SINGAPORE — IT MAY BE A LITTLE LATE compared with when we start our Christmas celebration in the Philippines, but the same spirit lingers here: joyful, heartfelt, merry.

“So this is Pacific Christmas,” I told myself as the simple Christmas Lighting Ceremony took place in the grand lobby of Pan Pacific Singapore on November 25.

The ceremony signals the kickoff of the hotel’s festivities in this busy part of the country, praised for its awesome infrastructure, transportation, and discipline, among other things.

One of the top five-star hotels here, Pan Pacific Singapore caters to the diverse needs of both tourists and locals who set foot in the hotel, known as the World’s Leading Business Hotel by World Travel Awards. It sits along Raffles Road in the vicinity of Marina Bay, Singapore’s business center, which offers great views of the Pacific Ocean and the city skyline.

Singapore is one of the most diverse countries in the Asian region, so a hotel with a wide array of food selections, sincere hospitality, and great comfort is an utmost necessity, and experiencing Pacific Christmas makes every visitor’s Singapore stay one to remember. Mine is.

Though the lighting ceremony happened today, the Christmas celebration here actually started in mid-November, when the hotel began offering visitors exceptional culinary delights from its wide range of award-winning restaurants: Edge, Pacific Marketplace, Hai Tien Lo, Keyaki, and Atrium.

I like to think that people, regardless of nationality, believe Christmas signifies not only love but the highest form of love, the best of which is formed through the continuous bonding of hearts, strengthened over time. In Pan Pacific’s vocabulary, maybe, to bond means to eat, and eat a lot, a lot of delicious food with the people we love. That’s why in this post we highlight five main restaurants in the hotel where you can bring your family to tighten your bond this Holiday season.

I. Edge

At EDGE alone, seven live food stations offer traditional festive favorites with enticing visual presentations. You could easily forget about your diet in front of the Seafood on Ice selections and Christmas delights, including uniquely crafted homemade festive charcuterie such as Christmas Black Forest Ham, Assorted Ham Terrine, and Hot Smoke Salmon Bella Vista; freshly grilled homemade Gingerbread Turkey Sausage and Wangyu Beef at the Master Butcher Grill live station; a delectable range of roasted specialties at the carving station, including Traditional Roasted Turkey with Festive Trimmings, Traditional Bone-in Gammon Ham, and Roasted Prime Ribs; and a delightful variety of festive sweet treats to round up the indulgent meal, such as Homemade German Marzipan Stollen, Milk Chocolate and Fresh Raspberry Log Cake, and Fruit Mince Pie.

This coming New Year, be ready for the hotel’s New Year’s Eve Champagne Dinner and New Year’s Day Champagne Brunch at Edge. The gourmet highlights include Whole Roasted Baby Lamb with Moroccan Spices, Pot-roasted Prime Ribs with Italian Mixed Herbs, Alaskan King Crab, Boston Lobster, and fresh Seafood on Ice, complemented by unlimited Veuve Clicquot Champagne and red and white wines.

My Edge experience on Sunday, November 22 was so superb that I wish every Sunday were spent eating alone. It was four well-spent hours over brunch as my friend and I shared experiences in this city, me a visitor for 10 days and he an overseas Filipino worker for two years now, over unlimited glasses of champagne. Say “LIFE.” More on that in a separate post.

II. Pacific Marketplace

PACIFIC MARKETPLACE offers the limited-edition Festive Afternoon Tea Set handcrafted by its in-house Pastry Chefs. Savour unique festive sweet treats including sliced German Stollen, Gingerbread CheeseCake, Early Grey and Sultana Scone, and Red Santa Cupcake, plus savoury specials such as Smoked Turkey and Raspberry Marmalade Sandwich and Roasted Beef and Honey Mustard Sandwich. Pair them with your choice of beverage, including gourmet coffee or tea, or a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. Yum yum!

Festive goodies are also available at Pacific Marketplace, such as Raspberry Pate de Fruit with Szechuan Pepper infused Mascarpone Mousse Log Cake, Homemade German Marzipan Stollen, and Tall Milano Panettone, along with savoury specials including Roasted Turkey with Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing and limited-edition Smoked Juniper Berry Ham, created from the original recipe by Master Butcher Leonhard Weber. It also presents a selection of 30 varieties of exquisite, aromatic hams, sausages, salamis, and cold cuts.

III. Hai Tien Lo

HAI TIEN LO offers a uniquely crafted six-course Christmas and New Year’s menu by Executive Chef Lai Tong Ping, perfect for family reunions. The delectable prix fixe menu’s culinary highlights include Lobster and Tomato Soup with Sliced Wagyu Beef, Braised Whole Abalone with Crispy Bean Gluten and Mushroom, and Octopus Broth Stewed Inaniwa Udon with King Prawn in Signature Homemade XO Chilli Sauce.

A Traditional Dim Sum Brunch Buffet is also available, as is the à la carte buffet, which includes Steamed Barbecued Pork Buns, Sauteed Scallops and Sliced Crispy Clams, and Deep-fried Prawns tossed in Wasabi Mayonnaise.

IV. Keyaki

KEYAKI, on the other hand, offers an eight-course menu of authentic Japanese delicacies enhanced with premium seasonal ingredients imported directly from Japan. Specially presented by Master Chef Hiroshi Ishii, this season’s menu highlights include Grilled Abalone, Snow Crab, Scallop, Yum Bud and Asparagus on Magnolia Leaf, Grilled Wagyu Beef with Mushroom Sauce, Simmered Sweet Potato and Broccoli, and Grilled King Crab with Spicy Cod Roe Sauce.

V. Atrium

ATRIUM features Christmas Toasts, a variety of uniquely concocted Christmas cocktails perfect for family gatherings and corporate events: Sing-aling-aling, made of Scotch whisky with refreshing flavors of mango and peach; the sweet and tangy Captain Claus, made of rum, lemon juice, and vanilla syrup; Jingle Tone, with main concoctions of Scotch whisky and chilled coffee for your caffeine fix; and Pacific Eggnog, of Scotch whisky and cognac with a touch of apricot brandy, mango, and pineapple juice.

Need I say more? Pan Pacific Singapore is definitely a place to go when in Singapore, especially this coming Christmas and New Year. It’s big enough to offer the comfort and privacy you and your loved ones need, yet intimate enough for each other to feel your every breath of love.

*Cebu Pacific flies from Manila to Singapore daily. Check out cebupacificair.com for tickets and schedule.

**Photos from Pan Pacific Singapore website.