive upon arrival. You’ll see traditional Indian colors, many Tamil signs, and Hindu temples throughout – essentially India in miniature.

Maybe that’s why, while I rarely felt inconvenience pushing a stroller anywhere else in Singapore, Little India felt different. Narrow roads often lack clear separation between sidewalks and streets, with cars parked on roads creating complexity, plus constant car horn sounds made me want to leave quickly. While Arab Street has clear points designed to attract tourists, Little India feels more like a commercial area genuinely created by Indians for their daily lives.

Still, having come this far, I walked to see Little India’s famous temple, passing through a jewelry district. Since Indians tend to wear elaborate gold jewelry, shops lined up with enormous gold necklaces, bracelets, and accessories. Most shops had people shopping for jewelry – quite fascinating to observe. Fun fact: Singapore has relatively cheap gold, making it good for gold investment (learned this on the Big Bus tour).

Passing the jewelry district, I reached my destination: Sri Veeramakaliamman Hindu Temple. The colorful and intricate sculptures on the temple roof were so fascinating I stared for a long time. This temple worships Kali, the goddess of destruction and protection, where devotees pray for protection from evil. The South Indian (Dravidian) style with bright colors and detailed deity sculptures was eye-catching. Strong incense aromas wafted from the entrance, and seeing Indians going to pray made me want to explore inside, though I felt I shouldn’t enter and only observed from afar. The interior houses various Hindu deities including Shiva and Ganesha alongside Kali – I should have been brave enough to look inside.

Despite an underwhelming first impression, Little India revealed unique charm as I explored. It pairs well with Arab Street for combined sightseeing.

Perfect Family Travel Destination with Modern Green Spaces

As mentioned above, I was traveling with my 2-year-old son. While many worldwide destinations and resorts cater well to family travel, surprisingly few urban destinations are truly suitable for traveling with children. Singapore, despite being a complete urban destination, offers many child-friendly attractions.

Singapore Zoo and Bird Paradise: World-Class Animal Care

Singapore Flyer: Sky-High City Views

The Singapore Flyer is Singapore’s iconic observation wheel. Honestly, I’d never ridden such an observation wheel outside of amusement parks. I decided to try it to give my son a new experience. The wheel was quite large, and with few visitors, they seated 2-3 families per cabin. I rode with another family of five, where the father gave detailed explanations to his children about how the wheel operates – I thought he was an amazing dad and aspired to be such a parent.

Originally, I wanted to ride before sunset to see both the sunset and night views, but we arrived later than planned and only saw the night scenery. Due to its size, one rotation takes considerable time, but the night view from Singapore Flyer was absolutely spectacular. My son, seeing aerial night views for the first time, excitedly joined me in sightseeing while I took photos. While big city night views are somewhat similar everywhere, being able to see Singapore’s landmark Science Museum and Marina Bay Sands(singapore sands hotel) together makes it worth recommending.

Gardens by the Bay: Innovative Vertical Gardens

Gardens by the Bay is Singapore’s botanical garden with truly enormous scale. Too vast to explore entirely, I visited only the most famous Cloud Forest and the Disney-themed Floral Fantasy. Floral Fantasy wasn’t particularly special but featured Disney characters made from plants that children would enjoy.

Cloud Forest attracted enormous crowds, and I completely understood why. In Singapore, where architectural permits supposedly require unique designs, this is what happens when they build a botanical garden. Cloud Forest is essentially a vertical botanical garden where visitors walk spirally up and down six stories of plant displays. Taking an elevator to the top and walking down, while slightly limiting stroller navigation, the wall-mounted plant arrangements were fascinating.

The idea that botanical gardens could be built vertically was absolutely amazing. Most importantly, I was impressed by the Singapore government for enabling such creation. You could see how seriously this modern city-state takes harmony with nature. Unlike typical hot greenhouses, Cloud Forest was kept cool, making it perfect for families with children. Don’t miss the Supertree Show at 7 PM and 8 PM!

East Coast Park: Family Paradise

East Coast Park is Singapore’s largest and most popular beachfront park. Pre-trip research showed many positive reviews, and discovering a massive slide on Google Maps convinced me to visit – the park exceeded expectations. It’s spacious with excellent children’s facilities, including sandboxes and water play areas that my son absolutely loved. I carelessly didn’t bring spare clothes or swim diapers, warning my son not to sit in water, but he ended up soaked from head to toe, forcing us to buy clothes at a nearby mall. Seeing his happiness made this one of my most satisfying Singapore locations.

While East Coast Park doesn’t offer crystal-clear beach waters suitable for swimming, the active park atmosphere includes restaurants around the playground and several restaurants serving Singapore’s famous chili crab near East Coast Lagoon Food Village hawker center. Perfect for avoiding hot afternoon hours while letting children play, enjoying park walks, seaside strolls, and peaceful dinners at hawker centers or restaurants.

Conclusion

I had 5 nights and 6 days in Singapore, but with late arrival and early departure flights, I actually had 4 days of sightseeing. Even though Singapore is small, 4 days wasn’t enough, especially with a child making night activities impossible – time felt even more limited.

Singapore proved to be an exceptional travel destination, particularly suitable for Westerners planning their first Asian trip who worry about cultural adaptation – it’s an incredibly low-barrier destination.

The small national scale and excellent public transportation make travel easy and lower the difficulty level. While Singlish has unique pronunciation, English as the primary language removes language barriers. For a city destination, the emphasis on harmony with nature prevents bleakness. Diverse architecture provides artistic fulfillment, while the multicultural nature offers varied food, religions, and cultural experiences as bonuses.

Being one of the world’s safest countries is a clear advantage, and for those concerned about Southeast Asian hygiene, Singapore maintains good sanitary conditions. The biggest drawback would be cost – “with enough money, it would be such a great place to live” became clearly apparent. Singaporeans’ favorite phrase “Clean & Safe” truly captures it. What started as an unexpected trip became a destination I absolutely want to revisit.

Money-Saving Tips for Singapore Travel

Everyone knows Singapore’s high cost of living. While perceived expense levels vary by your home location, I believe in saving where possible, and beyond cost-saving, Singapore attractions benefit from advance booking, leading me to discover Klook’s Singapore Travel Pass.

Klook’s Singapore Travel Pass lets you choose how many attraction tickets to purchase from Singapore’s many destinations at discounted rates. Since it includes virtually every tourist destination, managing reservations through one platform proved more convenient.

I purchased access to Gardens by the Bay, Big Bus City Tour, Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise, Singapore Flyer, and Raffles Hotel Long Bar Singapore Sling cocktail voucher. Calculations showed I essentially got 1-2 attractions free compared to individual pricing. While I skipped Universal Studios since my son isn’t old enough to be interested, the Singapore travel pass includes Sentosa and Universal Studios options for those planning to visit.

Highly recommend using the Singapore Travel Pass if you’re planning a Singapore travel!

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