Singapore – Sentosa – 5 reasons to visit the island

Today we take you to the fun island of Sentosa. Read 5 reasons why you should go to Sentosa at least for one day! :)

Yes, you read right – go, because Sentosa is connected by a bridge to the mainland, which you can drive over by car or bus, but you might as well just walk over to it. The island can also be reached by…. By cable car. To choose from, whatever you like :-)

As befits another place in Singapore, one day may not be enough here either. We limited ourselves to a few attractions and had planned in advance what we wanted to see, but we are convinced that if we came back here in a year or two, first of all, we would take advantage of many more attractions, and secondly, there would be several new ones that we would not be able to see again and would have to postpone them again for another visit.

There is no shortage of interesting sites on Sentosa, although world-class monuments are hard to come by here. When coming to this island, you simply have to set your mind to a different kind of entertainment, which may not interest everyone. Attractions for young and old are aplenty here, and the older the children, the better and the more they will benefit from the trip…. and by the way, we’ll write it plainly – it’s best to come here without children ;) Despite the fact that there are many attractions for toddlers, which we write about below, they will not enter everywhere and have fun with everything.

The island is dominated by Resorts World Sentosa – it is a resort within which are casinos, Universal Studios, Adventure Cove Water Park, S.E.A. Aquarium, hotels, museums, restaurants, galleries…. etc. A veritable city within a city! You can walk around this resort to your heart’s content, and you only pay for specific attractions.

We reached Sentosa Island by bridge, walking. It is a nice walk along a clean and well-maintained boardwalk right on the waterfront. After passing through the gates, we were greeted by the white Sentosa sign on the rocks.

We immediately headed to the S.E.A. Aquarium passing closed restaurants, empty pools, quiet and peaceful squares along the way – we were shown a picture of Sentosa so different from what was described both in the guidebook and on other blogs. People were scarce, and the island was not at all vibrant…. At first we thought it was a matter of the early hour, but all we had to do was get to the S.E.A. Aquarium and the courtyard full of restaurants and stores right next door, and we immediately understood what other sources had in mind :)

Yes, it’s a crowded place, full of people, bustle and loud music, but that’s the vibe of the island. Fortunately, there are also quieter places here, about which we will write a few words below.

Our main destination was the aforementioned S.E.A. Aquarium, as we knew it was an attraction that Olive would enjoy and many people had recommended the place to us before the trip. We decided to spend the rest of the day slowly exploring the different facets of the island, which we absolutely must share with you. As we mentioned at the beginning of the post, we were not everywhere, but we saw quite a lot :)

Ok, then what are these 5 reasons?

S.E.A. Aquarium

It is not an ordinary aquarium. This is a MEGA aquarium! Mega in terms of area, number of pools, and finally the organisms that can be seen through the glass here (and more!).

Here you can admire about 1,000 species of different aquatic animals in 50 tanks, and in total there are about 100,000 creatures! The numbers are impressive, aren’t they? And what about when you are standing in front of a huge aquarium or in one of the tunnels, and you are surrounded by all sorts of animals, swimming among reefs, plants and shipwrecks…. Throughout the facility we can admire sharks, dolphins, stingrays, octopuses and mesmerizing jellyfish. And the most fun is probably had by the youngest visitors, who are hard to unstick from the glass ;-)

In addition to the tunnels, one of the largest tanks of its kind in the world, named Open Ocean here, is very impressive – its glass panel measures 36 x 8.3 meters. There is a small auditorium where animations and contests are held.

And it must be admitted that it is sometimes crowded here…. even very much. The worst is in the tunnels, where at times it was difficult to pass, even more so with a small child. It is best to be first thing in the morning, right after opening.

Entrance to the S.E.A. Aquarium costs SGD 39 per adult, SGD 29 per child aged 4-12, and children under 4 jump in for free.

We recommend buying tickets online, this will avoid queues, which can be quite long here.

You’ll find many more great photos of the place in the gallery at the end of this post.

Adrenaline

One thing is certain: no one will complain about a lack of adrenaline on Sentosa. The enormity of the attractions that await and offer more and more fanciful and unusual entertainment even intimidates.

Take, for example, the Universal Studios theme park. Many people come to Sentosa just to spend a day full of activities just on the rollercoasters, water slides and carousels. And maybe their number is not overwhelming (the rollercoasters themselves), and the price is quite exorbitant, but there is no shortage of those willing to get in (adult – 76 SGD, child aged 4-12 – 56 SGD).

Another place for those hungry for excitement is Adventure Cove Waterpark, which is a water park with many slides, swimming with sharks and stingrays, but also calmer attractions, such as a river with a current. Prices for admission to the water park are as follows: adult – 38 SGD, child (4-12) – 30 SGD.

Skyline Luge & Skyride – one of the biggest attractions on the island: it’s a combination of going up by lift and then going down in special vehicles, sort of like go-karts with brakes and handlebars on the asphalt (although you can go down first and then come back up by lift). Despite assurances that these attractions are for people of all ages, there are quite a few restrictions that exclude from the ride (such as the height of a child – at least 85 cm, pregnancy, heart disease, etc.).

