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Things to do and Attractions in Rotterdam, The Netherlands!
There are so many things to do and attractions in Rotterdam! This post will give you a low down on all the things to do and attractions right here in Rotterdam! you’ll just be spoilt for choice. Here are just some to choose from…
1. Architecture Gazing
Home to an array of amazing architectures, Rotterdam will wow your senses with its modern take on architectures. Find out more here.
2. Taking in the Sights
Stunning views of Rotterdam from Euromast
Take in all the sights of Rotterdam at the Euromast. You wont regret it!
3. Shopping!!
With the Hoogstraat (High Street) so well connected in the city centre, you can literally shop till you drop!
4. Leisurely stroll along the River Maas
If you just want to take things slow, why not enjoy a leisurely stroll along the River Maas. It is afterall the “life line” of the Netherlands, intertwining several cities (including Rotterdam) along its path.
5. Football Fan?
If you are a football fan, why not visit the Feyenoord Stadion (affectionately known as De Kuip by the locals) and catch a match. It will definitely be an experience you won’t soon forget.
Check out these things to do and attractions in Rotterdam and share your comments with us!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in Rotterdam right here!
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Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
There are so many things to do and attractions in Melaka! Let’s find out what are the things you can do right here in Melaka!
Just for our readers, this is a quick summary of the Melaka attractions in this world heritage city…
1. Traditional Trishaw Rides
One of the best ways to cover Melaka has got to be the trishaw rides. You can hope on one of these brightly decorated trishaws at Stadhuys and your trishaw guide will bring you to the tourist attractions in Melaka!
2. Authentic Peranakan Food
One of the most authentic and well known peranakan restaurants in Melaka, Ole Sayang serves up some of the best nonya foods at affordable prices. Dont forget to take away some of its famous keropok while you’re there!
3. Historical Museums
To learn some interesting history of how Melaka came to be, the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum as well as the Melaka Maritime Museum are 2 of the many museums that are strongly recommended!
4. A Famosa Fort
One of the most famous ruins in Melaka, the A Famosa Fort is a must visit attraction!
5. St. Paul’s Church
A short walk up the hill from A Famosa is the St. Paul’s Church. From here, you can visit this Melaka Attraction and have a splendid view of the city as well!
6. Jonker Street
To savour some of the best local delicacies, why not head to Jonker Street? Here, you will be able to savour one of the best chicken rice in Melaka and also try out some street foods in the evening. Quaint shops along the street will get your attention as well!
7. Stadhuys aka Red Square
Another must visit attraction here in Melaka has got to be the Stadhuys. Here you can also see one of the oldest church – Christ Church Melaka and also hop on to one of the well-decorated trishaws for a ride about town!
8. Leisurely Stroll along the Melaka River
To make your Melaka trip more memorable, why not hope on the cruise down the Melaka river? A walk along the river is also strongly recommended!
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
To get a fix of trishaw rides in Melaka, look no further than Stadhuys, otherwise known as the red square in Melaka.
Trishaw Rides at Stadhuys
The Stadhuys is the homeground of the Trishaw riders in Melaka. Here, you can find signs that depict the price of the trishaw rides – typically charged 40RM per hour. The rates of the trishaw rides do differ during the holiday season…
Kate and I were there during the holiday season (new year’s eve) and thought that the prices of trishaw rides as depicted on the signs still held true. However, upon querying, the rates were somewhat cheaper (at 30RM) but the rides were much shorter (at 20 minutes).
Still, one of the must-do activity here in Melaka has got to be this traditional ride on the trishaw. It allows you to get around to all the attractions in Melaka such as the A Famosa aka Porta de Santiago, Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum, Melaka Maritime Museum, St. Paul’s Church and even Jonker Street!
Not only that, if you are lucky, the trishaw rider can give you simple explanations about these attractions. Even if they do not, you still get to enjoy a leisurely ride across town…
Trishaw Ride Melaka
The other main attraction about the trishaws in Melaka is that the trishaw riders take pride in their rides so much so that they put in extra effort to decorate them. Looking at the different brightly coloured decorations of the trishaws is a joy in itself! Not only that, some rides come with the latest sound systems, sub-woofer and all to entertain tourists and onlookers!
