I was extremely fortunate to be offered a trip to Singapore from the 1st March 2025 to the 7th March 2025. I want to say a big Thank You to Premier Holidays for hosting this amazing fam trip and to Holiday Lounge for offering this to me.

Day 1

Singapore is approx. 14 hours flying time from the UK, and we flew Economy Class with British Airways from London Heathrow Terminal 5, our flight was the overnight flight on the 1st March landing into Singapore at  18.25pm on the 2nd March.

Day 2

On arrival in Singapore the security and baggage was easily signposted (all in English), before we travelled we had to fill out the SG Arrival Card, this is attached to your passport number so when your passport is scanned at security this all shows on their system, so it is very quick and easy to through on arrival, baggage was very quick as well, just a note, all hold luggage is sprayed before it is put onto the baggage carousel so don’t be surprised if your case is wet on arrival, this is to clear any cross infection of disease on arrival in the country. We were met by our guide from Far East Tours and we had 2 guides for the duration of our trip. From the airport the transfer to our first hotel was approx. 25 minutes

Hotel 1 – 5* The Clan Hotel

We had a 2 night stay at 5* The Clan Hotel , this is in a great location within the central business district, only a 5 minute walk to Chinatown. This hotel is a high rise building, our room was a Twin Room, very modern and clean. The staff were very friendly at the hotel. There are also alternative room types guests can book for an additional cost at this hotel, there are also Premium Rooms and the Grand Premium Rooms, both these come with a Clan Keeper (Butler), these rooms are slightly bigger than the standard rooms.

After checking in to our rooms we then took a 5 minute walk to Lau Pa Sat for a laid back bite to eat, this place is a great for foodies. This is a rebuilt Victorian covered Hawker centre in the Central Business District with local delicacies & international food stalls, the best part of this is the sight, smell of fresh food and Satay Street which offers local delicacies of Chicken Satay, Chilli Crab and Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodles. Food is quite cheap in Singapore, locals eat out majority of the time for both Lunch and Dinner, it is a very sociable country.

Day 3

Today, we went on our Full Day City Tour, our first stop was the Botanical Gardens Singapore, these gardens are split into different areas, here, we visited the National Orchid Gardens, the Botanical Gardens Singapore are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with Orto Botanico di Padova in Italy and Royal Botanic Kew Gardens in London. They grow their own Orchids and many different celebrities have named their own orchid for a large amount of money. There are also remembrance Orchids named for the likes of Princess Diana. This visitor attraction is a lovely tranquil place and this would be ideal for Botanists and Plantologist alike. Next stop, was Merlion Park, here the mascot statue of Singapore stands an 8.5 meter tall, it is a body of a fish and a head of a lion shooting water from its mouth. The Merlion is a mythical creature that represents Singapore’s original name “Singapura” meaning “Lion City”. This is a great photo opportunity for visitors. Next stop was a look around a traditional Chinese Temple in Chinatown. This is a great place for peace and tranquillity and an opportunity for visitors to reflect and channel their inner self.

Rendezvous Hotel

This was our first hotel inspection, this hotel is centrally located and connects the Orchard  Road with Little India, it is based in the Arts Area of the city. This is a 4* accommodation and have Superior, Deluxe and Club Rooms, if booking a club room you have the use of the club lounge anytime of the day which includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail of the day, unlimited alcoholic drinks, no children are allowed in the club lounge.

Next stop was our ride on the Bumboat, this departs from Clarke Quay, this traditional bumboat takes you on an adventure along the Singapore River taking in the sights of the The Flyer and Marina Bay Sands.

Shangri-La Singapore

This was our second hotel inspection, this hotel is located a 5 minute walk from Orchard Road, this is a family friendly hotel and it offers a resort style atmosphere. This hotel has 3 wings, the Contemporary Tower Wing, the Tropical Garden Wing and Valley Wing. It has 6 restaurants and an aqua park for families. Suite rooms come with a Butler. None of the rooms have balconies apart from the rooms in the garden wing. Family Rooms have complimentary access to the children club. We also sampled a beautiful evening meal in the hotel’s Italian Restaurant.

