My husband and I are planning to stay in Singapore with another couple in February and were thinking about Sentosa Island as we mainly want a beach holiday, and Singapore is a must as our friends are stopping over there. Can anyone recommend a nice hotel on a beach that (and the area) is adult friendly? I heard Sentosa island is a bit like a theme park. Are there other nice beaches on the mainland? Any hotel recommendations?
Thank you very much!
Beach Hotel - Adult friendly - any recommendations?
Hi,
I wouldn%26#39;t consider Singapore a beach holiday destination. Sentosa has some great tourist attractions - but its not like a themepark. You might want to do some research on Singapore/Sentosa to get a more accurate picture of the place. You could look at the Official Singapore Tourism Website.
Beach Hotel - Adult friendly - any recommendations?
Hi Mondfrau,
Sentosa Island offers the nicest beach waters in Singapore. Being the cleanest and most well-maintained. However having said this, please note that the Singapore waters is nothing like the blue azure waters of Tioman in Malaysia or Koh Samui in Thailand. Hence you%26#39;d have to adjust your expectations. In addition, the Singapore Sea is of very heavy traffic, getting almost choked up with tankers, container ships and bunker ships etc. I%26#39;m not sure about you, but some people hated this ships scene. And you could clearly see these ships lined up from the shores of Sentosa from some short distances.
However, Sentosa Island is a fun-filled island with different themes. You could revisit the WWII fort at Fort Siloso (available in my review and pictures on it), the colorful musical fountain, fun rides like the sky tower, the sentosa luge etc, undersea world, seasports along the beaches,beach volleyball, nightclubs along the beaches etc. All these are enough to keep you occupied for at least 2 full days.
Please also note that some parts of Sentosa is currently undergoing renovation, so you will see some covered construction sites.
if you still decide to stay in sentosa for a few days, these are the choices:
1) Sentosa Resort and Spa: This is a lovely resort like hotel located on a hill, surrounded by greens, famous for its fine cuisines and its renowned botanica spa. Their rooms are very decent and up to standard.
2) Amara Sanctuary Resort: This is a new hotel, with new lovely rooms. However, not much attractions within their resort.
3) Rasa Sentosa: If you are looking to do seasports, this is the one for you as it is located at the beachfront. However, the hotel itself is a bit old compared to the previous two. And all their restaurants have no air-conditioning... it gets kind of humid in Singapore weather.
4) Siloso Resort: I wouldnt recommend this now because it currently has a construction site right infront of the hotel. Not ideal.
5) Coastal Sands Resort: This is the cheaper alternative.
Hope this helps. Suying
Hi Suying,
Your recommendations were most helpful! Thank you so much. We have now booked the Sentosa Resort %26amp; Spa and can%26#39;t wait to come to Singapore.
Could you also please recommend some must see things in Singapore/ Sentosa and advise on the best possible way to travel from Cheni airport to the hotel? We are arriving at 8.40pm on a Monday (9th Feb). Thank you!
Hi Monfrau,
In terms of culture, the special highlight of Singapore is such that we are a multi-racial country. The majority being the Chinese, Muslims and the Indians. As such, you would be able to catch a glimpse of the different cultures/customs of these races.
For a quick overall peep of Singapore, you might want to join the Hippo Bus Tours (hop on and off concept), on it there will be a commentator who will brief you on a short introductory of Singapore tourism. You will get to see the Chinatown, the Little India and Bugis.
http://www.ducktours.com.sg/index.html
However, I wouldnt recommend you to take their ';duck-boat'; ride which will bring you on land and sea tour. The tour is too short for you to see or experience anything and the sight-seeing is not worth it. Join it only if you just want to experience taking the land/sea boat. Please note that the ride on the land is pretty bumpy - I almost vomitted on the ride.
What to see in ChinaTown:
A must to visit is the Chinatown Heritage Centre.
www.chinatownheritage.com.sg/visitor.htm
it showcases the early settlers of Sg. Very interesting site as the props in the museum looks very real. I was pretty impressed by the tour.
A good food to eat in Chinatown for lunch would be the Yum Cha Restaurant. It serves delicious chinese good and is pretty well-known in Sg! Don%26#39;t miss it.
http://www.yumcha.com.sg
There is a big buddist temple at Keong Saik Street in Chinatown. And it%26#39;s well-known for its gold buddha. Good to take a peep.
In chinatown you could also find some souvenirs. But please note that they might mark up the prices for you. There are also some shopping malls in Chinatown but these shops usually sells less fashionable stuff.
Little India:
This is the place where you will see some indian crafts, like henna tattoo (non permanent). And you could find some indian goodies to try. Visit the indian temple also. There are a handful of Indian coffeeshops or restaurants for you to try out their food. =)
Bugis:
It is an interesting place with a mixture of culture and that of the commercial shopping malls. In bugis you can find the shopping mall named Parco and Bugis Junction, it is also interconnected with the Intercontinental Hotel.