Therefore, if you have travelled especially to Melaka, take a ride on the traditional trishaw and enjoy the sights and sounds that this simple mode of transport can bring.
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
If you are looking for authentic Peranakan restaurant in Malacca, look no further than Restoran Ole Sayang.
According to locals (2 ladies that sat opposite us), Restoran Ole Sayang is one of the most reputable Peranakan restaurant in Malacca and many locals will point you to this restaurant at the mention of Peranakan food…
We were quickly shown to our seats at a big round table and shared the table with 2 other ladies.
The waitress then came over and told us what was the menu of the day (The restaurant usually cooks according to the ingredients that they acquired for the day). So how good is the Peranakan food here?
Chap Chye as the name suggests is a “mixed vegetable” dish. Usually the dish comes flavoured by cabbages, black fungus and vermicelli as the main stay. The chap chye at Ole Sayang was quite unique in that it does not resemble the usual peranakan chap chye and has an acquired taste, slightly to the sourly side. That’s not to say it’s not nice, a unique taste that’s worth the try.
The Otah was not one of our favourites, mainly because we have a pre-determined idea of how a great Otah would be like; Moist on the outside, firm and full of ingredients on the inside.
The Otah at Ole Sayang was a little bit dry on the outside and the inside was not as “full” in terms of ingredients as we had imagined. The only plus point was the chilli mix was quite nice and partnered the fragrant rice well.
One of the other Peranakan dish that you would usually try to determine the “skill” of the Peranakan restaurant would be the Ayam Rendang.
At Ole Sayang, the spiciness was just right and the rendang mixture together with the tender chicken was ma ma mia!
The chendol makes a nice round up to a traditional peranakan meal.
Overall, the restaurant serves up authentic peranakan food at a fraction of a restaurant price. Worthy of its reputation.
Before we left, we noticed many other patrons leaving with bags of keropok. Intrigued with thoughts of “how good can a keropok be?!”, we bought 2 bags at 10RM each.
No regrets there! The keropok turned out to be one of the best we’ve tasted. PLUS it stays crispy even after staying in the fridge for a few days, no signs of lao hong (non-crispiness after exposure to air) at all!
How to get there
If you notice the huge korean restaurant opposite the Dataran Pahlawan Megamall, walk along the road adjacent to the restaurant. You should be able to identify the restaurant with its pinkish colour (see picture) after about a 5 minutes walk.
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
If there are 2 museums that you must visit in Melaka, one of them has got to be the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum…
Of course the other is the Melaka Maritime Museum.
The reason why the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum is a must visit museum in Melaka is because of the wealth of information it holds!
If you are interested in history of Melaka, it’s there.
If you are interested in stories and legends, it’s there!
If you are interested in jurisdictions in Melaka, it’s there!!
If you are interested in artifacts and costumes worn, it’s there!!!
Basically, all the things you want to know about how Melaka came to be, it’s all there. So, to provide a good background to the rest of your trip in Melaka, the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum is a must visit museum if you have to make a choice to visit 1 or 2 museums only.
Not to mention, the price of entry is ONLY 2RM!!!
One of the more interesting displays (at least to Kate and I) were the legends and heroes of Melaka. They tell of stories of jealousy, loyalty and deceit. Plus, life sized sculptures do bring the stories to life…
Besides the excellent photo taking opportunities of the palace itself plus a nice stroll around the garden which you can enjoy, you can also marvel at the architectural brilliance of how the palace can be built without any nails at all! An architectural feat of their time…
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Interesting Things to do in LA
There are so many top things to do in LA! Let’s find out what are some of the things to do right here in Los Angeles LA! For our readers, we have listed this top things to do in LA in no particular order…
Top things to do in LA: Enjoy the sights and sounds at Santa Monica Pier
That’s right! One of the top things to do in LA is just to kick back and relax along the beaches of Santa Monica. If the kids are with you, you can simply let them have a ball of a good time at the amusement park complete with ferris wheel and roller coaster. For couples, a stroll along the beach at sunset would be unforgettable!
Top things to do in LA: Watch an LA NBA match at Staples Center.
Another one of the top things to do in LA would definitely be to watch an NBA match at Staples Center. The world renowned Staples Center is home to the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. If you prefer ice hockey or WNBA, Staples Center is also home to LA Kings and LA Sparks!
