A giant version of the Merlion — symbol of Singapore — on Sentosa Island.
Singapore's playground, this small island just a few hundred yards from the mainland has something for just about everyone. There's an excellent aquarium, dolphin lagoon, butterfly park, musical fountain and many other attractions. Older kids may want to just laze on the beach. There's an admission charge to the island as well as to many of the attractions, so a day here can get a little expensive.
There was a time in the late 1990s that Sentosa was seen as a big flop, an expensive waste of time. A new management team was bought in, and they have lowered fees, opened new, cheaper food outlets, and have undertaken a massive multi-billion dollar redevelopment of the entire island. Some of the new projects include more hotels, a new water and light show, and a big integrated resort that will include a Universal Studios theme park and a casino that will open early in 2010.
Sentosa Island Map
Admission Fees
There is, apparently, no longer any admission fee to the island itself, but there are charges to visit just about every other attraction. These can be rather expensive, so it's best to do a little planning ahead of time using the island's web site below.
More Information
Visit the Sentosa web site for more information on the island and current admission charges.
There are many things to see and do on the island. These range from historic sites to natural places to purpose-built attractions. The attractions tend to change over time, as people get bored with some sights and new ones are built to take their place. The current big attractions that look set to stay around include:
Underwater World This large aquarium features a long walk-through tank where you can experience sharks and rays swimming right over your head.
Sentosa is one destination where getting there really can be half the fun. For a grand entrance and overview of the whole island, take a taxi to the Mount Faber cable car terminus and take the aerial tram across to the island. The cable car sets you down in the middle of Sentosa, so it's a great way to go, although also the most expensive, at S$24 per person.
Sentosa is not a good place to stay if you want to explore Singapore, but if you've already "been there, done that" then the resort island might give you a relaxingly different view of the city-state, assuming you stay away from the casino. I've listed a few options below, but if you want more choices you can use the search box at the bottom of the page to search dozens of sites at once to find the best rates on Sentosa hotels.
