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Where to dine with dinosaurs, kill zombies and staycation poolside in downtown Singapore

How To Not Waste Your Annual Leave starring Chua Enlai is your guide to escaping WFH Groundhog Day. This week: An Orchard Road Singapoliday.

Join Chua Enlai and Janice Koh on their Singapoliday to rediscover Orchard Road. Watch the video embedded in this story! PHOTO: SPH

Orchard Road is synonymous with shopping. It's the go-to destination when we need to spiff up the wardrobe or get the latest on-trend outfit. But there's more than meets the eye on this stretch of posh malls and department stores.

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Levelled-up escape rooms that pit you against zombies, hidden watering holes, and an exhibition which celebrates local designers are just a few of the intriguing spots that will reveal a different side to the Orchard Road we know.

And to revel in this journey of discovery, unplug from work and check into one of the world-class hotels on the stretch for a luxurious, pampering staycation. No point clearing leave just on Friday; set aside some weekdays for your annual leave and enjoy the lower hotel rates. You'll have less crowds to deal with too!

Bookmark this page for some of Orchard Road's best-kept secrets.

Take your ION experience up a notch

At 218 metres high, ION Sky sits at the highest point on Orchard Road, and will give visitors a picture-perfect panoramic view of the city. Floor to ceiling windows on the observation deck on Level 56 allow a fully immersive and rare opportunity to soak up a bird's eye view of Orchard Road and its vicinity.

The observatory will play host to the Jurassic World Cafe - an experiential retail and dining experience that will be open from now till Jan 3, 2021. Visitors can expect thematic food and drinks in a Jurassic World jungle-themed setting, with dinosaur displays.

In line with ION Sky's safety measures, each visiting group can be made up of not more than five persons, and no mixing between groups should take place. Guests are also kindly reminded to maintain a one-metre distance from each other, and prior reservations are required.

The new addition of the Panerai Lounge will prove to be another stunning showpiece at ION Orchard. Opened this month, Panerai is offering their VIPs a unique coffee experience - the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. While watching through a looking glass, guests will be able to observe master craftsmen in their element as they work on the luxury watch brand's fine timepieces. Definitely the new hotspot to see and be seen at.

Where: 2​ Orchard Turn, ION Orchard #01-18 (Panerai) and Level 56 (Jurassic World Cafe), Singapore 238801
Tel: 6636-9313 (Panerai); 8028-1489 (Jurassic World Cafe)
Opening hours: 11am to 9.30pm (Panerai); 11am to 10pm (Jurassic World Cafe)
Website: https://www.ionorchard.com

Survive a zombie apocalypse in Orchard Road

Taking escape rooms to a new level is Sandbox VR Singapore, which uses the latest VR technology to make you feel like you've just stepped into your favourite video game.

Opened in 2018, Sandbox VR picked up a Travellers' Choice 2020 award on TripAdvisor for being in the top 10 per cent of all attractions worldwide, and offers movie-quality real-time motion capture to create a hyper realistic immersive gameplay experience. You'll need to suit up with VR goggles, headphones and​ various motion-capture gear, before going to the green screen studio to engage with the​ Walking Dead.

Besides fighting zombies in an abandoned mansion, other popular gameplays include hunting treasure on a cursed pirate ship and defending Earth against an invading fleet of aliens.

As health, safety and cleanliness are priorities, equipment is cleaned and disinfected after every use, including the masks on headsets, headset lenses, haptic vests and props. While the largest room can accommodate a maximum of six players, group play is currently limited to five per group.

Where: ​181​ Orchard Road, Orchard Central #05-31, Singapore 238896
Tel: 9832-5988​
Opening hours: ​1.15​ pm to 10.15pm (Mondays to Thursdays); 11am to 10.15pm (Fridays to Sundays)
Website: https://sandboxvr.com/singapore/

Keep the adrenaline rush going

If zombie hunting wasn't enough to keep your heart rate up, an hour or two of trampolining will. Bounce is one of Singapore's more popular indoor trampoline parks for good reason.

