New adventures in Resorts World Sentosa

Jacob, a cute three-year-old boy, grabs his father’s hand, and jumps up and down, screaming, “Again, daddy!” The father rolls his eyes and says,  “Okay, buddy!” They go up the stone steps of the Bucket Tree House, climb up the jungle ropes, reach the top and sit on the slide. Soon they are funneling down with gushing water propelling them to the padded ground.

Jacob heads for the stairs to do the same thing all over again — with the same excitement as the first time. In the Bluwater Bay wave pool, his father throws him into the water and the little boy swims towards a rubber tube. At the Ray Bay, where the pools are filled with manta rays, he points to the fish from the viewing platform and differentiates their patterns.  His laughter is so pure and his amazement is inspiring.

This is a scene repeated in the 14 attractions of Resorts World Sentosa’s new Adventure Cove Waterpark by young children and their families, and by adults who are spending the day with friends.

For older kids, there are more shriek-inducing slides. The Riptide Rocket is Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster and is the star slide of the water park. The other slides have names that leave very little to the imagination — Pipeline Plunge, Tidal Twister, and Dueling Racer. You know you will be screaming on the way down.

On tiptoes, Jacob nearly makes it to the Dueling Racer, a two-lane slide where people race down on mats. Alas, the attentive lifeguard — and there are plenty of them to ensure the safety of children — checked his height again as he was about to go down. Children under 107 centimeters must be accompanied by an adult; but some slides require both adult company and a minimum of 122 cm. or 140 cm. for safety reasons. 

As much as slides are a huge attraction of the park, so is the marine life. The Rainbow Reef, where you can snorkel, features 20,000 fish of 60 different species. It has an amazing depth that you wonder how they constructed this man-made reef.

RWS’s Adventure Cove Waterpark is just one half of the Marine Life Park at Sentosa. Right next door is the SEA Aquarium, which features over 800 species of marine animals in 10 different zones representing the vast oceans of the planet. In only a few minutes, you can discover the reefs of the Red Sea and the moray eels and lionfish of the South China Sea. You can even walk in “Shark Seas,” a gallery featuring 200 sharks from 12 different species, swimming above and beside you.

The only thing missing is the movie soundtrack.

The centerpiece of what is touted to be the “world’s largest oceanarium” is the Ocean Gallery — the world’s largest aquarium at 36 meters wide and 8.3 meters tall and containing 18 million liters of water. It is almost like a movie screen — except bigger and in much better color because, hey, this is real!

It is breathtaking to see this “open ocean habitat” — with its 50,000 marine animals swimming this way and that, as if an invisible sea god were orchestrating traffic — without having to step in water.

Ocean Restaurant treats diners’ eyes and taste buds as you dine amid swimming fish.

Of course, no trip to RWS is complete without a visit to Universal Studios, which adds a new attraction every few months it seems! Last year, it premiered the fantastic 3D ride Transformers. Also, the park has the world’s biggest collection of Dreamworks Animations attractions; the world’s first Far Far Away castle from Shrek and the first Madagascar theme park ride. 

The newest one, which just opened this month, is admittedly for kids.  There are no sharp drops or turns here, but rather an overload of Sesame Street charm. The most beloved TV characters are featured in the Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase in a science-fiction-inspired plot with 42 animatronic characters and 7,500 optical stars. It’s the first fully immersive indoor Sesame Street ride, and took two years to design, engineer and produce.

We were lucky to be in the park early to see the street parade of Sesame Street characters Gonzo, Ernie and Grover, who gamely posed with fans.

Filipinos wanting to take a break this Easter will find the three parks a great way to spend their vacation.  

So, where do you stay when in Resorts World Sentosa? The most modest is Festive Hotel at around SG$400 a night, followed by Hard Rock Hotel, Hotel Michael and Equarius Hotel.

If you want more than just a hotel room, well they have it, too. It depends on how much you want to indulge yourself — a night at the Beach Villas, for instance, can set you back as much as SG$8,000 for a two-bedroom one. The villas are located on the western part of the resort, surrounded by lush greenery, and have views of the harbor.

Or if you prefer to be on top, there are the Tree Top Lofts, 12 meters in the air among the trees. The lofts are luxuriously designed and furnished. They are five-star tree houses, if you will, that come with their own butlers and elevators. There are only two Tree Top Lofts (as part of Equarius Hotel) and both have views of Mount Faber. 

But perhaps the most unique and latest luxury experience is the Ocean Suites at the SEA Aquarium, also run by Equarius. The suites provide a truly unbroken viewing of the Open Ocean Habitat. 

The 11 suites are two stories each at about 90 square meters. The suites come with a living room connected to an outdoor deck on the upper story and a bedroom with an underwater view on the lower floor. 

Staying here would be a literally and figuratively immersive experience as you observe 70 marine species from the world’s seas as you lay in bed or dip in the tub. For this viewing pleasure, you shell out SG$2,400 a night.

You can literally look out into the aquarium where you can watch the fish all day — and they can watch you, too.

Resorts World Manila, on the other hand, also offers a lot for those who want a staycation. Like its counterpart in Singapore, RWM offers different levels of luxury in its lineup of hotels.

The first all-suite luxury hotel in the country, Maxims, offers butler services in all its 168 suites, Royal Villas, and one presidential suite.

Marriott caters to travelers who prefer the great service and amenities that they are used to in this worldwide hotel chain. And for those with a lower budget, RWM has Remington Hotel, which offers 623 standard rooms and 89 serviced apartments.

For shopping, there’s Newport Mall with its high-end brands, 3D cinemas, theater, restaurants and bars, and the super clubs Opus, RepubliQ and Cabana.

For any getaway, you can be sure Resorts World makes it a great one for you. 

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For more information on Resorts World Sentosa, log on to rwsentosa.com; for Resorts World Manila, log on to rwmanila.com.