February marks the end of my four-month travel drought, and I feel it is only right to attribute spotlight of this month to this million-dollar view of Singapore, a place that has been my anchor when I couldn’t travel.

I would say it time and again, Singapore is a really magnificent place. Take this view of Marina Bay Sands for example. It still leaves me in awe every time I stare at it, the grandness of it all, coupled by the fact that this cavernous structure that is enough to fit a Boeing plane was built on top of a piece of reclaimed land.

One of the best places to have an unobstructed view of Marina Bay is from Lantern, a rooftop bar on top of Fullerton Bay Hotel. I have been to the place three times now (once in a pouring rain), and loving the place more with every visit.

Rooftop bars in Singapore can mean two very different things. One would be located at the top of floor of high rise buildings, allowing the guests to take in the bird’s eye view of the city. Another one, which I find slightly more charming, is generally located at the top of four- or five-storey buildings, making you feel surrounded, but not in a claustrophobic way, by the skyscrapers around.

Lantern belongs to the second category. It is a stylish bar on top of a stylish and award-winning Fullterton Bay Hotel, which is just five floors high. It is a good distance away from the nearest skyscrapers, allowing you to take in the full view of the built-to-impress Bay that Singapore has worked so hard for.

The food and drinks have not quite made an impression on me. I did remember having a pretty tasty slice of mushroom pizzas, but nothing earth shattering. And as are things in such a place, they are very pricey, though not extremely prohibitively so that you can’t enjoy a good night out without burning too much into your pocket. In fact, the reason why some of us headed there last week was because we were trying to get away from this ridiculously expensive bar right next door, which just tried to be exclusive but ended up giving out somewhat unfriendly feeling.

I mean, let’s be honest. Most of the time we pay a premium at a place for the atmosphere, and Lantern has certainly got it right and much better than the said bar.

It also has an added bonus of this view stretching in front of you.

So if you ever find yourself at Marina Bay area with a few tourists visiting, Lantern is definitely a place to visit to impress your guests with what downtown Singapore is all about.

Lantern at Fullerton Bay Hotel
80 Collyer Quay, 049326
http://www.fullertonbayhotel.com/dining/lantern