OUR first touch is filled with excitement. It sketches instant smiles on our faces. The surface under the skin is scaleless but firm yet a bit blubbery. It’s akin to touching a fully blown float but with a layer of gel-like substance underneath it.
I just can’t stop touching and petting Isa, short for Isabella, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.
When I entered the water 10 minutes ago, 4-year-old Isa and her pool-mate 20-year-old Singa, also an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, greeted us. Sarah, the instructor for these beauties at Dolphin Island in Resort World Sentosa, tells us that both girls have different temperaments.
“Do be mindful of Isa. She is a bit cheeky. Singa is calmer,” Sarah says after telling us the do’s and don’ts.
“Do not touch their dorsal fins, stand at arm’s length to avoid collision with the dolphins’ hard pectoral fins, kick your feet in the water and keep your hands to yourself just to make sure the dolphins don’t get confused with the hand gestures given by the instructors.”
CUDDLE AND KISS
After we familiarise ourselves with the mammal’s anatomy, it is time to learn some commands to make it perform tricks. Our first command is to make both Isa and Singa swim across the pool, jump high in the air and touch our palms on their rostrum or beak.
After many oohs and aahs, we move on to more amazing moves and tricks! Believe it or not, we dance the ballet together with them! We also play a peek-a-boo trick — we cover our faces with our palms and they screech when we show our faces. Just like how we play peek-a-boo with children.
Isa can imitate the sound of a motorcycle and fetch a ball. We also swim or flap together with her while holding her pectoral fins.
Then there’s the cuddle and kiss session. We cuddle and kiss the dolphins’ beaks and get them to kiss our cheeks in return. Major photo opportunity here. I can’t wipe the smile off my face throughout the time I am in the pool. When I ask Sarah about the mammals’ temperaments, the petite instructor says their behaviours are exactly like children. There are times when they simply don’t want to follow instructions and refuse to play along, so the instructors have to let the dolphins be and only attend to them after they are done acting out.
But our intimate session isn’t over yet as the best is yet to come. Then, it’s time for the dolphins to propel us across the huge pool while we are on a body board.
It is exhilarating! My heart is thumping with excitement and the push is surprisingly gentle with not too much force from them. Their beak is a bit hard and the thrust used to propel us take us by surprise.
After the Dolphin Programme ends, I realise how calming it is. There is a sense of serenity after spending time playing with these gentle creatures. No wonder Dolphin Island also caters to special needs visitors and senior citizens.
DINE LIKE A STAR
My rock star dream stay at the newly refurbished Hard Rock Hotel Singapore is now getting better and better. Next on the itinerary is table65 at Resorts World Sentosa for a “fine-casual” dining experience.
It’s helmed by renowned Dutch Michelin chef Richard van Oostenbrugge of the famous Restaurant 212 in Amsterdam. He believes that fine dining should have “fewer rules, more adventures”, befitting the theme of our rock star trip.
Guests are seated around a U-shaped Chef’s Table encasing the perimeter of the workspace that allows them to get close to the heat of the action in the kitchen. The talented culinary team, handpicked by Chef van Oostrenbrugge, cooks, plates, serves and explains each course with flair and a little showmanship, and is not at all camera-shy.
The 32-seat restaurant’s other special feature, beside sitting so close to the chefs, is the convenient toolbox drawer built into each the table to retrieve essential cutlery as the course arrives. But those who want a more personalised and intimate service, there is a private 12-seat room too.
table65 plays with your taste buds with its fine food, with names that are more like a sentence and please our eyes with amazing plating, perfect for Instagram.
Beautiful food comes to our table, one after another. But the one that is sticks in my head is the Ravioli of Imperial Dutch oyster with briny veal shank and shellfish velout
é
, hazelnut and barbecue salted lemon for its burst of flavours that linger even when I am already on to the next course.
My other favourite is the dessert aptly called the Apple, the chef’s signature dish and you can’t leave the restaurant until you sink your teeth into the ginger poached Granny Smith served with salted caramel, puff pastry and walnut crumble.
For those who observe a vegetarian diet, table65 also presents a five- and eight-course vegetarian menu, focusing on fresh greens, fruit and tubers. For this special selection, you can expect to be surprised by the fresh tastes of Salt-Baked Carapaudine Beetroot with Raspberry and Moutarde De Meaux Ice cream and Millefeuille of Aubergine with Sesame, Kelp and Smoked Vinegar.
ROCK STAR LIFE
Strutting in the newly refurbished lobby of Hard Rock Singapore hotel, with the ever-attentive concierge ready to help, makes me feel like a rock star.
The spacious room with sleek, modern interiors is dominated by Hard Rock’s signature guitar shape for a rock and roll edge. Plus point is that the room overlooks the harbour.
The hotel is set in a tropical landscape, and has a man-made sandy beach and gorgeous free-form swimming pool and, of course, unique identity - rock stars memorabilia scattered throughout the hotel.
This hotel is also within walking distance to Resort World Sentosa!
This means, after a day of exploring, the room makes a great destination to put your feet up, and relax.
I will cherish my experience here for a long, long time.