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Island of Singapore
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The first Universal Studios theme park in Southeast Asia, but it's quite a bit smaller than the others and can get quite crowded, so expect long lines or pay extra for the Express Pass. There are seven zones: Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar. The star of the park is Battlestar Galactica, the world's tallest "dueling" rollercoaster, with two tracks battling it out simultaneously: "Cylon" suspends you in the air, with plenty of loops and inversions, while "Human" is seated and reaches speeds of up to 90 km/h. Inclement weather can put a damper on plans, although some rides do remain open. Buy the tickets from a trusted local travel agent for a discount price.
Formerly S.E.A. Aquarium
One of the world’s largest aquariums that is home to majestic manta rays, enormous goliath grouper, Napoleon wrasse, and other marine animals. Also has various programmes for up-close animal encounters and learning journeys. The corridors can get a little cramped, especially when everybody else has the exact same idea to avoid the outside heat.
Singapore's spiffiest water park has rides for all ages, ranging from Southeast Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster to a gigantic wave pool. Grab a tube and journey down Adventure River, passing through 14 themed zones including a tropical jungle garden and a sea creature grotto. Snorkel over a colourful coral reef with 20,000 friendly fish or wade amongst dozens of rays. Lockers cost $10 for small ones and $20 for large ones, so try not to bring too many things. Food is not allowed to be brought into the waterpark (bags will be checked) which is doubly problematic since the park's own F&B offerings are pretty dire, so plan to eat before/after or make use of the re-entry facility. Dress code applies, check the waterpark's website for details.
Experience eight minutes of aerial combat with a pair of VR goggles through six different movements.
Home to four giant Explorers made from upcycled wood and plastic, it is accompanied by an interactive online map of hidden parts of Palawan Beach.
Floating just off the beach, this slippery open-water obstacle course lets the whole family test their ninja skills. Great fun for kids and a great workout for adults. Zone 1 is for 5-6 year old kids (must be accompanied by an adult), while Zone 2 is open to 7+. Flotation vests provided.
Nightly show with laser, fire and water effects set to a soundtrack. Each show lasts 20 minutes, ending with a fireworks display. Children under 4 free.
A five-story tall wind tunnel for indoor skydiving.
Zip wires, aerial obstacle courses, simulated parachute landings and trampolines.
Up the hill in a ski lift and down again in a steerable bobsled. Kids safe. Good attraction for younger kids as the incline of the track hinders going very fast. Not very exciting for those over 15. If you are inclined to go, resist temptation to purchase multiple trips until trying it the first time. Luge trail is closed during wet weather.
Home to the 50-m-high SkyPark Sentosa Bungy tower, Giant Swing that swings at 120 km/h, and Skybridge, a 40-m walkway with see-through sections.
End their day with an evening sunset yacht cruise. The City Skyline Cruise ($60) runs for an hour from Th–Su and public holidays 6PM. The Southern Islands Speedboat Tour ($39) runs for an hour at various time slots from daily 9AM, 11AM, 2PM, 4PM, and 6PM. The Yacht and Kusu Island Tour runs for 2 hr 30 min daily 9:15AM.
Four tricked-out "4D" movie theaters incorporating effects like fog, rain, wind, and vibrations. The 4-in-1 Combo (one-time admission) ticket costs $48.90 for adults (aged 13 years old and above), and $35.90 for children (aged 3 to 12 years old).
The local outpost of the global wax museum emporium. Figures inside are geared towards Asian visitors, with Singaporean, Chinese and Indian celebrities well represented, plus a boat ride experience called “Spirit of Singapore”.
Formerly the largest British naval base in Fortress Singapore, its guns staring balefully out towards the sea in preparation for enemy attack. The Japanese rode bikes down the peninsula instead; after your visit here, be sure to visit the Battle Box at Fort Canning Hill 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. There is a 1 hr 30 min night tour called the Fort Siloso Night Experience ($45), every Friday from 8–9:30PM.
Perfume-making workshop where you can make your personal orchid scent after taking a perfume personality test. There are also 300+ augmented reality displays within the perfumery. The 1 hr 100ml perfume making workshop costs $125 per person, while the 1 hr 50ml perfume making workshops costs $95 per person.
Home to two famously challenging 18-hole golf courses, the Serapong and the Tanjong.
