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insider’s guidedaiquiri and admire the views of the SultanMosque. A stone’s throw away on Haji Laneis Bar Stories (www.athousandtales.com),another funky café-bar-shop, where themixologist prefers to custom-makecocktails. If you’re looking for somethingfruity with a bit of zing, expect a raspberrysake martini – just be careful how many youconsume, as the bar’s retro furniture is alsofor sale! For a more traditional night, tryone of the riverside bars and clubs housedin former godowns (trading warehouses)along Clarke Quay or Boat Quay.Despite its strait-laced reputation,Singapore boasts a buzzing clubbing scene.Zouk (www.zoukclub.com) and Attica (www.attica.com.sg) are popular old-timers, buthot new arrivals are Avalon (www.avalon.sg)and Pangaea (www.pangaea.sg), bothhoused in a glass-encased floating pavilionin Marina Bay. Don’t miss the St JamesPower Station (www.stjamespowerstation.com), a 6,500 sq m venue housing nine clubsand lounge bars, offering a range of musicstyles and live bands.ShoppingFormer Prime Minister Goh Chok Tongonce declared that for Singaporeans ‘life isnot complete without shopping’, and if youwant to shop till you drop 24/7, this is theplace to do it. Most first-time visitors headstraight for the city’s famous retail zoneof Orchard Road, where, connected by alabyrinthine maze of underground tunnels,walkways and MRT stations, you’ll find20-odd malls stocking top-end fashionlabels. ION (www.ionorchard.com) andParagon (www.paragon.sg) are thesparkliest of the malls, while upmarketdepartment stores Tangs (www.tangs.com.sg) and Takashimaya (www.takashimayasin.com)have a loyal following, and theFar East Plaza (www.fareast-plaza.com)caters for the young, cool crowd.One of the latest additions to the city’sretail scene is the Louis Vuitton IslandMaison, set on its own little island inMarina Bay, where clothing and accessoriesfrom the French fashion house aredisplayed alongside contemporary artwork.For one-off designs, head to Club Streetand Ann Siang Hill in Chinatown, where youcan pick up hip designer dresses, bespokejewellery and edgier labels in tiny boutiques.Similarly, Haji Lane offers hip labels andvintage gear at shophouse boutiques.Day tripsIf you’re new to Singapore, you may besurprised to find the island is not one bigconcrete and steel metropolis. In fact, largeswathes of land are carpeted with virgintropical rainforest, complete with monkeys,exotic birds and reptiles, and some areasSINGAPORE FROM ABOVEThere’s no shortage of places where you can get a great aerial perspective of Singapore. Try thesefor starters:q For a bird’s-eye view of all the key landmarks around Marina Bay and the central business district,take a ride on the Singapore Flyer (www.singaporeflyer.com), the world’s largest observation wheel.You can even book a capsule for high tea, cocktails or dinner.q 1-Altitude (www.1-altitude.com), a staggering 282m above sea level, claims to be the world’shighest al fresco rooftop bar. You might need a stiff drink to recover from the glass-sided lift journeyto the top!q At the top of ION, one of the glitziest malls on Orchard Road, you’ll find the gourmet restaurantSalt Grill & Sky Bar (www.saltgrill.com) and an observation platform where you can admire thetwinkling lights of the city below.q The Singapore Cable Car that connects Mount Faber, one of the highest hills on the island, toHarbourFront, the gateway to Sentosa Island, takes you whizzing across the forest-clad hillside withviews of the tanker-lined docks and the island of Sentosa beyond.q If you prefer terra firma (of a sort!), walk across Henderson Waves, Singapore’s highest pedestrianbridge at 36m. The curvy steel and timber structure runs 274m from Mount Faber to Telok BlangahHill Park.are protected as nature reserves, includingBukit Timah and MacRitchie ReservoirPark, famous for its 250m suspensionbridge. At weekends, the East Coast Park isfull of inline skaters and cyclists, while justoffshore, others kayak, windsurf and sailamid the huge tankers.Another favourite weekend haunt forfamilies is Sentosa Island (connected to themainland by monorail, cable car and bridge),with its golf courses, spas, sandy beaches,Universal Studios (the only one of its kindin South East Asia) and assorted attractions.Also perennially popular is SingaporeZoo (www.zoo.com.sg), where you cantake a Night Safari or have breakfast withorang-utans. In late 2012, the world’s firstRiver Safari (www.riversafari.com.sg) willopen, showcasing the aquatic life in someof the world’s greatest rivers.To view one of Singapore’s last remainingfishing villages, or ‘kampongs’, take awooden ‘bumboat’ from Changi VillageFerry Terminal across to Pulau Ubin.Explore this tiny unspoiled island by bike,then finish off with a simple seafood lunchat one of the waterfront cafés.WHERE TO STAYFor further information and reservations,please visit www.SummitHotels.comRoyal Plaza on ScottsThis long-established hotel, set just off themain shopping street of Orchard Road, attractsboth leisure and business travellers. Carouselrestaurant serves up a wide range of Asian andMediterranean dishes, and creative cocktailsare on offer in Heat, the hotel’s ultra lounge.extend your stayFor further information and reservations,visit www.SummitServicedResidences.com8 on Claymore Serviced ResidencesNext door to Royal Plaza on Scotts, theseserviced apartments (with options forshort-term or extended stays) are perfect forthose who like to have maximum flexibility.They come with contemporary décor, a wellequippedkitchen and dining and seating area.corbis, Tupungato, joyfull/Shutterstock.comvolume thirteenSummit47