Swissotel, The Stamford, Singapore

The best day to spend you Christmas and New Year is with your family. My family have been very strict with celebrating New Year together no matter what. Since it was my first time away from home, I did not know how was I going to spend my New Year so I was happy when my parents told me that they are coming to Malaysia and Singapore to spend their Christmas Holidays with me. Technically my parents still has a very strict policy that we must be complete during these days. 

We spent our New Year in Swissotel in Singapore, from the name itself it is a Swiss-owned hotel. My mom was the one who chose this hotel because of its convenience and it was the only one available so far since they booked last minute. There are a lot of people by the way in Singapore during Christmas and New Year Holiday so price hike up!

Swissotel The Stamford is a 5-star hotel and it stands firm with their name. It was definitely a 5-star experience for my family. We manage to stay in the Classic Room which shows the magnificent Singapore City's view as what they said. The first thing that me and my siblings saw is the chocolate! You will get a free chocolate everyday! Toblerone and their own chocolate! What I like the most is their pool. They have two big pools that's very clean and very well maintained. They have what you need and once you ask for something they will quickly give it as they have enough personnel to help you. 

No it's not a ballpen 

It's chocolates!!!! 

A small toilet but we can manage 

My favourite part of the Hotel. The Pool :-) 

A not so clear photo but you get the picture 

with my Siblings 

Happy New Year everybody! 

Will I come back again? 
Yes!! If I have the money or if it's for free again! Hahaha. Me and my family definitely had a great 2 nights stay in this hotel! If you have the money to splurge then this is the place for you. A definite yes!

Location and Contact info: 
Swissotel
2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882, Singapore
Tel: +65 6338 8585
Fax: +65 6338 2862
www.singapore-stamford@swissotel.com

Budget: 
Classic Room                             $ 289 SGD/night                                  
Swiss Advantage Room             $ 315 SGD/night
Grand Room                               $ 357 SGD/night
Swiss Executive Room               $ 470 SGD/night
Crest Suite                                  $ 1100 SGD/night

Singapore Zoo, Singapore

Do you like animals with clean and healthy environment? Then Singapore Zoo is the place for you in South East Asia! Known to be the best Zoo in Asia, Singapore Zoo offers a good experience not only for the people but also for the animals. You could see the Monkeys and Apes roaming around the trees as the whole zoo is their play ground. I am not aware why they could not go down as they can easily do so but as long as they do not get hurt then everything is fine. From my previous post before about the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore, the reason why we went here last December 2013 is because of my sister who loves animals. We bought tickets for both places as it will cost lesser than just buying one attraction.

Singapore Zoo is known as the World's Best Rainforest which houses 315 species of animals. What it promotes is the modern trend of displaying animals in a naturalistic and hidden barriers such as glass between the animals and the visitors. What I have noticed in the zoo is the amount of monkeys, orangutans and apes inside which plays freely in the trees. Like The Jurong Bird Park, they also have shows where the visitors can learn more and have an interaction with the animals. The shows which we were able to go to are the Elephant Show and their main show which includes most of the animals in the zoo. We could really see that the animals are very well treated and train as there are no visible scars which I have observed in the zoos I have been in before.

Feeding time for different animals are also popular since the children can have a close interaction with the very tamed animals. This could not only make them happy but at the same time they could learn a lot as well.

The Orangutan is really living like a king in his own habitat!

Children get the chance to feed the animals but one must pay. I don't mind paying as it helps the animals.

Apes used sticks from the trees to get food in their container. Here you can see how smart they are.

Turtles Breeding

My sister's most favorite animals. She wanted to have these pets! They are so naughty and looks like they are having a lot of fun!

While waiting for the show to start

They also have the water park like in Jurong Bird Park where Children can play with water

Time to feed the Elephants!

Will I ever come back again?
Yes I will! Watching these animals make me so calm and it makes me appreciate what life has to offer. Sometimes spending on these kinds of events rather than shopping is more fun because it will always stay in your memories. Exploring is a way of learning.

Address and Contact Info:
80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826
Tel: (65) 6269 3411
infocounter.zoo@wrs.com.sg


Admission Fee:
Adult                                         $28 SGD
Children (3 to 12 y/o)               $18 SGD
Senior Citizen                           $12 SGD        

Park Hopper: 2 in 1 (which we have purchased) Jurong Bird Park + Singapore Zoo
Adult                                         $55 SGD
Children                                    $35 SGD

Opening Hours:
8.30am to 6.00pm daily
(Last ticket sale at 5.30pm)

Empire State, Woodlands Square, Singapore

Janine has been my friend since College/University days but we have seen and been together since elementary. We didn't or I didn't know that we were in the same service (ride) before and we (or I) just learned about it when she saw our house in the Province. She has been working in Singapore for quite some time now but we only got the chance to see each other this year when I needed to go to their Church. 

I regret the fact that I have not find a way to see her last year when she started working in Singapore, we should have spent a lot of times together! Well according to a Filipino saying "Nasa huli ang pagsisisi", I made a point to have a snack with her near her place so it would not be a hassle for her. We started looking for a place to eat in Woodlands Square and being booth Sweet tooth we decided to eat in Swensen at first but the line is long so we went to the Empire State, a Western Restaurant which serves your typical American meal like burger and fries. What attracted us the most is their wide array of desserts. From the American Restaurants which I have been to this restaurants has the most desserts in their Menu! 

Janine and I ordered Empire State Sizzling Boston Brownie and Caramel Walnut Banana Pancake. Comparing both desserts, I like the Empire State Sizzling Brownie's more because of its very chocolatey taste without your usual peaky burnt cocoa end note which I usually find in cooked brownies. The Caramel Walnut Banana Pancake is just alright but it was not appealing due to the lack of caramel. Maybe an addition of caramel would make it nice and sweet. But since I like sweet things for me the caramelic sweet taste lacks in the pancake. 

So happy to see my Janine!!! :-) 

Their wide choices for dessert alone!

Thought the presentation is not that good, the taste is really superb! 

A bit more caramel and this pancake will be delicious! 

Sisters forever! 

Will I come back? 

Yes I will! I still want to try a lot on their menu! I hope Janine and her friends will dine here again! :-) 

Location and contact details: 

1 Woodlands Square #02-10/K10 Causeway Point 

+65 6893 2976

1  Seletar Road #02-04 Greenwich V 

+65 6483 7249

Website: http://empirestate.com.sg/index.html

Opening Hours: 

Mon to Sun               10:30 am to 10:30 pm (Causway Point) 

Mon to Sun               10:00 am to 10:00 pm (Greenwich V) 

Jurong Bird Park, Singapore

During my family's holiday visit in Singapore, they made a point to go and visit a lot of places where kids and teenagers could have fun that's why we decided to go to Zoos and Parks during the holidays. It was actually my little sister who is fond of animals so what better way to spend the time together than going to the Bird Park where you could enjoy and learn at the same time! 

From our hotel in Singapore, we took the MRT and LRT and bus to our next destination: The Jurong Bird Park.  Prior to this we read a lot of reviews to check if it is really worth it to go here and there were a lot positives but then of course there are a few negative reviews. Nevertheless we still pushed through into going to the place since my sister really wants to go. We decided to get the 2-in-1 Park Hopper which cost $39.00 SGD for Adults and $26.00 SGD for Children since we are lacking of time . The ticket is actually valid for 30 days so for those who are staying longer then they could come any time they want but it is only for 1 entry only. 

The place is actually jam-packed not of people but of birds, all sorts of birds you can think of. From parrots to those cute little penguins. We arrive in the park around 10am which gives us ample amount of time to roam around and also to watch some shows. They have different kinds of shows which is showcased into the different amphitheaters around the area ranging from small group of 50 people to large group of around 1000. We have watched only 1 show because some shows are too far from where we are currently and to get there you have to watch quite a distance. My siblings decided to watch the main show in the biggest amphitheater and we had lots of fun watching it especially my sister! 

Ticketing Charges 

Cute cute love birds ( I am not sure if they are love birds) 

The birds in the Bird Park are very well taken care of and they have a lot of space to roam around 

Man-made falls 

It's fun travelling with siblings! 

During the main show some of the audiences volunteered for birds to fly to them but they are not allowed to touch them. The birds are very well trained! 

They also have a water park where children can play and swim! 

High Flyers show!

Flamingos! 

One of the cutest birds I ever saw in my life! Penguins! I wish we could take them home

So will I come back? Yes I will definitely come back! I could spend my whole day in these kinds of area if its for free!

Operating hours: 

8:30- 6:00 pm (Monday to Sunday) 

Address and Contact number: 

2 Jurong Hill 

Singapore 628925

Tel: (65) 6265 0022

Email: info.jbp@wrs.com.sg

Website: www.birdpark.com.sg

Admission Fee: 

Adult                       $25 SGD 

Children                  $16 SGD 

Senior Citizen         $10 SGD

*They also offer packages for different parks