Trip Report: 6 nights, family from Aus with kids age 4 & 6
This sub was super helpful planning our trip, so here are some thoughts that might help others! Happy to answer Q's.
Hotel
We stayed at Village Hotel Katong, in a family room with 2 double beds. The carpets in common areas are looking pretty worn, but our room was great (exactly like pictures), the buffet breakfast had heaps of good choices that varied every day, and we loved the pool - kids were in it every afternoon. The shallowest part is 1.2m deep though, so we were happy that our kids were competent enough swimmers for that.
I was second guessing being this far out of the centre, but it worked out really well for us. The kids loved taking the MRT and buses wherever we needed to go, and it was super easy. 3 minute walk to the MRT at Marine Parade, or bus stop right out front of the hotel - so minimal walking at the start / end of the day at least. The only day we used taxis was to go to Mandai. The supermarket in the hotel building was also great for buying snacks and fruit for the kids.
There were lots of good and affordable food options for dinner nearby. We ate at Katong Shopping Centre, 328 Katong Laksa, Marine Parade Food Centre, Bei-Ing Wonton Mee / Bruce Lee Chicken Rice (2 stops on the bus) and on Joo Chiat Rd. It was also nice to walk around the Katong / Joo Chiat area.
The only reason I wouldn’t stay here again is because we explored that area quite well, and might look to do similar in a different area another time.
Itinerary - happy to answer Qs about any of this!
Day 1 - arrival, Jewel, Joo Chiat / Katong walk.
Day 2- Sentosa. Cable car, Skyline Luge, Adventure Cove.
We enjoyed all of these. A big day but worth it! Glad we didn’t stay in Sentosa though, very resorty and expensive.
Day 3 - Gardens by the Bay. Cloud Forest, Supertrees, Jurassic Nest Food Hall, ArtScience Muesum.
Cloud Forest was a highlight of the trip for me. The plants, architecture, dinosaurs… I could have spent hours in there or gone straight back the next day! The cooler temperature was very welcome too.
ArtScience Muesum was a miss for me, especially for the cost. It’s only a bit more engaging than a series of instagrammable rooms, and they’re not very unique. Once you have had one drawing “come to life on the wall” it’s not very fun even for kids to do that again. And most other attractions (cloud forest, zoo etc) have some digital / interactive elements now, which were enough for my kids.
Day 4 - Chinatown, Keppel Centre for Art Education.
I was looking forward to seeing the Buddha Tooth Temple and disappointed that the roof garden is closed and most of the facade covered in grey sheeting. I made a scavenger hunt of YYC murals for the kids to find which they enjoyed, but then it started raining heavily so we bailed.
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo, River Wonders.
We were here 7 hours and thoroughly recommend. Highlights were the feeding interaction at the fragile forest, Ranger Buddies Quests and elephant feeding. But all the exhibits we saw were very well done. We saw the Into the Wild and Once Upon a River shows - there were some similar bits but both were very well done, and a good break from walking for the kids. We had lunch and cooled off at Food Republic between Zoo and River Wonders.
Day 6 - Singapore Children’s Museum, Tiong Bahru bakery
The Children's Museum was worthwhile and perfect for 4-6 year olds on a rainy day - a mixture of play and learning a bit. We planned to explore more of Fort Canning but it was chucking down with rain so we went back to Katong.
We arrived on Sunday and left Saturday, so hit all the “attractions” midweek and didn’t have to book ahead or queue.
I wanted to see Kampong Glam and Little India too, but the days we would have fitted this in the rain was set in. Our 4 year old doesn’t nap and was crashing out by 7:30, so we never made it back out for a late arvo river trip or Garden Rhapsody show. Maybe next time!
Before we left home I made a little Singapore guide book for the kids to give them an idea of what it would be like (couldn't find anything existing at the right level) and it was a big success - got them excited about the trip and gave them a bit of an idea what it would be like. I also made scavenger hunts of things to see when we were walking around suburbs, to make that a bit more interesting / gamified for them. Would definitely do this again too.
Overall, Singapore was a fantastic location for kids first overseas trip from Perth. A good balance of fun activities and new cultures. And of course super clean, well organised and helpful locals 😊