Sentosa Island is known as Singapore’s playground, where adventure and beaches come together to create the perfect place for travellers to let their hair down.
The hands of Sentosa Island’s clock tick at a more languid pace than those of its mainland counterpart, despite the island being within walking distance of the heady metropolis. Known as a fun-filled playground, Sentosa is home to theme parks and amusement rides, while its beaches and leafy pockets offer a welcome respite from the vivacity of Singapore’s city centre.
In short
If you only do one thing on Sentosa Island, make it a day without a rigid plan along the coast, drifting between beach clubs and soaking up the island’s tropical vibes.
Why visit Sentosa?
Golden hour at Sentosa hits differently. (Credit: Getty/Kinsei-TGS)
With a name meaning ‘peace and tranquillity’ in Malay, Sentosa is Singapore’s answer to a tropical paradise. The 500-hectare island, which sits just south of mainland Singapore, is home to a smattering of resorts and hotels, and beach clubs lining its modest two-kilometre sandy coast. It has an enormous offering of leisure activities from theme parks to outdoor light shows and championship golf courses. An ideal week-long itinerary to Singapore would include a few days staying in the city and ending with a few days on Sentosa Island. You can base yourself on the island the entire time, though there is a multitude of things to do in Singapore and you can shuttle back and forth to the city.
It can’t be denied that Sentosa walks the precarious line between brilliant and tacky – embrace its commercial tourist fodder for the sake of unwinding and having some family fun. While it is jam-packed with amusements, 70 per cent of the island is, in fact, covered in secondary rainforest and home to wildlife such as monitor lizards, peacocks and long-tailed macaques – so you can find respite on this island playground.
Things to do in Sentosa
Laze a sunny day away on a daybed. (Credit: Tanjong Beach Club)
Spend time on its three south-west coast beaches – Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong. Siloso is a lively beach and home to the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa resort, which is an excellent choice for families and travellers who want to stay on the beachfront. Palawan Beach is famous for its rope bridge that connects to the ‘southernmost point of Continental Asia’, as well as calm lagoons for swimming. Meanwhile, Tanjong is known as the quieter beach but has some great beach clubs. Swimming at all three beaches is permitted.
Explore Southeast Asia's first and only Universal Studios' theme park. (Credit: Getty/AlSimonov)
Make a splash at the HydroDash, Singapore's only floating aqua park. (Credit: The Palawan @ Sentosa)
Be like Super Mario on the electric go-kart course. (Credit: The Palawan @ Sentosa)
Families and thrill-seekers can head to Universal Studios Singapore, Adventure Cove Waterpark (hot tip: buy a fast pass to both, you won’t regret it) or the Skyline Luge Singapore, where you can zip down four different trails from day to night. The Palawan @ Sentosa features a floating aqua park, a go-kart track, an 18-hole golf course, two beach clubs (one that is family-focused, the other adults-only), and a food truck market with bites from around the globe.
For a dose of nature, explore the island’s lush rainforest on foot. The Imbiah Nature Trail north of Mt Imbiah winds for 2.3 kilometres through rainforest and coastal forest. It is a lesser-known pocket of Sentosa rich in biodiversity and unique plant life. Or combine a walk with history along the Sentosa Heritage Trail and through Fort Siloso.
If you’re still on the island after dark, the Wings of Time Fireworks Symphony at Siloso Beach is a dazzling show of lasers, fire and fireworks – kids love it. The show runs at 7:40pm and 8:40pm, combining laser lights, water fountains, fire effects and fireworks.
Where to eat and drink in Sentosa
The coastal Italian favourites at Tanjong Beach Club are ultimate crowd-pleasers. (Credit: Supplied)
Sip on bottomless booze by the beach. (Credit: FOC by the Beach)
Coastes dishes up hearty burgers. (Credit: Supplied)
The restaurants and bars that are dotted along the coast are the kind you can turn up with salty hair and bare feet, with a vibe akin to Surfers Paradise. Dine with your feet in the sand at Trapizza, where we eat casual Italian and sip on kitsch cocktail towers. Coastes is another easy-going beachside eatery with salads, burgers and pizzas.
