{"id":1740,"date":"2015-07-25T00:00:31","date_gmt":"2015-07-25T00:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.sg\/stories\/sentosa-staycation-singapore-aarikalee\/"},"modified":"2022-07-11T17:39:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T17:39:19","slug":"sentosa-staycation-singapore-aarikalee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.sg\/stories\/feature\/sentosa-staycation-singapore-aarikalee\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekday Sentosa Staycation in Singapore"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we think of Staycations, the decision to indulge is never one planned for the middle of the work week; especially when preparing for it involves packing for a 2yr old toddler who believes that swimming 3 times a day (even an hour in the bath tub counts) is her perfect Staycation. We leave these ordeals to the weekend.<\/p>\n

But the truth is, a midweek getaway turned out to be the perfect speed bump for a busy work week and by the time we checked out on Thursday afternoon, I was glad I put effort into making the most out of our stay.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you should do to guarantee that your Midweek Staycation is well worth it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tip 1: Pick a\u00a0Hotel to Suit Your Staycation Style<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Above everything, we wanted comfort and quiet so the obvious choice for us was the beautiful Capella<\/a>. Tucked atop The Knolls in Sentosa, the serenity of the compound with all its greenery and old charm was a warm welcome enough, but the staff are also always top notch and we were in the lobby for no more than 10 minutes before we were escorted to our room for the next 2 days: the Constellation Room<\/strong>, fitted with an outdoor Jacuzzi, and a stunning view of our West shore. Perfect for viewing the sunset!<\/p>\n

\"capella-sentosa-staycation\"<\/p>\n

The one thing that Capella always does right is that it makes you feel perfectly at home. Comparing my humble abode to a 5-star hotel would be laughable but to give you a good sense of what I mean, not only was our room prepared for us with a personalized welcome note from the General Manager alongside the juiciest array of tropical fruit I\u2019ve had in awhile, our daughter Zola Mae was also provided with a crib at no additional charge.<\/p>\n

The mini bar was stocked with complimentary drinks \u2013 and I don\u2019t just mean bottled water \u2013 soft drinks, capsule coffees and premium teas were also there for our picking, and to top it off, our personal favourite touch: finding delicious bottles of Aseop Skin Care in the bathroom all lined up for our use as we set out to unwind.<\/p>\n

\"sentosa-hotel-aesop-toiletries\"<\/p>\n

\"aarika-lee-baby-sentosa\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The treats didn\u2019t end there. Every time we returned to the room, we found local tidbits and postcards that shared a piece of Singapore history \u2013 great for tourists and Singaporeans alike! My favourite was a step-by-step illustration of how to play traditional kampung <\/em>game, Congkak<\/em>, that was also available for us to play at the hotel\u2019s lounge, The Library.<\/p>\n

To Zola Mae\u2019s delight, she was never left out of these deliveries too. For her, they left the cutest toys. The one she took the most liking to was a stuffed toy peacock. These grand birds were a common sighting on the Capella grounds in the evening. Peahens would take their peachicks on walks in the central gardens and teach their little ones how to fly on the tiered steps facing the Auriga Spa; a wondrous moment to witness.<\/p>\n

\"aarika-lee-baby-capella\"<\/p>\n

When you indulge in a Staycation at a place like Capella, it\u2019s never easy to leave the premises, let alone the room! So you can imagine how hard it was for us to peel ourselves off the bed and take Zola Mae down for a swim after we settled in.<\/p>\n

It turned out to be the best thing to have done.<\/p>\n

The pools (yes, plural \u2013 there are 3 pools on the grounds: one for adults to wade\/lounge in, one for families, and one lap pool) were all magically the perfect temperature to dive into and in the most serene of settings. It\u2019s possible that Kevin and I spent a good 10 minutes discussing the possibility of the hotel monitoring and maintaining the water temperatures because it was truly and simply divine. The stunning blue skies for as far as we could see set atop the luscious greenery that surrounded us didn\u2019t hurt either.<\/p>\n