Large park on the foreshore opposite Sentosa, with various World War II bunkers and artillery pieces scattered about. There are occasional guided tours of the tunnels dug into the hills.
The quintessential Singaporean tourist trap, this mount (really more of a hill) has viewing points of Sentosa and the Singaporean heartlands, a complex of overpriced bars/restaurants, and the starting point of both the cable car across to Sentosa and the rather pleasant (but sweaty) Southern Ridges Walk.
A mosque owned by the Sultan of Johor, the graves of numerous ancestors of the Johor royal family are located on its grounds.
Generally reckoned to be the best beach in Singapore, which is admittedly not a high bar. You can paddle about in the shallow lagoon, although the water here is as murky as in Sentosa. Bring insect repellent and a day-use tent or tarp, as there is very little shelter from the sun or rain.
An unassuming little Taoist temple dedicated to the Merchant God. This is the focal point of the yearly Kusu Festival (Oct-Nov), when pilgrims come to the island to pray for prosperity.
An unusual Muslim shrine (not a mosque) atop a small hill, dedicated to the saint Syed Abdul Rahman and his family, who lived here in the 19th century. The shrine is painted bright yellow and is visited in particular by childless couples.
Popular with locals, this small hawker centre (non-air conditioned) has a range of Indian Muslim food stalls and a variety of local cuisine.
Retro themed like a collection of 1960s hawkers, only with air-conditioning (and hygiene). Slightly expensive for a food court, but the selection is good and it's usually packed.
Notable for its retro 1970s depiction of Malaysia, with food hawkers selling Penang laksa and KL hokkien mee. Fits in with the theme park facade, but any good foodie would rather head across the causeway for the real thing.
Accessible via the cable car or an uphill walk from Harbourfront MRT.
Fresh seafood served Western, Asian and Japanese style. The menu runs the gamut from fish & chips to poke bowls and $300 seafood platters, but it's all quite tasty and very popular, so book ahead on weekends.
Easily the flashiest restaurant in Sentosa, built inside the SEA Aquarium so that diners face directly into the enormous "Open Ocean" tank showcasing manta rays and countless tropical fish. Set menus only (4 to 8 courses), no children under 8. Very popular, so book ahead. Admission to the aquarium is not included, but show up early at the main entrance and you can take a free sneak peek on your way in.
In sight of jungle, beach and sea, repeatedly voted the most romantic restaurant in Singapore and popular with bosses out for a naughty night with their secretaries. Book a table on the lower deck for the best views.
The restaurant is pleasant but slightly overpriced and the outdoor seating is very nicely set up, although the volume is often cranked up way too high. Reserve in advance if you want one of the little pavilions.
Standing proudly apart on Tanjong Beach, this is the top beach club on Sentosa and priced to match. Maritime French Riviera vibes, brunchy food menu, boozy cocktails. Reserve ahead, particularly on weekends. Various daybeds and lounges available, but they come with a minimum spend of up to $400/group on weekend afternoons. Closes up surprisingly early though unless there's a special event going on.
The very first beach bar when coming in from Beach Station is a pleasant enough place to get your feet in the sand while sipping on a glass of cold white wine. Seating runs right up to the water's edge and the vaguely Australian-style food (fish & chips, burgers, pizza), while hardly gourmet, does the job.
Barcelona meets Singapore at this beach bar with paellas and a tasty if pricy tapas menu. Set quite far back from the water's edge, but it's also quieter than the rest since it stands some way apart at the east end of Palawan Beach.
This family-friendly Hawaiian-inspired beach club stands out for having its own pool (free for customers) and an array of watersports options (charges apply). The food is pretty dire, but the beer is cold and the tiki cocktails are competent.
A simple "eco-rustic" hotel right off Siloso Beach, with a large swimming pool and functional if aging rooms. Still, it's the cheapest option on the island, and the resort gets some good karma for employing people with special needs.
Five eco-friendly tiny houses on Lazarus Island designed with different themed interiors – Scandinavian, retro, industrial, modern, black and white colonial styles.
This basic motel facing an elevated highway wins zero points for style or views, and the sailors whooping it up in the rooftop bar can get noisy. However, the rooms are clean and modern and the location right next to massive shopping mall Vivocity and the MRT interchange at Harbourfront is quite good, with Sentosa, Chinatown and the Riverside each minutes away by train.
