Raffles Hotel Singapore a white and green delight

Raffles Hotel entrance. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Fountain in enclosed courtyard with trees, to the left of the entrance.

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See Singapore Celebration Banners In August, checking out Raffles Hotel and the tiger story

 August 9th is Singapore's national day when all the public buildings and many homes display the national flag. In previous years every home was supplied with a free goodie bag which included a hand-held flag to wave. 

At one time, if I remember rightly, which I rarely do, it was the rule that the flag was flown only on National day, and taken down the day afterwards. Nowadays the rule is that the patriotic people are allowed to fly the flag for the whole month of August, which makes the summer holiday a jolly time.

The symbols you see here are the red and white of the flag, and the head of the lion. The name Singapore comes from the word lion city. Whilst the lion is the symbol, the symbol of strength, in many countries, Singapore does not have lions roaming, although in the early years of the previous century it had tigers.

The popular story is that the last tiger in Singapore was shot under the table in Raffles hotel.

The latest version of the story, as recounted over dinner by my husband, who has worked for two decades in Singapore and now in active semi-retirement as a Singapore Permanent Resident, who likes researching everything meticulously.  He is now checking wines as a Sommelier for a club, and writing a book on Singapore railways. He told me that the tiger was not a wild tiger but had escaped from a zoo.  It was not in a public area but in an annexe and underneath in a store room.

As the popular saying goes, (I first heard it repeated to me over lunch by in England by the late Mr Edmund Rothschild), why let the truth get in the way of a good story! 

Useful Websites

https://www.rafflessingapore.com/the-raffles-stories/the-last-tiger-shot/

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The best vineyards to visit? And wineries? And wine and spirits museums?

Singapore Flag

Singapore Sling. 

Driving around Bulgaria recently we found entire villages where every garden grew grapes on pergolas visible along the high street (which Americans call main street).

Every wine producing country has its grapes, vineyards, wine producers, spirits and cocktails. 

Vineyards Versus Wineries

First, some poeple would like to know the difference between a vineyard and a winery. You could grow grapes in a vineyard, and sell them to somebody else because you cannot afford to spend a thousand pounds on a new giant oak wood barrel, and to wait three or more years for the wine to mature in the barrel and then the bottle. 

It can take three or four years to get a vine to produce grapes. Then, if you get great grapes and mature in in the barrel and the bottle, more years to produce a vintage. Some growers say they are planting vines and laying down wines for their grandchildren. 

You could use your own grapes to make wine, having both an outdoor vineyard and an indoor winery (factory), which makes for a great visitor attraction. Especially if you add on a shop and a restaurant serving local food and wines.

Some people buy in grapes from several vineyards and blend them to make a wine which is consistent in taste over the years. They don't grow their own grapes, but buy locally, or import from other countries. 

Europe: France, Italy, Spain, Greece

France is famous for Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais nouveau and Alsace. 

Italy is popular for Prosecco and Asti. Asti. 

Spain is known for Sangria and Rioja. 

Portugal produces Port - and Mateus Rose. 

Holidaymakers will remember ouzo from Greece. 

Spirits and Cocktails

Spirits are high in alcohol, burn your throat and get you drunk quickly. So they are mixed with juices to make a longer drink. 

Singapore Sling

Singapore's special symbolic drink is the Singapore Sling. Amusingly alliterative. A pink drink. Yes, Singapore Sling, the drink of Singapore.The place to have it is in the Raffles Bar in the Raffles hotel. Singapore Airlines serves it on request but in Economy it is not as exciting as in the hotel.

UK's Union Jack.

 Britain produced Gin. Whisky is from Scotland and Ireland. Guinness from Ireland. 

England has many vineyards and award-winning wines. Name one. Nyetimber, which means new timber.

Russian and Eastern Europe

Hungary, once known for Bull's blood is now known for its sweet wine, Tokaji. (Prounounced toe - kai.)

Russia and Eastern Europe are known for vodka. 

America wins with bourbon. 

Chile, South Africa, and New Zealand are also important wine producers.    

Best Vineyards to Visit
Best vineyards to visit on a family holiday? In North America I would say California, for a theme park and supermarket atmosphere, best place to buy corkscrews, aprons, books.


UK
In Europe I rate the UK's Denbies, supermarket and indoor and outdoor tours. See both the grapes growing on the hills, one hillside in the shade and another in the sun, so you can instantly understand why two adjacent plots of land produce different wines.

In London you can take courses in wine at WSET and Berry Brothers & Rudd. You can also enjoy wine dinners at assorted clubs and wine bars.

