Vacation in Singapore
Additional article: Guided Tours in Singapore
Many Israeli families have discovered Thailand and its wonders – a winning combination of exotic culture, special cuisine, vacationing on magical islands, and of course, shopping. However, surprisingly, Singapore, a tiny and interesting country just about a two-hour flight from Bangkok, has not yet become a destination for the Israeli family, and is visited mainly by business travelers.
Everyone I told that I was flying for a trip to Singapore said to me: "A day or two is enough for a visit because there isn't much to do there besides shopping." However, as I delved into the many successful and diverse attractions that Singapore has to offer, I realized that you should dedicate at least 4-5 days to see the best of it, and you can easily travel and vacation there for a whole week!
Recommended Hotels
For families, I recommend staying on Sentosa Island, where there are wonderful hotels and resorts to which you can dedicate three days just for the island and its attractions. You can, of course, stay at one of the new resorts of Resorts World, each of which is designed around a specific theme. Recommended for families:
Resorts World Sentosa - Festive Hotel - Dedicated entirely to the theme of festivals, and Resorts World Sentosa - Hard Rock Hotel - Designed around rock stars, guitars, and music.
Today, the most successful resort on this island for family accommodation is:
Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa
Which belongs to the Shangri-La chain. This is the only resort in Singapore located on the seaside with an excellent sandy beach. It has plenty of family activities, including an active kids' club. The resort underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2010 and is full of restaurants, facilities, and innovations.
An expensive and amazing hotel:
A luxurious five-star hotel with a very unique structure and an amazing pool on its roof overlooking a panoramic view.
♦ Booking recommended guided tours in Singapore from the successful site Viator:
Attractions in Singapore
The "Amazing Race" program that ended in Singapore focused mostly on the modern hotel and entertainment complex "Marina Bay Sands" Marina Bay Sands, the construction of which was completed at the end of 2010. In the giant complex with the unique structure, there is a luxury hotel, Singapore's first casino, a huge shopping center that includes a huge variety of designer stores, and of course an impressive selection of restaurants. Even for those who are not lovers of shopping and brands, it is forbidden to miss a visit to the center in order to be impressed by the design, the artwork, the atmosphere, and the dimensions. It is highly recommended to go up for a view of the entire city from the complex's observation tower in the "Skypark," where the hotel's amazing swimming pool is also located, for example in the next tour:
Every evening, an audio-visual show combining special effects and a fountain show is held in front of the complex.
Adjacent to the hotel are innovative and spacious botanical gardens named Gardens by the Bay, which include giant artificial trees called "Supertrees" on which a variety of plants grow. You can walk between the tops of the giant trees for impressive panoramic views of the gardens and the adjacent Marina Bay Sands hotel.
The gardens have two huge greenhouses, one for a dry climate and the other for a tropical climate. The tour of the gardens among waterfalls and suspension bridges and a huge selection of flowers and trees will leave you speechless.
The number one site for families in Singapore is undoubtedly "Resort World," which in addition to six hotels, each of which is designed differently, a variety of restaurants, clubs, plenty of cool shops, and Singapore's second casino, includes Universal Studios Singapore (the first in Asia) – an amazing themed amusement park, which is divided into seven areas and includes modern facilities, many of which were designed and built specifically for this park and are not included in the Universal parks in the USA. This is a vast amusement park that includes 24 attractions, of which 18 were built specifically for the park in Singapore. In addition to amusement rides, there is a variety of shows in the park with plenty of effects.
Adjacent to this park is a modern and impressive water park called: Marin Life Park, which combines the largest oceanarium in the world, with the largest aquarium in the world containing over 800 types of sea animals, with a water amusement park where there is a variety of slides and wave pools. The water park and the aquarium opened to visitors only at the end of 2012 and include plenty of innovations and surprises, including a reef where you can swim and snorkel among colorful fish, an "Adventure River," and "Ray Bay" where you can swim and pet giant stingrays.
Adjacent to the park is an interactive maritime museum, The Maritime Experiential Museum, which will teach you in an experiential way, including a film on a huge screen and a shaking simulator about sea voyages in Asia and the struggle against the forces of nature.
♦ Booking food tours, bike tours, and Universal tickets from the Viator site:
The "Resort World" site is located on Singapore's "Fun Island" called "Sentosa," which served as a military base in World War II, but for over 18 years it has become the number one family vacation spot in Singapore.
On this island, which is connected by a bridge to Singapore, there are indulgent resorts, well-kept beaches (whose sand was brought specifically from Hawaii), and plenty of attractions for the whole family, for example: a rope park – MegaZip Adventure Park, where the main attraction is a giant zipline that you slide on above the treetops, the beaches, and the sea, landing on a small artificial island. Children and teenagers will also love the "Luge," a small cart in which you slide down a winding descent (a New Zealander version of alpine slides).
At Wave House, you can surf on high waves in two wave pools. This is actually a wet simulator where you can learn to surf.
You can also go on a guided Segway tour on the beaches or ride a bike on walking trails.
There is also no shortage of museums on the island. The most successful of them is the "Images of Singapore" museum, which tells the story of the country and its residents throughout history and generations in an experiential and interactive way.
Also at the "Merlion," the symbol of Singapore, a giant lion statue 37 meters high, with a fish tail, you can learn in an experiential way about Singapore and the legend of how and who discovered it. From the heights of the lion's head, there is a wonderful view of the harbor, the city center, and the entire island. In the dark, the statue is lit impressively, and its eyes shoot laser beams.