Top things to do in LA: Catch a celebrity at Hollywood
With premiers often held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, you can be sure to catch a glimmer of these stars as they attend their gala premiers!
Top things to do in LA: Live the high life!
You can really live it up and enjoy the high life at Rodeo Drive. Luxury items abound along this road for the rich and famous. You may also want to take a ride to Beverly Hills and see how huge these mansions can really be!
Top things to do in LA: Do all the Hollywood Touristy Staff
Of course one of the top things to do in LA is to visit Hollywood! Here you can visit the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood sign and much much more!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this quick review about the top things to do in LA!
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Things to do, Places of Interest and Attractions in Los Angeles California
There are so many things to do and attractions in Los Angeles California! Let’s find out what are the things to do right here in LA! If you have been following our posts, we did mention that we sneaked a short tour out of Las Vegas to visit Los Angeles California!
For a Singaporean, it is not common to see deserts or mountain ranges. So it was really a different experience as we rode across the desert terrain…
The distance from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was about 400km and it took us about 3 hours or so to reach there. Hmm, just a thought…wonder how long it would take for people to shift stuff from your house from Vegas to LA and vice versa…
Santa Monica
Our first stop in California is Santa Monica! Kate and I (well…mostly Kate) wanted very much to visit Santa Monica because of the many many times this venue has been featured in movies and partly because of the Savage Garden song of the same name. The following should be some familiar views of the Santa Monica Pier…
There, we had a romantic walk down the beach and of course along the Santa Monica Pier and to see the iconic ferris wheel. To end the day, we enjoyed the sunset along with corn dogs (excellent creation btw) and drinks…
Hollywood Sign
The following day, we set out to see the famous Hollywood Sign. We did some research on our own and found out that great views could be seen from Mulholland Drive.
From this picture, it seems a little small. This is mainly due to our not so professional camera (any sponsors out there?) However, with the naked eye, the view was breath-taking. There was also excellent views of the LA city skyline…
Hollywood Boulevard
Since we were at Hollywood, the most famous street there has got to be Hollywood Boulevard. There we visited the famous Kodak Theatre where we had a good view of the Hollywood sign as well. The Kodak Theatre is also home to the Oscars as well as the American Idol…
The nearby Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is also a famous tourist attraction not only because it is a prime venue for Hollywood movie premieres but also of its tradition of imprinting the hands and feets of celebrities at its fore court.
We also managed to catch a glimpse of some B list celebrities (Basically those whom you know are celebrities as you have seen them in movies but cant really pin point there names because they just played that odd role in the movie you’ve watched. ) at the movie premiere of Going the Distance (starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore). Nope, we did not see either of the stars but we did see many limousines picking up well dressed people (directors, producers and rich people we reckon) and of course screaming fans.
Walking along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we managed to also identify familiar stars of our favourite celebrities. Here we found out that celebrities were classified according to the 5 categories namely; Movies,TV,Radio,Theatre and Music
There are also other sights that you ought to catch when you’re here in Hollywood…
Where the rich and famous live. This district was made famous by a TV series of the same name Beverly Hills 90210
A great hangout place to just chill and enjoy the sunset.
Luxury brands can be found here. Though many shopping belts like Oxford Street, Champs Elysees and even Orchard Road carry these luxury brand names, Rodeo Drive offers a classy feel and even a hope of a glimpse of celebrities!
Los Angeles California
Kate then planned a walking tour of Los Angeles city. I just told her that we have got to visit the Staples Centre, the rest was up to her.
First, we visited Chinatown
Passing by a cantonese dim sum shop, we dropped by to have some egg tarts and char siew bao. They tasted nice, but in a different way.
A short walk away was the famous Philippe Original French Dipped Sandwich which we saw from Man vs Food on Travel Channel. We had to try it not only because it was recommended on MVF, but also because we had tried another version at Di Nic’s @ Reading Terminal Philadelphia.
After the food tasting, we pronounced Di Nic’s the winner. The sandwich from Philippe was quite tough even after the dip. The roast was also not as tasty as that of Di Nic’s as well.
Next begun our city tour!