Drive south to Denbies. Or drive North. Climate change has put the UK on the world's wineries maps.

I look for a place with a restaurant, a shop and a nearby restaurant and hotel. For me and the driver. Some UK hotels contain wine shops, such as The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon, England has a revolving menu with matching wines and a wine shop.

Cellar Door has made a map of 200 wineries.

My husband Trevor Sharot is writing a book on wines. He has found 700 vineyards in the UK, 120 wineries. Around Britain, there are more in Wales, 22 vineyards. Drive north for the causeway to the mead producing area. On to Scotland to find whisky. On the ferry over to Ireland, and you can find Guinness; what's more numerous shop, selling nothing to do with wine, often have a bottle or two or more for sale in the shop or displayed in the window.

Southern UK is also known for cider, which you will find on the supermarket shelves in London.

France
From the UK we would drive to Paris. Through Normandy to the apple and pear region for wines and spirits. But the destination in mind is bound to be  Champagne in France. Champagne is Champagne.

However, having done Champagne region and Rheims many times, my next  must visit vineyard region area is Alsace because I just love sweet wines, white, rose and sparkling wines.


Flag of Spain

Then Rioja in north Spain which has a wine museum or two.  Shops stock everything from silk scarves to table napkins with grape patterns. If you find red wines full of tannins give you a headache, you can probably cope with Sangria, red wine, white wine, fruit, refreshing.


New Zealand flag

New Zealand's BYO
If you happen to be in South Africa or New Zealand and like wine, try their wineries. In New Zealand once you have fastened on a wine style or brand you like you can take your own bottle of wine to Bring Your Own (BYO) restaurants.

All over the world you can book wine tours at wineries or take a morning or full day or whole week wine tour.

Useful Websites
Worldwide
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7227995/The-worlds-50-best-vineyards-2019-named-producer-Argentina-ranked-first.html?ito=link_share_article-factbox
UK
https://www.winecellardoor.co.uk/directory/map/
RUSSIA
https://www.mircorp.com/visit-cristall-vodka-museum-moscow-russia/

See my other posts on Alsace wines, vineyards, the Old Bridge Hotel.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Hotels With Pools Above Or Near MRT Stations in Singapore?

Singapore flag.

A relative of mine asked me to recommend a hotel in Singapore. I replied:
"As you are here on a short stopover, pick somewhere on or near an MRT station."
He asked, "Which ones are near MRT stations?"

Here are a few:

Luxury Hotels

Singapore Sling.

Raffles Hotel.
Next to MRT City Hall.
Top hotel with top prices, opening after refurbishment, from August 2019.
If you cannot afford a room, walk around the shops, (one shop is open throughout renovations), and have a Singapore Sling where it was invented.
Budget alternative, if you are flying into Singapore on Singapore airlines, have a Singapore Sling for free on the plane.

Airport hotel, Changi.Airport
If you like dark and black.

Along Orchard Road:
The Marriott beside Tang's Department store.

The Grand Hyatt
Has a waterfall pool. Near Orchard MRT.
10 Scotts Road.

Royal Plaza On Scotts
A hotel around the corner from Orchard MRT is on Scotts Road. It is halal and popular with Muslim guests from the Middle east.

Sheraton Towers
Near Newton MRT station. On the blue Downtown line, but also the red line one stop from Orchard.

Sheraton Towers Hotel. near Newton MRT. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

ParkRoyal on Pickering Hotel
The Park Royal Hotel is by Chinatown MRT. A delight to behold. The hotel's outside is covered in greenery.

Mercure Singapore on Stevens
Infinity Pool. In a complex of two hotels, the Mercure Singapore On Stevens and the Novotel Singapore On Stevens, and a separate restaurant (when I went it was Fisk) with deli food and food souvenirs. A bus stop or two away from the action. In good weather you could sprint along to the MRT.

Fullerton Hotel
Raffles Place MRT.
You hardly need the MRT. It has the river outside, statues and plaques all around.

YMCA
(Near Dhoby Ghaut MRT.) This place has all the action. And a cute souvenir shop.

Metropolitan YMCA on Stevens.
600 Stevens Road.

Budget Hotels
Key in the word budget to booking.com.
They ask you which date before showing prices. this is annoying. It is not just to try to get you to commit and tell their system to keep chasing you until that date. It is because prices vary according to month and day of the week, events, public holidays, and how many bookings the hotel has.

If the rack rate (standard quoted price without discounts) is high, remember few people pay this. Look for a better deal.

