Singapore/Sentosa

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

Understand

Formerly known under 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 2006 or so.

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

Three colored shuttle bus services connect the Visitor Arrival Centre to various points through the island. There is also a special service direct to Siloso Beach.

By train

The somewhat misnamed beach trains — it's just a car 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

Carlsberg Sky Tower => 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, =>. Claimed to be Asia's largest tropical oceanarium, it features a walk-through aquarium with lots of sharks and fishes and many smaller tanks. Admission is a fairly steep S$17.30 for adults and S$11.20 for children (3-11 years), although entrance to the Dolphin Lagoon is thrown in. Monorail station M2.

Dolphin Lagoon. Here you can watch cute pink dolphins do all the usual tricks (jumping through hoops, balancing balls, etc). Not worth paying for, but since it's free with your Underwater World ticket... Bus Yellow or Red Line, or monorail M5 and walk north along the beach.

Fort Siloso, =>. Once 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 then. 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. Admission is S$8. Access via Underwater World, from where a free tram trundles up the hill.

Sentosa Merlion. 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 (S$6) 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.

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.

Golfers might wish to head to the Sentosa Golf Club (27 Bukit Manis Road, tel. +65 62750022), featuring two 18-hole courses. Fees for walk-in visitors are steep at S$220 for 18 holes on the weekends, although weekdays go down to a mere S$120. Alternatively, you could plonk down S$90,000 for a membership and play all you want.

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, =>. 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 like Sakae Sushi allowed to open up outlets.

Visitors with return tickets on the cable car might wish to head up to Mt. Faber after sunset and dine at Altivo -- or just go for a drink and watch the lights twinkle, since the views are generally acknowledged to be better than the food.

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.

KM8, Tanjong Beach, =>. The closest Singapore gets to the Ibiza scene, with DJs spinning music on the beach and partygoers splashing in the club's pool. Open every day from 11 AM until late, free admission unless there's a special event on.

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?

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. Prices per space range from S$12.60 if you bring your own tent to S$25.20 for renting an 8-person tent on the weekend.

Mid-range

Costa Sands Resort Sentosa, near Siloso Beach (Bus Red, Blue Lines), =>. Offers simple "kampung" huts (max 3 people) for $50/36 peak/off-peak and new air-con chalets (max 2 people) for $125/98; there are additional discounts for trade union NTUC members. In addition to the nearby beach, guests can use a swimming pool.

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, tel. +65 6275 0100. Probably the pick of the lot. Rates start at S$240.