Santosa is a small island city owned by the big Singapore island. It left me in awe. I knew for my 3 weeks visit around Singapore that they had invested a lot in developing the tiny island but l wasn’t sure how much they had done for Santosa. Sincerely, I can attest, l was impressed beyond words. 

I was delighted that l went there. Singapore is a rich country and the government has endeavored to make entertainment accessible to everyone, tourists inclusive. Some places require an entrance fee. Given l was on a budget, l visited only free places. Here’s a list of things I did on my whole day touring around the island. 

How can you go to Santosa?

I began my trip from the Harbourfront subway station where l bought a 4 dollar ticket to board the monorail. A monorail is a sky train which is small- two cabins. My first surprise was that, the trains were colorful. Infact from the decorations at the ticketing office, even a blind man can feel the colors. I saw hot red, bright green and yellow monorails moving up and down the main island to Santosa island. If you love exercising, you can also take a long walk on the broadwalk on the main road to Santosa.

Some people rent bikes or skate from mainland there. The most convenient is to drive your car but if you are up for a luxurious ride, you can use the cable cars. The singapore cable car sky network is operational from 8:45-10pm. With $35 for adults and $25 for children anyone can go to Santosa from the Harbourfront subway station. Just like anyplace, a taxi ride is also possible and you can use bus 123 from Bukit Merah station.

How to have fun 

The government has been considerate to make special passes which can allow guests to visit many places at a discount rate. They are referred to as “Token”. You can buy it for either 60, 90 or 120 Singapore dollars and enjoy a variety of activities.

I regret that l planned only a day- the eve of my return to visit Santosa. There were too many activities to do there. This blog will be based solely on the things l did. I will leave a link below for other activities but l think l can better speak of my experience. Also, many activities are paid but l was able to spend the whole doing doing free stuff. I recommend allocating at least 3 days to explore the entire island. If possible, lodge at any of the hotels there to ease your movement around. 

What can you do in Santosa?

1.Explore movie life at Universal Studios Singapore

This is the first stop of the train. This large area is made of gigantic buildings crowded with tourists and Singaporeans. If you want to visit the main studios then you need to buy a ticket. There are ticketing machines in front of the main gate costing 90SD. One man l spoke to told me it was 80SD if I bought online from their website. The area is parked with Disney world characters and scenes of movies. This is a must see for movie lovers. I think the movies will come to live after this experience. I went there at 5:55pm barely minutes  to the closing hour so I couldn’t go inside.

Universal Studios opens at 9am – 6pm. I didn’t regret the time because l was able to take lots of pictures at the large Lego shop and tha massive signature rolling globe ball symbol of the Universal Studios. Lined up on the same area is a bunnyverse- an area with cute bunny statutes all wearing dark glasses and seating around.

I was equally intrigued to see a whole wall decorated with the famous paintings of Vincent Van Gogh in large sizes. The entire area is littered with several cafes- Starbucks, food trucks and ice cream places. Words will fail me to describe the grandeur and beauty of this area.

To experience this, you need to alight at the first stop of the monorail in Sentosa called “Resort World Station”. I guess there are some hotels around too. 

2. Take an Santosa island bus tour

The small island has tarred roads leading to all the edges. The big streets still covered with vegetation in some places are clean and organized with bus stops. My greatest shock was to hear, l could board a bus for free, sit down and just enjoy the entire island. When l heard that, l happily boarded with my new Japanese tourist friend, Chiba. We spent almost 20 mins admiring the beauty of the place as the bus made stops at various stations.

Whether it was the large Santosa golf club or the W hotel, l was surprised at the high standard buildings and quality of life there. You can choose to board either Bus A, B or C. They all came to the bus station after every 15 mins and they went to different directions. My friend and l used only Bus B and it’s because we were unaware there were others. 

Similarly, at the beach, you can take a walk on the brownish sand or hop in on the beach shuttle for free. It also comes every 15 minutes and could be crowded especially on weekends.

3. Shop for perfumes at Scentopia shop

If you love fragrant smells like me, this small shop should be on your list when you go to Santosa. I was initially interested in just seeing how it was inside the shop but after l smelled several paper pallets of different sprays hanging on a tree outside, I spontaneously decided to buy.  As soon as the door opened, my nose was hit with a myriad of fragrances, l couldn’t resist a smile. The shop workers do a good job at confusing you by giving you tasters on papers. I inhaled some many perfumes and decided to buy one. 

I was surprised to hear there was a take-home perfume making kit. Equally, if you are interested, you can sit in one section inside the shop and make your own perfume. That is, they provide you with the items and you can mix to form your own unique scent. Chiba and l didn’t plan to spend much time there so we admired it from a distance for a few minutes. 

I guarantee you will be tempted to take pictures sitting on the beach in front of  the shop pretending to be the body of a big beautiful butterfly. I did that with a smile. 

5. Swim at Siloso beach

Every edge of the island is a beach, and the famous Siloso was in my list. Though l didn’t come with swim suit for a dive, l was okay dipping my legs into the warm sea water as l walked through the sand.

Given how hot Santosa can be in the afternoons, l suggest you move with an umbrella and grab ice cream from any shop to stabilize the body heat.  Chiba and l had so much fun taking pictures on the beach signs and feeling jealous to see others enjoying water games. 

6. Stroll at the Santosa Palawan Green  beach

This section of the island was really my favorite. I wasn’t just envious of people swimming and jumping on water tubes in the ocean but l was smiling as I heard the loud screams of children enjoying at the pools on the adventure waterparks all beside the beach. There was a lot to do. As l thronged my way on the sun scorched brown sand, l was surprised to see large adult swings open for anyone to relax. As you may guess, Chiba and I quickly took a break swinging up and down while l sang and made jokes. 

I must remark that, the island has tarred walk paths with roofs. There were hidden speakers  in the herbs around street lights playing  constant light hearted music. I didn’t know the songs but l was smiling and dancing as l walked through causing Chiba to laugh in surprise. At several corners beside the main road, there are statutes of sea animals like a turtle, snail, octopus, just to name a few. Equally, there were wooden statutes offering a perfect spot for pictures. 

I was most surprised to see a sunscreen dispensing kiosk. There was no one standing standing beside or a payment option which means, it was free for anyone. I have never seen this before. Apparently, you don’t have to worry if you forgot yours or didn’t have.

On one area also, l saw a huge canopy pitched for everyone to take a rest after enjoying the water. This is uncommon in many beaches l have been to. 

7. Visit the southernmost point of Asia

This area is located on a very small island beside Santosa. You will have to walk across the ocean on a tiny canopy shaky bridge. The threads are secured and safe but l was scared when l took my first few steps. Geographers have confirmed this island is the most southern point of the continent of Asia.

Therefore, Singapore is making it a place worth visiting. Unfortunately, some parts are still under construction. They are building 2 wooden open house like structures there. For now, it was only possible to walk the stairs to the top and take beautiful pictured of the ocean and the front beach area. I really liked the sea breeze from that top part. 

Your tour here will be incomplete if you don’t take a picture at the large stone Santosa monument. The government has done a great job of piling a lot of concrete and stones at the edges of the ocean to protect marine life. I liked the fact that there were still trees littered around the place. It was a perfect stop for Chiba and l to sit, sip some water, check the free paper map and plan our next move. 

Finally, if you still have time, you can stop at the Central  beach bazaar for a bite or many of the restaurants littered around the island. Food shops were fired everywhere. I think hotels also have restaurants. We didn’t have time to eat as we needed to go back to the main island but we left satisfied. I will visit more places if l ever go to Santosa again. 

Check out this link to see more detail things to do in the island.

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