Singapore is a clean, green, hyper-efficient machine, and one of the most user-friendly cites in Asia. The multilane freeway from Changi International Airport is bordered with flowering trees and shrubs. The Mass Rapid Transit zips its way round the island with barely a hint of a rumble or rattle. Taxi drivers help passengers load their luggage into the boot. Glitzy shopping malls rub shoulders with 5-star hotels and gourmet restaurants. It's as if the entire republic is connected via wireless broadband to EasyLife.com.
And Singapore's attractions got a tremendous boost with the opening of Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, two star-studded integrated resorts that combine hotels, casinos, shopping and entertainment.
Yet, despite the obvious modernity, what makes Singapore so enjoyable is its traditional Asian identity. Eddies of smoke from smouldering joss sticks waft the streets of Chinatown, the air is suffused with the gentle aroma of spices in Little India and the muezzin's call rings out over Arab Street.
Conversations overheard in a lift or a bar might include the sing-song of Putonghua, a lilt of Bahasa, the quick-fire jabber of Hindi, or the Lion City's own brand of 'Singlish', whose quirky expressions often carry the idiosyncratic tag 'lah'. All in all, the island is like one vast, cosmopolitan buffet.
When the British colonialist Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore in 1819, it was little more than a fishing village. But he soon realised that its location - just off the equator in the Straits of Malacca - could be exploited to make it the mercantile crossroads of Asia. Advocating free trade and laying out a town plan that is still largely in place, he spent a mere four years on the island, long enough for him to be commemorated as the city state's founder.
Following the second world war and later independence, Singapore - under the leadership of elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew - carved a niche for itself in financial and service industries. Today, it is one of the most prosperous nations in the region, a remarkable achievement considering the lack of natural resources on its 646 square kilometres. And major recent trophy projects, such as sparkling new hotels and casinos, have added to Singapore's allure as a very desirable place.
As somewhere to live, Singapore has a legion of fans, not least a sizeable number of expatriates and business travellers.