Located right in the heart of Singapore, close to Clarke Quay, Hotel Clover of the Arts is a nice luxurious boutique hotel designed for the discerning traveller. Clean, neat and quiet, each of the hotel's tiny yet cosy rooms contain all the creature comforts that one may require (dove-feature ultra-comfortable duvet and pillows, hot rain-forest shower, complimentary breakfast and in-rom minibar, iron & board, safe box, free fast & reliable wi-fi and a very helpful and friendly staff). Highly recommended. Perfect for families, couples or business travellers.
![]() Singapore (and Sentosa Island in the background) as seen from around 4,000 ft....night shots from a plane moving at 250 knots and taken through a triple-glazed window is not easy...I'm sure someone else can do a better job then I- my hats off to them....in this photo you can clearly see Marina Bay Sands too... Flying from Hong Kong to Singapore with United Airlines, Boeing 777. After departure from 07L, the aircraft made a right-hand turn back towards Vietnam...passing around 3,000 feet and rapidly climbing, we passed Hong Kong Disneyland. I took a similar photo back in 2013 when I flew from Hong Kong to Abu Dhabi as shown here.
Went to Jinan, the capital city of China's Shandong Province, for a 2 day visit. Not much of a touristy city but there are some nice natural springs that one can explore. The city is the birthplace of the well-known entrepreneur Ms. Wendi Deng. I wonder what Ms. Deng would make of Jinan today!
![]() Every afternoon the hot air rising over the hills behind Caticlan on the ‘mainland’ creates this huge thunderstorm cloud - or ‘Cb’ (CumuloNimbus) called Grace. It is there every day and never goes out in the water. When the cloud is at its peak just on sunset (as in the picture) - as the sun sinks over the curved planet its light rises up the cloud lights up the distinctive ‘anvil’. Boracay in the Philippines is renowned for its stunning sunsets. Everyday between 5.50pm and 6.20pm, the sky is full of magic....so many colours appear and change quickly, too. You just end up saying "Wow!" all the time. Those 20 minutes from around 5.50pm can put a smile back on ones face if they've had a bad day...I've seen sunsets like this in England maybe for a few days a year. There are over 360 resorts dotted along the 3 main beach stations (Stations 1, 2 and 3) on the tiny dog-bone shaped island of Boracay in the Philippines. From my experience, two of the BEST places to stay at for families with kids, couples on a honeymoon or those who want to while away their holiday quietly and in stunning surroundings are the Shangri-La Hotel Resort at Beach Station 1 or Sundown Studios Boracay at Angol Beach Front. I stayed for 5 nights at the latter, which was designed and is managed by German national and long-term Boracay resident Jurgen Schatzle, a former engineer who spent his life building tunnels around China and India. His vision and immaculate attention to detail has produced a remarkable building with only 4 sophisticated and spacious luxurious suites - 40 solar panels providing its power when the island's electricity fails. This resort was highly recommended to me by my friend, James Nixon, who is an Airbus A380 Captain for a major international 5-star airline.
Each of the 4 neat and clean rooms come complete with air-conditioning, an electric fan, high-speed Wi-Fi internet, plenty of power points, Western style toilet, spacious shower, Espresso coffee machine, luxurious bath amenities from Amber Spa, daily room-cleaning service and most importantly, are located in a QUIET location so you don't hear any noise at night (the surroundings at Angol Point are quite anyways- perfect for families). You won't hear any of the noise from the manic bars at Beach Station 2. There is also a private bar, restaurant and a dive centre. The staff are very professional and provide a truly 5-star customer service taking you more personally. Jurgen runs the business from his bar. His business partner, Peter, is an Austrian who runs the bar. He enjoyed a very successful lifelong career as an F&B manager on cruise ships before locating here. Sundown Studios Resort is slightly expensive, but you get what you pay for- peace, quietness, and luxury, the creature comforts of good food and drinks and privacy. From my experience, I found the people here very nice. Whether you are with your family and kids, or if you are on a honeymoon, or even if you are a writer who wants to relax in tranquil surroundings and enjoy ultimate luxury, then this is THE place to stay at. Unless you are into the manic noise and crowds, then I would personally avoid staying at any of the resorts at Beach Station 2 and even Station 1 (except the Shangri-La, which has its own quite private resort- you cannot even get in to the hotel if you are not staying there). Station 1 and Station 3 has some good-quality restaurants. Station 2 has some nice restaurants too, but it is all rather noisy cheap, tacky and perhaps even unclean in places. Sundown Studios Boracay is the ultimate getaway resort. Boracay Island is a tiny dog-bone shaped island located under an hour's flight from Manila with a Dash-8 aircraft (yep, they still use aircraft with propellers in some parts of the world!). The island houses a wonderful white sand beach facing west to the Sulu Sea. The eastern side - Bulabog Beach - faces the Sibuyan Sea. Voted by Conde Nast and many other travel magazines as having one of the best sunsets in the world, Boracay is a gem (though, not exactly hidden now!).
The island is a perfect getaway for families, couples on a honeymoon or those who want to escape the hustle & bustle of the city life. Getting to the island can be a bit of a hassle (Manila Airport is an experience!) but once you're there, it is a world away from it all. It is not exactly a backpackers destination, simply because it is expensive and caters for more of a middle-class crowd, and thankfully it doesn't attract any sleazy/seedy/desperado types of people that you may get in places such as Thailand or other parts of the Philippines. Boracay is definitely worth a visit. Put it on your bucket list. The BEST places to stay at, from my experience, are either the Shangri-La Boracay resort or Sundown Studios Boracay. Check them out. Only a two hour flight from Hong Kong, the capital city of the Philippines, Manila, lies in the tropics...we were welcomed by hot and humid weather. OK, the good thing about the Hong Kong Regal Airport Hotel is that it is located right next to the airport terminal, within a 2-minute walking distance. Apart from that, I can think of quite a few other good airport hotels around the world that are good or perhaps ever better (Hilton Heathrow, Marriott Heathrow among others). Though, in my experience, it is perhaps just a bit better than the Shanghai Pudong Dazhong Airport Hotel. Most importantly, I'm not complaining because it does do the job in any case of providing a peaceful sleep in a quiet room.
When I first arrived in China in 2003, Guangzhou's Garden Hotel was one of the very few 5-star hotels in the city (the others being the White Swan Hotel and the China Hotel by Marriott). It still projects an air of nostalgia and has become a choice for hosting airline crews from Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia - Saudi Arabian Airlines, DHL, FedEx among others. The nearby areas of Xiaobei Lu (also known as Little Middle-East because of the large number of Arabs living there), and Sanyuanli (known as "Chocolate City" by the locals because of the large African community that lives there) have turned Guangzhou into a thriving international city in recent years.
Located south of Guangzhou's Liwan district, Shamian Island is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period, with quiet pedestrian avenues flanked by trees and lined by historical buildings in various states of upkeep.
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Get in Touch:LIFE MATTERSHere I share my thoughts
and experiences during my travels, and how some things have affected my life as an expat and world traveller. Travelling is about capturing that moment in life. Every word, view and opinion on this page is that of Navjot Singh - except where indicated. The most recent is at the top. Scroll down to read the archive. Or search using CTRL+F (COMMAND + F) and enter a keyword to search the page. Just some of the stories you never heard before. The NAVJOT-SINGH.COM web blog is separate to this web site....Click blog, which may not be visible in some countries due to local firewall restrictions, so in those cases this weblog may be read. The weblog also includes some of my press trip reports- most of which are not published on the official blog because of copyright issues. The weblog also contains articles that may be associated directly with a PR trip for a country, airline or a hotel. These are PR reviews done in relations with various companies. If you are an investor or a trend watcher then you may find this website useful as investing has a lot to do with personal observations and finding the ideal trend or next big thing. The average human on the street frequently knows far more about the state of the economy than politicians, university professors, subject matter experts, and financial analysts who seldom travel, or if they do so, only from one hotel to another hotel! The pulse and vibrancy of an economy is nowhere more visible than on a country's streets. All photos and words are © Navjot Singh unless stated. Photos taken by others or by agencies are appropriately copyrighted under the respective name. No photo or word/s may be taken without the prior written permission by the author (i.e. Navjot Singh). All Rights Reserved. Archives
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