Recalibrating an opinion on Singapore

Where have you been, Susan? My neighbour says she hopes it was somewhere exotic. I tell her I am just back from Singapore. She rolls her eyes to suggest I should show more imagination. “Singapore is so boring,” she declares. It’s time to set her straight. My gaze is firm as I ask if she’d like to pop in for a coffee and I’ll update her on the so-called Lion City.

I have no investment in touting Singapore, but many destinations suffer from a false image based on perceptions rather than reality. I had caught up with my Japan-based daughter-in-law and young granddaughter there for our third family holiday. Did this sceptical neighbour want a list of our adventures? Yes, and suggested I get the coffee percolating and possibly show her a few iPhone snaps.

Let’s start with Sentosa Island, about 5km from the CBD but in a seemingly different world with beaches and resorts, such as the newish Raffles outpost, featuring villas with private pools, sub-tropical gardens, and golf carts zooming about. This is nothing like the hotels towering along Orchard Road, but a hideaway versed in nature and innate hospitality. Of course, Sentosa is full of attractions, including theme parks, and the likes of Universal Studios. And there is a dizzying array of family-friendly rides and zones such as Jurassic Park plus nature-based compounds featuring butterflies and rare insects, but even these unlikely drawcards sit well within the overall mix.

Now I am on a roll. Said neighbour isn’t a shopper so what else do I have up my sleeve? How about safety, a consistently low crime rate, excellent MRT (mass rapid transportation system), English is widely spoken, and tipping rarely expected? She nods. Now we are getting somewhere. Let’s add restaurants with three Michelin stars, including Odette in the National Gallery. There’s an array of Michelin Bib Gourmand outlets, too, which typically are hawker stalls and food stands, some located in covered markets. Cue richly flavoured noodle soups and chunky satays. The food scene in Singapore is clean and busy, no matter the price point, and possibly the most hygienic of any in SE Asia, given the keen regard for sanitation and stiff fines for those who break the rules.

I add that The Michelin Guide 2026 will be launched at Raffles Sentosa on August 4 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Michelin star-rating system. I might fly over. Would she like to join me? We could have a Singapore Sling at the flagship Raffles in the Civic District. The legendary hotel has just launched an alcohol-free version using pineapple, cherry and citrus juices instead of spirits. Or we could venture to the METT Singapore hotel, a restored 84-room colonial beauty augmented with satellite buildings, which recently opened in the grounds of a green precinct at Fort Canning. It’s testament to the quality of the onsite food and beverage that locals front up to sample coastal Italian dishes at L’Amo Bistro del Mare, decked in Mediterranean blue and white, plus “new-wave” Korean grills at HANU. It’s a stroll from here to the venerable National Museum, packed with immersive and interactive exhibits.

I detect a change in my neighbour’s demeanour. “What did your granddaughter love the most?” she asks. I show her snaps of Mia at the Singapore Oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa. The little girl’s eyes are shiny. In her junior reporter’s notebook, she’s written the names of myriad fish and floating beings. Back at school, her teacher encouraged her to give a talk to classmates about her holiday. She told them all about the in-villa service at Raffles Sentosa being delivered in a golf cart, the joy of discovering bubble tea sprinkled with tapioca, and even if you are only seven years old, you can definitively decide to become a marine biologist. Report card: Singapore 10 out of 10. Neighbour heads back home, vowing to try harder.