singapore: fullerton bay hotel, clifford pier, marina waterfront
I've been meaning to publish this post earlier but I got so busy with work and preparing for another trip! I'll be celebrating my 35th birthday (eek!) at the end of this month and me and Dennis are celebrating it in Taiwan!!! (yay!)
Anyway, back to Singapore...
Last time I was here was before Universal Studios and Marina Bay Sands were constructed so there really wasn't much to see aside from Sentosa and Orchard. I thought by now they would have expanded the tiny city for more places to explore but no. :P Marina Bay is just a walk away from Suntec City Mall (where I used to eat my favorite on-the-go Chicken Rice at CareFourr grocery) :P
It's really easy to go around Singapore, their public transportation is very efficient and if you take a cab (which I don't recommend, super expensive), everything is pretty much just 5 minutes away from Orchard..because of this, the location of your hotel shouldn't matter so much. You can get a cheaper hotel away from Orchard and still be able to see the entire Singapore in 4 days.
Okay anyway, on our 2nd day in Singapore, we attended the wedding of my cousin in Fullerton Bay Hotel.
We were supposed to join the shuttle provided for wedding guests but we were running late so we decided to grab this black car that was already waiting outside our hotel...our bellhop said it didn't cost much more than a regular taxi...um, no. Regular cabs already have a flag down rate of around 3.20 SGD (110 PHP) + .22 cents every 350 meters + toll fee if you happen to pass one of those (which you probably will), this black car charged an additional 10 SGD!!! For a less than 10 minute ride, we ended up paying something like 43 SGD/ 1500 Php!!! Very expensive, lah! But it was a wedding so, nevermind...
Fullerton Bay Hotel is located along the Marina Waterfront. There's a tunnel you can pass through from Fullerton Hotel.
Once you exit the tunnel, you end up here:
One of my favorite places in Singapore which is part of the Marina Waterfront. From here, you can capture a beautiful view of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel...(told you everything is nearby. :P )
There's also lots of nice cafe's and restaurants you can have a romantic date in...
During my stay, I also noticed a lot of these cute graffiti bear sculptures on display (too bad I wasn't able to check what they were about..)
Here's the bridge leading up to Fullerton Bay Hotel:
And my grandma's OOTD :P She told me to take a "candid shot" of her. It doesn't seem like it's her first time...to think she's 80! What a trooper!
At the pier, there are boats you can hire to take you around the Marina, it's a great way to explore different side of the city:
And here's the Fullerton Bay Hotel which I immediately fell in love with. It has the feel of a posh, old-world yacht club. I really enjoyed having my coffee in their al fresco area:
The lobby: I love visiting Singapore during the Holiday season. Despite not being an entirely Catholic country, they don't scrimp on the decorations, especially on Orchard Road, I've seen it decorated for Christmas on 3 different occasions and all were impressive. Inside the Fullerton Bay Hotel + some other nearby hotels/malls, you'll find a lot of these giant Tiffany Christmas Trees:
The wedding reception was at Clifford Pier which is fairly new and just opened last May 2014.
Back in the 1930's, this historical landmark used to be lined with numerous hawker stalls. This is where most of Singapore's pioneers would disembark from their ships.
Some of my relatives...it's funny how seniors love to argue. Was asking them to pose for a shot but they were so caught up in their debate, they weren't paying attention to me. I have a lot of photos of them looking like this... hehe!
Our menu for the afternoon:
Started off with Seared Scallops...super good! Love the saltiness of the roe against the balsamic. Scallops were perfectly cooked.
Roasted Butternut Squash Pureé - also really yummy. It had spiced pumpkin seeds and ARGAN OIL! I usually just use that on my hair, first time to try it in a dish but I have to say I really liked it despite it being a bit on the sweet side...
Organic Sous Vide Egg - I'm not really a fan of truffles (omg, yes, Im not, haha, I find it a little too overwhelming) so I didn't really like this dish..
This was heaven in the mouth (sounds awful :P) - 18 hour Braised Short Ribs... melt in your moth goodness. One of the best dishes I've ever tried. Yum! We also had a fish option (which was also excellent but I was on vacation so I decided to go with the beef, good decision!)
Chocolate Tart - I found this a little bit too sweet for my taste but everyone else liked it
After the heavy meal, we also had Afternoon Tea (which I forgot to take a photo of). On regular days, the Clifford Pier is open at 3:30pm - 5:30pm for afternoon tea. If you're on a budget and want to experience this place, I highly suggest visiting within those hours. You can enjoy your tea over live jazz performances and the spread they provide is quite nice and very extensive.
There you go...Fullerton Bay Hotel, Clifford Pier, Marina Waterfront. 3 Places which are not usually on the regular Singapore tourist radar but quite nice to visit if you want a pretty atmosphere to relax and indulge in.
Check out my other Singapore posts:
GIVEAWAYS:
Comments