Singapore’s Orchard Road is streets ahead

Singapore is my favourite destination for a quick city break. With flight times between 5-5½ hours, it’s a similar journey to Sydney but being in the same time zone as Perth, it just feels that little bit easier.

Each time I visit, there’s something new to explore. Or something old that I haven’t seen before. You can easily cover several aspects on a four-day trip. My usual preference is to stay near Clarke or Robertson Quay because the river is such a bustling place and it’s easy to get to other neighbourhoods from there.

I’m mixing it up this time and am booked into the Hilton Singapore Orchard hotel. As the name suggests, it’s on the Lion City’s famed shopping street, Orchard Road. I’m not a huge fan of shopping, but I’m curious to see what else the area has to offer.

Emerald Hill

So, what to do in the shopping district when you’d rather not hit the shops? First off, a leisurely 10-minute walk takes me out of the hustle and bustle and into the peaceful heritage area of Emerald Hill.

In the early 1800s, given Singapore’s importance as a spice-trading hub, the Orchard Road area was filled with nutmeg plantations, spice gardens, pepper farms and fruit tree orchards, hence the street’s name today. Nutmeg prices collapsed in the mid-1800s, followed by an outbreak of a destructive disease and pests which led to the failure of the nutmeg plantations.

In the early 1900s, the land was split into smaller plots and the Orchard area, including Emerald Hill, was developed as a residential zone filled with terraced houses and shophouses — where the lower level was used for business and the upper floor contained the living quarters. In 1985 Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Agency designated Emerald Hill a conservation area in order to retain some of Singapore’s best examples of Straits Chinese-style dwellings.

Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, stipulated that shophouses must have a 5ft-wide covered walkway along the front as a thoroughfare for pedestrians and to protect them from the elements. They provide me welcome shade from the tropical sun, and I’d imagine invaluable cover from the city’s frequent afternoon showers. The house facades are narrow, typically about 5m, but extend back to about 15-20m deep, because tax was calculated on the width of the dwelling’s frontage. Emerald Hill houses of this type will today sell for between $S8-12m ($9-13m).

In the early days many of the houses were inhabited by wealthy Peranakan, or Straits-born, Chinese families. The Chinese were a superstitious people so those houses feature decorations and symbols on the exteriors which were thought to ward off evil and bring good luck, wealth and longevity.

The terraced houses are colourful and ornately decorated, featuring a mix of Malay, Chinese and European architectural details. I see intricate plaster mouldings, Corinthian columns, French windows with timber louvres, semicircular fanlight windows, as well as beautiful glazed ceramic tiles. Decorative grilles above windows provided ventilation. Some are bat-shaped, because bats symbolise good fortune or blessings in Chinese culture. Another form of ventilation came from a pair of pintu pagar (translated as ‘fence door’) in front of the main door. These half-height wooden gates enabled the main doors to remain open to allow air to circulate through the interior, while closing off the lower portion of the doorway, ensuring the occupants’ privacy.

Design Orchard

Ok, I give in and indulge in a bit of buying. Diagonally opposite the hotel, Design Orchard is a unique space which features items such as clothes, jewellery, accessories, beauty products and home furnishings, from more than 90 local designers and brands.

I buy a handbag from Re-store, a Singaporean company which employs marginalised and underprivileged women. The products are made with upcycled fabric, deadstock and off-cut textiles.

Echoing this morning’s walk around the shophouses of Emerald Hill, I see a display of homewares and clothes featuring Peranakan prints by Photo Phactory, a local business whose products are inspired by Singapore’s heritage and history.

The second floor is used as a collaborative creative working space for local designers. The top floor features a rooftop garden and public amphitheatre, where you can sit and watch the busyness of Orchard Road in the shade of parasols and lush green planting.

Bada Korean Head Spa

The Hilton Singapore Orchard hotel sits on top of the Mandarin Gallery shopping mall. On the recommendation of another hotel guest, I book into Bada Korean Head Spa, within the shopping centre, for the True Care Head Spa treatment. Think an Indian head massage with bells on.

First your scalp is analysed. This step is slightly off-putting. If you know how confronting a close-up of your skin looks on the big screen when you go for a skin check, you will understand when I say looking at a magnified version of my scalp and hair follicles is not pretty, but stay with me because the bliss is yet to come. My therapist ascertains I have sensitive scalp (she is right). She massages a soothing oil into my scalp, followed by a relaxing shoulder, neck and scalp massage.

I’m led over to the sink where I’m fully reclined, a heated eye pillow is gently placed, followed by a soft blanket, and I’m encouraged to take deep breaths of a delicate aromatherapy oil. The scalp treatment is massaged in further and it feels soothing and cooling at the same time.

My hair and scalp are thoroughly shampooed. Next, head node combing to increase blood circulation, followed by a second clean. All the while my therapist applies firm but soothing pressure. I swear at one point, it feels like I am levitating.