Surrounded by 3.5 hectares of tropical rainforest, this hotel features 120 rooms in a converted British army barracks as well as 10 standalone garden villas. Three pools, in-house spa, easy walk to the beach. Disabled-friendly.
Luxury resort designed by Foster+Partners, built around two colonial-era bungalows. With Balinese-style terraced pools, high-class restaurants and impeccable service, the Capella often comes up high in rankings of Singapore's best hotels. You can choose between spacious rooms in the main building or private villas complete with their own plunge pools. Also the site of the 2018 summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un; the first ever bilateral summit between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
Opened in 1993, the granddaddy of all Sentosa hotels is also by far the largest on the island, with 459 rooms offering a well-maintained but rather generic package holiday experience. The main selling point is that this is Singapore's only genuine beach resort, with direct access to Siloso Beach and plenty of sea sports and family-friendly activities.
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. Renovated and looking better than ever, with a deep Olympic-sized pool. 300 m to Tanjong Beach.
26 guest rooms intended primarily for visiting yachties, but open to anyone. Restaurant, spa and infinity pool.
The only hotel in Sentosa Cove, done up in an over-the-top style -- expect gilded furniture, pink mood lighting and brightly colored pop art -- memorably described as "what old people think young people think is cool". The nearest beach is a 15-min shuttle bus ride away, but on the upside, the hotel does have the largest pool in Singapore (complete with water slide) and most rooms have great views over the superyacht-laden marina.
All-suite hotel exclusively for casino high rollers. Even if you aren't staying here, take a peek at the lobby and its several million dollars' worth of Chihuly glass.
Corporate rock for wannabe rock stars. The lagoon-style pool with real sand is nice though, and the Rang Mahal Pavilion is among the better options.
Designed by and named after architect Michael Graves, but mostly in shades of lime.
Family-oriented hotel where most rooms feature a special loft bed for the kids. More upmarket than you'd think.
Likely the best option in Resorts World, but priced to match. Spacious bedrooms and bathrooms, with panoramic views of the sea or forest. The "Ocean Suites" face directly into the SEA Aquarium, so you can sleep with the fishes. There are also 20 "Equarius Villas" in 1/2/3-bedroom configurations with private garden, private timber sundecks, bathroom with rain showers and free-standing tubs, private Jacuzzi, free-form swimming pool, and buggy services.
Sentosa's only shopping mall caters primarily to the wealthy residents of Sentosa Cove. However, there are plenty of dining choices as well as the only full-fledged supermarket on the island (NTUC Fairprice).
This giant complex on the mainland just next to the Sentosa bridge is Singapore's largest shopping mall, featuring anchor tenants like the enormous Fairprice Xtra hypermarket, Golden Village cineplx, two food courts and creative landscaping. The Sentosa Express monorail station is integrated into the mall, the ticketing station can be found on the 3rd floor beside the Food Republic retro theme food court. Next door, Harbourfront Ferry Terminal is connected to VivoCity via a bridge.
By train
Take the North East (Purple) Line or Circle (Orange) Line of the MRT to Harbourfront MRT station. Make your way up to Level 3 via Lobby L to take the Sentosa Express monorail into Sentosa.
By bus
Bus 123 connects Orchard Road and Tiong Bahru directly to Sentosa, while bus RWS8 connects from Harbourfront/Vivocity. Standard bus fares apply.
By cable car
Alight at Harbourfront MRT and take Exit B to Harbourfront Centre. Take the cable car from Harbourfront Tower II via the Mount Faber line.
By car or taxi
Entry fee for cars and taxis range from $2 (noon-2PM, 5PM-7AM) to $6 (7AM-noon, 2-5PM).) or via cash paid to the counters at the gantry.
By ferry
To visit the Southern Islands, head to downtown Singapore's Marina South Pier for the ferry to Sisters' Islands, Kusu Island and St John's Island.
On foot or bicycle
Admission to the island by foot via the Sentosa Boardwalk or by cycling is free. The boardwalk starts from Vivocity, is mostly shaded and even has a few travellators.
All transportation around Sentosa (except taxis, private hire and the cable car) is free. This includes taking the Sentosa Express back to the mainland.
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