Besides its sprawling Free-Jump Arena with dedicated trampoline spaces for beginners to ease into things, the park also has other cool play areas such as Slam Dunk (this is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to make that dunk shot), Big Bag (a giant inflatable bag acts as your safety net as you attempt a forward flip), and Dodgeball (where you can utilise your new bouncing skills to avoid the soft balls heading your way).

Those who are ready to up the ante can take a crack at the X-Park: Adventure Challenge Course. Unique to Bounce, this obstacle course is like a cross between parkour and bouldering. Time to channel your inner Ninja Warrior.

To keep all guests safe, Bounce has implemented several safeguards such as reducing its capacity to only 65 jumpers per session, requiring masks to be worn at all times unless you're participating in strenuous activities, and conducting hourly cleaning of high-touch surfaces, coupled with regular disinfection and deep cleaning.

Where: 8​ Grange Road, Cineleisure #09-01, Singapore 239695
Tel: 6816-2879​
Email: enquiries@bounceinc.com.sg
Opening hours: 10​ am to 7pm (Mondays to Thursdays and Sundays); 10am to 9pm (Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays)
Website: https://www.bounceinc.com.sg/

An indulgent staycay in an Orchard Road icon

When it comes to staycations, we want to pamper ourselves big time. With a department store in the same building, the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel checks all the boxes for the city slickin' Singaporean.

You can shop all you want, then later go up to your elegant hotel room to rest and refresh in the beautifully-designed bathroom featuring spacious walk-in rain showers and extended vanity areas - amenities you'd want for a pampering stay away from your home office.

Then you have eight dining concepts in the hotel to choose from, including the award-winning Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, known for its modern Cantonese cuisine, and​ the Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Ginza Sushi-Ichi.

And don't forget to pack in your swimsuits. The pool is fitted with jacuzzi jets at one end and surrounded by private cabanas and sun loungers. Those who just want to chill by the pool all day long can book the Pool Terrace rooms (there are only nine in the hotel), which have direct access to the hotel pool and private cabanas for that resort-style vacay you've been yearning for.

Also, with 24-hour check-in and check-out flexibility, it means your stays won't leave you feeling hemmed in.

To take care of guests' well-being, the SG Clean-certified hotel has put in place enhanced cleaning and hygiene protocols to create a safer and cleaner environment.

Where: 320​ Orchard Road, Singapore 238865
Tel: ​6735-5800​
Website: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sindt-singapore-marriott-tang-plaza-hotel​/

Celebrating home-grown brands

Have you walked past Design Orchard but not walked in? Then you've definitely been missing out!

The two-and-a-half storey lifestyle space has plenty to offer. On the first floor is its retail showcase, where you'll be able to browse over 60 home-grown brands, offering everything from clothing and accessories to home decor and skincare. Brands to look out for include womenswear labels Weekend Sundries, Reckless Ericka, Ginlee Studio, lifestyle brand Binary Style, and gymwear brand Kydra.

Get your java boost from local speciality coffee roasters Alchemist (their cafe is in Tencel Studio on the third floor), then head to the rooftop, the real hidden gem on Orchard Road. With lush greenery juxtaposed against a minimalist industrial backdrop, the IG-worthy space offers a quiet respite from the bustle of the streets below.

Where: 250​ Orchard Road, Singapore 238905
Opening hours: Retail Showcase on Level 1 opens from 11am to 8pm daily. Cocoon Space on​ Level 2 opens from 9am to 6pm (Mondays to Fridays); closed on weekends. Alchemist opens from 10am to 7pm daily.
Website: https://www.designorchard.sg/

Try to find this secret bar

Drawing inspiration from the izakayas of Japan, The Horse's Mouth is a speakeasy tucked​ away discreetly in Forum The Shopping Mall. Make it fun and get your friends to find their way to you.