We also armed ourselves with Starbucks coffee which tasted really good at an affordable price as well (slightly less than 3 bucks a cuppa)
We then arrived at the Staples Center…
We were at the home of the LA Lakers! (think Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson).
At the souvenir shop, we realised that the Staples Center was home to 4 teams – the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks!
We also popped by the Grand Central Market
and Little Tokyo…
When you see this tower, you know that you are at Little Tokyo. Here, you’ve got to try some Japanese food. We had a salad, the Char Su Ramen (Extra Large at 9.7USD) as well as the Pork Curry Rice at 8.20USD. The servings were huge and the taste was great! The Char Su was full of flavour and had a succulent texture to it! Yum!
We also had a nice stroll through the Mexican Market at Olvera Street where you would see mexican souvenirs, small guitars and traditional costumes. The walk through was shaded and had some lanes that you can visit and explore as well…
Nearby was the Union Station
Verdict
There are so many things to do, places of interest as well as attractions in California. The city of Los Angeles can provide nice walking tours while Hollywood exudes a different class of its own.
Be it the beach, the high life or the city, Los Angeles certainly makes a great visit for tourists and locals alike!
P.S. Did you know that Los Angeles means “The Angels” which is why the city has also a nickname of “The city of Angels”
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Hollywood Walk of Fame
After visiting Grauman’s Chinese Theatre as well as the Kodak Theatre, Kate and I took a walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame…
The Hollywood Walk of Fame stretches for about 2km it consists of mainly a star bearing an artiste or celebrities’ name that formally comes from these 5 categories
1. Movies
2. TV
3. Radio
4. Music
5. Theatre/Live Performance
Turns out that as we walked along the Hollywood walk of fame, we were so distracted and kept looking at the floor, thinking which celebrity would be next! Sometimes we would barely avoid oncoming pedestrians who must have thought, “What are these crazy tourists doing? Dont walk and look down at the same time!”
But that’s what we did!
It was fun to find stars that we know (because there were so many of them!) and these are just a few that we spotted…
The next time you are at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, try to locate the stars of your favourite artistes/celebrities. BUT! Be careful of oncoming (pedestrian) traffic!
P.S. You may also like to know that you need not travel all the way to Hollywood to see the walk of fame. There are also replicas at your nearest Universal Studios!
P.S.s. Did you know that stars are given only nominated artistes and these artistes can be nominated by anyone. However, there are 2 catches. 1. Groups or people who nominate must pay about $30,000 for the fabrication of the stars. 2. The celebrity must attend the ceremony. If deceased, family members must attend on his/her behalf. No one really knows how the selection goes (done by a selection committee) after the nomination…
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Amazing Glassmaking Craftsmanship of Murano, Venice
Venice is definitely one of the “must visit” destination of all travel itineraries, not only because of its gondolas and one of a kind canals but also because of the feel that Venice exudes at the mention of its name.
In addition, research has also shown that Venice is sinking at a rate faster than previously predicted. Venice could potentially go under in the years to come and that makes it a stronger point than ever to experience this beautiful city.
Venice island hopping tours includes visits to Murano, Burano and Torcello. In this post, we will talk about one of the islands in Venice, Murano. Glass making is an art form that started in Murano. The names murano glass and venetian glass are therefore synonymous with each other.
We were led by our tour guide to the glass making factory and we were treated to a performance whereby the shifu (master) created this beautiful horse out of glass in mere seconds!
Murano Glass Making Shifu forming a glass horse in seconds!
We were all very surprised at the skill that the shifu demonstrates in making this glass horse. He had to craft the horse in the seconds that that glass was hot enough to be crafted yet cool enough to be held in place quickly. According to the guide, he had merely 30 seconds to make each portion quickly and accurately. The finished product…
As shown in the video, it was a pity that this horse fell off the table and broke. However, it was definitely an eye-opener to be able to witness such skills in glass making.
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Hope you have enjoyed our post on glass making in Murano, Venice!
Great View and Great Taste at Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant Keppel Road
Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant is located at 201 Keppel Road. It is a Chinese sit-down restaurant and opens daily for Lunch and Dinner.
