As has happened in most southeast asian countries , traveling to Singapore has not been easy in the last two years. The reopening plan has had its ups and downs, as the delta and omicron variants prevented the removal of restrictions in a significant number of countries. Restaurants closed, reopened, and ended up closing again.
Last October, the country timidly opened the door to possible visits with its ticket for vaccinated travelers , through which you could travel without the need to quarantine on a few flights with prior approval. And finally, last May , the government announced the least restrictive measures to date : People who have the complete vaccination schedule will be able to enter without a negative COVID test before departure or quarantine and will only have to fill out an online health form in the three days prior to arrival.
Although tourism has practically stopped for two years, Singapore's hotels and restaurants have wasted no time . A good number of them have been inaugurated and reformed, from Chinatown until Little India . Get ready to see its amazing landscapes, reserve tables at the restaurants that are causing a sensation and check out the new hotels that deserve to be the center of the trip to make the most of the best news from singapore Now that he's back in action.
Peaceful pond in the Japanese garden at Jurong Lake Gardens, a public park in Singapore.
WHAT TO DO IN SINGAPORE
When restrictions on movement drove most residents away from Singapore from the center of the city-state, many people took out their hiking boots and set out to explore its lesser-known corners. The news nature protection initiatives , like ABC Waters in Jurong Lake They didn't take long to arrive. These floating wetlands, located in the western singapore , have wooden walkways from which you can enjoy magnificent lake views . If you're lucky, you might see some otter , a aquatic monitor or some of the colorful tropical birds that populate the vegetation.
For those who thirst for adventure, the Rail Corridor, a national park that is part of a reforestation project and occupies an old railway line that ran through the island from end to end, has beautiful hiking trails in which relics such as the abandoned Bukit Timah railway station , built in 1932. Its central path has received an important reform, and its four kilometers offer a very accessible walk between closed bridges and roads almost engulfed by vegetation.
Both initiatives are part of the green-plan by 2030 , a ten-year recovery and conservation project that seeks to improve all types of infrastructure, from energy efficiency to cycling routes, as well as increasing the land occupied by natural parks by 50%.
Anouska Bar at Duxton Reserve, Autograph Collection
NEW HOTELS IN SINGAPORE
One of the most interesting places to stay now that traveling to Singapore is once again a possibility is The Clan Hotel, opened last year in a glass tower with privileged views of Chinatown . Inspired by the fascinating history of the chinese immigrants who settled in the area during the XIX century , this hotel welcomes you with a Chinese tea ceremony, but the references do not end there. There are local details everywhere, from works inspired by zhezhi (a Chinese origami technique) by Singaporean artist Grace Tan to chrysanthemum beers created exclusively for the hotel.
All rooms, in shades of gray with beige and bronze accents, have stunning views of the city. There is a gym and swimming pool on the roof, and activities as varied as personalized tours of local shrines and galleries and visits to craft shops , in addition to relaxing treatments with essential oils and bath salts.
Another recent opening is the Hilton Singapore Orchard , the brand's largest hotel in all of Asia so far. It's in Orchard Road , the most important shopping district in Singapore, and has 1080 rooms , with designs full of nods to the nutmeg and fruit plantations that once covered this part of the city. For food, there is a good variety, from the botanically inspired teas in the Ginger.Lily Teahouse even the roast duck with truffle in the stay , in addition to the fact that this week is the inauguration of the new headquarters of Osteria Mozza , the Los Angeles Italian restaurant of the Chef Nancy Silverton.
The pandemic break has also been the perfect excuse to make important changes and reforms. Among the most interesting properties of all those that have a new name or appearance is the Duxton Reserve , which took over from the Six Senses in about 19th century buildings that are found in the heart of Chinatown.
In the sentosa island , Capella Singapore has reopened after a refurbishment that has lasted a full year and in which the famous hotel interior designer André Fu has captured its originality and minimalism. Its suites and villas have subtle and modern interpretations of traditional furniture from the area, all with natural materials and pleasant grayish and greenish tones.
It is also on this island that the new Sentosa Resort & Spa , a new project from Raffles Singapore. Its 62 villas with private pools, designed by the prestigious studio Jabu Pushelberg , are located on a 100,000 square meter plot covered with lush tropical vegetation and overlooking the south china sea.
Appetizers at Marguerite, a Gardens By the Bay restaurant.
Claudine's lavish interiors, a restaurant located on Dempsey Hill.
THE BEST NEW RESTAURANTS IN SINGAPORE
In December 2020, Singapore's street food markets were added to the list of UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity, one more reason to stop by centers like the Maxwell Food Center and the Tiong Bahru Market to try the chili crab, chicken rice and coconut milk noodles.
If you fancy something else international , you'll be glad to know that several of the best chefs in the world They have been joining the singapore food scene . One of the most striking novelties is Claudia , the most informal place in Chef Julien Royer , whose french restaurant Odette it's always packed. In what was once a chapel in Dempsey Hill , serves typical French dishes made with ancestral family recipes, such as the addictive vol-au-vent with dehydrated morel, cockscomb and chicken mousse quenelle and the steak tartare dressed at the table. In Rosemead , a californian restaurant central and modern Chef David Tang It's hard to find a table. The protagonist is the huge wood oven multi-tiered, in which orange wood and lychee embers impart deep flavors and a hint of sweetness to seasonal ingredients (almost all homegrown) before they become part of exquisitely decorated dishes. All meat and fish They are spectacular, but do not miss the brioche with shiitake sauce and bacon.
There are many innovative indian restaurants who are also receiving more than deserved attention. in the new Firangi Superstar , the Chef Thiru Gunasakaran serves quirky interpretations of classic Indian dishes (madras curry fried chicken prata, samosas with wagyu tartare and spiced lime aioli) in a local decorated with antiques that he wouldn't be out of place in a Wes Anderson movie. At Revolver, which he opened last year in the busy After Street , the Chef Saurabh Udinia (started in one of New Delhi's top restaurants, Indian Accent) cuisine lobsters, rack of lamb Y barramundi to the perfect point tandoor Y grill then served with Goan sambal, kulcha and Indian pickles.
Some of Julien Royer's featured dishes served at Claudine.
In Gardens by the Bay inside the gigantic greenhouse solarpunk aesthetic known as flower dome , the australian chef michael wilson has opened the Margaret , where he serves seasonal, multicultural, seven-course tasting menus featuring such original dishes as morel custard and fresh peas and the Chilean sea bass with sea snails and passion fruit sabayon . Also found here is another of Wilson's creations, Hortus , where you can share some fantastic Mediterranean-influenced menus.
There are a few other novelties, among which stand out Small's , a experimental kitchen brought by the hospitality genius Bjørn Shen in which he serves, as you hear, bread sushi (on a menu the chef refers to as “doughmakase,” a play on words between omakase and dough); KOAL, an Asian grilled meat and seafood restaurant; NAE:UM, a local korean cuisine modern wearing the Seoul chef Louis Han ; and Remapa, which drinks from the wide variety of culinary influence of Singapore with gastronomy-inspired dishes China, peranakan Y Malay and reflects the permanent international nature of the cuisine of this city-state.
This article was published in May 2022 in Condé Nast Traveler.