PLEASE NOTE (April 2/24): This listing remains valid overall, but has not been updated since February, so recent tweaks are not included here. Those going on the tour should refer to their Travefy app for an up-to-date agenda.
TravelMaven has organized three tours for Haliburton Rotary in 2024. In addition to this 7-night Singapore Convention package, there is a 10-night pre-convention tour of South Korea and a 15-night post-convention tour of Vietnam.
PHOTO: This photo shows three significant places. 1. The three tall towers connected on top by a boat is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino. 2. The three low buildings in front are the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre. 3. The forested area behind Marina Bay Sands is Gardens by the Bay, which includes the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest (white spaghetti straps).
For those who haven't never been, Singapore is a big surprise. While its well-known as a wealthy and modern city-state, Singapore is also a cultural melting pot. As a result, many Canadians feel a sense of familiarity visiting a place filled with immigrants from China, India, southeast Asia and Europe. The fact that the functional language is English adds to this familiarity.
This tour of Singapore is unique for TravelMaven, in that much of the program is the Rotary Convention, rather than typical tourist activities. As a result, TravelMaven is offering a supplemental program that compliments the conference agenda.
The CAPRI by Fraser China Square Hotel was carefully chosen as it's location downtown is convenient for exploring the city, while it's proximity to several subway stations makes it easy to commute to the Singapore National Stadium for plenary sessions and to Marina Bay Convention Centre for the House of Friendship and break-out sessions.
By way of background, Rotary International Conventions tend to follow the same five-day program every year: registration Saturday; kick-off event Sunday; plenary sessions in the mornings and break-out sessions in the afternoons on Monday and Tuesday; and a wrap-up event mid-day Wednesday. Based on this agenda, Rotarians (from far away) usually arrive in the host city on Friday or Saturday, and depart late Wednesday or Thursday.
In addition to this main program, many Rotary-related organizations also offer a wide variety of social and other events to attendees. As such, each Rotarian attending the Convention is able to build their own program based on their personal interests (and budgets). While this may be a bit bewildering to first-timers, seasoned conventioneers look forward to attending the same events year and year, and seeing old friends in that process.
It is within this broader context that this Haliburton Rotary Convention tour was created. Most notably, it also explains why we begin on Thursday, as this early start gives us a chance to be tourists for a couple of days before we switch gears to being Rotarians on Saturday afternoon.
This also means that, once the Convention begins, we provide our guests with supplemental events to enhance their convention experience. For example, every evening we will offer an optional outing to a local attraction (e.g. Garden by the Bay; Singapore Botanic Gardens). These will also include the opportunity to pick up a casual dinner along the way.
As your Tour Hosts/Concierges, Barry & Ursula will also be around to help with all kinds of activities. For example, Ursula will be going to the main Rotary events, while Barry will be around the hotel helping those interested in additional activities around the city.
ARRIVAL: About half our group will arrive from South Korea after lunch with Barry & Ursula. Others will arrive throughout the day. Our tour will begin with a Welcome & Orientation Event at the CAPRI by Fraser China Square Hotel at 18:00.
HOTEL: Please note, there are two CAPRI by Fraser hotels in Singapore. The wrong one is the CAPRI by Fraser Changi, near the airport and EXPO Convention Centre. Rather, we are staying at the CAPRI by Fraser China Square Hotel which is downtown and near the Rotary venues.
MEALS: This tour package includes a breakfast buffet each day at the CAPRI Hotel, one dinner in a Hawker Centre and our Farewell Dinner. No other meals are included. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, Singapore offers an incredible array of exotic cuisines, including many unfamiliar to most Canadians. From previous experience we know that some will be excited to try these exotic offerings, while others will studiously want to avoid them. So, rather than us making bland compromises for everyone, we've decided to bring people to places (i.e. restaurant rows and Hawker Centres) where they can eat whatever they want. While this approach is unusual for a group tour, we think it's the best way to handle meals when cuisine preferences are likely to be very individualized.
LAND PACKAGE: C$2,680 (US$2,010)
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: C$1,220 (US$915)
PACE: Easy to Moderate
LENGTH: 7 hotel nights
GROUP SIZE: max 28 guests
DATES:
Depart Toronto: May 22, 2024
Begins in Singapore: May 23, 2024
Ends in Singapore: May 30, 2024
LAND PACKAGE INCLUDES:
CAPRI by Fraser, China Square (7 nts)
Breakfasts daily
Hawker Centre dinner & tour
Special Farewell Dinner (tbd)
Neighbourhood tours (2)
National Museum of Singapore
Garden by the Bay visit (optional)
Botanic Gardens visit (optional)
EZLink Smartcard ($50 value)
Tour Concierges (Barry & Ursula)
All ground transportation & taxes
This tour is guaranteed to depart. The Land Package price is in Canadian dollars, based on double occupancy, and only guaranteed after the 20% nonrefundable deposit is received.
Day 0 (Wed May 22) Depart Toronto
Most Rotarians departing North America will fly out Wednesday, arriving in Singapore Thursday.
Day 1 (Thu May 23) Arrive in Singapore; Orientation Session
Those coming from South Korea with Barry & Ursula will arrive in Singapore at 13:05. For those arriving on their own from Canada, it's easy to catch a taxi or Grab (like Uber) to the hotel ($30-40). Our tour will officially begin with a Welcome & Orientation Session at the CAPRI Hotel, followed by a walking tour through Nankin and Pekin Streets, checking out the dozens of restaurants and cafes available nearby.
Day 2 (Fri May 24) City Tour; National Museum; Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre (B,D)
TravelMaven will arrange a city bus tour in the morning that shows off the city's many highlights. After lunch, we will visit to the National Museum of Singapore to get a broad understanding of the place we're visiting. In the evening, we will walk to the nearby Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre for a casual dinner.
Lau Pa Sat historic Hawker Centre
Day 3 (Sat May 25) City Tour, Registration, House of Friendship (B)
After breakfast, the group will enjoy a walking tour around the downtown before returning to the hotel. After lunch, we will take the subway to Marina Bay Sands to register and visit the House of Friendship. In the evening, Barry & Ursula will escort those interested for a casual dinner in Chinatown.
Day 4 (Sun May 26) Convention Grand Opening; Singapore Botanic Gardens (B)
In the morning, Rotarians will head to the National Stadium to attend the Convention Grand Opening. In the late afternoon, guests are welcome to join Barry & Ursula for a visit to Singapore's Botanic Gardens, the only tropical garden in the world designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 5 (Mon May 27) Convention Program; Gardens by the Bay Light Show (B)
This is a Convention day, but in the evening guests are welcome to join Barry & Ursula for a casual dinner and visit to the Gardens by the Bay Light Show (time tbd).
Supertree Grove at Garden by the Bay
Day 6 (Tue May 28) Convention Program; Little India & Orchand Road Shopping District (B)
After attending Convention events, guests are welcome to join Barry & Ursula for dinner and a stroll through Little India and the Orchard Road shopping district.
Day 7 (Wed May 29) Last Day of Convention; Farewell Dinner (B, D)
This is the final day of the convention, which ends about 5 pm. On our final evening, Barry & Ursula will host a special Farewell to Singapore dinner for all guests. Stay tuned for details!
Day 8 (Thu May 30) End of Tour (B)
After breakfast and check-out, guests are free to head home, or stay a few more days in Singapore, or join Barry & Ursula as they begin Haliburton Rotary's post-convention tour of Vietnam.
Marina Bay