\"aarika-lee-expedia-sentosa\"<\/p>\n

\"capella-sentosa-pool\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hotel Breakfast<\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t know about you but I have a proper obsession with hotel breakfasts. From their array of breakfast cereals, juices, fresh cut fruit, breads and spreads to their complimenting a la carte menu of French toast, Buttermilk Pancakes, Eggs \u2013 poached, scrambled, sunny-side-up, over-easy and omelette-d, I can never decide! My dilemma usually ends with me ordering them all.<\/p>\n

\"sentosa-staycation-food\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other great hotels for Staycations on Expedia:<\/h3>\n

Great location for shopping: Singapore Marriot Tang Plaza Hotel<\/a>, Mandarin Orchard<\/a><\/p>\n

Great views, close to museums, monuments and the city:\u00a0The Westin Singapore<\/a>, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel<\/a><\/p>\n

Island feel: \u00a0Capella Singapore<\/a>, Singapore Resort and Spa Sentosa<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[button style=’blue’ url=’https:\/\/www.expedia.com.sg\/staycation?brandcid=expe.sg.travelblog.staycation-post.25july’ icon=’entypo-suitcase’ fullwidth=’true’] Find Your Singapore Staycation Hotels on Expedia[\/button]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tip 2: Spend Your Time the Way You Want<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To compliment our stay on Sentosa, we were armed with one-day Sentosa Fun Passes that allowed us access to up to 20 attractions across the island from the Flying Trapeze, Adventure Cove, Madame Tussauds, and Wavehouse to the S.E.A. Aquarium for just $79 each. If that\u2019s not a steal then I don\u2019t know what is. The Fun Pass even includes promos at various F&B outlets across the island. Win!<\/p>\n

How the Sentosa Fun Pass<\/a> works is simple.<\/p>\n

By purchasing your Sentosa Fun Pass beforehand on Expedia<\/a> by clicking through their new Things To Do<\/a><\/strong> tab, it pretty much saved us the trouble of lining up at any<\/em> of the given attractions offered to us. With the Fun Pass, all we had to do was rock up to the attraction and exchange our passes for tickets at the Guest Service counter \u2013 no lines, no fuss. This definitely made things more enjoyable knowing that we wouldn\u2019t have to waste time in queues and cut straight to the fun instead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Zola’s Favourite: S.E.A. Aquarium<\/h3>\n

Our first stop, the S.E.A. Aquarium and possibly Zola\u2019s favourite attraction on the island to date.<\/p>\n

\"sea-aquarium-singapore\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Walking into the aquarium is always grand especially when greeted by the colossal Chinese junk that anchors The Maritime Experiential Museum. The journey begins with a walk into the past of Singapore\u2019s maritime history where the space is brandished with artifacts and replicas of our island\u2019s rich antiquity. While exploring the aquarium and its different enclosures always thrills me, there is something about the Maritime Museum that moves me.<\/p>\n

As always, we were awestruck by the Strait of Karimata & Java Sea enclosure with its shipwreck and schools of fish weaving through. It took us at least 20 mins to feel like we were ready to move along.<\/p>\n

\"things-to-do-sentosa-aquarium\"<\/p>\n

\"aarika-sentosa-aquarium\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The colourful aquatic world of the S.E.A Aquarium never fails to astound us, and we always end up at the magical Open Ocean with so many \u201clook at that\u201ds for Zola Mae that she spent all the time we were there with her chubby hands pressed to the glass.<\/p>\n

\"Sentosa<\/p>\n

\"fish-aquarium-sentosa\"<\/p>\n

\"sentosa-staycation-aquarium\" \"jellyfish-sentosa-aquarium\"<\/p>\n

Our enthrallment got the better of us and we stayed at the aquarium a little longer than we had planned so it didn\u2019t leave us with a lot of time to do much more. Nevertheless, we were not going to end our day without some fireworks and theatrics. We made our way to Palawan Beach and got our Wings of Time<\/strong> passes for the 740pm show at Ticketing.<\/p>\n

\"Wings<\/p>\n

The award winning show though impressive because of the tremendous water, laser and fire effects, was a little lackluster with its story of Shabaz, a mystical pre-historic bird that travels through time with his friends Rachel and Felix. Nevertheless, the spectacle was visually enthralling and the fireworks at the end were still well worth it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n