A conditioning treatment is applied, steamed towels are wrapped around my head and I lie, thoroughly relaxed, for 10 minutes while the treatment does its work. After rinsing (and more massaging) my hair is blow-dried while I sip a refreshing ginger tea. At $S120 ($135) it’s money well spent.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

A three-minute walk from the hotel to the bus stop outside Somerset Youth Park, and a 10-minute bus journey takes me away from the hubbub and into the verdant oasis of Singapore Botanic Gardens.

I could happily spend several hours in the gardens but today my focus is the National Orchid Garden. Entry to the Botanic Gardens is free, but there is a $S15 ($16.75) charge for entry into the Orchid Garden (under-12s are free).

The best time to visit is early in the morning before the sun and the humidity take hold. I arrive at 8am to discover the Orchid Garden doesn’t open until 8.30am. However, I have heard there are otters to be found within the wider gardens, so I enjoy a wander through the lush greenery, keeping my eyes peeled. I spy a couple of tortoises gliding by in one of the lakes, and some kind of large lizard pressing himself flat against a tree trunk in a vain attempt at disguising himself.

Alas, there are no otters to be spotted this morning. But on entering the Orchid Garden I see there are plenty of delicate blooms to be found. The display of orchids is one of the largest in the world, with more than 1000 species and 2000 hybrids on show. There are exotic flowers in every colour imaginable, in all shapes and sizes, and thriving in several different climates. I’ve walked around for over an hour and I’ve barely scratched the surface.

It’s heating up and I’m relieved to find the Secret Ravine, which mimics the habitat found in deep, narrow valleys of tropical mountains, and leads into the Orchid Garden’s three glasshouses. The glasshouses hold collections of rare orchids and ferns which grow at different elevations in tropical montane forests. I’m eventually led into the Sembcorp Cool House. The air is decidedly cooler as I make my way through pathways which cross trickling streams, marvelling at the variety of orchids cascading down the rocks. I keep thinking I’ve taken my last photo, only to turn the corner and find more and more beautiful blooms.

Back outside, don’t miss the golden arches (far more picturesque than the ones you may be thinking of). Masses of Golden Shower (or Dancing Lady) orchids are arranged over several metal arches, forming a tunnel of yellow and green which makes a beautiful backdrop for a photograph.

Alchemist

Walking in the humidity is hard work, so I head back to Orchard Road and decide it’s time for an iced coffee.

A five-minute walk from the hotel I find Alchemist, one of 10 outlets in the city. The company takes its coffee seriously and its flagship store at the Khong Guan Building also contains a roastery.

The Orchard Road store is set at the side of the Heeren shopping mall, and I don’t quite escape the humidity because there is no air-conditioning in the open-sided and fronted space. But I like the indoor-outdoor feel, with touches of pale wood, concrete and stainless steel, softened by lots of foliage, and there are ceiling fans bringing down the temperature to a pleasant one.

The coffee is excellent, and the addition of ice doesn’t dilute the rich flavour of the beans, as it often does.

As I leave, I notice a sculpture just outside the entrance. It reminds me of one of my favourite Singapore sights. First Generation is a bronze depiction of five boys jumping into the Singapore River, which is in front of the Fullerton Hotel on the city’s riverfront. On closer inspection, I see this statue is by the same sculptor, Chong Fah Cheong. Budak Budak: The Next Generation depicts four energetic children (budak budak), three of which are hoisting the fourth onto a large kamchen. A kamcheng is a traditional Peranakan porcelain jar used to store food and is often a precious family heirloom. The sculpture symbolises the wisdom, culture and assets that are passed on through each generation, with the children representing the trailblazers of the next generation.

Hilton Singapore Orchard

If you are a shopaholic this hotel is going to be the ideal base, as outside your door there are malls as far as the eye can see. But I think I may also have found my favourite Singapore hotel.

Beautifully renovated two years ago, the 5-star property’s rooms feature subtle botanical-inspired designs, giving a nod to the area’s agricultural past. My king deluxe room is decorated in understated shades of grey and sage, and I have a magnificent view of the city, stretching all the way to the striking building of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

The public spaces are luxurious, light and airy. Dining options are excellent, with eateries which include Italian fare at Osteria Mozza; Michelin-starred Szechwan restaurant Shisen Hanten; Chatterbox, serving delicious traditional Singaporean dishes; and Estate, offering all-day dining buffet style, with an impressive selection of dishes from around the world. Estate also serves 10 cooked-to-order dishes which are delivered to your table.

The hotel is perfect for families, too. Children receive their own registration card to fill in at check-in. Under-12s are given a welcome backpack containing a great little activity book, including a suggested Singapore kids’ itinerary, origami pads, coloured pencils and even some cute kid-size Hilton slippers. Estate restaurant has a designated kids’ corner with child-friendly dishes. And if you book your stay on the company’s website or on the Hilton app, you can choose confirmed connecting rooms at the time of booking.

So, whether you are keen to indulge in some retail therapy or prefer to enjoy the area’s flora and fauna, or its history and heritage, Orchard Road will be right up your street.

fact file

+ Hilton Singapore Orchard Hotel is a five-minute walk from Somerset and Orchard MRT stations and a 25-minute drive from the airport.

+ For room prices and further information visit hiltonsingaporeorchard.com