Singapore/Sentosa

From MaxTravelz

Sentosa is an island just off the southern coast of Singapore.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 3 Get around 3.1 By bus 3.2 By train 3.3 By monorail 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 7.1 Mid-range 7.2 Splurge 8 Drink 9 Sleep 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 9.3 Splurge

Understand

Formerly known by the less attractive name Pulau Belakang Mati ("The Island of Death from Behind" in Malay), Sentosa has been rebranded and resculpted into one big tourist attraction, popular among Singaporeans themselves as a quick island getaway. The island does offer a few star attractions (notably Underwater World) and Singapore's best beaches, but many of the would-be-attractions are duds and the general trend of overpricing everything makes the island an undeniable tourist trap.

Get in

Sentosa is just 15 minutes away from the city center by taxi. The cheapest way is in to take the North-East MRT to HarbourFront and changing to S$1 shuttle bus (well signposted); more fun, however, is to ride the cable car for scenic views of the city and the island (S$7.50 one-way, or S$8.90 return including the chance to visit Mt. Faber).

Ferries from HarbourFront have stopped running. The Sentosa Express monorail linking the island to HarbourFront MRT is under construction, but won't be ready until the end of 2006.

No matter which way you choose, entry to the island will set you back S$2 per person. There is an ever-changing palette of combination tickets that may work out marginally cheaper if you plan to visit multiple attractions. The island itself is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, although many of the attractions are not.

Get around

All transportation around Sentosa (except taxis) is free.

By bus

Four colored shuttle bus services connect the Visitor Arrival Centre to various points through the island.

By train

The somewhat misnamed beach trains (just cars in disguise) shuttle people along the beaches. One service connects Palawan Beach to Tanjong Beach, another connect Palawan Beach to Siloso Beach.

By monorail

The Sentosa Monorail was decommissioned in March 2005 to make way for the new Sentosa Express.

See

Sentosa has lots of self-proclaimed attractions but many if not most are pathetic; for example, the "Enchanted Grove of Tembusu" consists of a couple of badly painted concrete totem poles. The following list is limited to those that somebody might actually find attractive.

• Carlsberg Sky Tower, near Cable Car (blue/green bus), http://www.skytower.com.sg. Asia's tallest observation tower. It takes you up to a height of 131m above sealevel and offers a 360 degree view of Sentosa, Singapore and the Southern islands. On clear days even the outlines of Malaysia and Indonesia can be seen.

• Underwater World, near Siloso Beach (all buses), http://www.underwaterworld.com.sg. Claims to be Asia's largest tropical oceanarium, it features a walk-through aquarium with lots of sharks and fishes and many smaller tanks. S$19.50 adults, S$12.50 children (3-12y), includes admission to Dolphin Lagoon.

• Dolphin Lagoon, Tanjong Beach (yellow/red bus). Has cute pink dolphins doing all the usual tricks (jumping through hoops, balancing balls, etc). Shared ticket with Underwater World.

• Fort Siloso, near Underwater World (all buses, then transfer to tram), http://www.fortsiloso.com. Formerly the largest British naval base in Fortress Singapore, its guns staring balefully out towards the sea in preparation for enemy attack. Of course, the Japanese rode bikes down the peninsula instead; after your visit here, be sure to visit the Battle Box to find out what happened next. Now turned into a museum, you can follow a tour through the area (complete with lots of wax figures) to find out what the life of a recruit was like. Nearly doubled in size after an expansion in 2004. S$8.

• Sentosa Merlion (red bus). A stretched-out 37-metre version of the statue by the Singapore River, which is lit up at night and even shoots lasers from its eyes. Admission enables you to take the elevator up into its mouth and gaze out over the nearby Port of Singapore, as well as experience some seriously cheesy exhibits downstairs. S$6.

Do

Among Singaporeans themselves the most popular reason to go to Sentosa is to hit the beaches: Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong from west to east respectively. All three are artificial, but does it really matter? Unfortunately the water is rather murky due to the neverending parade of ships across the Straits. Siloso is the place for beach volleyball, while Palawan claims to offer the southernmost point of continental Asia (if you count the bridge connecting Sentosa and ignore any competing Malaysian claims). Tanjong, for a long time the quietest of the three, is now home to hip beach club KM8 (see Drink) and is best avoided if you don't like thumping bass.

Another popular option is golf:

• Sentosa Golf Club, 27 Bukit Manis Road, ☎ +65-62750022. One of Singapore's most prestigious golf courses, features two 18-hole courses. $120 weekdays, $220 weekends.

