Sing-Star(rett)

This year has been pretty wild so I deliberately booked a few days of decompression for time in Singapore on the way home. Raffles Sentosa looked good online - and really, who can say no to a private villa with a pool? The reality is even more spectacular. 

A butler escorts you to your villa and mixes up a fresh Sentosa sling (their twist on a Singapore Sling) while he finalises the check in process and shows you around. Two separate beautifully appointed glass and timber pavilions - a living room and a bedroom, with the pool between them, all surrounded by high walls. Inside my little oasis I have fresh flowers, lush greenery, a 24 hour butler, and complete silence except for the peacocks and the parrots. I want to bring everyone I know here to experience it with me, and I equally want to shut out the world and just sink into the privacy and the stillness. 

Breakfast can be served at your villa, but I’ve chosen to eat both days by the main pool. They wheel over little carts of fresh juices, then cereal and fruit, then a bread and pastry basket before handing you a menu to order the main event. Kind of a buffet that comes to you. I tried a delicious “ green fritter” made with zucchini, carrots (not green) and ginger, served with a slightly bitter lime zest ricotta. One evening I was driven in a Rolls Royce buggy (yes really!) to the Sofitel property next door for a nice dinner at the bar). It was less flash than Raffles but I had excellent service from my waitress and good food. Two days of swimming and reading has given me a reset, ready for reentry to my normal life. I know I’ve missed a chance to explore Singapore, however I’ve spent time in Singapore before and this relaxation time is precious. 

On the last day, I checked out late and spent time with a very dear friend and his hosts for a walk and then lunch. We wandered through little India and tried Appam - a lacy pancake made with ground rice and coconut milk. It’s fried in a wok into a little basket shape and then dipped in coconut milk and sugar. Delicious. Lunch was at a restaurant on the water and we tried Chilli Crab, with golden fried Mantou buns. Also delicious. The poor crab was live before we ate him for lunch, and I was just glad I didn’t have to choose him specifically from the tank. This day out was an unexpected bonus of stopping in Singapore and made for a lovely social finale before flying home. The Singapore stopover was a wonderful chance to eschew any decision making, logistics planning, and indeed any effort at all. A few quiet days to let the noise fade and the tempo slow. A few perfect rests before the rhythm of normal life returns.