Orchard Road hotels in Singapore, Singapore

Singapore’s Orchard Road is one of the most famous streets in Asia and is noted for upmarket shopping outlets plus its gourmet wining and dining establishments. Singaporeans claim that if you have not strolled along Orchard Road at least once then you really haven’t been to Singapore. Many of the city-state’s hotels are located near Orchard Road and the list includes the Shangri-La, the Four Seasons and Grand Park Orchard.

Shopping is the primary attraction of Orchard Road and it is a rare occurrence for visitors if they return to their hotels empty-handed. It’s a place to shop, sip coffee and simply stroll along the boulevard and be seen.The streets transform into a magical place during the Christmas light-up on Orchard Road, where all the malls compete for the best Christmas décor. Some are truly spectacular! With giant Christmas trees, baubles and all sorts of creative facades. With 14 floors, Orchard Central is the highest shopping mall and features different zones. On the upper floors of the building, a verdant roof garden features the likes of waterfalls, colourful tropical flowers and clumps of shade bamboo.

Despite Orchard Road’s modern glass-fronted buildings, it has enough greenery for shade and to keep people cool as they walk. Lofty trees shade pavements and there are plenty of shrub beds alongside them.

Fort Canning Park faces is fairly nearby and full of historic structures and memorials set amid trees and plants which effectively block out the sounds of nearby traffic. The Singapore National Museum is on the northwest side of the park and houses a unique collection of exhibits themed on the nation’s history and the people who made it what it is today.

With a fabulous choice of restaurants and bars, a meal or drink on Orchard Road is a real pleasure. The popular dim sum Chinese dumplings are served at several eateries on Orchard. The chance of sampling the best Peking duck outside Beijing is another draw. Japanese sushi and European style breakfasts are among numerous other options. The bar selection in this area varies from Irish to Mexican and offers drinkers an excellent choice of beverages. P.S. Café and Din Tai Fung are some of the good restaurants in Orchard. There are more restaurants and bars along Scotts Road, in Tangs Plaza, in ION Orchard and Wheelock Place among others.

Shopping is Orchard Road’s reason for being and with an estimated 800,000 square metres of retail space the choice is huge. There are almost 30 malls and department stores in total. Tangs, ION Orchard, 313 Somerset, Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann City Takashimaya are among the best shopping malls in Orchard Road. All the renowned international clothing, accessory and jewellery brand names have outlets on Orchard. You can get everything from Louis Vuitton, Guess, Prada as well as local brands, and more affordable fashion at malls like Far East Plaza where it’s all about variety.

Electrical appliances and computer hardware and software are generally available from stores in the bigger malls. There are also quite a few shops and market zones selling antiques and artworks, furniture and even knick-knacks from the Philippines.