Of course, the main draw of the restaurant is that it revolves! In this video you can see the floor of the restaurant revolving…
Rotation of the Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant
Because of its centralised location at Keppel, visitors of Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant can be treated to excellent views of our port, our city skyline as well as fire works (from Sentosa) in the evenings…
Fireworks from Sentosa as seen from Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant
Of course, besides the excellent views, the restaurant does have its own draws such as
The meat is usually served with noodles while the crispy yet tasty skin is wrapped with cucumber and sweet sauce (green onions if you like some). Remember to choose the egg wraps!
This is a creation of the restaurant and involves frying the banana and coating it with sugar before cooling it in water (performed before the customers). The result is a crispy sweet and innovative dessert.
Another item on the menu that we liked was this
This dish doesnt look like much but it does taste much more than it looks. Somehow the egg whites are separated into small parts (instead of sticking all together or being too small to feel the texture). The crab meat was fresh and the combination was well…refreshing.
We also tried the lobster and the fried fish in sweet and sour sauce as well but arent much to rave about.
Overall, the restaurant is an excellent place to bring your foreign friends. This is because, not only is it a classy restaurant, you can while dining, introduce them to parts of the city right from the restaurant as it rotates.
As for food, stick to the recommended ones!
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Hope you have enjoyed our review of the great views and tastes at Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant!
Staycation / Holiday / Vacation at Sentosa Singapore – Things to do and attractions at Sentosa Island Singapore
Nowadays, “staycation” (the combination of stay and vacation – meaning to stay in one’s country to have a vacation) is very popular in Singapore, given the rising number of chic hotels and new establishments sprouting in many corners all over Singapore.
So Kate and I decided to do so as well. We took our pick to stay at the newly constructed Hard Rock Hotel at Sentosa (Resorts World Sentosa, RWS). There are several hotels now in Resorts World Sentosa, namely, Festive Hotel, Hotel Michael, Crockfords Tower (by invitation only) as well as Hard Rock Hotel.
Introduction about Sentosa
Sentosa was formerly known as Pulau Blakang Mati which translates directly as Island, Behind, Dead otherwise known as the Island of the dead. However, in 1972, Sentosa was mooted to become a popular tourist destination and was renamed Sentosa, meaning, “Peace and Tranquility”.
The island is just located 0.5km south of the main island and is now connected via cable car, a link bridge as well as Sentosa pedestrian board walk.
The Sentosa board walk has now several ‘hang out’ places like the Queens (with happy hour drinks and cakes), Venezia (Italian ice cream), Wine Company and a crepes shop. Also you can shop at the Frangipani Creations (theme of frangipani for bags, hair pins, paintings) and a Sentosa souvenir shop.
Admission to Sentosa Island
If you are staying at one of the hotels at Sentosa, admission is usually complimentary. What you would need to do is to check with your hotel on how to gain complimentary entry into the island. This differs slightly from hotels on the island itself and hotels in RWS (Resorts World Sentosa).
By Foot/Walking ($1)
To gain entry via the new boardwalk, it is only $1 per person to enter and you get to enjoy a nice little walk, about 5-7 minutes along the newly constructed boardwalk.
By Sentosa Express ($3)
The Sentosa express is the new monorail that transits all across the island of Sentosa and back to the main island at Vivocity (a shopping mall). This ride costs $3.
By Car
The rates for entry can be found on the website of Sentosa and it is usually cheaper to car pool and go into the island as a group. If you are driving into RWS like we did, remember to keep left as you enter the roads to Sentosa. If you are driving into Hard Rock (near the convention centre), keep left again.
Once you are on the island, all buses and monorail rides are free. Yup, even if you paid only $1 to enter via the boardwalk!
Hard Rock Hotel Sentosa
We first checked into our room at Hard Rock Sentosa. It was located on the top floor, overlooking the entire pool area.
The pool is one of the best things about Hard Rock Hotels. It is always a surprise for me to see how chill the Hard Rock Pool is and this pool didn’t disappoint. Check out this video of the pool!
The pool at the Hard Rock Hotel consists of so many segments. From my memory, I can recall an infinity pool (or lap pool), a children’s play area (complete with water guns, fountains and a slide), a jacuzzi, a lazy pool, a pool by the bar, as well as, you’ve guessed it, the beach pool complete with soft white Australian-imported sand!
