Singapore’s sci-fi cityscape – supertrees at Gardens by the Bay, the rice terrace design of Marina One, the glass shards of Reflections at Keppel Bay – has inspired a futuristic mindset, and much of the city is buffed to such a high sheen that you can see your reflection in it.

Here, pastel-pretty Peranakan-style shophouses are dwarfed by vertiginous high rises – plus of course the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool, hovering 57 stories up; award-winning bak chor mee is served in bright bowlfuls at the UNESCO-protected hawker markets; sunshine glints off the gold-domed Sultan Mosque. The roar of the Lion City is seldom louder than when Formula 1 comes to town, while unmissable dragon dances are performed around Chinese New Year. Singapore’s most dizzying, dazzling charms emerge after dark, when the legendary hotel scene comes into its own. At one, a duo of albino peacocks may greet you on arrival. At another, a pink pool table made of Calacatta marble invites you to play. In this city of superlatives, no gesture is too grand.