Apartments
Lots of apartments are cheaper than hotels. They could also offer more spacious accommodation. Most important for your diet and your budget, they usually have a kitchenette, with a kettle, fridge and microwave, where you can prepare food cheaply from supermarkets and store leftovers.

If the apartments has no pool mentioned,and you are intent on swimming or a gym every day, check the pool availability before you book. Another factor at hotels and apartments and clubs
is whether you will have to pay a fortune if your family visit and want to use the pool.

Clubs
For example, Tanglin Club is near the Orchard Road intersection. It has an outdoor pool and a choice of restaurants. but the rooms are expensive.

Alternatives are public beaches, or club pools. But watch out for charges for guests using club pools.
A Hong Kong club was charging about fifty pounds per day per person for visitors to the club. A free beach, or even a public pool, is a good option if you have a large family.

Hostels
Singapore also has several budget hotels, hostels and capsule hotels. Some are dormitories, with multiple free standing double layer bunk beds. Others have alcoves with curtains, a bit like being on a ship. My first thought was, how could you share a room with strangers, with your belongings not secure, unless you have a locker. If you are a family of six, it might suit you.

Equally, if you are happy to share an overnight cabin on a ship or ferry or train, why not in a hotel? It's just the same. You put your valuables in a locked suitcase. Or put valuables inside the pillow and sleep on top.

Privacy?
What about privacy? You sleep in all-covering pyjamas, and take a caftan or dressing gown and slippers.

Noise
Whether you share a room, or pick a cheap hotel with thin walls, you have to be prepared with noise.
Others may come in late, have all night parties, snore, sing, talk in their sleep, cough and sneeze, get up early,

Websites
The Trivago website allows you to slide a price guide limit at the top left of the screen. On the right under more filters I was able to pick pool and romantic.

Useful websites
HOTELS & ATTRACTIONS
booking.com
https://www.trivago.sg
tripadvisor
https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/singapore/grand-hyatt-singapore/sinrs

PLANES
singaporeair.com

MRT Train

https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/public-transport/mrt-and-lrt-trains/art-and-architecture/art-in-transit/gallery/dtl.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_MRT_(Singapore)

Author
Angela Lansbury. travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Raffles Hotels Worldwide And Where To See Raffles' Statues In Singapore and London

You might come across Raffles hotels around the world, thirteen of them (in 2019) at destinations such as: Dubai; Istanbul, turkey; Jakarta, Indonesia; Mecca, Saudi Arabia; Paris, France; Warsaw, Poland; the Seychelles and Singapore. Raffles started in Singapore.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore. Photo by Elisa.rolle from Wikipedia.

Raffles Hotel, Singapore
Raffles Hotel is still a landmark in Singapore, on Beach Road, which was originally a beachfront Road, before Singapore started expanding.

Raffles Hotel is still a favourite destination for those wanting to try Singapore Sling where it was invented, in Raffles Bar. (You can also try Singapore Sling on Singapore Airlines.)

Singapore Sling.

Raffles. White Statue. Singapore. Photo from Wikipedia.

Sir Stamford Raffles
Raffles, the man, is a story of a rollercoaster life. He did a great deal to put Singapore on the map. The outlines of the port were established, and the segregated quarters you can still see today, Chinatown and Little India.

Covered Ways
Under Raffles' direction came the covered famous five foot way, sheltering pedestrians walking in both directions to pass each other, protected from the sun and rain, with room to pass a trolley carrying goods in both directions.

Covered ways have recently been extended to cover public walkways in Singapore, starting with high traffic areas, between the MRT stations and public housing blocks (HDBs) and schools.

Raffles Hotel
The old Raffles hotel has been refurbished and extended so it now contains numerous shops and eating areas where you can eat at various speeds and prices. The bedroom blocks have been separated. Such is the popularity of the hotel, that you have to book a guided tour.

Raffles Statues
Statues of Raffles can be seen in the hotel and other points of the city. Near Raffles Hotel in Singapore is the Raffles Place MRT (underground railway - in the suburbs becoming overground).

1 Bronze statue in front of Victoria Theatre by the Padang (green).
2 White marble statue on the waterfront.

Sir Stamford Raffles' Life
Raffles led and up and down life. After moderate success he reached what many would consider his high point, establishing and governing the new port.
His first wife died. You can see her grave in the Botanical gardens he founded.

He remarried. However, for him things did not end well. His children, three of them, died in the East.

On the way back to England, he lost his goods in a fire on board ship. The ship was in dock, so the people survived, but the precious document were destroyed.

His only daughter died on the eve of her wedding.

 He was involved in a court case about loss of money and had to pay a huge sum, and his reputation was damaged.