Stop by chic social hang-out Tanjong Beach Club (where the DJ tables are spinning come evening), which is home to Fico, a coastal Italian restaurant that has been recognised with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Book a daybed to linger here under tangerine umbrellas until the sun goes down. Also at Tanjong Beach, FOC by the Beach is a Mediterranean beach club with a Catalan-inspired menu and a bottomless booze option every day.
Specialising in fresh, all-natural and organic food, Little Farms is a neighbourhood market and café with multiple locations across Singapore. Its Sentosa Island outpost, Table by Little Farms Sentosa, has an open-plan kitchen and alfresco terrace with views of the marina. Come for light and fresh dishes such as granola and acai bowls, salads and soups, as well as larger plates.
Where to stay in Sentosa
Wake up next to sweeping sea views at Village Hotel Sentosa. (Credit: Supplied)
The hotel features an expansive pool with tiered lagoons and a lazy river. (Credit: Village Hotel Sentosa)
Our top pick, especially for families, is Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa. It’s set on the beachfront at Siloso Beach and has a large resort-style pool with a kids’ waterslide and playground. There are multiple room options and dining options, a pool bar, day spa and fitness centre.
Village Hotel Sentosa is another great family option, with four themed pools, including a lazy river. It’s within close walking distance to the island’s theme parks. There are several room options that can sleep up to four and multiple dining options.
Capella Singapore is an upscale accommodation option set on 30 acres of landscaped gardens and housed in the former officers’ mess of the British Royal Artillery. Choose from elegant suites, villas and residences, bliss out with the wellness and spa facilities, and relish in the old-world glamour with a forest-inspired cocktail at Bob’s Bar.
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Getting to Sentosa
The Sentosa Express monorail connects the Harbourfront and Sentosa Island. (Credit: Getty/RomanBabakin)
Take the scenic Singapore Cable Car. (Credit: Getty/mtreasure)
Fly direct to Singapore from Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. Sentosa Island is accessible from mainland Singapore, as it is connected by a bridge. From the airport, it’s easiest to jump in a taxi. If you’re coming from the city, you can take the Sentosa Express monorail from VivoCity, walk across the Sentosa Boardwalk from VivoCity Waterfront, or ride the scenic Singapore Cable Car from Mount Faber.
Getting around Sentosa
Ride the free beach shuttle. (Credit: Getty/tang90246)
You can hire a car to drive around Sentosa Island, but it’s not necessary. There’s a free beach shuttle that runs between Siloso Beach and Tanjong Beach daily, as well as a free island bus that travels from Beach Station (a short walk from Shangri-La) to Mt Imbiah Lookout and Resorts World Sentosa (home to Universal Studios, S.E.A Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark). Taxis are also easily available.
When is the best time to visit Sentosa?
Sentosa Island has a tropical climate and is a great destination year-round. However, to narrow down the best time, try the drier months from February to April, when the weather is sunniest and ideal for the beach.
What to know before visiting Sentosa
Sentosa Island is part of Singapore, so the same entry rules apply to Australian passport holders; you must submit a free SG Arrival Card within three days before your arrival. The official currency is Singapore Dollars (SGD).
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Megan Arkinstall is a freelance travel writer who you’ll often find at the beach, bushwalking or boating with her young family. She loves reliving travel memories through writing, whether that be sipping limoncello in a sun-drenched courtyard of Monterosso or swimming with green turtles in the aquamarine waters of Tropical North Queensland.
Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.
The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.
1. Easy access to good food
Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.
One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.
In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.
In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.
Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.
At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.
While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.
It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.
2. Better sleep options
Sleep deeply with Novotel.
There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.
For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.
The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.
3. More ways to move
Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)
Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.
At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.
Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.
4. Better connections
Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.
One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.
Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.
A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.
Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.
All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.
