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A sculpture beside Swan Lake in the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Suggested planBotanic Gardens

A gardens morning, a starred lunch and a hot soak

Edited by Jamie   Updated 11 October 2026
Total time
6–8 hours
Works on
Tuesday to Sunday
Timing
In the gardens by 9am, lunch at Candlenut at 12.30pm, then a 3pm bathhouse slot; Tuesday to Sunday (Mondays are women-only at Nowhere Baths). Book both in advance.
Stops
3 stops, in order
Good for
A date, A friend
Directions to the first stop

Days are worked out from each stop's usual opening hours; check before you go.

Comfortable shoes, a swimsuit and a lunch booking. That is the whole plan.

This is the reset day: for a couple, an anniversary or a friend who has been answering emails at midnight. It asks for a morning's walking, a proper lunch and an afternoon without a phone, and the catch is that two of the three need booking. Reserve Candlenut and a Nowhere Baths slot before anything else; the gardens will wait.

Singapore Botanic Gardens. Don't try to see all of it. Pick one corner, be there by 9am before the heat builds, and take your time. The National Orchid Garden is the one part that charges, and it opens at 8.30am if you want the orchids before the day warms up. Aim to leave by about noon, because lunch is in Dempsey.

Candlenut, Dempsey. Michelin-starred, and nearly wasn't: chef Malcolm Lee was ready to hang up his apron before the star arrived, and the turnaround came when he let 'grandma' choose the menu. This is the centre of the day, so give it the full sitting from 12.30pm rather than squeezing it in.

Nowhere Baths, Dempsey. Two 40°C pools, a 13°C plunge, a lounge for tea and a strict no-phones rule, which after a long lunch is less a policy than a prescription. Swap between hot and cold, then settle in with a pot of tea. It is 18 and over, swimwear required, and Mondays are women-only, so a mixed pair should pick Tuesday to Sunday.

The order is deliberate: the gardens while the morning is cooler, lunch when you have earned it, and warm water when doing nothing is the only sensible next step. Pack a swimsuit and leave the phone off longer than feels comfortable.

The plan

  1. 9am · Morning wander: Singapore Botanic Gardens

    Pick one corner, not the whole map, and be there before the heat. The National Orchid Garden opens at 8.30am if you want it.

    Hours: Gardens daily 5am–12 midnight; National Orchid Garden daily 8.30am–7pm (last ticket sales and entry 6pm)

  2. 12.30pm · Lunch: Candlenut

    The centre of the day and the booking to make first, via SevenRooms. Michelin-starred; lunch daily 12pm–3pm.

    Hours: Lunch daily 12–3pm; dinner daily (and eve of PH) 6–10pm

    Book a table

  3. 3pm · Afternoon soak: Nowhere Baths

    Hot pools, a cold plunge, tea and no phones. Book a two-hour slot online (non-refundable, groups of up to three); 18+, swimwear required.

    Hours: Mon 10am–9pm (women only); Tue–Fri 8am–9pm; Sat–Sun 9am–9pm

    Visit website

If it rains

If it's raining in the morning, cut the gardens short and head to Dempsey early; Candlenut and Nowhere Baths are both booked in advance, so keep those times.