Coastal Vietnam by Sea: Singapore to Hong Kong – with Smithsonian Journeys

Singapore is a remarkable place, one of the 20th century's greatest success stories: a modest colonial port under British rule becomes a first-world metropolis and a center of world commerce and finance in the space of fifty years. This program is designed to give you a sense of the extraordinary vibrancy of this thriving multi-cultural, cosmopolitan city.

 

Day 1—Singapore

Arrive at Singapore Changi Airport, where you will be met and transferred to the 5-star Intercontinental Hotel in the center of the city, your home for the next two nights. A local representative will be present at the hospitality desk in the afternoon to welcome you and answer any questions you may have. Relax and unwind at the hotel, or explore some of the nearby sites. This evening, join fellow travelers for a welcome cocktail reception. Dinner is independent.

 

Day 2 — Singapore

Following breakfast, your exploration of Singapore begins with the Botanic Gardens. Founded in the 19th century as a research station to develop useful plants (the rubber tree was an early success), it is one of only three gardens in the world to be honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A highlight of your visit is sure to be the National Orchid Garden, displaying some 60,000 of these exotic flowers. In Chinatown, which you visit next, the streets are crowded with shops and boutiques that surround a number of important Buddhist and Hindu temples, including the extravagantly decorated Sri Mariamman Temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess of rain, who is believed to have the power to cure illness and disease. Your orientation tour of the city ends in the Colonial District, where buildings from a bygone era—the Old Parliament House, Victoria Theater & Concert Hall, the Old Supreme Court—are an island of 19th-century architectural landmarks in a sea of ultra-modern high-rise buildings.

 

On your way back to the hotel, pause in Merlion Park on the edge of the harbor to see the statue of the half-lion/half-fish beast that has come to be an iconic symbol of the city. The balance of your day is at leisure to explore Singapore on your own, perhaps returning to some of the places visited this morning. Lunch and dinner are independent.

 

Day 3 — Singapore | Embark

After breakfast at the hotel and check out, your third day in Singapore begins at Gardens by the Bay, 260 acres of meticulously maintained garden on the waterfront. It is the city's premier outdoor recreation area. Begin with a guided tour of the Cloud Forest, an enclosure of lush vegetation growing on a man-made mountain, surrounded by aerial walkways, and featuring the world's tallest indoor waterfalls. Continue to the Flower Dome, the largest glass greenhouse in the world, where a Mediterranean climate is maintained year-round, creating an ideal environment for baobabs, succulents, and olive trees, as well as for the incredible display of flowers for which the dome is named.

 

A short drive brings you to Kampong Glam, Singapore's Muslim quarter, another busy area where street artists abound and vendors offer a variety of goods, especially textiles. It is also the site of two important landmarks—the gold-domed Sultan Mosque and the Istana Kampung Gelam, the former Sultan's Palace. A leisurely 30-minute cruise on the Singapore River provides a different perspective on the city's skyline, followed by lunch at a local restaurant.

 

After lunch, enjoy some time in Little India, where the air carries the scent of incense and brightly painted shops share the street with cutting-edge architecture. In mid-afternoon, transfer to the port to embark your ship and set sail.

 

Your hotel:

A luxury landmark set in the heart of the city, InterContinental Singapore has deep ties to the historic district which surrounds it. The 403-guestroom hotel exudes a charm that marries luxury and elegance with touches of the local culture. Amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, yoga room, and business center. And there are five restaurants and bars of the premises.

 

Your program includes:

·        2 nights at the InterContinental Singapore

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the airport to the hotel on the scheduled arrival day

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the hotel to the ship on Day 3

·        Welcome Reception on Day 1

·        Breakfast on Days 2 and 3

·        Lunch on Day 3

·        Sightseeing and programming as noted in the itinerary

·        Local English-speaking guide

·        Gratuities for the drivers and local guides

Your program does not include:

·        Transfer from the airport to the hotel on any day other than the scheduled program departure day.

·        Personal expenses and other services and meals not mentioned as included in the program.

Please note:

·        It is imperative that your flight arrival details are communicated at least 60 days prior to the beginning of your cruise in order to secure your transfer from the airport to the hotel.

·        Early check-in and/or late check-out are subject to availability and at a supplement. An additional night is possible, upon request and depending on hotel availability. Please, contact reservations or your travel agent for further details.

·        The official currency is the Singapore Dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, shops, and restaurants.

·        This pre-cruise program is offered as a package. There will be no refunds for unused accommodations, meals, or excursions.

·        Program is offered on a space available basis.

·        Program is subject to change without notice.

