The most popular resort in Singapore is located on an island just south of the city. It features a two-kilometer long sheltered beach, Fort Siloso, golf courses, five-star hotels, and the upcoming Resort Worlds at Sentosa, which includes the Universal Studios Singapore theme park.

The name means "peace and tranquility" in Malay, a strange choice for a place hosting five million visitors per year.

The Island

500 meters south of Singapore’s main island, Sentosa occupies an area of five square kilometers. Almost three-quarters of the island are covered by secondary rainforest in which native flora and fauna thrive; it features also a very long beach of white sands. The island is in the process of being enlarged.

Access

Buses are the best way of reaching the island and moving around, but other options exist. A cable car links it with Mount Faber through Harbour Front. The Sentosa Express monorail has four stations on Sentosa and links the island with the VivoCity shopping mall. The mall can be reached by the Harbour Front MRT station of the North East MRT Line. Within Sentosa there are three bus services, named Blue, Yellow and Red lines, and a tram service called the Beach Train.

Attractions

Tiger Sky Tower

The tower is the tallest free-standing observation tower in Asia, reaching 110 meters above the ground and 131 meters above sea level, offering the visitors views of Sentosa, Singapore, and the Southern Islands, including parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. A disc-shaped cabin with glass windows revolves upward the tower’s column. Located in the Imbiah Lookout zone in the centre of Sentosa, it can be reached by Cable Car, Sentosa Luge Chair Lift or by bus.

Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom

This park includes fifty species of butterflies housed in a cool conservatory, ranging from tiny (25mm) to giant (150mm). Nearby, the Insect Kingdom shows over three-thousand species of rare insects from the world, including the giant Hercules beetle. In a sense, this park completes the animal’s world display of the zoo, night safari and Jurong park.

Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon

This oceanarium is on the western part of Sentosa and includes more than 250 living species from oceans and rivers from around the world. It is an underground facility and includes an 83-meters long "travelator" that moves the visitor along a submerged glass-windowed tunnel. The marine life can be seen through the glass, and includes a coral reef, stingrays, moray eels, sharks, and others.

In the "Dive-with-the-Sharks" program visitors can scuba dive in the oceanarium; qualified scuba divers can also "Dive-with-the-Dugong." The facility includes a Dolphin Lagoon which is home to some Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. "Meet-the-Dolphins" and "Swim-with-the-Dolphins" programs can be enjoyed.

Songs of the Sea

If staying after dark, this show includes a pyrotechnics displays on the sea. It lasts 25 minutes and is held daily at 7:40 and 8:40 PM; an extra S$8.00 is charged.

Media Shows

In the Sentosa 4D Magix the visitor can see the "Pirates" movie while sitting in a chair with built-in speakers, seat vibration, leg ticklers, water-movement features and base shaker features. The movie lasts fifteen minutes.

The Sentosa CineBlast is a cinema ride, featuring high definition wide-screen projection, digital technologies and state-of-the-art six-axis motion systems. The show is held in capsules hosting up to six people.

Fort Siloso

Fort Siloso was built by the British in 1880s to guard the western entrance of Keppel Harbour. In 1939 it was armed with two 6-inch Mark2 guns and two rapid firing 12-pounder guns; nowadays it is the only surviving coastal gun battery with such weapons.

Visitors can enjoy a collection of artillery guns dating from the 17th century to World War II, which includes many photographs, documents and film clips. In a less happy note, the place was a political jail until as recent as 1993.

Merlion

Resembling the one next to the Quay in the city, this statue is thirty-seven meters tall. It is possible to take to the top and see Singapore from above.

Sentosa Luge & Skyride

The Sentosa Luge & Skyride is a self-steering, gravity-driven three-wheel cart that allows the rider to speed down a hill ending at the Siloso Beach.

Sijori Wondergolf

This miniature golf park includes three different 18-hole courses.

Beaches

The sheltered beach of more than two kilometers is divided into three portions: Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach, and Tanjong Beach; the three of them are artificial with sand bought from Indonesia and Malaysia. Dining and shopping is possible in them.

Hotels

There are six hotels and resorts in the island, including the Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa, a beachfront five-star hotel, the Sentosa Resort & Spa and the Costa Sands Resort which operates a number of chalets and fifteen kampung-like huts.

What was I doing there?

My visit to Sentosa had very little to do with the touristy resort. Along time I have developed a collection of visits (or travels) to (or through) points of special interest for travelers. I did visit Mount Everest, the Aconcagua Mountain, the lowest point on Earth, the Center of the Earth, traveled around the globe (though not at once), and visited several special points as … Sentosa.

Simply, from the Palawan Beach – at the center of Sentosa’s southern coast - is a suspension bridge that leads to a small islet; this is the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia, since technically the islet is connected to the Asian continental shelf. A really silly thing to do, but being so close to it, it was unavoidable.

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