At the turn of November, our family enjoyed a short stay on Sentosa. It was our long-awaited staycation. We’d been itching for a family getaway for a while, and had finally found a run of three days that worked for L’s and my calendars.

Though it felt waaaay too brief, it was still a great opportunity for family time. Our 2.5yo seemed to enjoy the holiday the most, out of the three of us, and that’s a BIG win in my book!

My husband, L, had a great time too, as evidenced by how he said, “Oh man, can’t believe our stay ended,” as we packed up our stuff the day we checked out of the hotel.

Leaving was bittersweet for me, too. As we’re currently prioritizing other financial goals, big and lavish holidays overseas are not on the plate this year. So this was definitely one to savour.

But what is there to do on Sentosa, you ask?

PLENTY!

Below is our simple itinerary, some unexpected but lovely finds, and things we skipped doing because we didn’t have enough time (but wished we had done)!

Our 3D2N Simple Sentosa Itinerary

Day 1

4pm: Check in
6pm: Dinner
8.30pm: Back to hotel—bedtime routine for the little one

J still has a daily afternoon nap, so we did our best to push his nap up earlier so that we could check in to the hotel as early as possible. We ended up checking in at 4pm, explored the room and hotel, getting our bearings and picking out a place for dinner.

Since it was the actual day of my dad’s birthday, we invited my parents to join us for dinner. We eventually decided on Greenwood Fish Market at Quayside Isle, located within Sentosa Cove, which is better accessed by car or shuttle bus.

Check out the shuttle bus schedule here (correct as at 9 Jan 2025).

The Charm of Quayside Isle

We ordered fish and chips for dinner, which is what Greenwood Fish Market is popular for, and while waiting, my dad and I took turns to walk around Quayside Isle with J.

It has a unique charm to it—a little seaside town tucked away on an island off mainland Singapore. I thought it’d be a sleepy village but it was bustling that night as it also happened to be Halloween. The boardwalks were full of costumed people strolling around in their most ghoulish garb. J was absolutely terrified to look, the poor thing!

We don’t celebrate Halloween in my family, so J had no clue, no context, and therefore no idea why scary people were walking about. Alas, a little incident that redeemed the night for him was when a lovely (and not so scary-looking) lady passed him a goodie bag, decorated as the cutest Frankenstein I’d ever see.

J came back to the table with my dad, bag proudly in hand, just as our food arrived. He was mighty pleased with the little treat he “earned.”

Life with little kids means early bedtimes, so we wrapped up our night at Quayside Isle at around 8.30pm and headed back to the hotel to wash up and start J’s bedtime wind-down, after my parents left. that concludes day one!

Day 2

8am: Breakfast
10am: SEA Aquarium
1pm(ish): Lunch
2pm: Nap (back at hotel)
4pm: To the beach!
6.30pm: Dinner
8.30pm: Back at hotel

I typically have trouble sleeping in a new environment, and this trip was no different. After a night of tossing and turning, I woke up just as the earliest sun rays began peeping through our curtains. J slept beautifully in the baby cot we requested from the hotel, and he woke not long after I did. He stirred, searched the room, found my face, and smiled. "Good morning, darling" I greeted him as I got up from underneath the warm toasty covers to start preparing his morning milk bottle. We don't have many mornings like these because he sleeps in his own room separately from us.

We took our own sweet time to get ready for breakfast this morning - what a luxury! Breakfast was at the hotel's in-house restaurant. We had complimentary breakfast passes due to a tiny booking error made on the hotel's part that hardly affected the quality of our stay - what a blessing!

After breakfast, we headed to S.E.A. Aquarium. Despite having been there a couple of times before, I'm still awed by the beauty of the sea life there. J was still afraid of the underwater tunnel, which is the very first exhibit you walk through when you first enter the aquarium, just as he was in his previous visits. This time though, he was happy to look at the fish while being carried. In previous visits he hid his face in my shoulder!

The highlight of our S.E.A. Aquarium visit was sitting in front of the largest aquarium and watching manta rays go by. I'm always amused and awed by how manta rays always seem to have a "face" on their underbelly, and how each face looks different!

We must have sat there for close to 45 minutes; Jireh had no complaints. He was happy to just sit and watch, help take photos of L and I, snack (a lot), and draw manta rays on paper with some colouring pencils I happened to bring along.

By the time we came out of the SEA Aquarium, it was already lunchtime! We were so full from breakfast, so we bought some light bites from the Starbucks nearby and headed back to the hotel room as it was closing in on afternoon nap time.

