Singapore, that paradise which we all know as one of the cleanest and safest places on this planet, has truly evolved. It has risen as a fashion metropolis and a culinary capital, yes, but as a tourist destination it keeps on reinventing itself and offering new thrills even while maintaining its colonial charm.
That Singapore is truly a fun place for families is something we saw for ourselves during a recent trip we took together with another family – Maritel Nievera and her children Adji and Frances. Taking special family package rates via Singapore Airlines, our group of seven young people and four adults discovered a different facet of Singapore – fun, outrageous, never boring – with the help of Singapore Tourism Board tour guide, Yusoff Mahmood and lensman Samuel Chua.
Here are seven things families can try doing on their next visit to Singapore!
1. Shake, rattle, laugh and eat with your favorite scary characters.
The most talked-about new fun place in Singapore among families who have been there lately is Igor’s. It’s a theme restaurant-theater where the Addams Family meets the Phantom of the Opera. First you enter a dark spiral Stairway to Hell from the Devil’s Distillery Bar and go inside the Demon’s Dungeon with Zombies and Igor himself scaring you out of your wits before you enter the Grand Haunted Hall.
Throughout dinner, you will be entertained non-stop by wacky waiters and on stage, by Igor himself, the sultry Lady Vampira, Riff Raff the butler and the dashing Captain Ravioli. With some adult jokes thrown in, the visual effects and theatrics will drive everyone crazy.
A brainchild of Canadian-German Swiss chef Christopher Lenz, Igor’s in Singapore is part of a chain of six restos in Asia. No wonder the three-course dinner was an interesting Asian fusion delight. But what we found most delightful was the "Lazy Lens" system which allows food items to slide up and down the table. You’re got to experience Igor’s to see what we mean.
Igor’s is located at the Stadium Waterfront. For bookings, call (65) 440-2725.
2. Have a hearty breakfast among the pink flamingos at Jurong Bird Park, talk and play tricks with assorted birds.
In 1972, a bird watchers’ group in Singapore opened a bird park which later evolved into Jurong Bird Park, the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia.
In this refreshing paradise complete with waterfalls and exotic flora, you can talk to birds – rather, they talk to you and play tricks on you in a huge theater-arena. Then you’ll see that "bird-brained" is a very, very stupidly wrong term. The kids will go crazy over this place and rediscover their fine-feathered friends. This park’s not just for the birds.
3. Wear a snake on your shoulder (it’s totally harmless and better than a feather boa), ride an elephant, watch a sealion show and bond with the animal kingdom members.
The Singapore Zoological gardens is surely the best zoo this part of the world. Here you can feed the animals and see them in their (almost) natural habitat in 8,000 square meters, plus walk through a Fragile Forest, which gives you an idea of what a rainforest is.
The kids will enjoy this tour featuring polar bears, pygmy hippies, 50 hamadryas baboons, hippos, gibbons, maned wolves, Malayan sun bears, Brazilian tapirs, Komodo dragons, king cobras, chimpanzees, otter, crocodiles, elephants, mongooses, jackals, hornbills among other wild things.
You can tour the zoo on a buggy and with a guide. According to our guide, night safaris are no longer encouraged. Animals need some sleep too.
The zoo is located at 80 Mandai Lake Road, with telephone 626-93411.
4. Hop into a bumboat and ride down the Singapore River. If Australia has its Opera House, well, Singapore has its Esplanade with its distinct oval roof somewhat reminding you of a sleek, steely jackfruit.
And the best way to marvel at this new architectural wonder is via water cruise. The Esplanade boasts a 2,000-seat theater, a 1,800-seat concert hall, outdoor performance space of an 8,000-square meter retail mall. From a bumboat, get a whiff of energizing fresh air but don’t doze off because there are a lot of must-see sights, starting from the majestic water-sporting Merlion guarding the mouth of one of the world’s busiest waterfronts.
For this cheap thrill, call the Singapore River Boat Pte. Ltd. at 6339-68-33 or 6338-92-05.
5. Discover Mathemagic, indulge in virtual reality games, be a newscaster for a day, learn how to fly, and stretch your imagination at the Science Centre & Omni Theatre.
If you’ve got a budding scientist or a math wizard in the family, this place is a must. It will dispel all the myths about Mathematics being a boring subject.
Kids will appreciate the excitement of Information Technology in this highly interactive place. There are a lot of play things for both young and old. There is also an Eco Garden and a Kinetic Garden.
At the Omni Theatre, you will have a mind-blowing cinematic experience watching a movie on a gigantic hemispherical screen that engulfs you. There is a separate area for virtual voyages that bring you to another space and time.
The Singapore Science Centre is located at 15 Science Centre Road with infoline (65) 425-2500.
6. Take a voyage to the bottom of the sea – without getting wet. First you step on sandy beaches and shallow rock pools. A few more steps and you’re in an underwater tunnel where you get immersed in an ocean-deep experience at the Underwater World Singapore. Sharks, seahorses, cuttlefish, jelly, seadragons, eels, piranha, stingray and dugong swim all around you in living technicolor! The only thing missing is your diving gear.
7. Ride a cable car – and be on top of 14th century Singapore with a little 21st century help.
Sentosa has a Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, Cinemania, the historical Fort Siloso, House of Shadows, Sijori Wondergolf, Volcanoland, Maritime Museum, Asian Village, Artists Village and Orchid Garden, but the best part of Sentosa is riding the cable car and catching glimpses of quaint centuries-old villages and structures and feeling the soul of Singapore. A trip to Singapore is never complete without a cable car ride.