Why a Singapore stopover is worth the stay

We are regular stopover visitors to Singapore and every visit shows us something new and often spectacular . . . and this two- night visit is no exception.

We are staying at the Park Hotel at Clarke Quay on the Singapore River. The river's leafy pathway runs right in front of our hotel so, to banish jet lag, we walk past Parliament House to the Raffles Statue at the Sir Stamford Raffles landing site and the Asian Civilisations Museum - an interesting and pleasant walk through a little of Singapore's history.

Refreshed after a swim in the hotel pool and with a local evening meal in mind, the hotel doorman points us one block to the corner of River Valley Road. Here, we have the choice of six local cafes. We dine under a cafe awning on pork mince dumplings and noodle soup with spring onion, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, sesame oil and a little soy sauce, along with a pot of tea, all for $SGD8 ($7.50).

Early the following morning and after an excellent buffet breakfast at our hotel, we take a taxi ($SGD10) over the Singapore River to Gardens by the Bay, the acclaimed botanical gardens overlooking Marina Bay. Ahead of the crowds, we are soon in the Cloud Forest - one of two enormous, temperature-controlled conservatory domes.

The Cloud Forest simulates a tropical paradise of orchids, ferns, colourful begonias, bromeliads and hungry carnivorous pitcher plants which cling to the walls of a central 35m artificial mountain. A waterfall tumbles from the mountaintop into a pool, creating a fine spray which waters the plants.

A sea of colour sweeps before us in the Flower Dome. The climates of the Mediterranean, Chile, South Africa, California and Australia are reproduced to support weird boabs and bottle trees, thousand- year-old olive trees, succulent plants and a colourful flower field. We feel quite at home in the Australian garden.

After coffee at the on-site Cafe Crema, we join a very worthwhile 20-minute audio tram tour around the entire garden. The tram circles the 101ha complex of conservatories, theme gardens, lakes, lily ponds and the Supertree Grove, where the supertrees - some as high as 50m - dominate the skyline.

The supertrees are vertical gardens of lush ferns, vines and orchids which collect rainwater for use in the gardens' fountain displays. They are solar-powered and also serve as air intakes to cool the glass-domed conservatories.

We decide to save our supertree experience for the evening's music and light show, and hop on the SBS Transit Bus back to town for lunch.

The Park Hotel's helpful staff recommend pork rib soup (bak kut teh) at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, a popular restaurant just a short walk from the hotel on New Bridge Street. We join the lunchtime throng for this peppery, aromatic Singaporean delicacy, helped along with cooling lemon iced teas. At $SGD15 for two, it's not bad value either.

In Singapore, we are long over being concerned about eating in local cafes. Restaurant hygiene standards are high and strictly enforced, with current compliance certificates often conspicuous.

At twilight, we are back in the gardens, lying on our backs (as others are doing) looking up at the supertrees. As the natural light fades, the trees' colourful illuminations fill the night sky. At 7.45pm the sounds of the Garden Rhapsody orchestrate a kaleidoscope of colour up and across the trees' giant boughs to the very tips of their outstretched arms. Spectators on the 128m-long Skyway enjoy an elevated view. The intensity of the colours moves from one tree to another and changes with every musical variation. We watch entranced for a full hour.

With coloured lights still in our eyes, we grab a taxi back to town, hopping out at Tiong Bahru Cafe. Its specialty is Hainanese lemon chicken with garlic and ginger served with curry rice.

On our last morning, we take another taxi over to the Suntec City Mall and the Safari Gate. From here, we take a 30-minute bus ride through Singapore's lush forested suburbs to the lakeside River Safari park near the Singapore Zoo.

The River Safari experience is a leisurely walk through a series of imaginatively themed pavilions that recreate the environments of our planet's major river habitats.

The highlight, of course, is the pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia, which frolic in their Giant Panda Forest - a convincingly natural environment - nibbling bamboo shoots. They are up and about as we watch and photograph them at play.

More than 6000 creatures live in the park, including crocodiles, snakes and spiders, as well as cheeky monkeys, cute otters and busy beavers. The world's largest freshwater aquarium is home to some fearsome fish. There is an unmistakable giant freshwater stingray, as well as an enormous toothless Mekong catfish. There is also a relaxing River Safari Cruise around the lake.

After crossing the lake through a long, covered footbridge, we return to the park entrance and an indoor/outdoor food court offering Asian and Western cuisine. For lunch, we share mee siam, stir-fried rice vermicelli with chilli paste, prawns and bean sprouts in sauce topped with a hard-boiled egg, at Ah Meng Kopi, a popular Singaporean fast-food franchise. Then, kaya toast for dessert.

Singapore Airlines' Singapore Stopover holiday program makes it easy and inexpensive to visit the city's major attractions. We always look forward to the comfortable familiarity of the city, its safety and its friendly English-speaking people. The helpful taxi drivers and their inexpensive services are appreciated, and we ride in awe on the efficient public transport system.

On our Singapore Airlines evening flight home, we order stir-fried pork with mushrooms, peppers, steamed rice and our usual - a Singapore Sling.

The highlight, of course, is the pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia, which frolic in their Giant Panda Forest, nibbling bamboo shoots.