Buy

Every corner of Sentosa is inundated with gift shops filled with all the plush Merlion toys you will ever need (and then some).

• Vivocity, HarbourFront MRT, http://www.vivocity.com.sg/. Partly open but still growing, this complex on the mainland just next to the Sentosa bridge is set to up the stakes once again as Singapore's soon-to-be largest shopping mall. The Singapore Cruise Centre is integrated into the mall.

Eat

As you might expect from a giant amusement park, food on Sentosa is (by Singaporean standards) rather pricy and mediocre. Things have, however, gotten slightly better in recent years with local chains allowed to open up outlets.

Mid-range

• Trapizza, Siloso Beach (north end). Yes, that's right, this place offers pizzas, pastas and a trapeze school. S$20.

• Sakae Sushi, Siloso Beach (south end). Beachside conveyor belt sushi (yes, with aircon), hardly gourmet fare but quite tasty anyway. S$20.

Splurge

• Altivo, Mt. Faber, http://www.altivo.com.sg. Not on Sentosa itself, but accessible via the cable car. The food here is fancy and unspectacular, but it's a good place to just go for a drink and watch the lights twinkle.

• The Cliff, 2 Bukit Manis Rd (The Sentosa Resort), ☎ +65-6371-1425, http://www.beaufort.com.sg/res_cliff.html. In sight of jungle, beach and sea, repeatedly voted the most romantic restaurant in Singapore. Book a table on the lower deck for the best views. S$100+.

Drink

The beaches can offer some pretty wild parties on Friday and Saturday nights, especially if one of the on-again, off-again foam parties pops up. The New Year's Eve party in particular is legendary, as is ZoukOut , a massive yearly outdoor party organized by Zouk, featuring a roster of international and local DJs. Beaches, beer, bikinis and booming bass, what more do you need?

• Bora Bora Beach Bar, Palawan Beach (yellow/red bus), ☎ +65-9005-4238, http://www.boraborasentosa.com/. Open daily 10:30 AM until 7 PM or later. Laid-back beach bar playing jazzy tunes. Free entry, beer S$8, cocktails S$12.50-.

• Km8, Tanjong Beach (yellow/red bus, then beach train or walk), ☎ +65-6274-2288, http://www.km8.com.sg/. Open daily 11 AM until midnight or later. The closest Singapore gets to the Ibiza scene, with DJs spinning music on the beach and partygoers splashing in the club's pool. Beware the infamous Sarong Fly ($48), a bottle of Absolut vodka somewhat diluted with lime and grape juice. Free entry, drinks S$10-.

Sleep

Sentosa is not a particularly convenient base for sightseeing elsewhere in Singapore, and most of the accommodation targets visitors looking for a simple beach holiday.

Budget

• Camp Laguna, near Palawan Beach. One of Singapore's few campsites, with shower, toilet and BBQ facilities. Currently closed for refurbishing, scheduled to reopen in late 2006. Spaces S$12.60 with your own tent, S$25.20 with tent rental.

Mid-range

• Costa Sands Resort Sentosa, 30 Imbiah Walk (red/blue bus), ☎ +65-6275-1034, http://www.ntucclub.com/resorts/index.html. Offers simple "kampung" huts (max 3 people) for S$50/36 peak/off-peak and new air-con chalets (max 2 people) for S$125/98; there are additional discounts for trade union NTUC members. In addition to the nearby beach, guests can use a swimming pool.

• Sijori Resort (red/blue bus), ☎ +65-6271-2002, http://www.sijoriresort.com.sg. In a prewar colonial building, which may interest architecture buffs, but beach lovers will be disappointed to find that it's plonked down in the middle of the island far from the coastline. At least there's a pool. S$120-.

Splurge

Sentosa features a sprinkling of resort hotels catering to those who want a beach holiday within striking distance of the city.

• Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort, 101 Siloso Road (all buses), ☎ +65-6275-0100, http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/rasasentosa/. With 459 rooms this is by far the largest hotel in Sentosa, offering a rather generic package holiday experience. S$240-.

• The Sentosa, 2 Bukit Manis Road (yellow bus), ☎ +65-6275-0331, http://www.thesentosa.com.sg/. Formerly Beaufort Sentosa, this hilltop resort-style hotel on the quieter eastern side of the island is well known for its Spa Botanica and fancy restaurants. S$300-.

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