But out of this shopping mall, to one side you will find the street market of bugis selling fashionable stuff (mainly non-air conditioned). To another side you will see a long stretch of shophouses full of restaurants. If you manage to see a chinese stall selling duck rice/noodle along this stretch named Liang Seah Street. Try it. It%26#39;s good and cheap. And you%26#39;ll also see lots of steamboat (soup based) restaurants. On another side yet you will see the ethnic chinese area, where you could also go into a chinese temple. There are two main different types of chinese temple in Sg: One is Taoism and another buddhism.
Other interesting places in Singapore includes:
Singapore Zoo: You could have a morning breakfast with the Orang Utan. Join the Night Safari Tour. Visit the birdpark (just next to the zoo).
Wild Wild Wet in Pasir Ris, White Sands Resort. This is a fun water splash theme park. It is not a very big scale theme park but is fun enough for an alternative thing to do in Sg. http://www.wildwildwet.com
Shopping in Singapore:
Singapore has no shortage of shopping malls. And the most bustling place to shop is in Orchard where it houses the Wisma Atria, the Takashimaya, the CK Tangs, the Shaw, the Borders, the Far East Shopping, The DFS (duty free shop) etc. Another shopping mall nearest to Sentosa is the Vivocity. You%26#39;ll have ample time to shop there. =)
Another interesting place to explore is the City Hall Area. There is the St Andrews Church which is open for tourist visiting also. It has an interesting architecture.
In City Hall you will also find the Suntec City Shopping Mall and the Marina Square Shopping Mall. Other than shopping you could take a nice scenic walk to the Esplanade. It is located next to the Sinapore River. To catch a lunch break, you might want to try out the open-air stalls located just next to the esplanade building. It serves delicious and cheap singapore local food. Try out the barbequed chicken wings, the mutton soup known as the kambing soup, the satays, the noodles etc! Don%26#39;t worry about getting a stomachache after eating the open air stalls, singapore hawkers are all regulated by the government. So it is very safe.
A walk down the river you will be able to reach the One Fullerton. This is a stretch of restaurants for chill out in the evening. you could catch a dinner or a few drinks there. Good relaxing place. Right opposite the One Fullerton you will also see The Fullerton Hotel. It is interesting coz it used to be a singapore post centre converted into a hotel. It is of a colonial Architecture. Good to take pictures.
When you are done with these you could then take a Singapore Bum Boat ride which will take you on a cruise along the Singapore River. http://www.rivercruise.com.sg
When in Sentosa:
Try out the Sentosa Luge (quite fun), visit the fort siloso (get into the tunnel, and go to the top to catch a good seaview, watch the musical fountain (song of the sea) i just watched it this weekend and it was great! Got a little fireworks also!, catch the merlion view, venture to the underwater world, chill out by the beach restaurants.
I see that you%26#39;ve chosen the Sentosa Resort and Spa. Good choice! I%26#39;ll be there next week to try out their renowned spa botanica. Will let you know if it is good!
These are enough to keep you busy for a good few days. Feel free to ask any more details for the exact locations of any place of interest.
Cheers,
Suying
I would think the best way to reach your hotel is via a taxi as the mrt doesnt have direct access to the Sentosa Island and you would have to change a few trains to reach Sentosa Island if you were to take MRT. Very cumblesome.
Taxi Fare Rate: For peak hours surcharge
Monday - Friday : 7.00am to 9.30am 35% of metered fare 35% of metered fare
Monday – Saturday: 5.00pm to 8.00pm 35% of metered fare 35% of metered fare
Pickup from Airport Surcharge:
Friday-Sunday from 5.00pm to 12 midnight $5.00 $5.00
At all other times $3.00 $3.00
Hence if you would be taking taxi after 8pm, which you should be, you will avoid the peak surcharge but will be paying a S$5 if it is a friday, sat or sun.
Hence your taxi fare will be around S$22 + S$5 or S$3 = S$27 or S$25. (if no big traffic jam)
The drive will be take you about 35-40 minutes depending on traffic.
However, please also note that there will be a surcharge to get into sentosa at S$2 per person. But as a hotel guest, i%26#39;m not sure if you are entitled free passes. It%26#39;s good to check it with your hotel.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Suying
That%26#39;s really great information! I am very grateful for your help!
If you ever come to England, let me know and I will try and help with your trip.
Hi Mondfrau,
Hope that your trip to Singapore will be a fruitful one! When you are here, don%26#39;t hesitate to drop me any questions if in doubt.
And yes, England is on one of my dream list to go! I%26#39;ll bug you then when I%26#39;m going!
Cheers,
Suying
