Part 1
About 2 weeks ago, my husband and I returned from this fantastic tour. Many thanks to previous posters for their trip reports and useful information. I hope this report will be helpful to future travelers.
We had a very nice and active group of 11 on our tour. There were 5 late cancellations, possibly because of the earthquake near Flores Island a couple of weeks prior to the start of the tour. It did not impact the tour. And we had an outstanding Tour Director, Giny, who lives in Indonesia. She was organized, high energy, knowledgeable, helpful and communicated well. A couple of weeks prior to the tour, our TD emailed the Itinerary and some Singapore information and asked for our entree choices for the first dinner. She also advised that we would be using WhatsApp on tour. During the tour, she sent an email every afternoon with the next day's itinerary and other information, helped with dining and other reservations and posted hundreds of great photos and videos on WhatsApp.
On tour flights and luggage were handled very well. Seating was toward the front of the planes and generally aisle and middle seat. We were fortunate in that there were no significant delays or other issues, always a possibility in that area.
Getting there and home: We booked through United. We flew late afternoon Chicago to San Francisco, spent the night at an airport hotel, and then a morning United Polaris flight to Singapore. United now has its version of the Q Suites, quite comfortable. Going home, we flew Garuda Indonesia (very good) to Tokyo Narita and ANA to Chicago. Other than a delay in Tokyo, very smooth.
We arrived at the beautiful Raffles Hotel early evening. They served us champagne because our lovely room was being readied for the evening and our Butler gave us chocolates. At this Hotel and all of the others (except for the one night at the Marriott), I requested a yoga mat for the room. Perfect timing for an early night.
Day 1: The tour was to commence this evening. I had prebooked a food tour, called "A Chef's Tour" which started at 10:00 am. We took the Metro to Chinatown to meet the guide and the 3 other tour participants (all from Australia). Excellent tour - various stops in Chinatown, including a Hawker market and a Michelin star chicken place, coffee, durian fruit; Metro to Little India, sightseeing and a hawker market there; Metro to Kampong Glam area, more sightseeing and dessert. From there, we walked back to the Hotel and had time to go to the pool and relax. That evening, we met the group for the Welcome reception and a very good dinner at the Hotel.
Day 2: A busy and fun day. Our great local guide, Darren, led the group on a walking tour and a boat tour. Then visit and lunch at the InTan Home/Museum, hosted by the incomparable Alvin. Returned to the Hotel around 2:30 pm. At 4:00 pm, my husband and I started the Hotel Tour, but had to leave it early because we had reservations at the Long Bar (which we had pushed up because of an optional evening activity). The Hotel tour was interesting, but it dragged. Enjoyed the Long Bar. After that we met up with most of our group, and we joined Darren for a tour (at extra cost) that included dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant and the Metro to the Marina Bay Sands. Darren led us around and to the light show there, and then we walked over to the Super Trees Light Show. From there, Darren arranged Grab vehicles back to the Hotel. Lots of fun, and it would have been hard for us to manage both light shows in one night on our own.
Day 3: Morning Gardens by the Bay tour with the group. First a tram ride around. Then we visited the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. The latter was extra enjoyable because of a tie in with the Jurassic World franchise. The group finished up by 1:00 pm, with the option of a drop off at Marina Bay Sands, the National Gallery or the Hotel. (Darren also offered an add on option of a tour to the Chinatown Hawker Market. Some members of our group did join that tour).
My husband and I were dropped at the National Gallery. We wandered around inside, including a visit to the top floor and some nice views. We then walked into National Kitchen by Violet Oon and were seated for lunch without a reservation. Very good. Next, we visited the nearby Asian Civilizations Museum, which was well worth the visit (and was on my to do list). We walked back to the Hotel. After enjoying our included Singapore Slings in our room, we went to the shopping mall across the street and had an early, light dinner.
To be continued….
