Why go?

The city state is really starting to enjoy its day in the sun. Its Formula One Grand Prix night race is now a permanent fixture and the World Architecture Festival is held here too. A new CBD is rising to glittering heights with shiny skyscrapers and gleaming new hotels, and the burgeoning restaurant scene is one whose secrets the expats can’t help but reveal. It’s a small country and you can travel from one side of the island to the other in an hour. You can even slip away to a beach with hip bars and swimming aplenty.

What to do

Fly in to Changi airport, which is like a mini city in itself, with spas, orchid gardens, a rooftop pool and a pretty butterfly garden, www.changiairport.com. From here, head to Orchard Road, Singapore’s sprawling shopping hub, where buzzing street upon street are filled with malls, cafés and bars. Travel in the air- conditioned cool of a reasonably priced cab or hop on the MRT (metro).

Afternoon tea is best enjoyed at Raffles in the shade of palms in the terrace gardens. Upstairs, order a Singapore sling (the city’s signature cocktail of gin, grenadine and cherry brandy) at the Long Bar where it was first muddled for literati like Ernest Hemingway. Seek solace and calm in the lush sanctuary of the balmy Singapore Botanic Gardens, where in 74 peaceful hectares, waterfalls flow, an orchid garden grows and tropical plants and flowers create a downtown oasis www.sbg.org.sg. South of Singapore River, ornate Indian and Chinese temples are worth a visit too.

Where to stay

The grand colonial dowager of hotels, Raffles presides in 19th-century style in the top spot – replete with oriental carpets, potted palms and pristine white archways that lead to beyond-five-star rooms, 00 65 6339 7650, www.raffles.com. Designer platform beds are found in the chic abode that is Moon 23 Hotel, where ‘cocoons’ may have a terrace bathtub if you are lucky and snag the Moonlight Suite, 00 65 6827 6666, moon.com.sg.

Where to eat and drink

After shopping, eating out is the national pastime and many worthy restaurants blend an authentic ethnic mix of Chinese, Indian and Malay, known as Peranakan. Taste for yourself at The Blue Ginger Restaurant, 00 65 6222 3928 www.theblueginger.com, housed in a charming restored shop house. Next to Lau Pa Sat – a food market by day – is a small lane called Boon Tat Street, which by night is blocked to traffic and dubbed ‘Satay Street’. Hawkers in numbered stalls sell meats grilled over charcoal, skewered on sticks and served with satay sauce and jugs of Tiger beer.

The atmosphere is neighbourly, as clusters of tables and stools squeeze together under a sea of coloured umbrellas. Perfect for a cheap feast. At the other end of the scale, there are the celebrity chefs who have flocked here from around the world – mostly clustered in restaurants around Marina Bay. The likes of Luke Mangan and Tetsuya bring Australasian fusion flavours to the fore. Tippling Club is one of Singapore’s hottest restaurants, where you can sample avant-garde cuisine by Ryan Clift. Snack on charred peppers with chilli and soy, and killer cocktails at the bar, 00 65 6475 2217, www.tipplingclub.com.

For a lazy weekend brunch, many of the big hotels offer great deals on poolside meals, including the Dolce Vita Champagne Brunch at the Mandarin Oriental (our pick) where free-flowing fizz accompanies an array of delicious Singaporean dishes, 00 65 6885 3500, www.mandarinoriental.com

For a rooftop bar fix, try 1 Altitude, the highest alfresco drinking spot anywhere in the world, 00 65 6438 0410 1-altitude.com. And for a hip hangout it’s hard to beat CÉ LA VIE, where a smartly dressed crowd mingles with bikini-clad sunworshippers stretching out by the pool. You can just see Indonesia on the horizon, 00 65 6688 7688, celavi.com. Lantern bar is another lofty option, and is named after Red Lantern Pier where the first immigrants hung lanterns as a guide for seafarers, 00 65 6333 8388, fullertonbayhotel.com

Time running out?

Fort Canning Park’s spice garden has the pleasing aroma of chillies, lemongrass, turmeric and more.

Travel Information

Travel Information

Currency is the Singapore dollar. Time is eight hours ahead of GMT, and journey time from the UK is about 12.5 hours. The cost to carbon-offset is £33.55, visit www.climatecare.org

Getting There

Singapore Airlines flies direct from London Heathrow and via London from Manchester to Singapore, seven days a week. www.singaporeair.com

Resources

Your Singapore offers useful advice on local attractions, major events and getting around town. www.yoursingapore.com