Blogs from Raffles Marina, Singapore, Asia

After the movie “Crazy, Rich Asians” came out, people have been asking me if there really is a building that looks like a ship resting on three pillars in Singapore. The answer is yes. That iconic building is Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino, and it is pretty spectacular. In addition to the jaw-dropping architecture, it boasts a high-end mall with a river running through it, complete with gondolas. It contains one of the most profitable casinos in the world, and the roof top deck with the infinity edge pool is stunning and unique. Rooms run between $600 and $6,000 a night; I, of course, have never stayed there, but for a small fee you can go up to the deck. The pool is reserved for guests. But there is more to Marina Bay area than ... read more

I slept in a little later than I had planned, but I think I needed it to do what I had planned for the day. I got my included breakfast, just a lite bite for me: two strips of bacon, a salmon mini-quiche, and fruit. Little did I know I would not eat again until 3pm!! Once I put all my stuff in my purse that could fit, including the provided phone from the hotel (really!), I made my way down to Marina Square Mall and across the street. It was only just after 9 am, but it was already a humid hot. Gardens by the Bay The walk itself was quite pleasant, along the bay, over the helix bridge and along the promenade. I bought a combined ticket to see the Cloud Forest and Flower ... read more

Woolly says – We’d sat over breakfast looking at the map, lots of museums still to see but we felt that we had been in so many something a little different was needed. We could cover some more temples, but we were templed out, Zoe suggested shopping and was swiftly outvoted which was when we came across something that doesn’t really feature in the guidebooks. Having plotted the metro route we were off, as the train raced through the dark I sat with my Mammoth Book of Facts reading about Haw Par Villa (formerly known as the Tiger Balm Garden) which is an 8.5 hectare Asian cultural park, the last of its kind in the world. Built in 1937, it was the brainchild of Aw Boon Haw, the millionaire philanthropist and marketing extraordinaire who gifted the ... read more

I think I might have cracked the adding of photos, so here are a few more, hopefull named and captioned. That’s it fron Singapore!... read more

December 15 – 16, 2015 Our family is excited about our new adventure, visiting Asian countries we have never been too. The trip will also be a celebration of Marcy’s life as her wish was to spread her ashes at sea while we all went on a cruise as a family. We left our home around 6:45 am to head to the airport. Since we had several of us in the car we used the HOV lane to avoid the dreaded Houston traffic. After parking at the Parking Spot, we headed to Terminal D at the Houston IAH airport. Before checking in, we waited for Erv, Tim and Gayle to arrive. Since we were on the same reservation we thought it would be better to check in together. Once the rest of our family arrived, we ... read more