By Karen Barr
Just over 60 years after gaining independence, Singapore lives up to its Garden City nickname: 55,000 trees form a lush backdrop to the fragrant flowers that define its landscape. Non-stop flights from Vancouver with Air Canada bring it within easy reach, whether for an extended stay or a memorable layover before your next Asian destination.
Begin with Singapore Botanic Gardens, a bucolic 82-hectare UNESCO World Heritage Site opened in 1859. The gorgeously lush Orchid Garden, established in 1928, now hosts 1,500 species and 3,000 hybrids through its orchid breeding programme – and Orchid Gold Tea, a must-have souvenir, is crafted onsite and sold in the gift shop.
The expansive Gardens by the Bay offers an equally impressive array of attractions, including the Flower Dome, which – with its 3,332 glass panels – holds the Guinness World Record for the largest glass greenhouse. Cloud Forest features an aerial walkway filled with exotic plants and one of the world's tallest indoor waterfalls, while the iconic Super Trees – 50-metre-tall engineering marvels and sustainable vertical gardens hosting 162,900 plants and over 200 species – are best seen from the Super Tree Observatory. On the way back down, stop at famed pastry chef Janice Wong's dessert bar for custom-crafted sweets inspired by the scenery.
Chinatown rewards an afternoon of exploration. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a fascinating stop, as is the distinctive Sri Mariamman Temple, a five-storey tower lavishly decorated with sculpture built for a Hindu goddess. Just a short walk away, National Gallery Singapore houses the largest collection of Southeast Asian art in the world.
For a different flavour of Singapore's heritage, spend time in the Katong-Joo Chiat historic district, where the streets are lined with pastel painted houses that feature elegantly decorative stucco and glazed Majolica tiles. The shops are equally ornate – think sumptuously patterned porcelain and intricately beaded shoes and bags.
If there's ever been a reason to arrive early to the airport, it's here: anyone could reasonably spend an entire day exploring Changi Airport. The HSBC Rain Vortex, a 40-metre indoor waterfall, is best admired from the Canopy Bridge, a glass walkway that allows for closer viewing. Various airport gardens feature water lilies, cacti, sunflowers, and butterflies, with ample shopping and restaurants to fill the hours besides.
Raffles – the legendary five-star hotel known for its colonial elegance and the invention of the Singapore Sling – is a stellar choice. Yet it's impossible not to be drawn into the striking biophilic PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering in Chinatown. Designed by the globally renowned architecture firm WOHA and recognized as the World's Leading Green City Hotel, the property integrates architecture and nature through 15,000 square metres of terraced greenery and vertical gardens featuring 50 plant species, alongside thoughtful sustainable design elements. The 365 rooms and suites offer sunlight-filled floor-to-ceiling windows with views over Chinatown and Hong Lim Park, while St. Gregory spa and a poolside infinity terrace with private cabanas make for a thoroughly restorative retreat.
Guests of PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering need look no further than Lime Restaurant, where menus and signature Peranakan dishes by local television personality and Executive Chef Alvin Leong draw on produce grown in the hotel's onsite garden.
For a more casual outing, follow the Michelin Guide to the Maxwell Food Centre, where Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice – famously approved by Anthony Bourdain – shares space with Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cakes, crispy fried batter filled with oysters, prawns, chopped pork, and fresh coriander. To round out the Peranakan experience, Guan Hoe Soon in the Katong-Joo Chiat district has been serving its masterful blend of Chinese ingredients and Malay spices longer than any other restaurant in the area.
