Easter at Gardens by the Bay

My colleagues and I went to Gardens by the Bay last Friday for our Healthy Lifestyle as part of our Ministry's plan to encourage work-life balance.

With some of my colleagues at Gardens by the Bay

We bought the tickets for the 2 domes at $18 per person (Passion card members have 10% discount) and decided to visit the Flower Dome first.

Flower Dome

We were greeted by hundreds of trees, cactuses and even plants that pretended to be dead. So weird ain't it?

Weird plants that look like pebbles (left) or dead (right)!

After a while, I was starting to wonder if they made a mistake with the nameof the dome. Where were all the flowers? I mean, I like trees but I'm not a super big fan of them. I only like cactuses because they are the only plants who don't die on me!

And then we made a turn at a junction and there they were!

Beautiful hydrangeas arrangement on one of the viewing platforms in the Flower Dome

I may not look like it but I really love flowers. I love to admire them, smell them and even paint them!

Hydrangeas are one of my favourite flowers

The only rose among the thorns, literally

Really pretty pink/purple flowers, have no idea what's they're called

White orchid (left) and white lilies (right)

All my favourite flowers in one place! So pretty! =)

And since Easter is coming up, they were preparing the dome with cute Easter eggs and bunnies.

Super cute Easter decoration

Love the wooden chair (left) and beautiful giant-size "bird cage" (right)

Not everyone was as excited about flowers as I was so we were ready to move on to the next dome, Cloud Forest, which some of us opined was much better.

Cloud Forest

The first thing that greeted you on entry was the 7-storey high waterfalls! You have got to be careful not to stand too close otherwise you might get wet!

Beautiful waterfalls (left) and skywalk (right)

The whole experience reminds me of a scene in Avatar or Final Fantasy. Very magical and mysterious =)

We made our way to the elevator, which took us to the 6th floor of the structure before walking up a flight of stairs to the roof of the structure where you can see a beautiful pond and the skyline of Marina Bay Sands. There's another elevator reserved for the elderly, wheelchairs and families with small children so you are welcomed to bring your stroller.

Top level skywalk

The skywalk was really cool. It really felt like you were walking in the clouds, especially with the mist being sprayed throughout the dome. You could also see all the way to the ground below! Definitely not for those with a fear of heights. And if you're like me and love to wear skirts then you must remember to keep to the middle of the walk (which is opaque) at all times as you may unintentionally provide a free "show" to the people below without realising it.

A balcony out of the structure gave you a higher and better view of the falls

At the end of the walk, there were escalators that took you down to the middle floor where you were greeted with lots of cave mineral deposits accumulated over hundreds of years.

Exhibits of the mineral deposits that came from the caves

Just next to the cave exhibit is the entrance to the broader Tree Top Walk.

Tree Top Walk

You are able to get yet another view of the dome while taking a leisurely stroll down the walk. Very relaxing =)

At the end of the walk is the other entrance to the cave exhibit. After crossing to the other side, we took yet another escalator down to a room where the 5 Degrees show on the importance of conservation was presented. In the next room, a very cool 3D model of the Gardens by the Bay, with the help of flashing lights, enlightened us on how it was constructed to conserve energy. Did you know that even the air conditioning in the domes is generated by the solar panels on the super trees? Super cool =)

Learning about conservation (left) and how Gardens by the Bay was built to do just that (right)

After the presentation, we were taken into the Secret Garden. It really felt like we were brought into a hidden, underground garden.

The Secret Garden on the ground floor

By the time we were done with both domes, we were too tired to walk around the outdoor gardens. I made a mental note to come back and visit again.

Overall, Gardens by the Bay is an awesome place to bring your baby. Not only is it stroller-friendly, there were also ample nursing rooms located at various locations (my reviews of the nursing rooms here) to serve your baby's needs.

Nursing room beside the Visitor Centre

With a Children's Park in the midst of being built, this is one attraction that I'm definitely going to bring my girl again =)

~~~~~~

This post is part of my MadPsychMum Fun in Singapore Guide to all things exciting for kids! 

Check out other fun playgrounds and attractions in Singapore! =)

You can also follow us on Instagram or join us by using our hashtag #mpmfuninsg! 

S.E.A Aquarium, The Largest in the World

During the school holidays last week, we visited the S.E.A Aquarium at the Marine Life Park, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

S.E.A. Aquarium

We were invited by Project Sapling, to visit their art exhibition held within the premise of the S.E.A Aquarium. Initiated by a team of students from the National Technological University, Project Sapling aims to introduce green living to preschool students by teaching them about conservation from a young age.

Project Sapling's exhibits

The exhibition comprises of the artwork done by the preschool students using only recycled materials. The children's creation were either done in school with their teachers or at home with their parents.

Some of the exhibits made by the children out of recycled materials

Besides the exhibition, booths were also set up to introduce conservation by getting the children to learn through play as well as an award ceremony to honour the schools, their students, teachers and parents who took part in this initiative.

Some activites for the children

Getting a marine conservation tattoo

Project Sapling Award Ceremony

After the activities, we spent the rest of the morning exploring the rest of S.E.A Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world.

Cylinder aquarium

Beautifully lit up

My girl's favourite part of the aquarium was the touch pool where she got to feel a starfish for the first time.

Touching a star fish

Again and again! She loved it!

I pitied the poor starfish though. It was the school holidays and the touch pool was only a sixth of the one we visited in Hokkaido, so the crowds were literally pushing to touch them like they've never touched a starfish before in their lives -_-".

By the time we were done with stroking the starfish, the hubby and my girl were exhausted. It was then off to see the mysterious jellyfish, which looked so much like aliens you wonder if they are even found on earth.

Mysterious jellyfish

We finally arrive at the most impressive part of the aquarium: the largest viewing panel in the world!

Largest viewing window of the ocean

You could see the majestic manta rays, stingrays, enormous Goliath grouper and other giants of the sea up close and personal. The Ocean Dome, located just next to the viewing gallery, has a transparent dome where you can view the animals from the bottom.

Ocean Dome

Family photo by a kind stranger

You can even see the RWS Ocean Suites, double-storey rooms located at Equarius Hotel, which gives you a great view of the aquarium. If only I could afford the S$11,000 required for a one night stay in one of the 11 Ocean Suites.. *sigh*

Window into the most expensive hotel room in Singapore

After spending some time being mesmerised by beautiful manta rays, we continued the rest of our visit viewing eels and other weird fish, and ending with the aquarium of over 200 sharks!

With the sharks, which my girl is absolutely mesmerised by

Look at the crowd of people!

Shark-viewing gallery

You literally had a 360 degrees view of the sharks from all angles! Quite an impressive sight.

If you're visiting with your baby, you will be happy to know that there is a nursing room available next to the toilets beside the souvenir store (see here for my review of the nursing room). This attraction was also very wheelchair friendly so pushing a stroller here was not a problem except for the really narrow paths.

Overall, my impression of the aquarium is quite neutral. I was neither really impressed by it (due mostly to the small size) nor disappointed by it (the manta rays were really cool). You should check it out and see for yourself =)

