Singapore
Sentosa Island | Bintan Island
Singapore – an island city with its own cultural heritage, ethnic distinct neighbourhoods and gleaming skyscrapers.
Travel to Singapore, where the (Mer) Lion City is both an island and a city. Here, Asian tradition meets modern technology, gleaming skyscrapers tower over traditional architecture, while squat Chinese and Hindu temples stud the city. The city is home to an ethnic mix of Chinese, Malaysians and Indians, as well as business professionals from all over the world, in a predominantly English-speaking society. To the casual observer, Singapore appears to be a clean and orderly mass of shopping malls. But the curious who dig deep will find that the cultures of the original settlers are still very much alive and well in this truly multicultural melting pot.
Singapore's dedication to preserving cultural heritage has created a number of excellent museums and thriving, ethnically distinct neighborhoods. Chinatown and Little India still retain some of their original cultural relevance for Singaporeans while attracting foreign visitors who marvel at the endurance of cultural identity. A wander through any of the city's neighbourhoods will reveal Taoist temples, Muslim mosques and Christian churches cohabitating peaceably side by side. Cultural intermingling has also produced unique Eurasian and Peranakan (Straits Chinese) cultures, each with its own fashion, furnishings and food. And with so much cultural diversity, dining in Singapore is varied and good—gastronomic experiences range from the finest Continental cuisine to delicious local dishes served in an open-air hawker centre with plastic chopsticks. Small wonder Singaporeans love to eat.
Known for its desire to become the technology hub of Asia, Singapore is the most wired country in the region.
Sentosa Island
The attractions on Singapore's holiday resort island are organized into four categories to make it easier to plan your day: Sun and Sea, Fun and Entertainment, Nature and History. There you can enjoy water rides, golf, a dolphin show, high-tech virtual rides, an active (artificial) volcano, or simply lie on the beach. Magical Sentosa, an elaborate light, sound and laser extravaganza, is performed nightly. Singapore's tallest public viewing tower, Carlsberg Sky Tower, is located next to the Sentosa cable car station and it offers panoramic views across Singapore, Sentosa and the Southern Islands. With a capacity of 72 in its enclosed, air-conditioned cabin, the tower offers guests an informative commentary on key points of interest. Each revolving ride takes approximately seven minutes. Day or night, the views look all the way to neighbouring Indonesian islands.
Getting to the island is half the fun. You can board a cable car at Mount Faber or HarbourFront Centre for a 15-minute ride across the harbour. You can also take a bus or the Sentosa Express rail link from VivoCity Shopping Mall.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Sentosa Island
As for weather, because Singapore and Sentosa Island are 137km north of the Equator, you can pretty much guarantee that it's hot. By and large, year-round temperatures remain uniform, with a daily average of 27°. The daily average is 84% relative humidity.
Bintan Island
Bintan Island is a 45-minute catamaran ride away from Singapore. It is a highly popular short-break destination for Singaporeans and expats, who flock to the upmarket beach resorts on the northern shore of the island to relax and play golf at four top-class courses. Bintan Resorts, a Singaporean company, controls this prime piece of land along the island's north shore, and has effectively turned the area into an offshore enclave of the Lion City, with reliable power supplies, potable water and decent restaurants. You don't even have to change your Singapore dollars into Indonesian Rupiah.
Not surprisingly, this is where most Singaporeans and other weekenders head.
The Bintan resorts have little that's authentically Indonesian about them (other than the staff), but are more than adequate if you're looking for a stress-free place to kick back, and enjoy some top-class golf, a host of water sports or other activities.
Outside Bintan Resorts, the island retains some of the sleepy island charm that is largely lost on neighbouring islands. The old town of Tanjung Pinang is a charming port town, particularly its seafront, where traditional stilted houses jut out over the water, and old sampans and large freighters stream in and out of the harbour.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Bintan Island
From April to October, the seas are right for diving, water skiing and jetskiing. It is also a good time of the year to take up scuba-diving and snorkelling, when Bintan’s marine life is at its abundant best.
