CRUISE SINGAPORE EXCURSIONS DESTINATIONS


and more than double the number of hybrid species. Some of these have been named after various royals and heads of state. The Queen, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have all paid a visit to the gardens and duly had an orchid named after them. Housed inside the National Orchid Garden is The Halia, a brunch spot that offers plant fans a refreshing alternative to food found elsewhere in the city. Agent verdict: Dinah Alonso-Wilkes, of Travel Counsellors, says: “The orchids are so beautiful and discovering the lunch place that we went to was so nice. I would certainly tell my clients about it. You could spend the whole day [at the Singapore Botanic Gardens], and the Queen Elizabeth orchid was quite unusual.”


Z TOP OF THE TREES What? Gardens by the Bay Why go? This is no ordinary botanical display – even if clients have been to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, they should still make time for Gardens by


the Bay, which covers 101 hectares and is home to a quarter of a million rare plant species. Plant growth is sustained through manufactured conditions – 23C temperature throughout and different soil types for each plant. Two conservatories, the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, are open to the public. Unfortunately, the latter was closed for maintenance during our visit but that didn’t detract from our experience, which culminated with the Garden Rhapsody performance in the evening. This enthralling musical light show brings the Supertrees – artificial trees at 25 to 30 metres high – to life; the performance changes each month, and takes place year-round at 7.45pm and 8.45pm each evening. Agent verdict: Joanna Sykus, of Scotland’s Cruise Centre, says: “I had never been to anything like the Flower Dome before. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. It was amazing how they manage to get the music to go with the light at the Garden Rhapsody. This is one of the fun attractions of Singapore.”


BELOW: Agents on Singapore


Sidecars tour, Chinatown,


Botanic Garden and Sentosa Island bungee


Z LIGHT FANTASTIC What? Marina Bay Sands’ Spectra light show and bumboat tour Why go? This choreographed light and water show takes place in front of the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, with hundreds of locals, tourists and cruise passengers gathering to see the free 15-minute display, which uses more than 110 types of lights and lasers. The display begins nightly at 8pm and 9pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays there is a third show at 10pm. Afterwards, we took a bumboat trip along Singapore River. The tour is one of the cheapest ways to see Singapore, and includes a view of the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern-day Singapore, near Boat Quay. Agent verdict: Layla Ludlam, of Bolsover Cruise Club, says: “The crowd and the atmosphere at Spectra were great. I have not seen anything like this anywhere else in the world. The boat ride was a brilliant way of seeing Singapore.”


17 January 2019travelweekly.co.uk95


PICTURES: SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD; ALEX SOH; PARIS CHIA PHOTOGRAPHY


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