Singapore is one of the most extraordinary places on earth — a city-state of 5.9 million people on a 728 square kilometre island at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, which has transformed itself in 60 years from a colonial trading post into one of the wealthiest, most efficient and most visually spectacular cities in the world. It is a place that defies easy categorisation: part futuristic metropolis, part tropical garden, part food paradise, part cultural melting pot of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Western influences.

The skyline alone is worth the trip. Marina Bay Sands — the three-tower hotel with the famous infinity pool and SkyPark cantilevered across the top — has become one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. Gardens by the Bay, the extraordinary park of giant steel Supertrees and climate-controlled biomes next door, is unlike anything else on earth. The Marina Bay waterfront at night, with the Supertrees glowing and the city reflected in the water, is one of the great urban spectacles.

But Singapore's greatest achievement is its food. The hawker centres — open-air food courts where hundreds of stalls serve every cuisine of Southeast Asia at prices that would embarrass a London sandwich shop — are the social heart of the city. Singapore has more Michelin-starred hawker stalls than any other city in the world. Eating your way through the hawker centres of Maxwell Road, Lau Pa Sat, Newton Circus and Old Airport Road is the best possible way to spend time in Singapore.

Singapore is 12–13 hours from the UK (direct with Singapore Airlines or British Airways). It is one of the most popular stopover destinations in the world — many travellers break a long-haul journey to Australia or New Zealand here for 2–3 days.