 

Hotel contact information:

InterContinental Singapore

80 Middle Road

Singapore 188966

Telephone: +65 6338 7600

 

Ever since the mid-19th-century, when the British established control of Hong Kong at the end of the First Opium War, this small enclave of trade and commerce has exercised a hold on the Western imagination as a city of fast-paced business, exotic cuisine, high finance, and more than a bit of intrigue. And although the culture of the city has changed some since it was returned to China in 1997, much of old Hong Kong remains. This carefully designed program offers the opportunity to experience some of the treasures of Hong Kong—and to do so with one of the world's great hotels as your base of operations.

 

Day 1 – Hong Kong

After breakfast aboard ship, your guide will meet you inside the cruise terminal and lead you on a leisurely walk along the Promenade, where you will be invited to join a Taichi Master in an hour of exercise in this ancient martial art. Relaxed and reinvigorated from the Taichi, drive to Diamond Hill to visit the Ci Lin Nunnery, part of a Buddhist complex of housing, temples, and gardens that offers an oasis of serenity in the midst of the high-rise offices and apartment buildings that surround it. Visit the Temple Hall, with statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy, Guanyin, and other bodhisattvas, and wander in the beautiful Nan Lan Garden before sitting down to a vegetarian lunch at a restaurant within the complex.

After lunch, drive to the Mei Ho House, originally built in 1953 to resettle more than 50,000 refugees from a disastrous shantytown fire. The original building, abandoned in 2005, was renovated and reopened in 2013 as a youth hostel with an attached museum showcasing its significance as a public housing success story.

Your day of touring comes to an end with a visit to the bustling food market on Ap Liu Street, where you may grab a snack as you browse the stalls before driving along Nathan Road, the main thoroughfare of Kowloon, to the Regent Hong Kong hotel, your home for the next two nights. Dinner is independent.

 

Day 2 – Hong Kong

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and morning at the hotel before driving across Hong Kong Island to the fishing village of Aberdeen, where you board a Chinese junk for a cruise to Lamma Island. For most of its history, Lamma has been identified with fishing, and although it has recently earned a reputation for trendy, hip arts and music, it remains at its core a place where fishermen ply their trade. One of the island's major fishing ports is the village of Sok Kwu Wan, where you will have the opportunity to browse the waterfront shops selling local arts and crafts before sitting down to a lunch of some of the freshest seafood you will ever enjoy.

After lunch, your cruise continues, as you head toward the southern end of Hong Kong Island, passing by Repulse Bay on the way to the port of Stanley. Home to the British government's first administrative center (1842), Stanley is now a popular destination for locals and visitors alike because of its historic buildings and lively market. Enjoy time at leisure here to check out some of its landmarks like Old Stanley Police Station, Stanley Post Office, and Murray House, or wander through the market's labyrinth of stores and stalls.

Return by coach from Stanley to your hotel, where the evening is at leisure and dinner is independent.

Day 3 - Hong Kong | Depart

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for flights homeward.

 

Your hotel:

The Regent Hong Kong is truly one of the world's great hotels, situated at the edge of Victoria Harbor in Kowloon. Just outside the door of the 5-star hotel is the "Avenue of Stars" promenade, and next door are Salisbury Garden, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Hong Kong Space Museum. The rooms and suites have been designed by Hong Kong-born Chi Wing Lo to be a "Personal Haven of peace and tranquility." And the property features six restaurants and bars, a terrace pool complex, and fitness center.

 

Your program includes:

·        2 nights at the Regent Hong Kong

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the pier to the hotel on disembarkation day

·        Transfer and luggage handling from the hotel to the airport on Day 3

·        Breakfast on Days 2 and 3

·        Lunch on Days 1 and 2

·        Sightseeing and programming as noted in the itinerary

·        Local English-speaking guide

·        Gratuities for the drivers and local guides

Your program does not include:

·        Transfer from the hotel to the airport on any day other than the scheduled program departure day.

·        Personal expenses and other services and meals not mentioned as included in the program.

Please note:

·        It is imperative that your flight departure details are communicated at least 60 days prior to the beginning of your cruise in order to secure your transfer from the hotel to the airport.

·        Early check-in and/or late check-out are available depending on availability and at a supplement. An additional night is possible, upon request and depending on hotel availability. Please, contact reservations or your travel agent for further details.

·        The official currency is the Hong Kong Dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, shops, and restaurants.

·        This post-cruise program is offered as a package. There will be no refunds for unused accommodations, meals, or excursions.

·        Program is offered on a space available basis.

·        Program is subject to change without notice.

 

Hotel contact information:

Regent Hong Kong

18 Salisbury Road Regent

Tsim Sha Tsui

Hong Kong

Telephone: +852 2721 1211