~~~~~~

This post is part of my MadPsychMum Fun in Singapore Guide to all things exciting for kids! 

Check out other fun playgrounds and attractions in Singapore! =)

You can also follow us on Instagram or join us by using our hashtag #mpmfuninsg! 

~~~~~~

Disclosure: An invitation to the event and complimentary entrance tickets to S.E.A Aquarium were received from Project Sapling & Marine Life Park, RWS. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

Outrageous Service at Hai Di Lao Hotpot

I've read so much about Hai Di Lao Hotpot in 8 Days magazine and have been wanting to try it ever since. One of my girlfriends said she tried it both in Shanghai and Singapore and highly recommended it so we decided to pay this restaurant a visit last Friday.

Hai Di Lao Hotpot at Clarke Quay

I wasn't sure how to get there so I checked in with my best friend, Google. After walking around Clarke Quay for 10 minutes, I managed to find it without much trouble.

The queue for a table at this restaurant is infamously long so one of us reserved a table for us 2 weeks before (you may only reserve a table if you are able to arrive by 6.30pm). Although we were ushered directly to our table immediately after we arrived, those after us had to wait for at least an hour before they could get a table.

But not too worry, they have got that covered. Famous for their outrageous service, Hai Di Lao provides additional services for their customers to keep them occupied while they waited. Services such as complimentary manicures, board games to play with your friends and even a kids play area to entertain your children.

Complimentary manicures

Mini children's play area with changing table, TV & toys

I was actually torn between the joy of not having to wait for a table and the disappointment of not being able to enjoy the activities =)

Once all of us have arrived, we were given an apron each to protect our clothes from food stains (awesome for people like me who are known to have "holes in my jaw" *laughs*).

Wearing our red aprons

To take their service to a whole new level, they also took extra care to ensure that your belongings were well protected from the food.

Left to Right: Rubber band for ladies with long hair to tie up their hair;
Cloth for those who wear spectacles in case the soup splutters onto them by accident;
Plastic bags to protect your phone from droplets of soup

We were told to order our food from one of their iPads, which may not be entirely user-friendly if you're using it for the first time.

Browsing through the menu on the iPad

Not to worry though, a waitress is always nearby to help if you need it. Ours was always very helpful and polite =)

After we have placed our order, we were invited to choose our accompanying sauces from a buffet table of all the condiments and sauces that you can think of! Quite impressive.

The condiments table

You could also order a drink, which came with free refills. I ordered the herbal tea, which I thought nicely complemented the heaty food that we were about to eat. As for the soup base, we decided on half laksa and half tomato as we were game to try something unusual. The food arrived quite quickly, just in time to fill my growling stomach!

Angus beef and the soup pot

Shabu shabu beef (top left) and handmade DIY western meatballs (top right), prawn paste (bottom left)
and colourful fish paste (bottom right) 

Our very nice server posing for a photo while helping us to add the food into our soup

As we were eating and chatting away, different servers came by and consistently scooped away the layer of oil that gathered at the top of the soup. I thought that that was very considerate of them!

And then came one of the highlights of our meal, the gong fu noodles made right before your eyes. This guy was really good, despite having only done this for 2-3 years.

I have to say, this place really lived up to its name of providing the best service in the world. And excellence is really in all the tiniest details. For example, I was surprised to see this sign when I was using the female toilets in the premise.

Sign on the toilet door that said (loosely translated):
"On your very special day, if you have need of anything, please approach a female staff for assistance.
Hai Di Lao wishes you health and beauty everyday!"

Initially I thought "special day" meant birthday but that didn't explain why the sign was placed in the toilet and why we should specifically approach female staff. And then it hit me! Oh, they meant that if you discovered that you got your period, you could approach a female staff for a sanitary pad. They had really thought of everything they could do to meet their customer's needs!

We had such an enjoyable time that we only left 4 hours later when they were close to closing and there was still a queue! Yet none of the staff ever pressured us to leave, it was all cool.

Happy and satisfied customers! =)

Hai Di Lao Hotpot is located at 3D River Valley Road, Clarke Quay, #02-04, Singapore 179023.
(Tel: 6337 8626)

Linking Up With: