When To Go

There’s a fairly steady rainfall throughout the year in Singapore. Mix this with temperatures that fluctuate between 20C and 30C, and you have the ingredients for a sauna-like existence. Really, it’s better to plan your trip without giving too much thought to the weather. Instead, just focus on what events you want to take in. The city is buzzing all year round, so pre-planning is the name of the game.

Top 5 Places To Stay

• The St. Regis Singapore

  This luxury hotel is one-kilometre from the National Orchid Garden and Camden Medical Centre. Guestrooms offer rich, antique-style décor, panoramic windows, signature bedding, French marble bathrooms and 24-hour butler service, while amenities include a lushly landscaped outdoor pool, health spa, fitness centre, indoor tennis court, restaurants and a private art collection.

• The Elizabeth-A Far East Hotel

  The shopping strip of Orchard Road and Mount Elizabeth Medical Center are both less than one-kilometre away from this hotel. In addition to a fitness room with sauna and freeform pool, the hotel offers a pool table at the pub and wireless internet access throughout.

• Harbour Ville Hotel

  This nine-story hotel is situated 600 yards from Harbourfront Center, where the MRT train station and cable cars/shuttle bus to Sentosa Island are based. The 100 guestrooms have teak furniture and floral bedspreads.

• Royal Plaza On Scotts

  Situated on the upscale shopping, dining and entertainment belt of Orchard Road, this hotel is 3km from the nightlife and alfresco dining of Boat Quay. A highlight is the rooftop swimming pool, along with the hotel’s stylish guestrooms, which include Simmons Dream Beds with Egyptian cotton comforters, LCD TVs, complimentary minibars and internet access.

• Copthorne King's Hotel Singapore

  Located one block from the Singapore River, this hotel is within two-kilometres of the major business areas of Shenton Way and Suntec City. Museum-quality antiques accent the lobby and restaurants, and the Princess Terrace’s Penang buffet is a local favourite. Guestrooms are modern with Moroccan-inspired marble bathrooms.

Top 5 Things To Do On Your Visit

• Raffles Hotel

  One of the world’s most famous establishments, no trip to Singapore is complete without a celebratory cocktail in on of the hotel’s bars. The ‘Singapore Sling’ was (literally) invented for this!

• Botanic Gardens

  With over 50 hectares of landscaped parkland and primary jungle, the Botanic Gardens are suitably majestic to wander through. On site is the National Orchid Garden, which is the largest of its kind in the world.

• Sentosa Island

  An entertainment capital of the area, Sentosa Island is only a short boat ride away from Singapore. Once there, you’ll find some great places to grab a bite to eat, nature trails, theme parks and an aquarium.

• Orchard Road

  Singapore’s most famous shopping area, Orchard Road is home to hundreds of high-class boutiques, café’s, restaurants, megastores and souvenir merchants. It’s big, busy and – if you want it to be – bank-breaking.

• Singapore River

  Perhaps the best way to see Singapore is from the river. The traditional ‘bumboats’, once used to ferry goods from ship to harbour, now provide the most common way to travel.