There looked to be an issue before our "Uniquely Vibrant" tour of Singapore had even started: our tour guide was observing the Muslim tradition of Ramadan, and could not partake of food and drink between sunrise and sunset. The tour organized by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) included sumptuous dinners at some of the city's finest restaurants. "Not a problem," shrugged our guide.

"I'm used to it. I'll just not eat." And for five days, as we tucked into some fairly spectacular meals, he sat at the table regaling us with stories of Singapore life, impervious to the feasts appearing (and disappearing) right under his nose. Singaporeans are nothing if not serious about their work, and now they're serious about having fun.

"Uniquely Singapore," the STB's current marketing campaign, emphasizes the contrasts inherent in Singapore; the "Uniquely Vibrant" trip was designed for visitors interested in arts and culture, cuisine and night life. Barely a decade ago the words "night life" and "Singapore" would not have occurred in the same sentence. Back then, cyberpunk author William Gibson famously described the city- state as "Disneyland with a death penalty." Many viewed it as an antiseptic nation of robots in which punishment was meted out to drug users, gum-chewers, and people who did not flush the toilet. It was an impression that the government of Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew did not waste time dispelling - they had other priorities, such as transforming a tiny country with no natural resources into one of the wealthiest (and cleanest) on the planet.

Now that the mission has been accomplished, the citizens are being urged to cultivate pursuits outside the office.

"As Singapore develops and takes its place on the global stage, there should be a better appreciation of the finer things in life other than work," said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng at the unveiling of public artworks at a new complex. "To make Singapore exciting to our people, and to attract talent to work here, we need diversity in leisure activities. We need to offer a buffet of lifestyle options."

Consider the edgy boutique hotels on offer in this buffet. Property developers have been acquiring old buildings and repurposing them into chic hotels with theme rooms imagined and executed by local designers.

For instance, the New Majestic Hotel (www.newmajestichotel.com) in the Chinatown district has 30 theme rooms ranging from the idiosyncratic to the provocative. Among them are the Mirror Room ("Watch and be watched!" says the brochure); Hey Diddle Diddle, a reinterpretation of the nursery rhyme; and the Pussy Parlour, an "over-the- top party den." It's all excruciatingly hip and a tad self-conscious, but let no one doubt the Singaporean determination to achieve coolness. Yes, they have worked hard for the right to party.

Another boutique hotel, The Scarlet (www.thescarlethotel.com), aspires to the look of an upscale Victorian bordello: all deep red hues and plush furniture. The rooms have names like Lavish and Passion, the gym is called Flaunt, and the boardroom is the Sanctum. The decadent interiors - even the mailbox is made of leather - leave little doubt as to the sort of activities encouraged in this hotel. Lest this elegant kinkiness scare off the more conventional traveller, the hotel also offers Executive rooms in more subdued designs.

Speaking of decadence, the Crazy Horse revue has been playing for several months. Crazy Horse, a cabaret featuring women wearing only colored lights projected on to their nude bodies, is staged in a Moulin Rouge-style club. This artistic girlie show features European performers lip-synching and performing impressive feats of choreography. The Saturday audience was exceedingly well-behaved - not even a wolf whistle for the naked dancers, who seemed more enthusiastic than the spectators. Even our tour guide was unperturbed by the sight of so much firm and athletic flesh.

The crowd was much more energetic at the world-famous clubs Zouk and Ministry of Sound. On weekends, the privileged youth of Singapore queue up to dance to the hottest mixes by renowned DJs. One may snipe at the grooving skills of the natives, but the fact is that with the omnipresent MTV, there is little to distinguish this set of pampered young people from pampered young people anywhere in the world. The difference is that these youth may actually be more prized than youth elsewhere, given the falling birth rates and the fact that human resources are the number one asset of Singapore.

A total of 715,000 tourists arrived in Singapore in September this year, a 1.4 percent increase over the previous year's numbers. The Indonesian, Chinese, Australian, Japanese, and Indian markets accounted for 50 percent of visitor arrivals. No doubt they checked out the traditional sights: the shopping paradises of Orchard Road, the Night Safari at the Zoo, Jurong Bird Park, and Sentosa theme park, and then they dined.

Singapore is a foodie's paradise. There are popular ethnic restaurants such as Mustard in Little India, Nasi Padang on Arab Street (where we spotted this ironic-sounding sign: Ramadan buffet), Indochine on the waterfront, and My Humble House, which is actually quite posh. The acclaimed chefs of Saint Julien at the Fullerton Boat House make what may be the greatest lobster bisque on earth. Those who like chewing the scenery along with their food would enjoy Halia at the Botanic Gardens, and Equinox on the top floor of the IM Pei-designed Swissotel building.

Cultural travellers may get their fill at the National Museum, which is currently hosting the Singapore Biennale; the state-of-the-art Asian Civilizations Museum; the Red Dot Museum of Design; the Malay Heritage Center; and the Peranakan House with its mind- boggling assortment of batik cloths.

After such pleasing labors, the weary traveller may drop in on one of the many spas opening all over the city. We tried out a foot reflexology spa, where the soothing music was actually the theme from Braveheart; a spa environment is perhaps not the place to recall images of being drawn and quartered. At a swanky new spa called Andana, the masseuses carried walkie-talkies; but if they had to communicate with someone down the hall they simply leaned out the door and yelled. Singapore is trying; the people skills will come later. "I crack your back!" the masseuse cheerfully said as she rearranged my spine. After the massage we were ushered to a buffet which offered a variety of snacks, including chicken wings, which would seem to defeat the purpose of spa-going.

Still, one cannot help but be impressed at the Singaporeans' determination to get a life outside of work. If they can build a prosperous city-state out of nearly nothing, who knows what they can achieve with so much?

*Underset by 47 lines.* *Underset by 66 lines.* *Underset by 66 lines.*