Day 4

After check out at The Clan Hotel, we visited Tiong Bharu which is residential area in Singapore, here we had a walking tour with a stop at the local Hawker Market with lunch. This area is where the locals live, shop and eat, this area also has history of the Tiong Bharu air raid shelters from the 2nd World War. 70% of Singapore Residents live in social housing which is a government scheme, only 30% of people own their own houses. People live in communities, that is why you have districts like Chinatown & Little India.

Raffles Hotel

This was our third hotel inspection, this 5* hotel was established in 1887, this is Asia’s most famous hotel, guests can enjoy a famous Singapore Sling at the Long Bar and we also experienced the traditional afternoon tea, this was exceptional, visitors can book this from $98 per person and it includes a selection of exquisite finger sandwiches, sweet delights by executive pastry chef Tai Chien Lin, Homemade Original, Raisin & Savoury Scones with Clotted Cream and Rose Petal Jam and Jing Loose Tea Leaves or Raffles Custom Blend Coffee. Guests can book various room types at this hotel including Palm Court Suites, Courtyard Suites and Presidential Suites.

After the Afternoon Tea and hotel inspection of Raffles we transferred to the Village Hotel Sentosa Island for check in. Sentosa Island is roughly a 20 minutes transfer from main land Singapore. Sentosa Island is renowned for the beautiful beaches of Palawan and Silos plus the thrill of Universal Studios and other adventure activities. Sentosa Island has the Sentosa Express which is a monorail which links the island to the mainland, from the mainland you can then use the local MRT (Underground) to get from place to place. This is one of the best, quickest and cheapest ways to get around.

Hotel 2 – 4* Village Hotel Sentosa

This is a family friendly resort which lies in the centre of Sentosa Island, it is located near to the Silosa Beach and Palawan Beach and a stone’s throw away from Universal Studios. This hotel consists of 606 rooms, 4 themed pools and a lazy river. If you want a beach break this is the place to stay. The standard rooms are Deluxe rooms and guests with families are offered Family Room or Larger Deluxe Family Rooms.

Day 5

First stop was Bird Paradise, here we encountered over 3500 colourful birds at Asia’s largest bird park. This is visitor attraction is great for families and adults alike.

Second stop was Skypark Observation Deck Marina Bay Sands, take the lift up to the 56th Floor of this iconic building. Visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Strait and the F1 Grand Prix Track from this viewing platform. Ticket prices start from $28 per person.

Third Stop was the amazing Vespa Side Car Tour, this is a fun and thrilling experience which you can purchase through Premier Holidays at the time of booking from £155 per person, this tour is well worth it. You drive by sites like Parliament Buildings, Marina Bay Sands and Kampong Glam (known as the Malay-Muslim quarter).

Fourth Stop was Marina Bay Gardens, this is like our Eden Project here in the UK. We visited one section which was Clouds in the Sky, on entering you encountered a huge waterfall which then you followed an path through to the different levels revealing different flowers and sculptures, like the Botanical Gardens of Singapore this would appeal Botanists and Plantologist alike.

At night Marina Bay Gardens offer a light show which visitors can watch, if you book the Skypark Observation Deck Marina Bay Sands at night you can watch the light show from here.

Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa

This was our fourth hotel inspection, this 5* hotel is conveniently linked to the mainland and this is the only beachfront resort in Singapore. It is situated next to the Silosa Beach and overlooking the South China Sea. 70% of rooms at this hotel has Sea View, it is also another family friendly resort with kids club. Guests can choose from a Deluxe Pool View room or Deluxe Sea View Suite with Jacuzzi. We experienced their Buffet Restaurant which ranged from foods from India, Singapore, Chinese but the best food of all is their Sushi. This was something like I have never tasted before.

Day 6

Once we checked out of the Village Hotel Sentosa we headed to the airport for our flight. It departed Singapore at 23.15pm on the 6th March 2025 to arrive into Heathrow at 05.40am on the 7th March, we travelled in Economy Class back to Heathrow.

This was my first time to the Far East and I will be definitely experience this trip again with my family, I felt so welcomed, safe and Singapore has a lot of offer for everyone.

Once again, thank you so much to Holiday Lounge and Premier Holidays for inviting me on this trip.

Kayleigh Allen – Supervisor Holiday Lounge Burbage