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The first things that came to mind when thinking of Singapore were the skyscrapers, the big city skyline and the Raffles Hotel.
Before I came, I had no idea that Singapore was in fact the greenest city in Asia. It is full of parks, green areas and has a strong commitment to reduce waste, tree planting and sustainability.
This apparently turned out as we approached and began our journey from the airport to the city center.
The paths are lined with palm trees, frangipani, ferns and orchids, and wherever you look, you see greenery. Buildings are covered with flora, bridges have stunning plants; Singapore is undoubtedly green.
And it does not stop there. The government has a strategy to transform Singapore from "Garden City" to "City in the Garden" and improve the quality of life by improving greenery and flora.
So we decided on our journey to explore the city parks, gardens and greenery, as well as experience the city in this "garden".
Even in Singapore, it is now greener, we flew the Norwegians – the most powerful transatlantic airline – in their extremely comfortable premium seats.
The first thing on our agenda was the Gardens at the Gulf.
Since its opening in 2012, the images of this stunning park have been covered by Instagram and the social media channels.
Gulf Gardens are now one of Singapore's most popular tourist attractions and since its opening, it has gained more than 20 million visitors
There is no denying that this is an impressive and beautiful space. .
In a 101-hectare park you will find fresh gardens, two huge atriums with plants from all over the world, as well as artistic "super trees".
The latter tree structures range from 25 to 50 meters and display exotic vineyards, flowers and ferns that grow up and down the trunks.
As well as being visually pleasing, the function also serves; generating solar energy and collecting rainwater for use in other areas of the park.
Combining two of these super trees is the OCBC Skyway, a sidewalk that offers stunning views of the gardens and the striking Marina Bay Sands Hotel next to the hotel.
Do not forget to capture evening light and a music show that takes place twice a day as soon as the sun goes down.
The gardens at the Bay are GBP 16 (SGD 28.00) per adult and GBP 8.50 (SGD 15.00) per child (standard entrance including Flower Dome and Cloud Forest).
Other places were the botanical gardens. This UNESCO site is older than Singapore!
82 hectares of gardens contain over 10,000 species of plants and is a peaceful oasis of the city noise.
The top is the national orchid garden. The Botanical Garden began breeding orchids in 1928 and is now the head of the orchid.
The garden contains more than 1,000 species of orchids and 2,000 hybrids, including those that are gifted and named according to personalities, dignitaries and heads of states who have visited the gardens.
You will also see a lot of Vanda Miss Joaquim, hybrid climbing orchids and Singapore National Flowers.
Entrance to the Botanic Garden is free of charge and the Orchid National Garden is 3 pounds (SGD $ 5).
The last day we headed for the southern ridges.
It is a 10 km chain of green open spaces and routes. You can choose to go through the whole or just a section.
After a short drive from the city center, we climbed Mount Faber to our starting point: Henderson's Waves.
Henderson Waves is a bridge that connects Mount Faber with Telok Blangah Hill Park and is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore.
Its unusual design is attractive and offers a visual explanation of the name.
From here we walk through the woods, gardens, and over the imposing elevated walkway.
It did not feel like we were in town and we saw beautiful wild birds, as well as beautiful flowers and trees along the way.
We ended up on another beautiful place – Hort Park.
This is not your average park and is charged as the first garden lifestyle mushroom in Asia.
In addition to enjoying beautiful landscaped gardens, you can attend workshops, tours and interviews and get to know all gardening issues.
Even after five days, we scarcely scratched the surface of many green areas in Singapore, which really became a city in the garden.
Other things you have in Singapore:
You can not visit Singapore without eating at one of the many hawker centers.
The food is cheap and tasty, with plenty of kitchens and options available.
You can even eat food with Michelin stars on Hawker Chan, whose soy chicken and rice was awarded the star in 2016!
If the budget is not a problem, head out for a meal at the award-winning Michelin restaurant.
We went to Candlenut on the Dempsey Hill, near the Botanical Gardens.
This Peranakan restaurant offers a delicious tasting menu called "ah-ma-kase", which offers traditional straits-Chinese cuisine with a contemporary twist. The offer of "ah-ma-kase" stands at £ 48.60 (SGD $ 88) per person.
Also browse around Kampong Glam, beautiful neighborhoods in the east of the city, with colorful houses and unpredictable bars and cafes.
Finally, take a city tour with a local guide to show you the city's sights and the best stalls where you can eat.
Where to stay in Singapore and how to get there:
The magnificent Mandarin Oriental Hotel is one of Singapore's finest pools and a beautiful suite. Double rooms start from £ 223 (SGD $ 399) including breakfast.
Also try the Oasia Hotel Downtown, a stunning plant-filled building and an incredible rooftop pool.
The above-standard room starts from £ 134 (SGD $ 240), including breakfast.
Fly with Norwegian from London Gatwick to Singapore in Premium from just £ 559.90 one way that includes more than one foot feet and entry into the lounge.
Economic fares start at £ 159.90 per trip.
(Picture: Hayley Lewis)
Hayley Lewis is a travel writer, blogger and producer. For more information on Singapore food, visit alovelyplanet.com or Hayley at Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook.
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