On the evening of 5 May, my husband and I made our way to Heathrow Terminal 5 to begin our journey to Singapore. We were travelling in Business Class, which made all the difference on the long 13–hour overnight flight. We departed on time and, aside from a few pockets of turbulence, the flight was wonderfully smooth. The lie–flat Business Class seats were a real blessing. Carl and I both managed around eight hours of solid sleep, so we landed in Singapore feeling surprisingly fresh. In hindsight, this may have worked a little too well, as we then found ourselves wide awake at 1 am for a couple of hours before finally drifting back off and waking again at 7 am.

Arriving into Singapore Changi Airport was an absolute breeze. From touchdown to meeting our pre–booked transfer took just 40 minutes, which set the tone for a very seamless start to our stay.  Around 40 minutes later we pulled up at The Barracks Hotel, our base for the next two nights. From the moment we arrived, the service felt genuinely warm and personal. We were welcomed by the sweetest security guard, who was incredibly friendly, and then escorted inside by a member of staff who guided us to reception and took care of our check–in. Within moments we were offered a cold towel and a refreshing drink, exactly what we needed after a long-haul flight in the Singapore heat.

After about ten minutes, we were shown to our Premier Room where we took a little time to unpack and settle in. Later that afternoon we wandered down to the Living Room to enjoy complimentary canapés and cocktails, which are served daily between 4 pm and 7 pm. It was a lovely way to ease into holiday mode and soak up the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel.

That evening we decided to stretch our legs with a gentle walk around the area, before heading to Native Kitchen, a restaurant located within the same complex as The Barracks Hotel. Dinner came with a fun surprise: a robot that delivered our meals to the table, which kept us thoroughly entertained. After a long day of travel, we called it a night and headed back to our room, falling asleep at about 10.30 pm, ready for our first full day in Singapore.

We headed down for breakfast at 8.30 am and were greeted by yet another wonderfully warm member of staff, who led us to a table that had already been prepared for us. At check in we had been asked to select our breakfast choices, which included a starter and a main course, and to our surprise he remembered exactly what we had ordered without even checking a note.

Breakfast itself was absolutely delicious and very generous in size. It was so substantial that I decided to skip the starter for the following morning and just opt for a main, as I was far too full. I chose Eggs Benedict with salmon, served with mushrooms and a fresh salad on the side, and it was the perfect start to our first full day in Singapore.

After breakfast, we set off for a walk around the island, taking in Sentosa’s coastline with its soft sandy beaches and the intriguing sight of countless cargo ships dotted across the water. Sentosa is very much a playground island, with everything from bungee jumping and an aquarium to Universal Studios, so it would be hard to ever feel bored here.

Partway along our walk, we stumbled across a section of beach cordoned off with cones and a warning sign explaining that a crocodile had been spotted in the area and that this stretch was temporarily out of bounds. We were more than a little puzzled, as we had never really imagined crocodiles appearing in the sea, and spent a good while wondering whether we had misunderstood something or if this really was a very unexpected beach hazard in Singapore. After a quick Google later on, it turns out it was a saltwater crocodile, which certainly explained the warning signs and made us look at the shoreline a little differently for the rest of the day.

We wandered back to the hotel and spent the next few hours happily stretched out by the pool. Once again, we were greeted by the same friendly gentleman who had served us at breakfast, and he appeared at our sunbeds with chilled towels and iced lemon water, which felt wonderfully refreshing in the heat. A little later he returned with a selection of ice creams for us to choose from. The service at t We his hotel is genuinely phenomenal, and it made our time in Singapore feel extra special.

Day 3 began with torrential rain and rolling thunder. It could have been disappointing, but it actually suited us perfectly, as this was the day we were leaving Singapore and making our way to Bintan, Indonesia.

After breakfast, we checked out of The Barracks and were collected by the same friendly transfer driver who had taken us from the airport on arrival. He drove us to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal which, looking at the map, sits right at the end of the airport runway. Check in felt very much like an airport experience: we dropped off our luggage, passed through security and then made our way to the Emerald Class lounge.

Bintan Ferries offers two classes: Standard and Emerald Class. Emerald Class includes access to a separate lounge with refreshments, priority boarding, more comfortable seating on board and priority disembarkation. The crossing to Bintan takes just over an hour, and it felt a little surreal when we “went back in time” by an hour due to the time difference. Even though Bintan lies further east than Singapore, it follows Jakarta time, which is further west, so the clocks move back rather than forward.