Apart from its curated range of rarely-seen-in-Singapore sakes and Burgundy wines, try one of the bar's bespoke cocktails, crafted by mixologists, according to what you're in the mood for that day. From what we hear, they're usually on point with their concoctions.

Accompany your tipple of choice with some Japanese bar snacks. Ingredients are imported twice weekly from Japan's Toyosu Market, and recommendations include the Wagyu Beef Sandwiches and Spicy Salmon & Tuna Tartare with Crispy Gyoza Skin and Eihire (Grilled Stingray Fins).

Pssst… you'll find The Horse's Mouth either via Uma Uma Restaurant, or through Yoshi Restaurant (on the left of Watson's).

Where: 583​ Orchard Road, Forum The Shopping Mall, Singapore 238884​
Tel: 8188-0900 (​WhatsApp & SMS are welcomed)
Opening hours: 5pm to 10.30pm daily​
Website: https://horsesmouthbar.com​/

See Orchard Road through a different lens

For most of us, Orchard Road is the place we head to for brunch or shopping with friends. But what else do we know of our shopping belt?

You can learn more with a leisurely walking tour with Everyday Tour Company. Its signature Everyday Art-chitecture Tour of Orchard Road takes you on a guided walk to uncover some​ of the precinct's best-kept secrets

Whether it's heritage architecture you enjoy or collecting fun facts about the area - did you know there is a Jewish synagogue in the neighbourhood, or that Singapore's first railway cut through Orchard Road? - you'll enjoy this eye-opening experience. Makes for a fab, fun outing for the family.

Where: Tour starts at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station on ​Saturdays from 5pm to 7.30pm.​ Maximum of 10 people on the tour.
Tel: 8749-4007​
Email: hello@EverydayTourCompany.com
Website: https://www.everydaytourcompany.com/tour/everyday-art-chitecture-tour​/

Enjoy some food for thought

If you care about food sustainability and reducing your carbon footprint, and enjoy good food dished out by caring cooks, add the well-hidden Kausmo to your place-to-dine-at list.

At Kausmo (derived from the word "cosmos", to inspire guests to think outside their world and promote purposeful dining), dishes are mindfully created with a focus on reducing​ unnecessary food waste. So, what you'll see starring in the dishes served up by talented young chefs Lisa Tang and Kuah Chew Shian are sustainably sourced seafood, forgotten greens and florals, and often-overlooked "ugly" fruits and vegetables and secondary cuts of meat.

The chefs serve up a six-course Carte Blanche menu, and have the bold mission to challenge food norms and change mindsets with their creative, yet unpretentious, offerings. There are two fixed seating times with limited seating capacity - so you can enjoy a private dining-like experience.

Kausmo also has a corner selling artisanal bakes, kombucha, sauces and compotes - all made in-house. Place an order a week before on Saturdays at 10am (via their social media platforms) and you'll be able to self-collect your items on Sundays (1-5pm). Return your empty bottles and you'll get $1 off your next retail purchase.

Where: 1​ Scotts Road, Shaw Centre #03-07, Singapore 228208
Tel: 8126-8538​
Opening hours: Dinner by reservation only. First seating: 6.30pm; second seating: 8.30pm.​ Closed on Mondays & Sundays.
Website: https://www.kausmo.com​/

She decided to conduct tours in Singapore to "soak up the incredible culture and energy of the city". Ms PS Yeo, founder and wonder of Everyday Tour Company, called six cities around the world "home" before she was drawn back to Singapore. Here, she tells us her favourite spots in Orchard Road.

An Orchard Road "native", Mr Alvin Lim has fond memories of the precinct he spent so much time in during his childhood and youth. His professional life eventually led him back to the area, where he's spent the last 15 years working. Mr Lim is the resident manager (acting) for Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. Here are his top must-visits.

In partnership with Singapore Tourism Board

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