It looked like he had lost everything, his treasured worldly possessions, his money, his daughter, descendants, reputation.

However, after he died, his widow (the second wife) fought tirelessly to have his reputation re-established. He was cleared of wrongdoing.

Posthumous Success
What did he leave behind?

1 The foundation of Singapore.
2 London zoo.
3 The Botanical Gardens in Asia.

Now the hotel named after him is world famous.  His name is the epitome of luxury and success and history. His statues are in Singapore and his name is known worldwide.

I have visited the hotel in Singapore many times, before and after the latest refurbishment. I visited the hotel's museum and saw the stage play performed in the hotel.

More recently, I have taken photos of his statues in Singapore, in the hotel and outside Victoria theatre and on the waterfront.

Raffles in London, England
I also made a pilgrimage to his forgotten and unassuming burial place in a church in Hendon. The church vicar would not allow the body to be buried in the church, because Sir Stamford Raffles had been anti slavery and the vicar's family made their money in slavery. Years later, the church was extended, the body was found and identified as being that of Raffles, and a plaque was inserted in the floor of the church.

I had been hoping for something more. But at least I had found it.

Books and Background Research
I first read the book about him when I was a member of the Friends of The Museum in Singapore which had study groups about the history of Asia.

What an extraordinary life he led! What a horrific yet inspiring story of ups and downs. If you want to know more, visit Raffles Hotel in Singapore, check out the other Raffles hotels. Look in Wikipedia for a quick summary and when you have time read the paperback books about his life.

He died in 1826 aged only 44.

LATEST NEWS
Raffles Hotel was featured in the film Crazy Rich Asians in 2018.
The hotel is being renovated, due to re-open in mid 2019, taking bookings for August 2019. The gift shop on 3 Seah Street is open.

What To See
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
1 Statue of seated Raffles, life size, on a cylinder plinth. In Westminster Abbey, London, England.
2 Plaque on floor of St Mary's Church, Hendon, London, England.

SINGAPORE
1 Bust of Raffles in Raffles Hotel, Singapore.
2 Statue outside Victoria Theatre.
3 Statue on waterfront.

Raffles City, MRT station, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

SINGAPORE
Names To Note
Raffles Place (MRT station)
Stamford Way (street in Singapore).

BOGOR, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA
Monument to Raffles' first wife, Olivia, in Bogor Botanical Gardens, Bogor, Indonesia (previously called National Botanical Gardens) West Java.

Useful Websites
Raffles Hotel, Singapore
raffleshotel.com

Raffles Hotels
https://www.raffles.com/

Singapore Airlines (Raffles class is business class)
singaporeair.com

Books
The Duke of Puddle Dock
In The Footsteps of Stamford Raffles by Nigel Barley. (See Amazon and Ebay.)
https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Puddle-Dock-Footsteps-Stamford/dp/0805019685

UK Travel
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com.

SINGAPORE TRAVEL
visitsingapore.com

INDONESIA TRAVEL
indonesiatouristboard.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Singapore Sling - where to try it

The Singapore Sling. Photo from Wikipedia by Nesnad.

Problem

Where can you try a Singapore Sling?

Answers

1 On Singapore Airlines. 

(They often serve a Singapore Sling ice cream, made in England, in the airport's Business Class lounges in airports such as Changi Airport in Singapore and Heathrow, London.)

2 At Raffles hotel, Singapore, where the cocktail was invented.

3 Marina Bay Sands - go to the bar at the top for the best views. You may have to pay 20 Singapore dollars for the public observation deck, which price is deducated from your order of drinks or food. If you've got the time and money, or are celebrating, or have saved for a splurge on your last night, opt for the proper restaurant and bar a couple of floors highter. 

4 Just about any bar and many restaurants in Singapore. Ask if they have gin and juice. If they don't know the recipe, tell them to look it up on the web, or find the recipe on your phone and show it to them. You could print out the recipe in advance and take it with you. You will find several versions, pick your favourite, or two or three.

5 Make Singapore Sling at home to go with your slide show or video of your honeymoon, holiday or business trip.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, speaker, author. See my other posts on Singapore and Singapore Sling and gin. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Where Can You Spend Christmas For 'High' Tea With A View Over Singapore?

Problem
Where could we spend Christmas Day afternoon in Singapore (without booking a meal which breaks the diet and costs a fortune)?

Answers
Why Not Raffles Hotel?
Our first thought was Raffles Hotel. It has lots of restaurants and shops. I decided to check on line first.

It's a good thing I did. Raffles hotel has been closed since mid November 2017 for refubishment and won't open until later in 2018 - so not an option for New Year's Eve either.

