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Travel around the world while being in Singapore

By Fay Gaffigan for Yahoo! Travel

When you're in a cultural melting pot like Singapore, you don't exactly have to hop on a plane to discover the very best of what the world has to offer.

Start with a stay in the rainforest at Treetops Executive Residences...

Instead of spending money at the same ole' hotels, enjoy some time with your family and loved ones at Treetops Executive Residences (7 Orange Grove Road Singapore 258355).

While it may just be a stone's throw away from Orchard Road, walking in to Treetops feels like you've been transported to a lush, well-kept rainforest with five acres of lovingly tendered grounds.

You don't have to don your heavy trekking boots for a stroll through their canopy of native trees. It's quite literally an escape within your urban escape!

Then get an Aussie java from Singapore's latest hippest hood...

Ran by an Aussie who gets his coffee beans blend from an artisinal roaster that he knows back in Australia and has them shipped to Singapore every 1-2 weeks, FortyHands (Blk 78 Yong Siak St #01-12, Tiong Bahru Estate, Singapore 163078) is said to serve one of the best coffees in Singapore. Located on Yong Siak Street about 10 minutes walk from Tiong Bahru MRT, it's also in the neighbourhood of the hot and trendy niche boutiques and pop up stores that are all in the rage these days.

Devour a slice of Spain for lunch...

While it previously opened only for dinner and packed a crowd faster than you can order tortilla, Esquina now opens for lunch too. A smorgasbord of delectable Spanish tapas awaits you at a charming corner of Jiak Chuan Road. For dessert, be sure to tuck in to their yummy Black Olive Sorbet with Strawberry Gazpacho and Basil.

Be transported to the olden days of the Orient...

Reflecting Chinese culture and philosophy, almost all opera performances highlight virtues such as loyalty, love and patriotism. While Chinese opera is still practised freely in Singapore especially during celebrations like Chinese New Year and Hungry Ghost Festival, when it's performed on open fields in heartlands across the city, you can still pop by the Singapore Chinese Opera Museum no matter what time of the year you visit the city. According to Time Out Singapore, "the museum showcases the styles, costumes and props employed by the various types of Chinese opera in Singapore. Exhibits here originate solely from local collections, and they show that while the artform may have originated on the mainland, it has continued to develop and branch out into new styles since being imported to Singapore."

Indulge in a little piece of Russia...

Buyan, a fairly newcomer to the enclave of Duxton Hill, introduces more of Russia than just vodka, fur, and trashy blondes. Singapore's first Russian restaurant boasts a $5 million wine cellar, 50 types of vodka and homely Soviet favourites like Chicken Kiev and Beef Stroganov.