How to have a fun and cultural family trip in Singapore

With its stunning skyscrapers, heritage sites, luxurious malls and breathtaking tourist attractions Singapore is known as one of the safest and cleanest cities in the world. A 13 hour flight from the UK, its mixture of cultural and fun attractions, for all the family, makes it worth it the trip, plus the world-class airport has a magnificent waterfall view.

Where to stay:

The man made island is awash with hotels and the Orchard Road district is one of the best to stay in, as its where all the designer shops are and also central for reaching the attractions.

Here are four of the best:

Pan Pacific: The newly opened Pan Pacific, just off the main strip in Claymore Road, echoes Singapore’s sustainability values. With solar panel technology, an in room filtered water system and a bio digester which transforms food waste into cleaning water, it is a green oasis. With 23 storeys housing 346 bedrooms, the hotel is divided into four terraces, forest, beach, garden and cloud, which is best seen upwards from the lagoon swimming pool, where a huge mirror ceiling makes you think you are on a palm island.

Bedrooms by the pool have access to the water and are close to the hotel spa, where experienced staff are on hand to massage away the tensions. There’s green shrubbery everywhere you look and complemented by wooden finishes and club bedrooms have cool sitting areas with views of the city and access to a special lounge for VIP breakfasts and cocktail hours. Food with a Peruvian twist is served in the Mosella restaurant and the sweetest oysters and champagne in the Florette bar.

Asia Pacific: Orchard Road is home to The Hilton’s largest hotel in Asia Pacific. With large airy modern rooms, the hotel is a haven for families with interconnecting rooms, special deals for attractions and plenty of activities to keep everyone happy. Sunday is the day to try out the magnificent Estate Brunch, where you can enjoy free flowing champagne as you try out the finest foods from around the world in an astonishing array of rooms packed with different cuisines, to see is to believe.

Pullman Hotel: Across the road is the trendy Pullman Hotel, oozing with five star luxury and big bedrooms and the slogan “our world is your playground’’. With a colourful interior in its 326 rooms and a swimming pool complete with animal inflatables, it’s a great central spot and its Eden Restaurant serves up great cocktails and modern cuisine.

Yotel: Technology is a must in Singapore and two great ambassadors are Yoshi and Yolanda, the robots who run the cool Yotel in Orchard Road. They offer room service without human interaction and are just one of the great pulls of this funky hotel. Rooms are compact and the bathrooms have great views of the city, with the Komynuiti restaurant serving up tasty food.

Fun fact: There are more than 430 hotels in Singapore, offering more than 70,000 rooms!

What to see:

A visit to the exotic Gardens by the Bay shows you just how seriously the environment is taken. As you stand on the 128 metre OCBC aerial Skyway, suspended between two supertrees, 22 metres above ground, all you can see is green, with the Singapore strait infront and full of passing container ships.

Created by the National Parks Board as a showcase of horticulture and garden artistry, it is a wonderful place to spend a few hours. You can stroll round three waterfront gardens and at night watch a brilliant light show for free.

Tickets are needed to look round the flower dome, the biggest glass greenhouse in the world which maintains a temperature of between 23 to 25 degrees celsius to keep flowers and plants from across the globe healthy.

Fans of the film Avatar can enjoy the misty cloud forest, full of aliens and blooms inspired by the hit movie. Close by is floral fantasy which is a nod to eccentric pieces of art made from flowers. The gardens are shadowed by the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, cleverly made up of three towers topped by a skypark observation deck which affords magnificent views of the city and the Formula One Grand Prix’s race circuit.

The Museum of Ice Cream, is a pink filled building dedicated to the cool food and a great place to take selfies.

A day out at Sentosa Island, a former British military fortress, which is now home to hotels, beaches and fabulous attractions, is a must.

Best places to see are the S.E.A Aquarium, with more than 100,000 marine animals, the Mega Adventure Park, which allows you to fly along a zip wire above the forests and across the beach, the 4D Adventureland, ready to engulf you in animated technology, Universal for rides and shops and the Sky Helix and Cable Car, which give fabulous views of the island and Mount Faber.

Good to Know: The ticket discount website Klook is a brilliant app to have on your phone and help cut the cost of attractions.

Fun fact: The mega zip wire sets off from the peak of Imbiah Hill and zooms over 450 metres across a jungle, beach and sea, ending up on the man made island of Siloso Beach.

What to eat:

Food and drink are probably one of the best attractions and kids will enjoy the diverse dishes offered. The locals love sweet food and there is everything from earthquake bread to rose petal milk to try. One of the most famous dishes is the ice cream sandwich, which you can buy off the street and is literally two scoops of your favourite flavour wrapped up in rainbow bread.

There are hundreds of restaurants to try, serving local and international cuisine, but beware, Singapore is the second most expensive city in the world.

Fun fact: The fabulously named Egg Slut chain, serves fast food, with every dish centred around eggs! . There is a shop now in London, so you can try before you travel.

How to get around:

A great way of getting your bearings is via The Big Bus Tour, which offers 24 or 24 hours of sight-seeing and takes in all the landmarks and districts including the lively Little Italy and China Town , with ongoing commentary.

If you are travelling with your family, it is cheaper many times to catch a Grab using their app which can also be used for food and other mobile services.

Fun fact: Big Bus Tours also run a duck tour, where you travel in an old style amphibious tank and start off on land and end up in the water!

Tourist information:

• All major airlines fly to Singapore.
• For airport parking, lounges and transfers in the UK, www.holidayextras.com can help.
• Tourist information is available via www.visitsingapore.com

Fun Fact: More than six million tourists from around the world flock to see Singapore.