Last year me and Neil were lucky enough to spend three days in Singapore. It was our second visit to this wonderful city, en route to visit my family in Sydney, Australia. Whilst I didn’t get to explore many gluten free eateries whilst I was there, I thought you may still like to check out the places I did get to grab a bite to eat from, and the other things we got up to on our short, but rather splendid stay in Singapore.
Each time we visit my family in Australia I write a diary, starting from the moment we leave home. The words I jot down capture precious moments of our time spent together; things we did, places we visited, meals we shared, etc. There’s something magical about being reminded with such accurate detail, of happy times spent, which may have slipped my mind if not jotted down.
For this trip, rather than a notepad, I took my laptop to note down what we got up to each day. I’ve edited my notes and left it in diary format for you to read at your leisure.
For ease of reading I’ve split our Singapore/Australia trip into two parts. Here’s Singapore. Sydney, Australia will follow ASAP…
Saturday 23rd September
Our taxi picked us up at 7.30am and dropped us off at Manchester airport. We checked in quickly and security went like clockwork, which meant we made it into the departure lounge with plenty of time for Neil to enjoy a sausage, bacon and egg muffin and for me to toast our adventure with a glass of fizz!
We had great seats on the flight, thanks to my dad’s tip off about getting seats mid plane, and over the wing if possible. Good old Dad!
I enjoyed the food on the plane. And because of my gluten free dietary needs (which I notified the airline about before our trip), I got served my meals super quick. I did, however, hold off tucking in until Neil had his too.
For drinks, I squeezed in a G&T aperitif, a white wine with my main meal, and a brandy and coke a little later. I didn’t manage to sleep much, but very much enjoyed listening to 70’s and 80’s music and watching a few episodes of Absolutely Fabulous!
Sunday 24th September
We landed at Changi airport around 7.30am (Singapore time) and was met by our taxi driver, a lovely guy, who told us that he’d lived in Singapore his whole life.
He drove us to The Fullerton Hotel, where our bags were carried in by the concierge, who held on to them, as our room wasn’t due to be ready until 2pm. However, after we’d eaten breakfast (we arranged to have breakfast on the day of arrival rather than departure, due to travel times), we went back to reception and they managed to find us a room, which turned out to be an ABSOLUTE beauty.
After depositing our luggage in the room, we popped out – whilst still in our scruffs – to The Fullerton Bay Hotel for a drink. Neil had a Singapore sling, and I had a glass of fizz. Neil’s mum gave us some holiday spends, so these drinks were on her. Thanks Noreen xx
After drinks, we had a wander around the bay and took a few snaps…
Before going back to the hotel to freshen up. Neil was happy to be left in the room to catch a glimpse of the Japan Grand Prix on TV, whilst I took myself down to the lobby and ordered a chilled glass of white.Me and Neil then headed out to a bar overlooking the bay to enjoy a Singapore sling, before having another walk around the bay. We went back to our hotel for our evening meal. Neil had fish and chips and I had belly pork with veggies.
After tea, we took another stroll (we like walking!) around the bay and checked out The Gardens by the Bay. Sadly the trees weren’t illuminated as they were the last time we visited. It started to rain, and we were pooped, so headed back to the hotel and hopped into bed.
Monday 25th September
We managed a good night’s sleep and got up about 8.30am and wandered downstairs to enjoy a nice leisurely breakfast. I had poached eggs and smoked salmon and gluten free toast (cooked separately in the kitchen), fresh fruit and yoghurt, a glass of fresh orange juice and a flat white.
The Fullerton Hotel offers an amazing selection for breakfast. And whilst I felt there was plenty of things for me to eat, I felt because of my dietary needs I couldn’t do justice to all the wonderful things that were available. However, it was nice seeing Neil making the most of trying the things that took his fancy. After breakfast we took a walk along the river. At midday, we took a taxi to Singapore Zoo (the hotel arranged our taxi and kindly gave us two bottles of water to take with us). The zoo was fab!
So many fascinating animals to see and we were thoroughly entertained with an outdoor show, which included parrots swooping over our heads.
When we got back, we popped down to the bay for drinks at the same bar we’d visited the previous day. After drinks we had a walk around checking for places that may have been suitable for me to eat, before deciding that to be on the safe side we’d eat at hotel again. I went for a Bolognese with gluten free penne. It was extremely tasty. Neil had a burger.
After tea we couldn’t resist another walk around the bay before calling it a night.
Tuesday 26th September
After another hearty breakfast and lovely kind staff looking after us, we walked along the river to find TIANN’S a 100% gluten free café (thanks Laura, My gluten free guide for the tip off).
Neil had checked out the direction to the café; and we only needed to ask someone to help us with navigations once. I was SO impressed with TIANN’S. The menu was appealing and varied.