Resorts World Sentosa
After lazying in the pool for a while, we decided to grab some dinner at Vivocity. Each room at the Hard Rock is entitled to 2 parking tickets as well as monorail tickets on the Sentosa Express (unlimited rides from Sentosa to Vivo for 3 consecutive days once activated). As we ventured out, we took some of these pictures.
After dinner, we decided to chill out at one of the new restaurants along the boardwalk. We had some wine and shared a strawberry tiramisu. The food was ok, but the nice laidback music accompanied by views of RWS more than made up for it. We wanted to catch the animatronics Crane Dance show (9pm), but to our horror, it was under repairs! So we headed for the 9:30pm fountain show at the Lake of Dreams.
We did catch the crane dance animatronics some time before and here it is
There is nothing much to say about the show except, DO NOT GO! Please view our video that we painstakingly recorded for you (for you to fast forward) so that you can save 15 minutes of your precious time. Towards the end of the show, many people started to walk away (hence you see many movements in the video at the end). The show ended without a finale or whatsover. It just faded out…it has to be one of the worst fountain shows ever.
Sentosa Day Play Pass
On the second day, we decided to go for the day play pass and it was a fruitful 10 hours. The day play pass is a packaged deal where you pay $63.90/Adult , $47.90/Child (Weekdays) and $69.90/Adult, $51.90/child (Weekends) to enjoy 13 attractions from 9am to 7pm. It is really worth it because you get to cover:
1. Fort Siloso
2. Bi-Pedal Bicyle (1 hr)
3. Segway Fun Ride (Beginner’s practice and trail)
4. The Flying Trapeze
5. Skyline Luge (with 1 skyride) OR Unlimited Skyrides
6. Images of Singapore
7. Sentosa 4D Magix
8. Sentosa Nature Discovery
9. Sentosa Cineblast
10. Desperados
11. Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom
12. Tiger Sky Tower
13. The Merlion
But to complete all the attractions (which we almost did), you have to plan your time properly to avoid the crowd. So we suggest you cover like we did!
Images of Singapore
Initially, we wanted to start off our day at the 4D magix, Cineblast as well as Desperados. However, on the way up, we realised that Images of Singapore was already opened. So the first stop was here
It was a pleasant surprise because we really didn’t think the Images of Singapore would be such a huge place. It will probably take perhaps 1-2 hours if you read all the information. The whole museum is full of figurines, statues and displays. It depicts how Singapore came about (with the discovery of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles – Nowadays the brand Raffles is associated with everything high class or “Atas” as we would say) and how we thrived from a small fishing village to the cosmopolitan city we are today. Certainly worth visiting.
Cineblast (Extreme Log Ride) / 4D Magix (Pirates) / Desperados
It is good to start off the day at the rides and movies because the queues would usually pick up and you will be wasting precious time queuing. When we reached there, we were first for all the rides and shows! Yay!
Cineblast
We first went for the Extreme Log Ride. It was very realistic! One of the best 3D rides I have been on. It brings you through Himalaymazon. You’ve heard me right! Not the Himalayas nor the Amazon. Haha…not for the faint-hearted though.
Desperados
Desperados is a 3D shooting game whereby you are an assistant to the Sheriff and to take out the bad guys. You are seated on a saddle that moves according to the game. Holding on to the pistol with one hand and the saddle with the other, you have 2 rounds of trying to top the score. Enjoyed this one as well. Try to shoot well, else your face would be flashed across the screen as a bobo shooter…
4D Magix – Pirates
Kate and I have been to 4D shows previously and this was nothing new. Basically a 15 minutes show with 4D effects like wind blown by your ears, water sprinkling at you, in your face bees and insects crawling from under your seats. Yup, all the effects accompanied by the 3D movie. Enjoy!
Skyline Luge (with 1 skyride) OR Unlimited Skyrides
Next, we went for the Luge. We didnt know at first that the Luge Ride came with 1 skyride. Still, we chose the Luge. So from Imbiah, we Luged down to the beach. The new trail, Dragon Trail just completed construction not long ago and it was an exciting, winding ride. The slogan is true : Once is never enough. But we had another attractions to enjoy.
We were there shortly after lunch, so we beat the crowd and waited only about 5 minutes. Lunch was cheap (@Olio Bites considering prices at Sentosa) and good. We had spaghetti and Fish & Chips. Yum. Enjoy the thrilling Luge!
