Sentosa Islands Resorts - Singapore's entertainment hub

By Carol Aloysius

(Continued from last week)

After our journey through Singapore city at night the previous day, our eyes still dazzling with the pre-Christmas lights and stunning decorations that lined the length and breadth of Orchard City also known as 'Christmas Lights Road,' we now head towards Sentosa Islands Resorts sited on Artillery Avenue near Mt Imbiah or Sentosa. We are already well briefed by the numerous brochures we had read, of the countless attractions the Resort had in store for us.

We count eleven of+as our hired jeep speeds past stretches of golf coasts and scenic spots on the way. We decide to give the Universal Studios a miss since my grand children have already experienced similar if not more exciting rides for which it is famous, back home on the Gold Coast where they live.

Instead, we head to where other thrilling adventure awaits us. Seeing the lengthy queues of adults and children from nationalities across the world standing at the entrance for their tickets, we were thankful that my older son Hiranjan had booked our tickets on line ahead of the trip so that we were able to walk into the Resorts no sooner we arrived.

A quick study of the brochures we pick up inside help us to decide where best we could take the three grandchildren to cater to their sense of of adventure, excitement and fast paced action.

We first head to the Adventure River where you can grab a tube and journey pass mind boggling scenes such as a tropical jungle, a grotto inhabited by whimsical sea creatures, then snorkel over a colourful reef which we are told contained over 20,000 friendly fish, and wade among dozens of ray fish touching their velvety wings. Despite being damp and wet from their watery journey on Adventure River, the children clamour for more excitement and action. So we head to the Trick Eye museum where we are literally thrown into an imaginative battlefield featuring original 3 D artworks. They tell us it is one of the coolest attractions they've seen so far.

We now head for the Sky Ride - a must if you visit the Resort. Our ride on a cable car gives us a bird's eye view of the island. It is a thrilling albeit nerve wracking (at least to me) ride travelling as we did in a transparent enclosure through which you can get a 360 degree view of the Sentosa island, Singapore city and South China sea.

Sky Luge

Skyline Luge is our next destination. It is raining, heavy drops smashing with the sound of thunder onto the plastic sheets under which are the ticket counters.

With no umbrellas to protect us from the pelting rain, we buy eight take away raincoats at five Singapore dollars each, which we later throw into a trash can on our way out. Despite the rain, the place is crowded with thousands of children accompanied by child at heart adults - all waiting their turn for the rides. The Skyline Luge however, is basically for young children whose heights are measured prior to their being admitted if they insist on riding this action ride solo.

Our young Chinese guide tells us that with pride how this invention introduced in New Zealand three decades ago, had only just been installed in Singapore. When a couple of anxious parents ask her if it was safe, she quickly assures them that the fun filled gravity ride has never yet met with any accidents!

The children set out on their gravity fitted thrill ride with its unique braking and steering system which they can manipulate themselves, with screams of excitement. They have two options.

They can race down the 688 metre Dragon trail or opt for the 628 jungle trail. Either way it is a ride they are not likely to forget in a hurry.

Hopping off their leisurely ride, the children, grand children and daughter in law, next hop into open cabs that take us right into the city on another thrilling skyline ride, as we sail over acres of lush tropical forests, home to hundreds of indigenous plants and forest creatures. In all we are told there are 24 rides at this amusement cum theme park.

Aquarium

The S.E.A aquarium our next destination was an awesome experience. We immersed ourselves in a magical marine world seen through the world's largest window into the ocean. Featuring over 100,000 marine animals from over 800 species across 49 habitats, it is home to the majestic mantra rays, enormous Goliath groupers, hammerhead sharks and other gentle sea creatures.

Broadwalk

This popular island resort, visited by over 20 million people a year, apart from its sheltered beach, golf courses and hotels (14 we were told), and the theme parks, now boasts of a Causeway bridge which connects it to the mainland.

The monorail which used to transport visitors across seven stations across the west side of the island was later discontinued to make way for the Sentosa Express.

In 2009 the construction of a new foot bridge was started.

Officially opened in 2011, Sentosa Broadwalk today, which includes themed gardens, shops eateries, covered walkways and travellatons along the broadwalk on rainy days, gives visitors alternative modes of travel to reach the island.

"Guests are encouraged to enter and exit Sentosa as it leaves minimal carbon footprint,"a walkway addict tells us. While other modes of travel such as cycling are also available, his friend Lee Chu, a computer analyst, says he prefers jogging on the bridge in the early hours of the morning. "It gives me inner peace and tranquillity which is what Sentosa means in Malay," he says.

Tiger Sky Tower - a free standing Observation tower 360 feet in height is another must to visit.

On a clear day one is able to catch a glimpse of Malaya and Indonesia, our guide tells us.

Our last stop is the Butterfly Part and Insect Kingdom which attracts thousands of visitors to its landscaped gardens in which over 15,000 butterflies of over fifty species can be found flitting from flower to flower.

Keeping in mind our current construction boom in Sri Lanka, I could not help thinking that here was one of the finest examples of what imagination can do to convert rubble and bricks into an eco friendly man made natural resort that appeals to the senses and knits history, art, culture and action together into a pleasing, colourful tapestery.

Lankan builders bent on restoring the city of Colombo to its pristine glory would do well to take a leaf from a city that has transformed itself to meet the challenges of both aesthetic and practical demands, while earning thousands of foreign exchange on the side.