Fullerton Bay Hotel Feels Like Home

January 13, 2012 · 0 comments

As much as I love traveling, staying in hotels night after night gets tiresome quickly. It’s around this time that I crave the comforts of home: like knowing how to turn off the lights, having a dock for my iPhone, and waking up in a bed that doesn’t make my back hurt.

This last trip to Singapore, was no exception. The Singapore Tourism Board flew me out to check out the booming food scene in the city-state. While the itinerary was full of fantastic sights and delicious food, the hotel they put me up in left a bit to be desired. I decided to tack on a few extra days to the trip to visit friends, and switched hotels to the Fullerton Bay Hotel.

I chose the Fullerton Bay because I’d heard that the Andre Fu designed interior was a real looker. It turns out that I was well advised as from the moment you walk through the doors to the historic Clifford Pier to the moment you arrive in your room, you’re surrounded by an alluring luxury that’s not understated but not gaudy either. [click to continue…]

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Ristorante Da Valentino

December 12, 2011 · 2 comments

We’d just gotten through an 8 course seafood dinner that included a whole chicken and whole crab when my friend Russel declared “I’m gonna take you to meet my Italian family man!” To understand the irony of this statement you should know that Russel, is literally a rockstar photographer who’s shot the likes of Michael Jackson, Naomi Campbell, and Jackie Chan; he’s also Singaporean.

We pull up to Ristorante Da Valentino, an unassuming storefront in a quiet residential neighborhood. If it weren’t for the Maseratis, Benzs, and a Rolls Royce parked outside, you’d have no idea the place was even open. By the looks of it, they were having a busy night. With my gut painfully bulging over my snug seatbelt, a small part of me was hoping Russel would decide it was too crowded and leave.

My hopes were dashed when he zoomed up the narrow cul de sac and parked in a spot that I could only assume was a parking ticket in the making. As we walked into the restaurant, Russel pointed out all the F1 photos on the wall he’d taken as well as one of F1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone dining in the restaurant. I was mulling over all the celebrities that had eaten there when Papa Gianni strode towards Russel as though he was welcoming home a long lost son. “I have a table for you” he said with a Singaporean tinged Italian accent. [click to continue…]

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