SEA Trip Day 4: Single Day in Singapore (very long post with lots of pictures!!!)

Tuesday, January 17: Merlion, Gardens, Afternoon Tea, Massages, Dinner, Light to Night

We only had one full day in Singapore due to the travel disruption, and we definitely made the most of it! Both of us woke up early because of the time difference (16 hours ahead of CA) and long travel day. I did Zumba and yoga in the living area and had some great views of sunrise over the city as well as the amazing greenery spilling off the outside of our hotel.

Mr. E watched some news and then headed to the Collection Lounge to start his breakfast. I joined him there eventually, and we both enjoyed the city views along with the amazing full buffet offerings, including tater tots!

We decided to focus our time on walking along the riverfront to visit several sites, starting with the iconic Merlion statue. Along the way, we paused at a Starbucks to purchase Singapore espresso cups and at a bank to get some cash, where we encountered a cleaning robot.

Ths "City in a Garden" is very pedestrian-friendly, with large clean sidewalks and lots of public art.

The riverfront walk is beautiful, and we lucked out with the weather despite the forecast that had predicted rain for every day during our visit.

I was very excited to see the Merlion, since Mr. E had told me about it from his previous trip years ago when he was working at HP, and the famous statue didn't disappoint!!! It also now is complemented by the new skyline of the famous Marina Bay Sands, which is known for the sky high rooftop floating deck atop the three towers.

We walked across the pedestrian bridge towards the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, also known as "Singapore's biggest durian" for rather obvious reasons.

We continued along the perimeter of the Bay towards Gardens By the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, crossing the double-helix pedestrian bridge and getting more amazing views of the city skyline.

We passed the ArtScience Museum with its distinctive broken eggshell architecture and followed numerous signs in and around Marina Bay Sands to finally arrive at Gardens By the Bay.

We decided to focus our time on the Supertree Observatory and OCBC Skyway, both of which are in the Supertree Grove and provide amazing panoramas of the Gardens and the surrounding area.

We paused at the little cafe in the Observatory to share a Pellegrino and admire the Chinese New Year decoration. The entire area we explored during our short stay was fully decorated for the holiday, including hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.

We had a lovely conversation with one of the staff about surfing in Orange County and recommendations for our planned visit to Chinatown on the public transit. He even gave Mr. E a couple of masks since they're still required on the MRT and Mr. E hadn't put one in his pocket that morning.

After making a few purchases at the gift shop, we headed to the MRT for our short ride to Chinatown. We encountered some local wildlife near the MRT station and very much appreciated the prohibition on certain items in the MRT.

Chinatown was bustling and busy and full of great holiday decorations, and I was able to find a non-cartoon-ish rabbit to add to our collection. And so many Lucky Cats!

At this point in the afternoon, we were feeling the need for a break, so we headed back to our hotel to relax a bit and visit the "Wellness Floor" for a dip in the [cold!] pool and some time in the Fitness Center. Then we returned to the Lounge for afternoon tea, which offered a large variety of both sweet and savory food.

We had 1-hour massage appointments booked for 4:30pm, which gave us plenty of time afterwards to check out the cocktail hour offerings in the Lounge. Again, the food options extensive and plentiful, as were the adult beverages. Too bad we could only enjoy all of this for only one day! Our room package also included buffet dinner for two at Lime restaurant in the lobby, where we both enjoyed the shellfish counter and I benefited from the helpful kitchen staff who made an order of stir-fry veggies without garlic just for me. 

We decided not to try to rush out for an evening river cruise but instead to return to the Lounge for more drinks before heading out for another walk along the riverfront, this time on the opposite bank. Earlier in the day, we had noticed some big spheres next to several of the historic colonial buildings, and we discovered that they were part of a larger event, Light to Night, which included a series of projections and public installations all along the civic area. So cool!

We wrapped up the evening in our hotel room, enjoying at least some of the Prosecco and the wine from our United flight crew. Mr. E passed along the other bottle of wine to the Lounge staff who had been so helpful and friendly throughout the day.

What a wonderful introduction to this city and country! We're definitely making the destination a priority for a return [longer!] visit next year.