Segway Fun Ride
After the Luge, we wanted to rent the bicycle and ride into Fort Siloso. However, we were dismayed to find that we couldn’t and we were stopped at the tram station at the entrance of Fort Siloso. So we had to cycle back to return our bikes and head back to Fort Siloso. There were 2 guided tours that day (12.30pm and 3.30pm) but when we finally got back to Fort Siloso, we realised that we just missed the first guided tour! So we were advised by the friendly staff of Sentosa to complete Segway first, which we did.
We waited a short while before it was our turn. As with the Luge, you would have to don the helmet provided. The first practice session was basically to familiarise yourself with the Segway. The instructor would tell you how to move ahead, backwards and left/right by leaning your body (forwards/backwards) and tilting the handles to the desired direction. It was quite easy actually. But you would be envious when you see the instructors being able to move fast and drift! They would then ask you to ride towards a tree, go round it, and return back to the instructor.
The trail is much like a garden walk. On the Segway, it was over in 5 minutes. But it was still fun to go at a leisure speed and try to traverse small humps and engage slopes upwards and downwards. Overall, it was a nice refreshing albeit “risky” experience.
Sentosa Nature Discovery
We also attended the guided tour here. This area is basically free but with the guided tour, it makes the visit extra educational. The tour covered the types of trees and animals/birds that may be encountered and includes a short treetop/canopy walk. Nature lovers would enjoy this one.
Fort Siloso
Fort Siloso is a museum at Sentosa that covers the defence of Singapore during the colonial and WW2 era. It was really worthwhile to hear the stories that the guide had, and to learn about how it was like during the pre-war and war era.
The tour covered the guns, surrender chambers, life during WW2 under Japanese occupation and the surrender of Japanese back to the allied forces.
This is a really good tour (about an hour or so) for those who are interested in history and WW2. You can board the bus for the tour either at Imbiah or at the entrance of Fort Siloso. It departs slightly earlier, do check with the friendly staff for the exact timings.
The Merlion
As we entered, we were given a token at the entrance. It was a gold coin. We were then ushered into a small theatre to watch a short clip of how the “Merlion” came about. After the movie, we dropped our coin into one of the many merlions at the entrance of the lift and exchanged for a gift card. You can then claim your gift at the souvenier shop as you exit the Merlion.
We went to level 10 where the teeth of the Merlion was. We caught several shots here.
There was also a staff there ready to take a picture for you. After that, we went to the top of the Merlion. The view was spectacular. It covered the whole of Sentosa, including the rides and castle at the Universal Studios, the hotels at Resorts World, a golf course, the cable car ride, the sky tower. Over the distance, we could see our Central Business District (the CBD) as well as views of the ocean and our world famous sea port. Take a look at this video!
We took the lift and exited the Merlion. We were directed to exchange our gift cards for a souvenir and we got 2 hand held fans with Merlion imprinted on it.
Tiger Sky Tower
Our last stop was the Tiger Sky Tower. It wasn’t our first time but we still enjoyed the spectacular views that it offered. Enjoy these pictures!
Dinner @ Ramenplay
We went back to the hotel and lazed in the pool again before heading out for dinner. We wanted to catch the butterfly park but missed it as it was closed at 6:30pm. We had visited the one in Cameron Highlands before, so not much regrets there. We missed the trapeze because we aren’t that adventurous. For those who have tried it, do leave a comment on how it went!
We decided to stay in Sentosa for dinner and we ate at Ramenplay. There was a deal with DBS cards. If you order 2 mains, you’d receive a plate of 2 fried meat balls (Dango). The ramen was good. Remember to order the one that comes with the pork broth because it is simmered for a long time to achieve that taste. The meat was generous and the ramen was Q (also known as springy). The Unagi hot pot was not fantastic, but the unagi itself was delicious. Though a little bit on the expensive side, the meal was thoroughly satisfying. We also ordered the bamboo chicken and Chicken/Leek Yakitori to complete the meal. Yum.
Overall, it was an excellent staycation and we enjoyed all the attractions that Sentosa has to offer with the Day Play Pass. Go stay in the hotels at Resorts World Sentosa while they are still new and nice!
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in and around Sentosa right here!
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