MY THREE-DAY ESCAPE TO The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore was nothing short of indulgent. Nestled in the heart of Singapore’s civic and cultural district, this heritage property offered the ideal blend of historical grandeur and modern luxury I’d been craving.

Finding Sanctuary in The Heritage Suite

Checking into the 137sqm Heritage Suite felt like stepping into the Victorian era. Inside the historic Stamford House, this exclusive accommodation immediately put me at ease with neutral tones that evoked warmth and carefully curated antiques that paired perfectly with the building’s elegance. Custom-made furnishings blended into the decor, creating an atmosphere of refined sophistication that made me feel truly pampered.

The bathroom was a wonderful space for relaxing. A generously-sized escape featuring a free-standing deep-soaking bathtub was where I spent evening hours unwinding. The walk-in closet, separate rainfall shower with steam and private powder room added more luxury to the stay. The hotel’s suite privileges also made me feel well taken care of, from the 24-hour flexibility to the bubbly buffet breakfast at 15 Stamford and evening cocktails at the Executive Lounge from 6 to 8 pm each evening.

Singapore’s Cultural Heart

One experience I’ll never forget was exploring Singapore in a vintage Vespa sidecar. Racing through the historic streets with the wind in my hair, I felt connected to the city’s pulse in a way that most tours can’t match. 

The National Gallery is just a stone’s throw from the hotel and was a wonderful place to spend an afternoon losing myself among the artworks. The gallery is also home to Violet Oon, where I dined on authentic Peranakan dishes that delighted me with their unexpected, complex flavours. Each recipe told a story of Singapore’s multicultural heritage, perfectly complementing my cultural journey.

The hotel offers a private guided Heritage Tour led by the hotel’s Heritage Curator. It’s a fascinating journey into the iconic history of Stamford House, Capitol Building, and Capitol Theatre — where Charlie Chaplin and Ava Gardner graced the stage. Understanding that I was sleeping within walls that witnessed nearly a century of Singapore’s evolution added texture and depth to my experience and made every moment feel special.

Culinary and Wellness Indulgences

Staying in a storied heritage hotel, it seemed right to treat myself to Heritage Afternoon Tea and I heartily recommend it. Available daily in the Lobby Lounge, at 12:30 or 3 pm, I chose the earlier seating to savour my cultural voyage through time. I enjoyed three courses that represented a selection of some of the nation’s iconic dishes, interpreted with playful textures, flavours and presentations that celebrated Singapore in the most satisfying way.

If you’re looking for a refreshing drink that comes with an intriguing narrative, try the Plantation 1840 at The Bar at 15 Stamford. As I sipped it, I learned the story of Joseph Balestier, the first US Consul to Singapore, and his wife, Maria Revere, who was the daughter of American Civil War midnight rider, Paul Revere. The couple once lived on the site where the Capitol Building stands today.

The couple’s legacy lives on through The Bar’s bell-ringing ritual. Inspired by the Revere Bell displayed at the National Museum of Singapore — the only Revere Bell outside the US — the ringing of the bell is a sound I won’t forget. 

The spa’s Singapore Massage was the perfect finale to a day when I’d done hours of walking. This unique treatment combined Chinese Tuina techniques to ease muscle tension and promote qi circulation, Malay abdominal massage to remove “angin” (wind) and improve circulation, and Indian foot massage with Kansu bowl, which honours Ayurvedic traditions. The multicultural therapy left me relaxed and invigorated.

Neighbourhood Steeped in Culture

The hotel’s location in Singapore’s cultural district proved ideal for exploration. Historic architecture surrounded me at every turn, while world-class museums, galleries and cultural institutions were within easy walking distance. The blend of colonial grandeur and modern innovation in the neighbourhood perfected my visit.

Those 72 hours at The Capitol Hotel Kempinski weren’t just a hotel stay — they were a trip into Singapore’s soul, delivered with unparalleled luxury.

For more information, please visit www.kempinski.com/en/singapore

Article Sponsored by The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore.
Images courtesy of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore.

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The National Park Service will restore and install the bronze statue of a Confederate general in Washington D.C. five years after it was torn down during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

According to a news release from the agency, reinstalling the statue of Albert Pike, a brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War, “aligns with federal responsibilities under historic preservation law, as well as recent executive orders to beautify the nation’s capital and re-instate pre-existing statues.”

The NPS statement, issued on Monday, August 4, says that the statue, which was originally installed in 1901, a decade after Pike’s death, is intended to honor his leadership in the order of Freemasons, an exclusive and secretive fraternity. The statue honors his “32 years as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Rite of Scottish Freemasonry,” the release reads.

The news release does not mention Pike’s military service with the Confederate States of America during the U.S. Civil War.

Prior to its destruction in 2020, Pike’s statue was the only statue of a Confederate officer in the U.S. capitol, outside of museums. However, the statue, which was erected by Freemasons, did not explicitly mention Pike’s military service, and he was not depicted in uniform. An inscription on the plinth read: Author, Poet, Scholar, Soldier, Jurist Orator, Philanthropist, Philosopher.

