On the southern coast of Singapore resides a hub of entertainment, Sentosa. It is a complete package for all, from elderly to kids. Sentosa is a perfect blend of joy and adventure, making it the ideal day trip or weekend destination. Honestly, a day trip won’t do justice to this vast entertainment hub. Therefore, I highly recommend spending at least a night to make the most of your time.
On Day 4 of our trip, Mom and I headed to Sentosa island for two days. We did all the fun touristy stuff as well as explored some hidden gems on the island. Staying at Sentosa can be an expensive affair. But we found the perfect deal on Booking.com that got us a steal deal at a beautiful beach view resort at just 50 SGD.
P.S: The resort we stayed at has been closed permanently, but here’s another resort that we were considering to stay in Sentosa – Siloso Beach Resort. You can also check out other Singapore articles, where I share more ideas and recommendations.
How to reach Sentosa?
Reaching Sentosa is a piece of cake thanks to its connectivity with the mainland. You can take a bus or rapid transit. You can ride a gondola or even walk. Yep! a fascinating walking route as well. Traveling within the island is also simple, thanks to the free shuttle service and the monorail.
- Bus: route 123 – 1 SGD to 3 SGD
- MRT: Sentosa Vivo City –> Monorail – 4 SGD to 5 SGD
- Taxi: 7 SGD to 9 SGD
- Walk: Sentosa island Boardwalk from Vivo City Mall to Sentosa Island waterfront – Free
Day 1 Itinerary
Reaching Sentosa
Mom and I took an early morning bus (route 123) from the Orchard Road bus stop, the closest stop to our hotel. It was a 50-minute ride from Orchard Road to Resort World Sentosa transit center. On arriving, we boarded the Free Sentosa Shuttle to reach our resort at Siloso beach.
Checkin at Costa Sands Resort (Sentosa)
The resort was on a hill opposite Siloso beach, hidden amidst the wild forest. We struggled a bit while locating the resort. After 20 minutes of randomly walking here and there, we finally spotted the stairway. Post the check-in formality, we headed to our room and rested for a while, which is essential when traveling with parents.
The Costa Sands Resort has been permanently closed, but here’s another resort within the similar budget range that you can consider for your stay – Siloso Beach Resort.
Madame Tussauds
My mom loves Madame Tussauds so much that she never misses a chance to praise the craft. Therefore, we decided to make this our first destination of the day. The life size wax statues of various celebrated people around the globe never fails to charm us. The museum is gigantic, with over 50 wax statues, from Audrey Hepburn to our desi girl Priyanka Chopra, from the kung fu master Jackie Chan to football heartthrob Ronaldo.
It was fun getting photographed with the people we admire, posing with them, and reading about their journey. However, my favorite section was Behind-the-scenes, where I learned about the creative process and the hard work behind making these statues.
Timing: 10 am to 6 pm
Ticket: $26.64 (Adult)
Sentosa Merlion
Sentosa Merlion was once the tallest merlion statue in Singapore. But in October 2019, the city bid goodbye to this iconic statue to build a themed linkway that allowed visitors to walk along the shoreline from the north and south of Sentosa. This 37m-tall statue was right next to the Merlion monorail station and had an observation deck in its mouth.
I’ll definitely miss this picturesque statue on my next visit. However, I’m also excited to walk the linkway. Let’s talk about our time at the Merlion Statue. It was a stop-and-go destination for us. We decided to skip the observatory part as the view was similar to that of Fort Siloso. But we sure got some amazing photos with the merlion in the backdrop.
Lunch at Good Old Days
By now, we were extremely hungry! So we decided to have lunch at a food court named Good Old Days. It was beautiful and affordable. Good Old Days has two separate food courts, one serving Asian delicacies and the other serving Western grilled delights. I wanted to try Laksa, so we headed to the Asian Food court. I ordered Nonya Laksa, a Malay delicacy made of spicy coconut gravy and loaded with seafood. Mom went with Gong Bao Chicken and rice. The dish was spicy, nutty, and delicious. Overall we loved our food and left the place with a happy heart and a satisfied belly.
Food for two: 16 SGD
Palawan Beach to the southernmost point of Asia
We took a shuttle to Palawan Beach, the southernmost point of Asia. We reached the beach during sunset. The view was more scenic than ever, with the sky painted in hues of pink and purple. We walked through the rope bridge to reach the southernmost point of Asia, and the view turned even better. We had some time to kill before our next activity. Therefore, we decided to stay back on the beach. We rested on a hammock chair, gazing at the clear sky and gossiping about anything under the stars.
