A-LIST SLING ALTERNATIVE BACK GARDEN GADGETRY SIFA CAR BLIMEY YOURSELF

Look, it’s no good telling me Singapore’s most famous hotel is shut. What about one I can actually check into in the next month or two? Yes, good point. How about the five-star Mandarin Oriental Singapore in Raffles Avenue? A six-night room-only stay, flying out of Heathrow on March 16, is £1,243pp (travelbag.co.uk). Every bicentenary needs a slab of art at its heart. Happily, Singapore has remembered to invite culture to its birthday year. The Singapore International Festival of Arts (sifa.sg) will take centre stage from May 16 to June 2. There will be cake. Actually, no – there won’t be cake. Just arty stuff. What would Raffles make of the city that has bloomed since his death in 1826? Well, he’d be confused by Gardens by the Bay (gardensbythebay.com), the nature park with its grove of vast man-made illuminated “supertrees”. And he wouldn’t be much surer of Singapore Art Museum (singaporeartmuseum.sg) – where the focus is on Asian contemporary art. Still, don’t be baffled like Raffles. Both are great. You should go. Angular sculpture and outlandish arboreal apparitions are all very well, but what of the vroom om of high-octane engines, the stench of petrol, and Lewis Hamilton looking grumpy in a pit lane? Ah, h, then you need the Singapore Grand Prix – which is scheduled for Sept 22. A four-night trip, including g three-day tickets (qualifying and race), hotel, and d flights from Heathrow, costs from £1,459pp with thomascooksport.com. The problem with the Raffles being shut is that this means its fabled Long Bar is, too. Which means you can’t pop in for a couple of Singapore Slings. What to do? Well, find another mixologist (to use that awful modern word). Perhaps at trendy Jigger & Pony, which does the Sling thing with chic gusto for 23 Singapore dollars (£13) ( jiggerandpony.com).