Ideally located in the heart of the Lion City the Gardens By the Bay is the Garden City’s latest addition to the already impressive number of garden enclosures in Singapore. Occupying an impressive 101 acres of reclaimed land the island nation selected the design and master plan for the iconic green space with an international competition in 2006.
Today the venue is an entrance free garden space that is the highlight of a nature lover’s visit to the island. Some of the must-see points of interest within the Gardens By the Bay near the Marina Reservoir include its two conservatories named the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. The larger of the two is the 3 acre Flower Dome which is also incidentally the biggest column-less glasshouse in the globe. Housing 7 gardens within its confines the Flower Dome is devoted to plants found in dry conditions. Highlights include its olive grove and adjoining bistro, while a central space is also available for temporary exhibits and flower shows. The Cloud Forest in contrast mainly consists of cool and tropical mountainous plant life. The 2 acre conservatory features a 138 foot high Cloud Mountain and a 115 feet tall waterfall that gushes forth in milky sheets. Orchids, Anthuriums, peacock ferns and Bromeliads are found here in thematic sections.
The Heritage Gardens celebrate the ethnic diversity of Singapore’s populace with four thematic gardens devoted to its three main cultures as well as its colonial heritage. Divided in to the Malay Garden, Indian Garden, Chinese Garden and Colonial Garden the spaces explore the cultural identity of these communities with native plants and local motifs. The Super Trees Grove is devoted to towering trees that are 25-50m in height while the Sun Pavilion explores cacti and succulents.
The Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes are other popular areas of the Gardens as the eco-system surrounding the scenic bodies of water support a variety of aquatic and bird life. The Children’s Garden is also worthy of exploration in addition to the World of Plants region where the Web of Life, and the Secret Life of Trees exhibits are open to visitors. Dining options and refreshments are also on hand at the venue where Petit Mondo and Cafe Crema outlets are also on-site.
Travellers in search of conveniently located hotels in Singapore should look no further than Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Singapore. Offering guests a number of four star Singapore hotels in strategic locations across the city this established name in hospitality provides quality accommodation to holidaymakers from around the world.
Uditha Dharmawardhane is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Roland Lefevre. He specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+