Our base for the next seven nights would be The Sanchaya. On arrival in Bintan, we were greeted by incredibly welcoming staff who guided us through to immigration. To enter Indonesia you need to complete arrival cards and pay for a visa. You can save time by filling in the arrival form online before you travel, but for some reason it would not work for me, so we completed it on arrival instead. This turned out to be very straightforward, as a helpful member of staff at the terminal filled everything in for us.

The Sanchaya has its own private lounge at the ferry port, and we were met by a member of the hotel team who escorted us inside. The space was beautifully air conditioned, with stylish décor, comfortable chairs and sofas, and chilled music playing softly in the background. We were offered drinks and I chose a peppermint tea while we relaxed and took everything in. Check in for the hotel was completed right there in the port lounge, and our luggage was collected and taken care of for us. We genuinely had not expected such a VIP experience. Once the formalities were done, we were whisked away to The Sanchaya in their own chauffeur driven minivan, excited to see where we would be calling home for the next week.

Around ten minutes later we arrived at The Sanchaya, where the hotel manager and two other members of the team were already waiting to welcome us. It immediately set the tone for how personal and attentive the service would be. As we had not just stepped off a long–haul flight, we were more than happy to be taken straight on a tour of the property, which gave us a real feel for the layout and atmosphere from the very start.

The grounds are expansive and incredibly picturesque, with a grand, colonial style and beautiful, carefully considered décor throughout. Our suite was just as impressive: a separate lounge area, a spacious bedroom and a large, elegant bathroom. The minibar was stocked with complimentary soft drinks and snacks, all replenished daily, which felt like such a thoughtful touch. From our huge balcony, we had a stunning view over the beach and out to the sea, a scene that still looked magical even in the rain.

Once we had unpacked and settled in, the weather was still stubbornly wet, but it did not put us off. We took a short stroll along the vast, almost deserted beach, then headed to the pool bar for a drink. The hotel was extremely quiet, and some of the staff mentioned they felt guests were being put off travelling by the scaremongering in the media around the conflict in the Middle East and worries about flight cancellations. As a Travel Counsellor, I found this really frustrating to hear, as I know that globally the chances of not being able to get home are extremely slim, and it is such a shame to miss out on experiences like this due to unnecessary fear.

Later, we headed back to our room to freshen up, then made our way to the pool restaurant for a 7 pm dinner. The meal was absolutely divine, both in terms of food and service. I had not thought The Barracks could be matched for service, but The Sanchaya is right up there. Our lovely waitress addressed us as “Miss Katie” and “Mr Carl” without us ever having given our names or room number, which felt both charming and almost magically attentive. After our delightful meal, we called it a night and enjoyed the best sleep we had had since leaving the UK.

The week that followed settled into a wonderfully gentle rhythm of relaxation and indulgence, punctuated only by the occasional tropical downpour. When the sun was shining, we made the most of it by lazing on the beach or by the pool, and when the rain swept in, we simply embraced the slower pace. The staff explained that they had experienced an unusually dry wet season, and now that the dry season had officially begun, the rain had decided to make up for lost time.

I had brought my laptop with me and, as it turned out, a few holiday enquiries landed in my inbox during our stay. The rainy spells provided the perfect opportunity to catch up on work, put some lovely itineraries together and even secure a booking, all from the comfort of our beautiful surroundings. It is one of the things I truly love about my job: the freedom to work from almost anywhere in the world.

One afternoon I treated myself to a fabulous spa treatment, sinking into a state of complete relaxation while Carl headed to the gym to work off some of our holiday indulgence. It was the ideal balance of downtime and light productivity, and it made our week at The Sanchaya feel both restorative and inspiring.

It would have been very easy not to leave the resort at all, but we felt we could not really say we had been to Bintan if we never ventured beyond its gates. So, one morning towards the end of our stay, we joined a mangrove tour organised by the hotel.

We were collected by a Sanchaya driver and taken in comfort to the starting point, where our own private tour of the mangroves began. Our guide, Eddie, was fantastic: warm, engaging and incredibly knowledgeable. As we glided along the water, he shared fascinating insights about the mangrove ecosystem, but also about his own life in Bintan, and he was just as eager to hear about us and life back in the UK.

Along the way we passed rickety restaurants perched on stilts over the water and simple lodge-style hotels. At one of them we learnt that snakes have been known to find their way into the rooms, which made me very glad we were not staying there. Once we were deeper into the mangroves, we spotted three snakes curled up and sleeping on branches above us. Eddie cheerfully offered to shake one of the branches to wake a snake up, but I insisted he did not. I was more than happy to observe them from a safe distance while they slept. We did not see any monkeys in the mangroves themselves, but we were not disappointed as we had already seen plenty around the island. The whole experience lasted about an hour and gave us a fascinating glimpse into a very different side of Bintan.