Yes, we’re that kind of family who generally stick to nap and bedtime schedules. I find that everyone’s mood runs a little sweeter when our little one is well-rested. And frankly, I could use an afternoon nap from time to time!

We all woke from our afternoon siesta at around 4pm, and I noticed the skies were overcast with rain clouds looming about, threatening to rain on our beach plans that J had been so eagerly looking forward to!

I prayed multiple times within the next hour for God to hold the rain so that J could enjoy his long anticipated beach trip. That little boy really loves going to the beach.

This time, my in-laws joined us for the beach trip. They met us at our hotel, and the party of five of us set off for the beach despite the light drizzle. By the time our feet hit the sand, the skies had already cleared up, the rain clouds had passed. Oh thank God for answering my prayer! So there we were, building sandcastles, patting sand into molds, digging trenches with our feet, and fetching water from the shore.

On this particular beach trip, I realized that J managed to overcome (in some ways) his fear of the waves. He actually stood on the shore and let the waves lap at his feet ever so slightly. What progress he's made since being absolutely terrified of the waves and needing to be held tightly.

Dinner was at Quayside Isle again, this time at a pizzeria. We savored the woodfired pizzas and all sighed happy sighs at the end of our meal - tummies full and happy at how gastronomic this holiday in Sentosa was turning out to be! At of the end of the meal, J asked if we were going back to the hotel, a question he asked frequently throughout our stay as he had fallen so in love with our hotel room. Not that the room was particularly gorgeous or fun; rather that he relished the novelty of a new place, and possibly that all three of us were together - going to bed together, waking up together, and spending extended time together.

J’s idea of entertainment is rolling around the big bed…

Day 3

8am: Breakfast
10.30am: Swimming
1pm: Check Out

On the morning of our third day, I called front desk to ask if we could have a late checkout. Thankfully, the staff who took my call kindly granted us an extension of one hour. Small difference, but a difference nonetheless! Since we only had half a day of our holiday in Sentosa left, we needed to make the most of it. The business of the day was to have breakfast at a place my husband L had been eyeing, and to take J swimming at the hotel's pool (he'd been looking at it longingly each time we walked past on the way to our room).

Breakfast was at Le Faubourg, a restaurant serving authentic French cuisine. It has lovely ambience and is a kid-friendly place. There are books for kids to keep occupied while waiting for your food. I picked out a classic Where's Wally book and J had a fun time pointing out all kinds of characters in the pages while L searched for Wally with a tinge of nostalgia as this was one of his favourite books from childhood.

We ordered a sweet crepe for me, a savoury galette for L, and a fruit platter with mini pastries for J. Since J wasn't interested in the pastries, L and I had a go at them and GOSH these were the best croissant, danish and pain I've ever eaten in my life! Buttery, warm, toasty goodness in a pastry!

After breakfast we took a stroll around the building and were surprised to find that on the other side of Le Faubourg (apparently we entered from the backdoor without knowing) were cafe tables and chairs that were CHILD HEIGHT! Cutest thing I've ever seen in a cafe, and how thoughtful. Honestly, these are delightful little touches that make kids feel warm and welcome in a dining establishment, and I'm so appreciative of them. Definitely looking forward to dining at Le Faubourg again.

After breakfast, and after our food had digested, we were left with just a couple of hours of our stay in Sentosa, so we wasted no time making our way to the pool. As it was a Friday, there wasn't a weekend crowd, good for us! Needless to say, I don't have photos because I was in the water splashing around and having a good time too. Once we were out of the pool, we headed back to our room to shower, pack the last of our stuff and make sure we left nothing behind before checking out.

We had a quick KFC lunch at the nearby Imbiah Station before heading to VivoCity via the monorail. From Vivo, we took a cab home. J was so tired he fell asleep on the ride and continued sleeping even after we reached home - one of the longer afternoon naps he's taken in a while. I was happy to let his nap stretch out knowing that he was so tired from having so much fun.

Overall, I'd say we didn't pack much into our trip itinerary for our family holiday in Sentosa, though in managing the schedule around naptimes and bedtimes, it still seemed quite full. Despite the lean itinerary, there was lots of quality time spent as a family and with our extended family members too. Most memorably, for me, it was being able to spend three days together with work obligations set aside and no real hurry on our agenda.

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Be sure to check out the next post on Money-Saving Tips for a Family Holiday on Sentosa!

Our Family Staycation on Sentosa: 3D2N Itinerary & Highlights