You can also try your hand at the wind tunnel (
iFly Singapore
), bungee jump or ride a nearly half-kilometer long tyrolean over the jungle(Mega Adventure Park).

Beautiful beaches, parks, squares

It may be surprising, but this fun island has some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve been to. Soft fine sand, palm trees and (contrary to appearances) quiet, peace and quiet, few tourists.

And yes, we don’t even delude ourselves that they are natural here, because everything is so perfectly landscaped that you can immediately see the work of the human hand here at every turn, but you have to admit that the Singaporeans have managed to do it really well with this space. Here we have beaches, palm trees, a boardwalk, playgrounds, islands that can be reached by suspension bridges…. almost like paradise!

It is the perfect place for a short break from the hustle and bustle that is slowly dominating the rest of Sentosa. Here you can quietly stop for a while, spread a blanket and enjoy a moment of silence.

Also interesting was the avenue with mosaics and fountains(Merlion Walk), which immediately brings to mind Park Güell in Barcelona.

Catering

There is a very large selection of pubs and restaurants on Sentosa. There is something for almost everyone. And so, here we have fast food, healthy restaurants, cafes, fancy cocktails and ice cream, as well as Michelin-starred restaurants and typical Singaporean food courts with local food.

We, of course, opted for the last item and went to a large, bustling hall full of food stands(Malaysian Food Street). We wouldn’t say it’s exceptionally cheap here, as we ate more cheaply around our accommodation, but probably cheaper than in many luxury restaurants located on the island. It was more breakfast than lunch, but it was enough for a while, and we tried at least some more local “delicacies” :)

Nevertheless, the number of restaurants and bars is noteworthy, and it’s worth stopping in for at least a snack, while taking a break from the sweltering heat in an air-conditioned room.

Attractions for children

For children, we especially recommend the aforementioned S.E.A. Aquarium. Olive, at less than two years old, stood like magic and could not look at the swimming animals.

The older the child, the more he or she is likely to get out of such a visit – older children can participate in contests, enjoy mock-ups, demonstrations, etc.

For children, the aforementioned water park(Adventure Cove Waterpark) and amusement park (Universal Studios) can also be a super attraction.

Little animal lovers, especially the smallest creatures, can be taken to Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, a place full of butterflies and insects (adults – SGD 20, children aged 3-12 – SGD 14).

One place we didn’t manage to enter was KidZania – a place where children can take on different roles, try their hand as adults, earn money and spend it. We were very encouraged by the description, although we didn’t get a chance to see if toddlers around the age of 2 would also have a lot of fun there (the older ones certainly did!). One can assume that it does, however, because even two-year-olds pay for the entrance ticket and quite a lot, at SGD 25, adults – SGD 35, and children aged 4-17, the most, at SGD 58! Our wallets breathed a sigh of relief when we kissed the doorknob, and we were left only to stare at the rather unfortunate entrance to KidZania with a Quatar Airlines plane breaking through the glass windows….

However, if you’re looking for slightly cheaper or free attractions then it’s worth going for the beautiful beaches. Aside from the fact that the water and sand are the most interesting attractions especially for the little ones, there is a super ship-shaped playground right on the beach. Entrance is free, and there’s plenty of fun to be had :)

Also a free attraction for the little ones are shows with animals (parrots, monkeys, reptiles) held at the Palawan Amphitheatre. Show times are available at this link.

… and much more

One can write and write about interesting places on Sentosa…. Unfortunately, we have not been to each of the following places, but it is also worth mentioning:

• The reigning Merlion, which we’ve already written a bit about in this post from Singapore. It can also be found on Sentosa.
• Madame Tussauds Wax Figure Museum.
• The Museum of Optical Illusions (Trick Eye Museum).

Practical information

Then what? Have we convinced you that it’s worth it? These are now some technical issues.

As we mentioned at the beginning of the post, you can walk to Sentosa by bridge.

There are cash registers and gates at the entrance to the island. We don’t know if there used to be a fee to enter the island, but until the end of this year it is free. From 1. January entry will cost $1.

However, that’s where the cheap attractions end ;) You have to pay for most things, and that’s a crore, but that’s what you have to reckon with all over Singapore. We wrote about most of the prices when describing the various attractions.

It is recommended to get around the island on foot – many attractions are in the so-called. walking distance, and in the process you can discover interesting places, gardens, squares less often visited by tourists.

There are trains and buses on Sentosa, and you can find more info here.

Summary

Sentosa is almost a small country, independent, so different from what we saw before in Singapore. If you need to have a blast, feel the thrill, spend an active day or just relax on the sandy beaches then you should go to Sentosa!

Read more about Singapore and what to see in our post Singapore – TOP 9 places you must see!

We also recommend you a gallery of all the photos:

Zobacz galerię wszystkich zdjęć z Sentosy w Singapurze >>>