Another outing we chose was a half day tour to visit some temples and a local fishing village, once again organised seamlessly by the hotel. We had our own driver in a Sanchaya car and, to our surprise, the first stop was an unexpected one: a bee farm that also grew coffee beans and produced its own coffee.

We were shown around the plantation to see where the coffee beans grow and to learn a little about the production process, before being taken to the bee hives. Here we were able to sample honey straight from the hive. It tasted quite different to the honey we are used to in the UK, with a richer, almost medicinal flavour that you could imagine being wonderfully soothing if you had a cough or sore throat. Needless to say, we bought a jar to bring home.

The bees themselves looked nothing like the ones we see back home. They were tiny, more like flies in appearance, and we were told that they do not sting but simply pinch, and even then they do not break the skin. We stood right next to the hive without any protective clothing, and they did not bother us at all. It was a fascinating and surprisingly gentle introduction to beekeeping in Bintan.

From there, we were driven for about an hour across to the other side of the island to visit a traditional fishing village. This was a real culture shock and a stark contrast to the polished calm of the resort. The way people lived here would be flagged as a major health and safety concern back in the UK.

We made our way along a very unstable wooden boardwalk with loose planks, greeting locals sitting outside their simple wooden homes. I am not great with heights at the best of times, and I could see the water directly beneath my feet, so most of my focus was on not slipping, especially as I was not wearing the most practical shoes. At one point we passed the most adorable, smiling baby, and I could not help but wonder how on earth they would keep him safe once he started crawling, as the whole area felt like a complete hazard.

Below us, children were happily playing in the murky water as if it were the most normal thing in the world. We only stayed for around ten minutes, taking it all in and reflecting quietly, and we both wondered afterwards how the local families felt about visitors like us coming to look around their community.

All too soon, our week in Bintan came to an end. We left feeling genuinely humbled by the warmth of the hospitality and the effortless way the team remembered our names, even when we were convinced we had not met some of them before.

One of the bartenders took the time to really get to know us, sharing stories about his life in Indonesia while asking about our lives back in the UK. Greg, the manager, regularly stopped by for a chat, and even the chef offered to create a special three course dinner for us one evening. It was these personal touches, repeated day after day, that made The Sanchaya feel far more than just a luxury resort.

Everything about our stay was, quite simply, perfect. By the time we checked out, we had both agreed that The Sanchaya was the best hotel we had ever stayed in. With that very high bar set, it was time to make our way back to Singapore for the next chapter of our trip, checking in to the iconic Raffles. They certainly had a lot to live up to.

Raffles had been on our bucket list for 25 years, ever since our first visit to Singapore, so finally arriving felt like a real milestone. The hotel was buzzing when we walked in, with afternoon tea in full swing in the main lobby, giving everything a slightly hectic but very grand atmosphere.

We were escorted to a quieter reception area where a member of staff quickly checked us in. I have to admit we were a little disappointed that there was no welcome drink on arrival, especially given the standard we had just experienced at The Sanchaya. As our room was not quite ready, we headed to the pool bar for a coffee and a chance to take it all in until we were told everything was prepared.

When we were shown to our suite, the first impression was how spacious it was. The bathroom was huge and beautifully finished with elegant marble, the bedroom featured a grand four poster bed (which, if I am honest, I did not find particularly comfortable), and there was a very generous living area. The room came with all the usual amenities, but I was especially impressed to find a Dyson hairdryer waiting for me.

Our stay included butler service, and shortly after we arrived our butler introduced herself and presented us with a selection of chocolates, inviting us to choose our preferred flavours. It was a lovely touch for anyone with a sweet tooth, although as I am not a big chocolate fan I suspect I did not look quite as excited as expected.

Once we had settled in, we decided to stretch our legs and walked over to Marina Bay Sands, which took around 25 minutes. The area felt very reminiscent of Dubai, with every high end designer brand you can imagine, alongside countless dining options. After a week of Indonesian cuisine, we ended up opting for a very unglamorous but satisfying burger. On the walk back to Raffles we took our time, enjoying a gentle stroll, admiring the skyline and reflecting on just how much Singapore has changed in the last 25 years. We barely recognised it, yet it still felt incredibly safe, spotless and impeccably well kept.

The following day the heavens opened and it poured with rain from morning to night, so we decided it was the perfect excuse for a bit of retail therapy back at Marina Bay Sands. Carl was adamant we should walk, whereas I was firmly in favour of ordering a Grab, our equivalent of Uber. Carl won. Thankfully the hotel provided us with an umbrella, but even so we arrived rather damp around the edges.

We spent a couple of hours wandering in and out of the shops, picking up a few bits and pieces while waiting for the rain to ease, which it stubbornly refused to do. Once we had finished, we started to make our way back towards Raffles, keeping an eye out for somewhere to stop for a late lunch. In the end we found ourselves in Tim Hortons. Not exactly what we had envisaged for dining in Singapore, but it did the job and kept us going until our evening reservation at Tiffin Room, the Indian restaurant at Raffles.

Before dinner, we had a reservation at the famous Long Bar, which you can only book if you are staying at Raffles. We arrived at 7 pm and were shown straight to our table. One of the first things that struck us was the bowl of monkey nuts on the table and the instruction to throw the shells on the floor. It felt very strange at first, deliberately making a mess in such an iconic hotel.  Of course, we both had to order the mandatory Singapore Sling. I have to admit though, it was rather underwhelming and felt more like a box–ticking exercise than a truly special cocktail. For my second drink I chose something closer to a Negroni, while Carl opted for a beer. When the bill arrived, we were slightly stunned to see that four drinks had come to an eye watering £102.

Dinner at the Tiffin Room that followed was a completely different story. The food was superb and full of flavour. I had been a little worried that the dishes might be too spicy for me, but the kitchen were happy to adjust the heat and it ended up being absolutely perfect for my palate. It was a wonderful way to round off our evening.

The next morning the sun finally made a full appearance, and I was keen to revisit Orchard Road. It was one of the areas I remembered from our first trip 25 years ago and I was curious to see how it had changed. As soon as we arrived, it was obvious: nothing looked familiar. Lined with shopping malls and high rise buildings, it felt more like a tropical version of Oxford Street than the place in my memories.

By late morning the heat and humidity were becoming quite intense for walking around, so we decided to retreat back to Raffles and spend a few hours relaxing by the pool instead. It felt like a much better use of the sunshine.

That evening I had booked a river cruise that included a visit to Gardens by the Bay and a fountain show at Marina Bay Sands. We walked down to the harbour to meet the group and boarded our boat, which took us along the water past the classic sights and through Clarke Quay. We remembered Clarke Quay from 25 years ago, but once again it looked completely transformed and far more built up than we recalled.

After the cruise we continued by coach to Gardens by the Bay. We found a spot on the grass and, following the guide’s advice, lay down and looked up as the light show began. It was absolutely spectacular. The Supertrees lit up in sync with the music, and afterwards there was an aurora borealis style display, with ripples of blue and green light that made the sky look as if it were glowing. It was genuinely magical.

From there we headed back to Marina Bay Sands by coach and found a place to watch the fountain show. I have to admit, this part did not quite live up to our expectations. Having seen the fountains in Dubai, this version felt a little underwhelming in comparison. Still, it was a pleasant way to round off the evening. We made our way back to Raffles for our final night in Singapore, already reflecting on just how much the city, and our experience of it, had changed in 25 years.

Our final day arrived and, as much as we had loved the trip, I felt ready to head home. We planned a slow, relaxing day and started with breakfast in the courtyard. It should have been a really lovely experience, but unfortunately tourists are allowed into the hotel grounds, and we ended up feeling a bit like we were sitting in a goldfish bowl. People were pointing their cameras in our direction, trying to get photos of the fountain that we were directly in line with, which made things feel a little uncomfortable and not quite as serene as we had hoped.

After breakfast we headed to the pool for a last bit of sunshine. The weather started off promising, but before long the heavens opened and the rain came down dramatically. We tried to wait it out, but it showed no sign of easing, so we had some lunch and then decided to retreat back to our room.

With a few hours to fill before we needed to leave for the airport, and knowing we would not be taking off until nearly midnight, we simply relaxed in the suite, drying out, repacking and winding down. It was a quiet, gentle end to a busy and memorable trip, and by the time we left for the airport we both felt ready to head home, full of new memories and experiences.

We left for the airport a little earlier than usual because I was determined to finally see Jewel, the much talked about attraction at Singapore Changi. I had seen so many photos and videos of it that I was really keen to experience it for myself.

Jewel did not disappoint. The star of the show is the immense indoor waterfall, cascading dramatically through the centre of the glass dome and lit with coloured lights. It feels almost surreal to be standing in an airport, looking at something so striking. We did not have time to visit the butterfly garden on this occasion, but we did wander through some of the many shops that surround the central feature, making the most of our last taste of Singapore.

Check in for our flight was straightforward and hassle free, and before long we were settled into the lounge for a few hours of relaxing, snacking and people watching before our departure. Our British Airways flight left on time and, in what felt like no time at all, we were touching down back in rainy England.