Timing: The bridge closes post 6 pm
Ticket: Free
Wings of Time Show
Wings of Time is a breathtaking show and a must-watch in Sentosa. It was just the perfect way to end our day. Wings of Time is a show about friendship and courage depicted through water, laser, and fire to create amazing visuals. It’s nothing but a brilliant display of art and technology. Plus, the captivating narration leaves the audience in awe. It was a thrilling 1-hour long show that ended with fireworks. After the show, we went to McDonald’s (the only running outlet because it was almost midnight) to grab a quick bite before heading back to the resort.
Timing: Shows at 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm
Ticket:$13 (Adult)
Day 2 Itinerary
Siloso Beach
Mom and I are morning persons, so we woke up early and headed straight to the beach. Siloso beach is a tranquil place with an excellent view. This place is also home to the award-winning Eco-resort, the Siloso Beach Resort. It is one of the best beaches in Sentosa that offer plenty of activities, from bungee jumping to surfing. We strolled around the beach for a while, dipped our feet in the water, and spotted many beautiful birds. There isn’t any restaurant near Siloso beach. Therefore, we decided to do a brunch instead at the Resort World Sentosa.
Timing: Open 24×7
Ticket: Free
Fort Siloso
After completing our checkout formalities, we headed to Fort Siloso. It was just a stone’s throw away from our resort. Fort Siloso is the only well-preserved coastal fort in Singapore that served as part of the defense. We walked the skyway trail that led to a military museum with exhibits from WWII, including coastal guns, tunnels, etc. Moreover, we saw a few bunkers created by the Japanese army during their invasion in 1942.
Timing: Open daily, 10 am to 6 pm
Ticket: Free
Brunch at Streats, Resort World Sentosa
Resort World Sentosa is the prime entertainment hub of Sentosa, with world-class attractions like Universal Studios, Dolphin Island, Adventure Cove Water park, and S.E.A Aquarium. We took a shuttle from Siloso to Resort World Sentosa. On reaching the Resort World, we headed straight to Streats, an Asian street food restaurant. We had Salted Egg Yolk Pumpkin Fritters, Beijing Dumplings, and a delicious sandwich. We loved the taste of everything, especially the Egg Yolk Pumpkin Fritters. Therefore, we highly recommend visiting this restaurant.
Food for two: 25 SGD
Universal Studios
And finally, we entered the most awaited attraction, the Universal Studios. It is Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park that features many blockbuster movies and tv series. It was raining cats and dogs that day, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We bought a raincoat from the main gate and headed straight to our adventure.
Universal Studios has six theme-based zones. We began our journey in Hollywood, where we met the minions and watched a delightful performance at Mel’s. Next, we headed to New York and explored the Sesame Streets. From there, we watched a mind blowing show by the famous Hollywood director Steven Spielberg at Lights, Camera, Action!
Next, we headed to the Sci-Fi City to experience the thrilling TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle. The Battlestar Galactica wasn’t closed due to rain, but I’ll surely come back for this one! From there, we headed to Ancient Egypt to ride the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster. It was my favorite of all rides. Trust me when I say this ride will surprise you with every twist and turn.
We then headed to the Lost World, a Jurassic Park-themed area and watched a spectacular show called the Water World that displayed death-defying stunts. Next, was a thrilling ride at Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure and we also got a birds-eye view of the place on the Canopy Flyer.
Our last stop was at Far Far Away, where we watched a fun show named Donkey Live. But before stepping out, we strolled the streets of Hollywood one last time and explored the enchanting forests of Madagascar.
Timing: Wed to Sat & Public holidays – 12 pm to 7 pm | Sunday – 10 am to 6 pm | Closed on Mon and Tue
Ticket: $67.48 (Adult)
In the late evening, we boarded the bus route 123 to reach our hotel in Orchard street.
Overall experience & tour recommendations
Overall, we had a fun time exploring Sentosa island, from discovering some hidden gems to experiencing its fun side. I highly adding Sentosa island to your list when visiting Singapore.
If you’re planning to do more activities on the island, I recommend buying Go City Pass to save money and here are some tours that we recommend in Sentosa for a unique experience.
- A romantic dinner date – Sunset Sail Cruise with 5 Course Seated Dinner
- For the adventurer in you – Kayak fishing at Tanjong Beach or Skyline Luge or both 😉