I was just sorry, that all I could manage was a sorbet and mango spritzer, thanks to still being full up from breakfast. I did, however, pick up a slice of chocolate brownie with peanuts, which turned out be extremely delicious and made me (and Neil) wish I’d bought more.
We walked back to the hotel along the river. This is a fab walk and one I’d highly recommend. Once back at our hotel, we decided to take a dip in the pool. We got to catch some great views of Singapore from the pool, and there were plenty of comfy sun loungers to sit on and a huge pile of white fluffy towels available.
The attentive pool attendant came around with iced tea, which was most welcome. There was also coke slush and chilled water on tap. After our pool dip, we got ourselves ready and went to the bar by the bay again for a couple of Singapore slings.
We ate at Jade, the Cantonese restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel (another big treat for us!!) and enjoyed a fabulous meal. They were totally on it when it came to catering for my gluten free diet.
After our meal, we took a little walk to soak in another evening in the beautiful city, before heading back to our room to pack.
Wednesday 27th September
A wake up call from the hotel at 5am, ensured we were up and ready in good time for the taxi to pick us up at 6.30am to take us to Changi airport. It was an automated luggage label and boarding pass service at Singapore airport; something new to us, but we managed OK. We grabbed a coffee at the airport and waited to board our flight. All good with the flight. I was given a nice hot gluten free sandwich for breakfast. Not sure exactly what it was, but thinking maybe sliced aubergine, tomato and cheese? For tea, I had a tasty beef stew and veggies.
We landed in Sydney around 7.30pm…
Notes about our trip to Singapore that may be helpful:
Who we booked with
Trailfinders have been our go to travel company for every trip we’ve made to Singapore/Australia. Their customer service is EXCEPTIONAL. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.
Where we stayed
For a real luxury we opted to stay at The Fullerton Hotel. We were extremely fortunate to be able to stretch our budget for our stay in Singapore this time, as we had no accommodation costs in Sydney as we very gratefully stayed with family.
Our hotel package in Singapore was for three nights stay and included breakfast each morning. However, because of our early departure time from the hotel, I contacted the hotel manager before we arrived to see if it would be OK to have breakfast on the morning we arrived rather on the day we were due to depart. The hotel happily let us do this.
If you ever get a chance to stay at the Fullerton, then you must! Exceptional staff, great food, spotlessly clean and it’s in a cracking location.
Who we flew with
We’ve been lucky enough to visit Australia (with stopovers in Singapore) three times, and each time flown with Singapore airlines. We’ve always been extremely happy with their wonderful service. I let them know about my dietary needs when we book, and when I’ve not been too nervous to eat (I’m not a relaxed flyer, but it’s SO worth conquering my fear to get to spend precious time with my family), I’ve enjoyed the inflight meals. All the meals I was given were marked up gluten free, but snacks such as ice-cream, nuts etc that came round in-between meals were NOT gluten free, so of course I didn’t accept them.
Singapore is a fabulous country, with so much to see and do and the people are so warm and welcoming. Whilst on the surface it may seem that Singapore doesn’t have lots of gluten free options, if you do more research than I did before visiting, I’m sure you’ll discover many more delightful gluten free eateries. Quick thing to mention, if like me you have dietary needs, don’t forget to check about suitability of drinks as well as food.
As a side note, Singapore’s food scene is incredible. From the Hawker centres, night markets, China town, etc, fab food is EVERYWHERE! And whilst these places were too risky for me to grab a bite to eat, as a person that appreciates all things food, I loved getting chance to check out these places, and spent my time whilst there, encouraging Neil to try different things on my behalf.
Thanks for reading. Please do let me know if you’ve ever been to Singapore and don’t forget to let me have your gluten free recommendations, to ensure I’m more on it for when I next visit. As always if you’ve got questions please don’t hesitate to give me a shout!
For now,
Liz x
We were there Liz in 65 to 67 with the armed forces and my how it’s changed we loved it
Oh how wonderful that you got to spend so much time there! Yes, I can imagine many changes have been made since then. Happy memories x
Lovely post Liz, look forward to reading the next one.
Thanks so much carol!xx
Hi Liz, we were there in 2005 on a stopover similar to yours. It happened to be the year that the massive hotel that looks like it has a skate board and big swimming pool on the roof, was just nearing completion. like you we loved it.
I didn’t know I needed to be GF at that point, but by the time I returned home having spent 3 months with my daughter and her coeliac partner, I knew I was.
Aw yes that hotel is impressive, we had a little nosey in the lobby when we were there a couple of years ago!
Beautiful buddy, felt I was there with you xx
Aw one day we may get to visit together buddy!!xx