Colonial cultural confusion 
Melaka (formerly Malacca) is a city of layers that can confuse and delight you at every turn. First impressions are not always the best. Traffic is heavy; the streets are dirty and edged in open sewers; carcasses of halted building projects stand like crumbling tombstones.

Then scrape the surface and polish the patina, and you’ll discover cultural complexity, confusion and contradiction that makes you wish to stay longer to make sense of the sights, sounds and smells.

Even daylight makes a difference: dirty, dilapidated, crumbling buildings are transformed into chic riverside bars under the veil of a night sky and a few fairy lights.

Most tourists head for Jonker Street, and as spectacle it is interesting, busy and hectic. At night stalls line the road selling all sorts of local culinary delights from coconuts and gelatinous cakes to milkshakes in baby bottles (for adults – it’s a thing!) and satay sticks.

But once you’ve ticked it off your list take time and meander to learn how the city’s fragmented identity is actually part of its charm. This early fishing village and trading post, influenced by Islam, and nestled between trade winds, attracted faster developing nations and by the 15th century the Portuguese staked their claims. They were followed by the Dutch and finally the British, who united the Straits territories. These European influences are part of Melaka, from the Portuguese communities struggling to keep their community from being engulfed by modern developments, to the churches, fountains, forts and architecture. Diversity means that shanties live next to modern high rises.

It’s a patchwork: you just need to patiently unpick what you see to make sense of it.

Our picks...
What to do: 

• Portuguese ship museum for an insight into the city’s history; 
• Boardwalk along the river for the architecture; 
• Trishaw ride from Christ Church for the colonial sights; 
• Kampung Morten for traditional village in a city; 
• Portuguese Kampung for an insight into Eurasian life.

Where to stay: The Majestic, 188 Jalan Bunga Raya

You can travel the world by planes, trains and automobiles. You can explore by land and sea. You can open the pages of countless travel books to get a glimpse of almost every corner of the globe. Or you could just go shopping.

Singapore’s stores are stocked full of produce from around the world, but forget about the big stores for now. Investigate some of the greatest artisans and you will discover products made with love, care, attention to detail, and above all, a sympathetic understanding of local commerce.

I recently attended #blogmeetsg, organised by Lulabelle Lifestyle, where local brands showcased their little part of the world. Here are just some of the highlights:

You don’t have to go as far as Ecuador for a signature Panama hat – just visit Hat of Cain. The weaving process, that has become ubiquitous with the supple, white toquilla, has been perfected over three thousand years into a 100% natural and ecologically-friendly style statement. 

Handmade jungle ornaments, from Tamarind Living, make great gifts, or decorations. These Fair Trade products also support street children in Rajasthan.

Hacienda Blue is home to beautiful eclectic furniture and homeware, inspired by cultures from around the world. A special thank you to Josephine for the bone inlay tray, which is now a striking talking point, and a welcome addition to my home.

For authentic jewellery try Simone Irani’s silk bangles for a pop of colour, or Jasper Living for Asian inspired beaded bracelets.  

If you’re looking for some local gifts take a peek at Just My Type for greetings cards, posters and bespoke maps. 

On the cosmetics front, Katharos Organics offer a range of environmentally-friendly skincare products, along with Havaroma for natural aromatherapy stress management in a bottle. And to keep your body trim, as well as your skin, contact Vicky at Vitalize for a private 1:1 pilates session in your home. She put me through my paces!

#blogmeetsg took place on 11th February at Edit Lifestyle.

I have to say I hate writing reviews about places I don't like. But that's the point: to offer worthwhile insight you need to show the bad side as well as the good.

So let's start on a positive note. On Saturday night we visited The White Rabbit in Harding Road, Dempsey Hill. It looked beautiful. Sparkling lights guided you through a twisted tunnel of greenery to a lovely outdoor bar. Inside, the white colonial church has been transformed while keeping the ecclesiastical character of the place: huge arched stained glass windows, tiled floor and simple wooden furniture. The bar manager was chatty and friendly, opening up an entire world of botanical spirits we didn’t know existed, and we’ve tried a few gin ’n’ tonics in our time. The menu looked enticing, and the staff appeared to accommodate our requests.

But a good reputation takes a long time to build up and word of mouth is the strongest independent advocate. So why won’t I be returning to this place in the hurry?

Service is the backbone of the restaurant industry. Things go wrong – we’re only human after all. Everyone can understand an honest mistake. It’s how you deal with the mistake is the important thing. 

I had told the restaurant, who had asked if I had any special requests, it was my husband’s birthday. I didn’t expect a fanfare or a cake with sparklers, but a simple “hello, happy birthday” would have been a nice touch. Costs nothing.

Then came the main course. We waited patiently, with our steaks congealing, for the side dishes to arrive. They didn’t. When we pointed this out we were told that the order had been forgotten and they would take another 7-10 minutes, but they would be on the house. When we’ve already paid S$48 per steak on its own, that’s disappointing. What’s the good of a cold steak with warm sides?

And then staff started to rearrange furniture. In a busy restaurant, when there are several sittings, this is to be expected. Not in a relatively quiet restaurant, at 9pm, where the scraping of tables and shuffling back and forwards changes the atmosphere. And we’re not talking about a few tables. They entire floor was cleared, in preparation for the next day. Staff obviously didn’t want to wait until the restaurant was closed and empty. It would delay them from going home.

So as I say, good service costs nothing. Poor service costs you your reputation.