Sentosa Island lies just to the south of Singapore and is the ideal destination if you have a fun-loving family in tow. Affectionately known as “Singapore’s Playground”, Sentosa is jam-packed with kid-friendly attractions and activities, in addition to family-focussed hotels and restaurants.
The two major attractions for families lie within Resorts World Sentosa - Universal Studios and Marine Life Park. Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park features movie-themed rollercoasters, rides and attractions, in addition to giving you the chance to meet some of your favorite cartoon movie characters. All kids will love the cinematic Shrek 4-D Adventure and Madagascar: a Crate Adventure river ride while the more adventurous will go crazy for Transformers The Ride – a hyper-realistic 3D thrill ride, and Battlestar Galactica – the world’s tallest duelling roller coaster ride.
Meet Shrek at Universal Studios — Photo courtesy of Resorts World Sentosa
Marine Life Park is the newest attraction to open on Sentosa, and offers both wet and dry fun. Southeast Asia Aquarium (S.E.A Aquarium) is the world’s biggest aquarium, featuring over 100,000 marine animals from over 800 species, including manta rays, hammerhead sharks and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, while Adventure Cove Waterpark allows thrill-seekers the opportunity to get wet and wild on waterslides, wave pools and inner tube rides and also boasts a small reef for snorkeling on.
Out-with Resorts World Sentosa there are plenty of other family-friendly activities to keep you occupied. Three sandy beaches line the southern coast of the island, and while they may not rival the neighboring Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian islands’ beaches, they are good enough to keep the kids occupied for a few hours. The beaches are also home to several beachside bars and restaurants, all of which will welcome in your little ones. Our favorites include Coastes, for sand-in-the-toes casual dining, and Tanjong Beach Club with its chilled vibe and beachside swimming pool.
Sandy beaches line the southern coast of Sentosa — Photo courtesy of Marianne Rogerson
When its time to cool off, head to Palawan Beach and to the Port of Lost Wonder kids club, with its large pirate ship water-play area. Or if you have little adrenaline junkies with you, then check out the part go-cart, part toboggan Luge, or the 450m-long flying fox ride at MegaZip Adventure Park.
If you want to stay close to the action, then take your pick of family-friendly hotels on Sentosa. Our top choice would be the beachfront Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa, with its fabulous kids club, and Singapore’s largest freeform swimming pool complete with water slides and splash pad for the little ones.