Sheraton Towers Hotel
Our second thought was of the Sheraton Towers hotel because it is right next to Newton MRT station. But I've been there, seen the decorations, done that, already.

The same goes for the old Fullerton Hotel and the new Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Finally, a moment of inspiration, the glamorous new with a view Marina Bay Towers. A huge complex of shops and restaurants with a wonderful view from the top floors. Ultra-modern. Stunning views. Off we went.

The nearest MRT station was Bayfront. The station has a plaque explaining the mural showing ships.

Despite the threats of drizzle, we were able to walk along in the dry because an elegant underground passageway lined with upmarket shops leads from the station to the hotel complex.

The hotel complex consists of three towers. After looking around the shops, you will want to go up. You can buy a ticked for the observation deck to take photos.

Alternative pay $20 per person to go to the top floor, above the observation deck, where you have a choice of the indoor and outdoor restaurant area, or the bar area Cé La Vi.

We started at the bar, which has a smoking area and a non smoking area of bar stools overlooking Marina Bay.

You can look down and play spot the landmarks.

We saw:

The Merlion statue.
The coloured stands where spectators watch the formula one race.
The two pimply lumps of the domed Esplanade nicknamed the Durian.
Grand hotels.
The Bukit Timah mountain in the middle of the island in the distance.
The old Fullerton Hotel and the new Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Further in are red sofas overlooking the water or the rooftop swimming pool. It's an infinity pool, which means it looks like the water gushes over a cliff edge.

The pool is for residents only. A friend of ours was so impressed by the pool that when his family came over to Xmas he booked a bedroom for a night and day so the children could enjoy the novelty of the pool and view.

However, just sitting at the bar overlooking the pool give you a holiday feeling.

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The twenty dollars you have paid to go up to the bar gets you a voucher for twenty dollars to put towards drinks or food. The cocktails start at 22 dollars. I tried a cocktail with local kaya flavour, Kaya is a coconut jam. It was dee-licious! Delightful. Divine. I now want a jar of kaya jam or a kaya toasted open sandwich for breakfast - avalable in many hawker centres in shopping malls.

We spent another 22 dollars on a pizza. The pizza was flat on a crisp biscuity base. Great texture and taste.

A highly successful outing with a 'high' tea and view over Singapore.

When I got home I looked up the Celavi company and discovered that they have branches not just in Singapore but also in Hong Kong; Bangkok, Thailand; and St Tropez, France, Europe.

Cé La Vi
Level 57
Skypark
Marina Bay Sands
Hotel Tower 3
1 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018971
Tel: +65 6508 2188. Hotline operating hours 10 am-1 am.
Opening times:
Day lounge 12 noon - 5 pm (from 11 am on weekends)
Sunset sessions 5 pm-10 pm. Clu nights 10 pm until late.
New Year's Eve variety and cabaret and fireworks display
pre-sale tickets at sg.celavi.com

Useful Websites
celavi.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and phtographer, author and speaker.

Luxury for less?

Box of moon cakes for the Chinese autumn festival. These are from Singapore. Mooncakes are cheaper in Taiwan. 

What is luxury? What is less?

Photo of the copious cutlery on the table at The Harrow Restaurant at Little Bedwyn, England.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

LUXURY HOTELS

To me luxury is five-star hotels, and the so-called six-star hotels. Luxury is gourmet foods and five star restaurants. Michelin restaurants. Places which don't do boil in the bag. The chef alters the dish to suit you, and can make any dish you like.

The perfectly luxurious five-star hotel
Luxury is hotels where they make up the room when you leave it for breakfast so you come back and find fresh towels. Luxury is when you leave a room looking like it was hit by a hurricane but come back to find they folded your night dress and the room always looks like a film set.
Luxury is being able to put your shoes outside the door and half an hour later invisible goblins have polished them. Luxury is when the hotel concierge desk books your restaurant or evening out and calls the taxi at the right time to take you there.

The hotel has an oo-ah entrance hall, a waterfall, artwork, something stunning to look at. Books or brochures to read. Historic paintings with interesting captions. Information on the history of the location.

Drinks
You are greeted with a cocktail on check-in, and if it's alcoholic, they ask if you would prefer non-alcoholic. In Europe, Champagne is the luxury. In Singapore, a Singapore Sling or better still the Millionaire's Cocktail on the bar.

You are shown the label to be sure there is no mistake, and you haven't changed your mind. The wine is chilled, if required.

The Harrow restaurant at Little Bedwyn.

