Set in 4 hectares of lush greenery, with a modern multi-venue conference centre, 112 guestrooms and a restored heritage building, Changi Cove is a new, unique and refreshing destination for events and meetings.

From personal retreats to group retreats, team building getaways, meetings, brainstorming sessions, seminars, conferences, trainings to banquets and celebrations, Changi Cove has something to offer.

Changi Cove’s restful and relaxed atmosphere, meeting facilities and guestrooms are thoughtfully designed to promote rest, fresh perspectives, new ideas and bonding. It’s 112 guestrooms are designed with simplicity and coziness in mind, offering you a comfortable and relaxing stay, whether you are at Changi Cove for group, personal retreats or events and meetings at the conference centre. Each room comes with specially painted walls where you are encouraged to write, doodle or draw.

The hotel's surroundings also offer many opportunities for exploration and discovery. From the Changi Point Boardwalk along the Changi coastline, Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa wetlands to the laidback Changi Village, they are all easily accessible.

351 Cranwell Road

Tel: +65 69226122 or e-mail: [email protected]

The Singapore Botanic Garden has introduced a new aromatic experience with the planting of the new "Fragrant Garden". Located at the Central Core of the Gardens, The 1 hectare Fragrant Garden is planted with over 30 species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants with either fragrant leaves, flowers, fruits or rhizomes. Some of the fragrant blooms attract butterflies and you will be able to spot the colourful winged insects fluttering amongst the plants in the day.

Many of the plants give off their scents in the evenings and a new boardwalk was developed and beautifully lit at night to enhance your experience at Fragrant Garden. The boardwalk overlooks a collection of trees in the valley, including two charming old Baobab trees and a variety of pines, casuarinas and fruit trees.

More than 100 fragrant plant species will be added to the collection to enhance your enjoyment of the Garden. The Magnolia x alba, commonly known as the Chempaka Putih or White Champak is one example. The flowers produce a sweet strong fragrance, similar to that of Juicyfruit gum. Released in the early hours of the day, it lasts all day long. Various uses for it's scent can be found in the perfume industry and cosmetics. The White Champak is also the city flower of Shanghai, China.

Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road

Tel: +65 64717361

Integrating Singapore's water bodies into the urban landscape in new and innovative ways is the goal of national water agency PUB. Under its Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) programme, a 1.2 km stretch of Alexandra Canal from Tanglin Road continuing downstream to Delta Road was transformed from a functional concrete canal into a pleasant and attractive waterway with softened banks, seamlessly integrated with the adjacent surroundings. CH2M HILL is the principal consultant involved in the project design and the redeveloped canal was opened earlier this year.

This section of Alexandra Canal starts from an elevated lookout deck at Tanglin Road in which gentle ramps lead down to the new structural deck. A water cascade coming down from the elevated deck flows into a shallow stream which meanders into a water play area. At the end of the water play area is an Educational Hut, showcasing panels about water. The shallow stream then gives way to a set of wetlands which naturally treat water from the canal, and provide opportunities for outdoor classroom learning. This is a tranquil area with simple boardwalks and intermittent resting points so people can get close to water and nature. The water in the wetlands is pumped from the canal and cleansed water at the end of the wetlands will trickle through a rockscape area before flowing back into the canal.

Part of the existing concrete wall of the canal was removed to create a setback for soft planting, transforming the waterway from a functional drain into a modern canal with softer edges and nodes that extend out to adjacent urban developments. A community plaza suitable for community activities was constructed at the downstream of the canal, providing a great lookout point for views of the waterway.

The wetland modules designed for this project are surface flow, floating aquatic vegetation and horizontal sub-surface flow. In addition, rain gardens, vegetated swales and bio-retention swales form sustainable natural elements that attenuate and improve the quality of rainwater runoff. The pilot-scale implementation of these various features are also good demonstration tools to educate the public on the feasibility and effectiveness of treating rainwater where it falls, which should not be overlooked in a densely populated urban city such as Singapore.

Tanglin Road to Delta Road and Prince Charles Crescent

The second phase of MacRitchie Reservoir’s S$5 million facelift has been completed. Among its new attractions is a submerged boardwalk that allows visitors to get a little closer to nature. The boardwalk is located near the edge of the reservoir. The plants lining the boardwalk serve more than just beautifying the area. It also has an environmental friendly function.

It has water plants such as the Beach Morning Glory and Pigweed, which help to purify the water in the reservoir by filtering out sediment. There are also dykes and reed beds, which filter out rainwater from the surrounding pavements before they flow into the reservoir. Larger sediments in the water are allowed to settle while the plants on the reed beds absorb the pollutants, so cleaner water flows into the reservoir.

This feature also helps to cleanse the stormwater, using natural systems like the plants and soil to treat the stormwater before it goes back to the main water body. Another environmentally-friendly feature is the new hilltop restaurant. Decked out with a partial glass roof, the restaurant will allow visitors to enjoy not only sunlight in the day, but also dining under the night sky.

MacRitchie’s iconic bandstand and zigzag bridge, which was gazetted as a heritage building in 2009, has also been refurbished. The reservoir has been undergoing renovations since April last year.

The new features are now open to the public.

Lornie Road

Tel: 1800 4717300 or email: [email protected]

It took them a long time to find that perfect spot by the waters, but patience is a virtue, and they finally found the Sentosa Boardwalk.

Opened in Feb 2011, The Wine Company at Sentosa Boardwalk is a showcase of wine and its life-time partner, food. With distinctive Mediterranean accents, their wine bar and casual eatery offers tapas-style dishes such as steamed mussels in white wine, garlic and parsley, or heartier options of filet mignon with black pepper sauce. You can find a perfect pairing from our 300-label wine list ortheir house pour menu of over 40 options.

Good wine and food puts a smile on their face each time; but what lifts their spirits and calms their souls when they are there is the beautiful sea view. Pick a seat at the al fresco area, spend an hour or two with them…and you will agree.

6 Sentosa Gateway #01-08

Tel: +65 63769029