Anita Kapoor got her first break in television hosting the lifestyle program “Secret Singapore” back in 2003. Since then the Mumbai-born, Singapore-raised travel host has travelled far and wide, working on series like “Exotic Escapades” and “go Asia With Anita Kapoor,” experiencing the best of what Asia’s travel destinations offer. And while she loves venturing out around the region, she also loves to share her passion about the vibrant city she’s been calling home since 1978. BLOUIN Lifestyle asked the vivacious presenter about her favorite places in Singapore:
Anita Kapoor got her first break in television hosting the lifestyle program “Secret Singapore” back in 2003. Since then the Mumbai-born, Singapore-raised travel host has travelled far and wide, working on series like “Exotic Escapades” and “go Asia With Anita Kapoor,” experiencing the best of what Asia’s travel destinations offer. And while she loves venturing out around the region, she also loves to share her passion about the vibrant city she’s been calling home since 1978. BLOUIN Lifestyle asked the vivacious presenter about her favorite places in Singapore:
“I like The Black Swan (19 Cecil Street; +65 8181 3305; theblackswan.com.sg) for its stunning interiors and smashing cocktails,” Kapoor says, also recommending Lolla (22 Ann Siang Road; +65 6423 1228; lolla.com.sg) for its “gorgeous small plates … top-notch attentiveness” and because “it exudes charm.” Those looking for authentic and consistent old school Singapore fare, should go straight to the Heap Seng Leong Coffee Shop (Blk 10 North Bridge Road; +65 6292 2368).
Singapore Sentosa Cove (21 Ocean Way; +65 6808 7288; wsingaporesentosacove.com) is a chic getaway weekend with a gorgeous pool and a great steakhouse, Skirt. In town, Kapoor recommends The Park Royal on Pickering (3 Upper Pickering St, +65 6809 8888; parkroyalhotels.com), near Chinatown and Wanderlust (2 Dickson Road; +65 6396 3322; wanderlusthotel.com) in Little India, two hotels with strong interior designs. This year, she’s looking forward to the opening of Patina Hotel, a new 5-star property that will be located in the restored Capitol Building and Stamford House, located at the junction of Stamford Road and North Bridge Road.
When Kapoor visits a museum she wants the full story, and that is one reason why she likes the Peranakan Museum (39 Armenian St; +65 6332 7591; peranakanmuseum.org.sg), which is dedicated to the culture of the Peranakans — descendants of Chinese who generations ago made the Malay Archipelago their home. “It tells the entire Peranakan story and not the mass adulterated version,” she says.
“I love the idea of old school and new school next to each other, but with sensitivity and instinct for space, time, and use. I also love places that are in tandem with human movement,” she says, adding she tends to favour more historic buildings. One of the most successful examples of this old-meet-new approaches is the Fullerton Bay Hotel (80 Collyer Quay; +65 6333 8388; fullertonbayhotel.com), which she feels “has achieved both water vistas and just-right glamour in parallel with the Art Deco architecture.”
For a bit of nostalgia, Kapoor recommends a stroll through the streets of Tiong Bahru neighbourhood which has retained many of its original 1930s buildings. The period design with an emphasis on long horizontal lines with rounded details offers “a gorgeous mix of streamline modern and Straits architecture, now thriving with 21st Century energies,” she notes.
“Just one? That's impossible!,” muses Kapoor. “I adore the farmers’ yards of Yio Chu Kang, the messy beauty of Serangoon Gardens, the gorgeous walkability and architecture of Tiong Bahru, the spirit of Joo Chiat, and the holiday vibe and multi-culturalism of the entire East of Singapore!”