Food
A five star hotel has food available 24 hours. A great restaurant always has something new. Colourful. The Asians are the best at cutting vegetables into shapes and arranging patterns and contrasting colours. Not just for a grand buffet on a special occasion such as New Year's Eve.


However, in the last decade hotels and restaurants worldwide have improved presentation.

The Harrow restaurant at Little Bedwyn.

Even a single piece of fruit is beautifully presented. At a parador (historic hotel in a converted building). I asked if they had any fruit. They offered me a pear. I thought that sounded rather dull, but I ordered it. What a delight!

The cutting of the pear by the waiter was an entertainment. The skin was removed in a spiral and placed on the pretty plate as a decorative cone. They added

sprig of something edible and green and an edible flower.  The pear was cut into four fans and looked like a butterfly. We just looked at it, stunned.

The coffee comes up with a small biscuit on the side. The spoon is at the right angle.

After the coffee you receive petit fours. Something special is presented with the bill, or for guests as they leave. Maybe a rose for the lady on Valentine's Day. Or a cake or a couple of biscuits with the embossed business card in a fancy box. Maybe a brochure offering ten per cent off your next meal, or a free glass of wine on Mondays.

Luggage
In the hotel your luggage stays with you, whilst the porter makes polite conversation. No playing find the lady with assorted staff!  No disappearing luggage and that nasty feeling that you could be one item short, either from inside your handbag or indeed an entire bag gone for an afternoon stroll.

No luggage abandoned in the middle of the lobby, or the far corner, whilst coach parties surround it and knock it over like surfing waves. Then it goes missing and turns up an hour later when somebody who went off duty returns and locates it in a store room.

The lift (elevator in the USA)

Hotel Suites
If you are staying longer than 6 days, it's usually cheaper to book a suite hotel or negotiate a reduction for a weeks stay. If you can't get a reduction, ask for free breakfasts, or ask what extras they will give you. As for an upgraded room.


Bedroom

The bedroom and bathroom in the Hotel Scala boutique hotel in Bucharest, capital of Romania.  Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Bathroom

The Hotel Scala bathroom with double basins and mirrors, bidet, toilet and shower.

The Hotel Scala.

The Hotel Scala, Bucharest, Romania, red net bags with ribbons in the bathroom.

Honeymoons
Make sure you tell the hotel it's your honeymoon. On honeymoon at the Mamounia in Marrakesh, we were given a room with twin beds. All the other rooms had been given to a coach party who checked in just ahead of us.

It was three days into our honeymoon before we were able to move into a double bedded room. Meanwhile, we had discovered how to convert single beds into a double. You push them together and turn the mattresses. Cover the dip and ridge where they meet with an extra duvet or blanket under the lower sheet.

Hotel's Meet and Greet
Luxury is the vehicle waiting to meet you at the airport, pointing out landmarks on the way to the hotel so you know the city. They take you back, no charge, making sure it's the same person who met you.
The fleet of Rolls Royces.
Luxury for less is having tea in the grand hotel, admiring the Rolls Royces.

Luxury is staying at, or eating in, the top hotel in the city, often the most historic hotel. For example, Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

Hotel Freebies
So what is luxury for less? Off-season offers. Free drinks included. Three nights for the price of two. Reductions if you book a suite for a week. Free flowers and chocolates and biscuits in the room on arrival.

Clothes
Luxury is clothes you buy for labels, designer labels. Luxury is clothes which make you look great whatever your figure. Silk. Clothes with big hems and spare buttons because it is assumed you will wear them forever and might want to alter them or repair them. Luxury is clothes which never look like you need to iron them, and stains disappear or wash out or can be covered by one of the buttons in assorted sizes. Luxury is the hotel where somebody will sew on a button.

Upmarket Toilets and Rest Rooms
Luxury is the hotel or restaurants which has both perfumed soap and moisturizer. The spa has an assortment of combs and the same toiletries supplied for free in the bedroom.

Luxury is when soap is by both the basin and the shower. When you are halfway through the soap or shampoo another magically disappears, as if the toiletries were breeding.

Luxury is the restaurant or hotel which knows your name, when you booked, how many in your group, and where you would like to sit.

Packing Suitable Clothes
Always pack one good outfit and a gift and wrapping paper and a card. One year on a plane to India, another passenger on his way to a wedding invited me and my companion. We had no suitable gift, so we bought duty-free bottles of alcohol on the plane. After we got off the plane, and presented our gifts in advance, somebody pointed out that we had given alcohol to a family whose religion prohibited alcohol.

