Singapore Travel Guide: Design, Culture, and the Collected Look
If you love a collected look — the kind that draws from many cultures without belonging to any single one — Singapore may already be part of your décor without your knowing it.
Howard and I spent four days there for the first time last week, and I was surprised. I expected modern, clean and efficient. What I found was modern and ancient, glass towers reflected in a harbor where trading ships once anchored, a city that has absorbed centuries of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and European influence to become something its own.
It’s Sunday Faves time with Annie and Cindy and I’d like to show you what we saw in Singapore. We are home now from our Southeast Asia adventure and I’m still unpacking (mentally and physically)!
Where We Stayed: The Fullerton Bay Hotel
Our room looked directly onto Marina Bay. At night, Marina Bay Sands lit up across the water in blue. The Fullerton Bay sits on the historic waterfront. The city is young as a nation but old as a crossroads, and the hotel reflects that — traditional warmth, impeccable service, a location that puts you at the center of everything.
The pool on the roof was a great afternoon place to cool off with a view and …
breakfast alone was worth the stay. The spread was a miniature version of Singapore itself: Singaporean coconut fish soup and exotic tropical fruits alongside Indian butter chicken and fresh naan, Chinese dim sum, French pastries, and American bacon and eggs.
Dining: High House and Manam
On our first night, we had dinner at High House — a bar and restaurant perched on levels 61 and 62 of One Raffles Place. The view from that height, looking down over the entire illuminated harbor is stunning. (Thanks for arranging this, Howard).
Later in the trip Howard found Manam, a small Indian restaurant near Clarke Quay that turned out to be one of the most memorable meals of the trip. A Singaporean family was celebrating a birthday at the next table.
The grandparents spoke Chinese. When the cake came out, we all sang Happy Birthday in English together — and a few minutes later, two little boys solemnly delivered slices of tiramisu to us. That’s Singapore in one moment: multiple languages, one song, Italian/European cake shared with strangers.
Gardens by the Bay
For me this was the surprise of the trip. The Flower Dome is one of the largest glass greenhouses in the world, and when we visited, it was arranged by gardens around the world.
The colors, temperature and oxygen in there were so reviving!
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Yes, it reminded me of the movie Crazy Rich Asians. The arched glass roof, the canal running through the interior, Bulgari and Gucci side by side. It’s a mall in the way the Louvre is a building.
The architecture alone is worth the visit, and the mix of luxury retail alongside a bustling food hall — children playing on the video floor atrium, lots of energy.
The Peranakan Museum
This museum was the cultural highlight. We landed there at the right time to have a guided tour in English. Actually, we found English to be the common language for communication with so many international languages spoken there.
The Peranakan people — are descendants of Chinese traders who settled in the area. Our guide said that the Peranakan people have all different foreign ancestors but were born locally. (Sounds like us North Americans).
The pottery was amazing: entire collections of deep rose-pink porcelain painted with butterflies and peonies, commissioned specifically for wedding ceremonies. And there was lots of traditional blue and white pottery, too.
Then there was the batik — wax-resist fabric that traces back to 13th-century Java, layered with Chinese, Dutch, and Arabic influences by the time it reached Singapore. So intricate.
And the kebaya, the traditional dress: hand-beaded silk blouses over batik sarongs. The craftsmanship is extraordinary.
We had one final, unexpected reminder of that living culture back at our hotel. A bride crossed the lobby in a gown that stunned everyone (especially me).
It was Peranakan artistry in its highest form, worn on one of the most important days of her life.
I tried to read most of this book while we were there and it helped understand the culture. From Third World to First: A Statesman’s Powerful Story of Transformation from Poverty to National Leadership.
Merlion Park and the Skyline
No trip to Singapore is complete without a stop at the Merlion — the half-lion, half-fish statue that is the city’s symbol, spouting water into the bay with the financial district rising behind it.
Standing there with the skyline and the harbor, you understand what Singapore is: a city that built itself on trade, on the meeting of cultures, and the idea that the world’s best things belong together.
That, I think, is what the collected look is really about. Singapore simply lives it. It’s amazing how much travel teaches you.
Let’s see what my friends have discovered this week:
Cindy Hattersley Design
Most Lovely Things
PS. I felt like I packed well for this trip: What to Wear in the Heat and Humidity. And on Thursday we are doing a Summer Fashion round-up.
