My Perfect Weekend with veteran model Pat Kraal

WHO: Singaporean former supermodel Pat Kraal, 62, is the managing director and booker of Platinum Angels Management, a modelling agency for those aged 50 years and above.

While she lives in Paris with her four children – daughters Aurea, 32, April, 25, and Ashley, 23, and son Anton, 30 – the single mum often returns to Singapore for work and to spend time with her parents and relatives.

Ahead of Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October and to raise awareness for Down Syndrome Association (DSA), Kraal and fellow fashion industry personalities such as Marion Nicole Teo and Daniel Boey were photographed with DSA beneficiaries by local celebrity photographer Russel Wong as part of a campaign.

The veteran model – who strutted down Paris runways in the 1980s for fashion brands Givenchy, Jean-Louis Scherrer, Balmain and Christian Dior – is also helping to train the DSA beneficiaries for a catwalk segment at the non-profit social service agency’s annual fundraising gala on Oct 5 at Marina Bay Sands.

“I have lived in Paris for more than 30 years. In this job, there are no weekends – maybe it’s a Singapore thing. I do a lot of work on my phone.

The French people love their weekends. No one will text or call you about work, unlike in Singapore, where people are constantly working.

My best weekends are spent by the pool or the fireplace, reading a book and having a nice glass of red wine.

If I were in Singapore, I would spend my weekends with my parents and siblings. I would go to their homes, as some use walking aids and mobility can be an issue.

We always talk about having a family holiday, but it is so hard to gather everyone together even when we are in Paris.

In September, all my children could finally come to Singapore together. Making the time spent together even more special was our short getaway to Hoi An, Vietnam, just this past weekend.

We stayed at a two-bedroom villa overlooking a rice field at Chez Mimosa Hoi An. It was so beautiful. What surprised us was that the idyllic villa cost only about $300 a night, with breakfast and airport transfers.

We rented two scooters for the three days we were there to explore the ancient town and beaches. I tried to ride the scooter, but I was so scared. I decided to be a pillion rider instead.

We saw a fancy barber and my son said he wanted a haircut. In the end, he even had his beard trimmed and got a head massage. He was surprised when it only cost him $10.

For dinner, we went to an expensive-looking restaurant for Vietnamese food. We had one dish each, and were initially shocked when we saw the bill. There are so many zeros in Vietnamese dong. But when we calculated the exchange rate, our dinner was about $30.

Food and fruit are cheap in Hoi An. The city has such a laid-back vibe and people are so friendly. It is a great place to chill and feast if you are looking for a quick weekend getaway.

We did not have an itinerary, we just wanted to spend time together. After this short holiday, we are more determined to make sure the five of us travel together once a year.”