We eventually found the host managed to ask if we could speak to him privately. My boyfriend asked, "We made a mistake. We gave you alcohol, not realising it was forbidden. Could you subtly retrieve the gift? We could either give money instead, in an envelope, or send a replacement gift later.  Which would you prefer?"

He grinned and replied, "No, no - I'm delighted to receive the alcohol - which would be ridiculously expensive and hard to obtain here! It's a most welcome gift. Thank you so much. Just keep quiet - and don't tell any of our elderly, religious relatives about it!"

Celebrations
They know it's your birthday if you told them. They know it's your birthday when you didn't tell them. (If it's a hotel, they had your passport and checked. If not, they looked you up on Facebook, and asked one of your group when you checked in. The restaurant manager always asks if you are celebrating anything special. If so, a cake and candle appears.

Luxury is the meal you remember twenty years later.

Beautiful Bargains
Luxury for less is the bargain you remember twenty years later. Luxury for less is the bargain offer you must share with your friends.

When Higher Prices Mean Better Value
One way of judging the value of the garment is the number of times you wear it.  The coat, or dress or shoes I wore every day which cost £100 are better value than the item I wore once which cost £50. (Unless it was a wedding dress, and I sold it for more than I paid for it.)

Airlines
Luxury is is First Class on any airline, Economy on Singapore Airlines, especially if you are on a loyalty programme. I am always impressed by anybody who uses a budget airline such as Ryan Air, buying all the extras, and travelling several times a year back home, or to a different city every time, just for a change, a weekend away.
Luxury for less - buying your way into an airport lounge. Travelling by day long-haul so you can watch all the latest films without losing sleep.

An airport with a private lounge. (The smaller airports don't always have them, or there my be one shared by all the airlines and crowded.)

The best I have experienced were Singapore Airlines in London and Singapore's Changi and Virgin in New Jersey.

The Airport
Changi Airport is great. Try to see the Butterfly Garden. It is free.

A free travel gift with the purchase of four wheel suitcases in snazzy colours at Bucharest airport.

Travel coffee maker. Our first version took ground coffee. Then we were given one as a birthday present by our son. It took capsules; less mess when travelling.

Hotel Scala, Bucharest, Romania.

E n o m a t i c in wine shop within the Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England.

Wine tasting at a winery in Romania.

Petit fours at The Don restaurant in London.

H M The Queen, always impeccably dressed with a hat to match her coat. This model of her is at a shop featuring British goods at Stansted Airport, England. You might find cheaper wines and chocolates in some UK shops, such as Aldi and even Poundland for small size boxes of chocolates, to eat on the plane, with your free drink on arrival at your hotel, or put in your suitcase in case you need a quick small gift.

My favourite Luxuries:
A bedroom suite with a four-poster bed. Not a half tester, a proper four-poster.
Cocktails made with fresh fruit.
Freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Free glasses of champagne included in the price of a meal.
Free champagne, unlimited at a buffet breakfast or lunch.

What are yours?

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Singapore Visitor's Sights

Attractions, Museums and Gardens
Areas to see: City centre, Chinatown, Little India.
Hotels to see: Raffles; Shangri-la (waterfalls); Hyatt (waterfall); Sheraton (waterfall); Marriott by Tang's department store (palm trees in lobby); Marina Bay

Gardens By The Bay. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Gardens By the Bay Flower Dome

Gardens by the Bay Flower Dome.

Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright.

Gardens By the Bay
Gardens By the Bay riverside walks
Night Safari
Zoo
Bird Park
Marina Bay Sands top floor
History Museum
Philatelic Stamp Museum
Peranakan Museum
Bridge, pedestrian, painted
Bridge, pedestrian, helix
Changi
Old Ford Factory

Fish head curry. Banana leaf. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Tours and Rides
Singapore Flyer
Duck tour
Sentosa Island
Hop on hop off bus. (Check whether you get a free bus tour from Changi or around the city by showing your Singapore Airlines ticket.)

MRT
A must see. Stunning stations include the busy and delaying multi-storey, multi-walkway Dhoby Ghaut station. Go to the latest station which opens Dec 27 2015, Cashew Road, and ride the loop where the windows suddenly go white and block the view as you pass within feet of the windows of skyscrapers built beside the stations and tracks.