Shop The Style
We love Singapore. I just wish we would’ve had a few more days there before we got on our cruise ship. We two stayed at the Fullerton hotel that breakfast buffet blew me away. We even ended one breakfast with gelato.!! I was impressed by how modern everything was. I also was impressed by the way the women were dressed and didn’t look hot at all when I felt like I was always a sweaty mess.!! I enjoyed reading about your adventures!! it was fun to know exactly what you were talking about!
Our daughter and her family have lived in Singapore for 8 years, and we have visited them 3 times, so we know the city pretty well. One recommendation for the MOST compelling book on Singapore’s history, Tanamera by Noel Barber. You will not be able to put it down, though it is LONG, but full of juicy relationships, as well as history. Most of it is based in fact. Hard to find (check Amazon and used books sites), but WELL worth the effort! I always say my family lives in a jungle, and it is true, but OH, what a fabulous jungle it is!
Mary Ann, thanks for sharing your amazing trip! The brides dress stopped me in mid-scroll! It is stunning.
Loved reading about your custom dresses too! And Howards loafers.
Have a wonderful week.
Love to know about your blue and white dress. Looks so comfy and perfect for the heat.
I’ve had it for a while but I will get the label for you when it comes back from the cleaners.
So enjoyed your post. Sounds like an amazing trip. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Kay!!
P.s. I wonder if that gorgeous gown was one of 2 (or 3) garments the bride wore during her wedding. In many cultures (or higher economic levels), the bride changes after the ceremony to a more colorful festive gown and again to one that is easier to dance in, etc.
I was wondering that same thing, Joan. The train looks like it can come off.
Thank you for this really interesting post on Singapore, Mary Ann. I’m half- Chinese (Mom came from China for grad school right before Mao’s revolution), so I am curious about countries where the Chinese diaspora have settled. My husband is definitely interested in visiting Singapore, which is a plus!
Dear world traveler! I absolutely loved following along with you on this wonderful trip to places that were so interesting and beautiful. I’m not much of a traveler, so thank you for sharing a part of the world that seems so different and it made me realize that in many ways, it’s not so different. So many beautiful and exciting things to see and do, it is sure to be on your most memorable trips list! And that wedding dress, if you just told us about it I never would have believed how absolutely exquisite it was. Truly a work of art!
Thanks again for taking us to such worldly places and beyond.
Hugs!
That’s true, Gail. When you see people up close you realize that we aren’t that different.
Mary Ann, So loved this travelogue of Singapore and its culture. Nice you even immerse yourself with books that helps too. So cool about the native crafts. How wonderful you caught that wedding dress. Incredibly beautiful.
Loved the photo of you in the flower market! x Kim
Thanks, Kim…it was a memorable time.
Well I have never had the itch to travel to Singapore but this post makes a compelling argument to reconsider! BTW…would you mind sharing link for the dress you wore to the flower garden? It’s so pretty and you look adorable in it! 😉
Our daughter & s-i-l just returned from Singapore! They were blown away with the flora, etc. They were also not prepared for heat & humidity…this was not a planned trip…their stay in the Maldives return trip…flight fright…closest was…Singapore… franki
It sure is humid…but Vietnam was a little worse so we were enjoying the weather. 🙂
Mary Ann, I have really enjoyed hearing about your trip. I am intrigued more than ever to go. Madeline and her fiancé Rohit are going in July, and I am going to suggest they read your posts!
I’ve loved seeing what you wore!
xx
Your kids will be hot…but in Singapore so much is air conditioned.
Just beautiful, all of it! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you, Meg!
Mary Ann, I have loved hearing about this trip. What wonderful experiences you had! I think that bridal gown seen in Singapore may be the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.
I also really appreciate the books you mention for the history of Vietnam and the one mentioned in this post. I find it difficult to find good quality history books about foreign countries.
Thanks for sharing.
To be honest, I didn’t get completely through the book…it was drier than the Vietnam history book I recommended…but you sound like more of a scholar!
And yes…the dress was shockingly beautiful…imagine the hours to create.
I fear you are giving me too much credit as a scholar. But I’ll try and find this book, and let you know what I think when I’ve taken a swing at reading it. It will be a while though. I have a stack of maybe ten books right now. Bur, really I do appreciate you sharing. I don’t how to do more than a random search to find books about other countries, besides the UK. Call it Masterpiece Theater syndrome.
Yes, that glorious dress. Hours and hours for all the embroidery, for sure. Done with exquisite taste, and designed by someone who is a master. To be able to visualize how it will look to observers is amazing.