Other attractions on the fun island are: 4D cinema – Sentosa 4D Magic, a giant simulator – Sentosa Cineblast, and a new and original simulator called "Desperados," where you sit in a 20-seat cinema, watch an animation film, and become active partners in it by shooting with laser guns.
The newest attraction of all is "iFly Singapore," where you will fly and float in the air like birds dressed in inflatable suits.
Animal and nature lovers will also find a variety of options on the island: hiking trails in a rainforest, a butterfly park and insect kingdom – Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, an aquarium called "Underwater World," a dolphin lagoon, and a bird park. Here too, they continue to build new attractions energetically, for example: a skydiving simulator.
Twice every evening, a spectacular show of lasers, fountains, 3D animation characters, and fireworks is held on the island called "Song of the Sea."
Singapore has a lot to offer families outside of Sentosa as well.
The Singapore Zoo is considered one of the best zoos in the world. The animals are in an environment similar to their natural habitat, and many of them (not the predators, of course) are without cages or fences. Simply, reach out and touch...
The variety of monkeys in the park is huge. The most famous animals in the park are the orangutans, which have a huge living space, and the white tigers.
The garden hosts a number of high-quality animal shows and plenty of feedings and explanations. Nearby is a night safari, where you travel in carts among many animals, most of which are most active in the dark, and walk on trails with guides who will show you the animals in their natural environment. Also, there are night animal shows and a tribal show with fire and dancing.
Bird lovers are not neglected in Singapore either. The "Jurong Bird Park" is considered one of the largest bird parks in the world. It has a collection of birds from 600 species. Here too, diverse shows are held.
The Residents
Singapore is a very advanced and modern country, but it has plenty of tradition and a variety of ancient cultures. Its residents (about 5 million) are a unique mixture of Chinese, Malays, and Euro-Asians (a mix of Europeans and Asians) who proudly preserve their culture, customs, language, and most importantly: their food. In one day, you can visit the Chinese Quarter and the Indian Quarter, where you will feel as if you have gone back many years in time, and afterwards, return to modernization and visit the country's massive shopping centers.
Language
Its first language is English, so it is comfortable and easy to get around. However, you will hear a mixture of languages everywhere. The second language is Mandarin, but Indian and Malay are also common. In short, a tidy and well-kept Tower of Babel where everyone lives in peace and tranquility. The motto of Singapore is expressed in four words: peace, friendship, family, community. Simply envy them.
Weather
The weather in Singapore is tropical: hot and humid for most of the year, due to the country's proximity to the equator. If you want to cool down a bit (beyond the air conditioning of the malls), you can visit "Snow City," which has 150 tons of snow and plenty of winter activities such as tubing, skiing, and snowboarding.
Tours and Panoramic Views
The best and most impressive way to look over Singapore is by going up on the highest giant wheel in the world – Singapore Flyer, which stands at the height of 42 floors. A full round on the wheel takes about half an hour, and during it, you will be impressed by the impressive modern buildings of the country.
An impressive 360-degree panoramic view will be revealed to your eyes if you go up to the heights of "Tiger Tower," which rises to a height of 132 meters and is located at the highest point on Sentosa Island.
It is worth purchasing a combined ticket for the giant wheel and the Singapore Duck. The Duck is an amphibious bus that conducts an hour-long tour in Singapore, part of it driving on land among government and cultural buildings in the city center, and most of it cruising in the river from which the impressive view of the city with its skyscrapers and symbols is reflected.
Shopping
Computer and electronics enthusiasts will be happy to visit two centers that specialize in this: Funan and Simlim. The main shopping street of Singapore is Orchard Road. On this street, there are dozens of massive, designed, and luxurious shopping centers. This is the place for "window shopping" and mainly to be impressed by the main hobby of Singapore residents – shopping. The centers are connected to each other by bridges and tunnels. They have long escalators that go up 3, 4, and even 5 or 6 floors at once!
Unlike Thailand, here you don't haggle over prices, and you can be quiet and sure that you will receive the appropriate value for your money.
Singapore is more expensive than Thailand but still cheap compared to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and even the USA.
In every shopping center, there is a giant Food Court area with a variety of foods. Here it is worth eating tasty and interesting food (and not a standard McDonald's) from Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian cuisine, and everything at prices affordable for everyone. For your information, the second hobby of the Singaporeans after shopping is food...
Transportation
It is easy and convenient to travel in Singapore. It is a small and compact country with an area of only 683 sq. km. Forget about long trips that waste precious time. Everything is close and available. The city has excellent public transportation including subways, monorails, and buses. In addition, various tourism companies operate tourist buses that travel between the famous and popular tourist sites.
For the traveling family, the convenient and cheap way is to travel by taxi. They are available and not expensive. The price in them increases by 30% between the hours of 07:00-09:30 in the morning and between 18:00-20:00 in the evening. Also, after midnight, the price is 50% higher.
Personal Security
Singapore is a safe and friendly country. It is considered one of the safest countries in the world. It is also undoubtedly one of the cleanest, well-kept, and greenest in the world.
The Singaporeans are very friendly and nice; most of them are happy to meet Israelis and are very interested in our country.
Guided Tours
Singapore has a variety of interesting guided tours that you can read about in the article Recommended Guided Tours in the Ethnic Districts of Singapore. Also, at the beginning of this article, guided tours from the successful Viator site are offered.
A Trip to Thailand Combined with Singapore
The combination of a trip to Thailand along with Singapore is a winning combination – these are two Asian countries that are so different from each other, and both are wonderful for the traveling family.
The availability of flights between Thailand and Singapore is very high. There is plenty of flights from Bangkok or Phuket to Singapore and back, including by Low Cost companies where you can fly for $70-$80 one way (including taxes).