Shopping
Orchard Road
Mustaphas (Western, Indian, large sizes)
Underground walk from ION to basements 1 and 2 from Orchard station to Ngee Ann City
Chinese department store in Chinatown

Special Restaurants and Foods
Fish Head curry and rice and curry served on a banana leaf in a restaurant in or near Little India such as Muthu's.
For a cheap meal, go to a hawker centre, a circle of fast food kiosks of various nationalities including Chinese and other Asians and usually a Western one and if you are lucky a fruit and justice bar, in the basement or top floor of most shopping malls.
For moderate to expensive fun at an informal place try IO.
For a special occasion, book drinks or dinner Raffles Hotel or at the top of Marina Bay. Or gourmet.
For tea time, try the rainbow cake. (See my earlier post.)
For a gourmet dinner, try the place I reviewed in an earlier post, where the chef makes surprise dishes for you (Fratini restaurant).You might also like the buzz of the waterside restaurants along Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. You can also dine on a boat.

Seasonal foods:
Moon cakes (autumn), all flavours, sold in restaurants, department stores, special shops which pop up, bakeries, markets, delis, even ice cream shops.

Moon cakes.

Chinese New Year - restaurants and clubs have New Year dinners, at which the main dish is a mixture of foods in a communal bowl eaten with chopsticks, starting by everybody tossing food in the air above the plate, called Yusheng. (See Wikipedia, Hungry Go Where and lots more sites.) Wear washable clothes.
See my previous posts on Singapore

Seasonal events
Formula 1
Great Singapore Sale
Chinese New Year (lights in streets and lion dances)
Boat trips to islands

Events:
Guided tours of museums.
(Talks. Join Friends of the Museum.)
Speakers' Groups. (See Toastmasters International website, find a club.)
Hash House Harriers. (Running through the jungle.)
See the free newspapers at the entrances to railway stations.
Buy The Straits Times. You may find a copy on your plane or in the airport lounge. Singapore daily newspapers are online.

Lions and lion dances, Chinese new year

Cassata Siciliana from IO italian Osteria.

Discounts -
see maps which are free from Changi airport and major hotels.
Bargains - fixed prices in some shops. But get a Chinese friend to negotiate bargains even in shops with fixed prices. If assistants follow you around, try looking keen to buy, asking price, then walking out and see if they chase after you offering a lower price.

Angela Lansbury has been a resident of Singapore for more than ten years.

Singapore Airlines Dining, shopping and Touring offers

Reading through the Singapore Airlines magazine, I noticed that one month after a flight to Singapore, you can use the boarding pass to get several offers. If you are a member of Krisflyer, there's no time limit.

The list of places offering discounts on presentation of your boarding pass or loyalty card is quite interesting. For example, amongst the offers on dining are:

Jumbo Seafood (by the seaside)
Raffles Hotel (city)
Dempsey Road Rabbit restaurant in a conversted chapel in Dempsey Road - unusual decor, edge of town.
Amongst the tourism spots there are several well known favourites such as the Safari, boat tours and
Singapore Tiger Brewery Tour - less well known.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker, author.

Supper in Singapore? Where? Best skyscraper view, best budget price? Old or new? Side trip to Malaysia?

A friend visiting Singapore briefly, for a couple of days, asked us what venue we would recommend for a special supper. Our first choice would be atop the Marina Bay Sands Complex, three skyscrapers offering fantastic views over the city for a first night or last night splurge, special occasion, birthday, Valentine's Day, or anniversary. Apparently Valentine's Day is a favourite day to propose marriage for a long term couple. Check out the prices and deals and cuisines.

You can have a drink at the bar on the terrace with snacks, if you like to be on the terrace watching the sunset. (The view depends on the time of day, season and weather, could be romantic or rainy.)

Not cheap. But some people are so excited they want to buy a day ticket and take the children swimming in the infinity pool.

A modern Asian cuisine restaurant here is Coup d'Etat.  That's new, the latest.

What if you are a traditionalist?

If you would rather be at ground level, in a historic setting, an alternative is the Raffles Grill. Raffles hotel complex - absolute must. Shops and restaurants galore.

What if you are on a budget? Just pick the nearest nice looking place with a good view or good decor or an appealing menu. This is Singapore, famous for food.

Look in the brochures and maps provided free at the airport and big tourist hotels for maps, to help you find your way around. The advertisements on the maps often have discount coupons. Bookshops abound, huge bookshops with attached coffee shops. Sneak a peak at one of the guides to Singapore and read the latest reviews.

Sometimes the airline magazines carry guides to the city.

Use the MRT (underground railway) maps which go everywhere, including the waterfront, riverside, Little India and Chinatown. Some skyscraper office blocks have restaurants and coffee shops with a view.

If you are in Singapore and want to go out of the city for a jaunt, you could drive across the bridge into Malaysia or take an excursion or even a bus (remember your passport). You might want to go the the Twin Towers complex, made famous in the film. If you prefer old and quaint, even nearer is the pretty pink coastal city of Malacca.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer.