Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 8 | ITB ASIA Official Dailies A pERFECT dAY in SingApoRE Itinerary-planning platform, Mygola, is using Singapore as its first base to launch its trip planning Perfect Day app. Natalie Chen, gave the app a go. It's a perfect day for an app on Singapore. Available on the Apple Store, A Perfect.Day.app helps you plan a day of activities from its list of offerings revolving around Singapore. There are museum visits, tours to Singapore landmarks like St Andrew's Cathedral and a walk of sights and eats in Chinatown. The walking tour of Chinatown does involve some cost at $65 per head. The beauty of this app is that it tells you what you can do for free and which activities involve cost. So actually you can plan an entire day in Singapore enjoying its varied sights and sounds even the laser display at Marina Bay Sands, called Wonder Full Water and Laser Show for free. Other activities include Walk The Southern Ridges and The Iconic Singapore Merlion. You can even catch shows in Singapore such as Miss Julie or Hotpants, an ensemble musical comedy. The app also connects you to the ticketing site to book your tickets. This would be a useful app even for Singaporeans who are at a loss of what to do on a free day and a weekend. You can even share your Apps or your plans for the day. The only point is that at first glance most of its dining options are of high- end restaurants like Les Amies or Iggy's that go at more than $100 per head. But if you examine the dining options under its "Eat Out" category, you will find affordable eats. In fact, I even found the vegetarian restaurant my parents used to bring me to as a child. Talk about nostalgia... found in an app. Its categories run from "Recommended, First Time In The City, Quirky, With Kids, Deals, Malay Festival of Arts 2014, Tours and Experiences, Shopping and Free Things to Do, Eat Out, Art & Culture, Singapore Art Festival, New and Noteworthy, Nightlife and Nature and Wildlife. I checked out Quirky as Singapore is hardly quirky as far as mainstream thoughts lie. The Perfect.Day. app suggested paying a visit to the government office of the Urban Redevelopment Authority on its first floor which had the Singapore City Gallery with miniature models of the city centre. According to the app, "The models are made in painstaking detail capturing extreme detail." Then there is The goDown that stocks and sells home furnishings, trinkets and accessories from all over the world. And visiting the National Library of Singapore could prove to be a quirky experience. gETTing To knoW An iConiC HoTEL The Fullerton Hotel Singapore's facade. once the centre of commercial activity as the former general post Office, the heritage building was refurbished and transformed into a luxurious hotel in 2001. The restoration cost S$400m and Singapore's landmark hotel, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore was unveiled. Upon walking into its lobby you are struck by its opulence and grandeur, and one may dare say it rivals another grand old dame in Singapore. The hotel overlooks the scenic Marina Bay area and the night scene from its premises is mesmerising. The view of the new Singapore Skyline is indeed ephemeral.The Merlion, Singapore's national icon, is located just across the road at one Fullerton, a waterfront dining and entertainment complex, linked to the hotel via an underground travellator. Epicureans will be enticed by the traditional local fare that the Fullerton Hotel serves up from its Cake Boutique that features sweet tea-time treats, to all-day dining restaurant The Clifford pier that offers local hawker fare. History buffs will discover the By natalie Chen importance the building played in Singapore's story. The hotel's site was previously occupied by Fort Fullerton. named after Sir Robert Fullerton, the first governor of the Straits Settlements, the fort was built in 1829 to defend the town at the mouth of the Singapore River. Heritage plays a large role in the Fullerton brand name. The Fullerton Heritage gallery was launched on July 8, 2010 to showcase the rich heritage and history of the hotel,as well as its neighbouring precinct. The 800-sqft gallery displays photographs, maps, stamps and philatelic materials that date back to 1932. "The Fullerton Heritage gallery represents our shared heritage and future; it is a testament to how we cherish and treasure our past," says giovanni viterale, general manager of The Fullerton Heritage, a dining and hospitality precinct comprising of heritage landmarks along Singapore's waterfront. Without doubt, a stay at The Fullerton Singapore is a step back into the nostalgic realm of Singapore's history. Situated on the banks of the Singapore River and etched in the history of the island is The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. "The models are made in painstaking detail capturing extreme detail." destination: singapore

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