Chinese Restaurant in the Tanglin Club, Singapore.
Elegant Chinese restaurant in the Tnaglin Club, Singapore.
View over swimming pool from the Tanglin Club in Sinapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
If you are not a member of the Tanglin club, how could you get to visit it?
1 If you live in Singapore and are considering joining you could ask for a guided tour.
2 If you are visiting Singapore, ask your business or social contacts or friends if they have membership. (If you are invited to a club, the member does not pay money but simply signs. You can reciprocate by
1 Taking the host to dinner at another club
2 Taking the host to dinner at a restaurant
3 Buying the host a gift (ideally gift-wrapped)
4 Offering the host a gift in advance and asking what they would like, eg something brought from your home country
5 If your host is keen on money, and many Europeans and Asians are happy with financial gifts, simply giving them the cost of the meal and drinks and any fee they have to pay for taking a guest into the club.
6 Some clubs admit outsiders for a day for a fee - a club in Hong Kong does this - for a whopping sum, about £100 per person for spending a day using their swimming pool and slides and gardens and restaurants - which will charge extra I imagine! I suppose if you were to compare it to visiting Disneyland, or buying a hotel room, it's not that expensive.
7 Many clubs worldwide have reciprocal arrangements with other clubs. You just need to pick a club and ask your club to write a letter of introduction. For example, we used a letter of introduction from the Tanglin Club in Singapore to visit the RAF club in London, England, and an Overseas club in London, England. We could also have visited clubs in Malaysia, Australia, and several US cities. You might find that an elderly relatives has membership of a club from time spent doing national service, which also has reciprocal arrangements.
Events are often held at clubs which are open to outsiders for a higher fee. You may need to be introduced or accompanied by a member. Occasioanly all you need to do is to get a member of staff to sign you in, after showing your identity such as a passport, and filling out a form giving your homne address and local hotel and possibly giving a credit card number.
Other events, such as Christmas Fairs, are held in ballrooms, as well as weddings. Whilst you are there you can enquire about arrangements for visitors, as well as asking people you meet if they are members.
Some clubs have associations which use their premises for a lower fee, such as a women's association, bridge club using the card room, visiting sports club playing in a tournament, and golf clubs.
A local phone directory in your hotel bedroom often provides a list of local clubs. Websites for cities can provide lists of clubs.
Some examples of Clubs
Singapore
American Club
Canadian Club
Tanglin Club
Useful Websites
visittheusea.com
visitbritain.com
visitsingapore.com
Author
Angela Lansbury
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