According to The New York Times, Pike served as a diplomat to Native American tribes that the Confederacy hoped to enlist to fight the Union, and only commanded his troops in a single engagement, the Battle of Pea Ridge, which saw his unit routed. Pike was later charged by his commanding officers with insubordination and treason, and escaped punishment by resigning his command.

In the years following the war, Pike also had ties to the Klu Klux Klan, however critics have disputed that he was a member of the racist organization. A biography entitled, A Life of Albert Pike (1997), says Pike once declared that “the white race, and that race alone, shall govern this country.”

Though it stood for over a hundred years in Washington D.C.’s Judiciary Square neighborhood, just a few blocks from the National Mall, Albert Pike’s statue sparked controversy. Union Army veterans petitioned the government to block the statue’s installment when it was first approved in 1898. The D.C. Council first began petitioning the federal government to remove the statue in 1992, and renewed said petition as recently as 2017.

Congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District of Columbia in the House of Representatives, introduced a bill to remove the statue in 2019, but it was destroyed before the bill passed. (Norton’s legislation was later passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources.)

In a press release on August 4, Norton decried the decision to restore and reinstall the statue, calling it, “as odd and indefensible as it is morally objectionable.” She said she planned to reintroduce her bill to have the statue removed permanently.

“Pike served dishonorably,” Norton said. “He took up arms against the United States, misappropriated funds, and was ultimately captured and imprisoned by his own troops. He resigned in disgrace after committing a war crime and dishonoring even his own Confederate military service. Even those who want Confederate statues to remain standing would have to justify awarding Pike any honor, considering his history.” (Her reference to a “war crime” refers to the actions of Cherokee under Pike’s command at the Battle of Pea Ridge. There were reports of the Cherkoee scalping federal dead.)

In its announcement of the statue’s restoration, the NPS specifically cited two of President Trump’s executive orders: “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful” and “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The latter executive order has been used as justification for other major changes in national parks across the country, including signs asking visitors to report negative information about past or living Americans.

The agency plans to have Albert Pike’s statue fully restored and installed in October.

I went to CryoEffect, a self-described “Cold Spa” in the Chicago suburbs, in the middle of the weekday, when I was told it would be pretty empty. The only customer was a guy in the back who had just gotten out of a full-body cryotherapy treatment—basically, three minutes naked in a -200 degrees Fahrenheit freezer—and was reclining in compression boots that went all the way up his legs. He was coming to CryoEffect daily as part of a fitness project, because, as an airplane salesman, he’d made a bet with a client that he could lose 30 pounds in 30 days. If he won, his client would pay him $50,000.

“What if you lose the bet?” I said.

“He’s not going to lose the bet,” said Miriam, the Cold Spa’s owner. She had a great smile and curly hair, and her wrists were adorned with crystal bracelets, which she made herself and sold at a table by the door. Each crystal helped with different things, like creativity and self-love. But most customers just bought them based on which colors they liked best.

The guy beamed. He was confident about the bet. “In two and a half weeks, I’ve already lost 27 pounds.”

“You should donate the money to the owner of CryoEffect,” said Miriam.

Did he feel, I asked, like time in the freezer was helping his goal?

“For sure,” he said. “You come out, and it’s almost like you’re crafted. Like, you’re shaped.” He sort of pawed the air, like he was patting a Greek statue. “Everything is tighter. It’s amazing! And my sinuses are better, too.”

Well, who doesn’t want to be crafted like a statue? That sounded pretty good to me, especially since I’d come to try out full-body cryotherapy myself. My reasons were simpler: I’m a long-distance dogsledder, a lover of deep cold, and I’ve spent a lot of time winter camping in 30 or 40 below zero—so I was curious about how the Cryo experience would compare. Temperatures in the walk-in freezer got down to—apparently—-260 degrees Fahrenheit, but some users described the sensation as that of standing next to a fridge with an open door. These things are not the same. How cold would it really feel? And would it scratch that cold-weather itch, even in summer? I felt uniquely qualified to evaluate.

Plus, the freezer therapy came with a bunch of supposed benefits—some of them even backed by science, like improved mood and less muscle soreness after workouts. And dozens of cryotherapy services have popped up in the Chicago area alone. Proponents argue that the cold decreases inflammation—picture an ice pack on an injury, but for your whole body—and causes your blood to redirect to your core, so that when it comes back to your extremities, it’s carrying extra nutrients and oxygen.

Do whole-body cryo fans care about the FDA’s statements that “there is very little evidence about its safety or effectiveness”? Not particularly. Search #cryotherapy on any socials, and you’ll find countless posts about pain relief, athletic performance, and improved energy. I gotta say, I believe it: regardless of direct physical effects, the intensity of three minutes in a deep freezer would make for a hell of a placebo.