Singapore Acknowledges the Virtues of Vice : Asian island nation takes steps to recapture its traditional flavor through historic restoration.

Legend, literature and history have painted this spirited island nation as one of the Far East’s forbidden cities. Right out of the pages of Joseph Conrad or Somerset Maugham, this was a city where opium use was rampant, all manner of vice was available for a price, and Noel Coward’s mad dogs and Englishmen went out in the noonday sun.

Following the island’s independence from Great Britain in the 1950s, city fathers began to sanitize the place. The effort climaxed in 1987 with the closure and razing of infamous Bugis Street, ridding it of its notorious army of transvestites, seedy bars and red-light houses.

But many locals and visitors alike complained that the city had sold its soul, becoming as squeaky clean as Zurich after a spring rain.

So a decision was made to rebuild Bugis Street in a more aseptic mode, allowing former food hawkers to return with their stalls, pubs and nightclubs to reopen in upgraded premises, and night markets to proffer their wares from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. Today’s Bugis (locals call it “Boogie” street) is again a vibrant and colorful--and much more comfortable--place to visit in the evening, though it hasn’t completely mollified those who were annoyed about its sanitization in the first place.

The cleansing and renewal of Bugis Street is, in a way, a small-scale example of what has happened throughout the city-state. Singapore, like many global cities, dived head-first into renewal and modernization after the Second World War, often with little attempt to retain the charm, flavor and cultural heritage that had given it appeal in the first place. Stainless steel and glass were the order of the day.

Fortunately, at the same time as the Bugis Street renewal, a five-year plan began throughout the island to restore and preserve historic buildings, temples, mosques, churches and traditional shop houses (with the shopkeeper’s residence on the floor above his store).

Although ethnic enclaves and picturesque districts like Chinatown, Little India and the Singapore River are being revitalized as well, the city is not close to regaining the patina that took centuries to achieve. Right now, Singapore is a large, attractive and very modern city, trying mightily to recapture some of the picturesque character it once had.

Getting settled in: Right in the middle of Little India, the New Park Hotel is just outside the high-rent circuit, with plenty of good restaurants nearby at moderate cost. Yet it’s a very modern place, with a sparkling marble lobby, shopping arcade, pool and gym. Bedrooms are of moderate size, and the New Park Cafe serves a sumptuous buffet lunch ($6) and dinner ($9.50).

The New Otani Hotel is close to Chinatown and not far from Orchard Road (there is a free shuttle to the latter). The hotel’s lobby is on the seventh floor, with a shopping mall beneath and a fine supermarket in the basement. There are Sichuan, Japanese and Trader Vic’s restaurants, a pool and sunny terrace.

Regional food and drink: With all the cuisines that have made their way to Singapore, Nyonyaprobably comes closest to being indigenous. It has been called the “food of love,” since it grew from the marriage of Malay wives, or Nyonyas, to early Chinese settlers in the Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang. It’s spicy, fragrant and hot.

Tiger beer and Raffles Light make good company with any of Singapore’s spicy foods.

Good local dining: Joseph’s Seafood and Shark’s Fin Restaurant (01-07 New Bugis St.) obviously has a menu laden with denizens of the deep. There’s crab, crayfish, abalone, prawns, clams, scallops, squid, oysters, mussels, cockles and a variety of fish, plus shark’s fin prepared six ways. We picked around on the menu, had a very good and satisfying dinner, and ended up paying about $9 each, including beer.

A tradition for Singapore visitors is the lunchtime buffet in the Tiffin Room of the renowned Raffles Hotel. Start with a Singapore Sling at the famous Long Bar, where it was first concocted in 1915. Then move to a buffet overflowing with seven or eight kinds of curries, salads, vegetables and a variety of marvelous Indian breads. Desserts are a big deal here, leaning toward the British nursery food of tapioca and banana puddings. The cost is $22 per person and it’s a real Singapore experience.

Hawker stalls and centers form a sturdy fabric of Singapore’s past. You’ll always find a variety of excellent foods at moderate cost. Have a go at the Newton Circus Center (Newton Circus), Singapore’s largest; the Satay Club (Connaught Drive), or Hill Street Center (64 Hill St.).

On your own: Chinatown is always a colorful and exciting place to visit. You might even stumble onto a Chinese street opera, with cymbals clanging, fiery dragons and a small but cacophonous brass band. Now head for Serangoon Road for the sights and sounds of India, and Arab Street for Singapore’s Muslim center. And if your deck of credit cards is at the ready, venture up and down Orchard Road, where the spending is easy.

GUIDEBOOK

A Singapore Fling

Getting there: Fly Singapore Airlines or United direct from Los Angeles to Singapore; Northwest, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines with connections. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket from LAX will cost from $1,200 to $1,415. There’s a $7.50 departure tax on leaving Singapore.

Currency: Singapore’s dollar recently sold for 1.49 to ours, making them worth about 67 cents.

Where to stay: New Park Hotel (181 Kitchener Road, Singapore, telephone 800-448-8355; $96 double); Hotel New Otani (177A River Valley Road, tel. 213-629-1200; $173 double); Raffles Hotel (1 Beach Road, tel. 800-525-4800; suites $403 to $496 and up).

For more information: Call the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board at (213) 852-1901, or write (8484 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 510, Beverly Hills 90211) for a 232-page official guide to Singapore, a hotel directory, city map and calendar of upcoming events.