20240113_111606Palawan Beach on Sentosa (January 2024)

Whereas my first two nights in Singapore were jam-packed with sightseeing, my last two days were a bit slower, as I took it easier. I was winding down not only during my time in Singapore, but also my entire two-week trip in this part of Southeast Asia. That said, I spent my third day enjoying the beaches of paradisical Sentosa and enjoying more of the good eats in town upon my return to the mainland.

Aside from the mainland, Singapore also has Sentosa Island, located just across the HarbourFront at the southernmost point of the mainland. This small island has a notable history: it was used as a British military base as early as the 1870s up until World War II, then later used as a prisoner-of-war camp for the surrendered Japanese. By the 1970s, though, Sentosa rebranded itself as an island resort and tourist destination, and today is home to golf courses, casinos, even Universal Studios. As the slogan states, Sentosa is “Asia’s Favourite Playground.”

Getting to Sentosa is fairly easy: you can take a ferry, drive along the bridge that connects the two islands, or take the cable car over the harbor. I opted for the cable car and headed over to the ticket office at the HarbourFront to pay $45 SGD ($33 USD) round-trip to go up and across the bay. The lines weren’t too long when I went around 9h00 that morning, and I happened to be in Singapore during their temporary Pokémon-themed cable cars, which were really cute: the cars were in the design of Pokéballs, and the seats inside had all sorts of the adorable, popular Pokémon like Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, printed on them. I love Pokémon, and even cuter that there was a small television inside the car playing Pokémon ads during the 15-minute ride over the open harbor water. Loved it!

20240113_092334Pokémon-theme cable car (so cute)!

Soon enough, I arrived onto Sentosa, where I decided to set out on foot over to the westernmost point of the island to visit Fort Siloso. It was about a 25-30 minute walk along the road, through lush, tropical vegetation that reminded me of a rainforest. It was not quite 10h00 yet, but it was already starting to heat up, and it was definitely a warm walk over. Pretty, scenic views, though!

20240113_094123On Sentosa Island

I made it to Fort Siloso, a former British military base from 1874 and today is a free, open air museum that one can wander around to check out displays that reenact historic moments during British colonialism, as well as remnants of that past like cannons and the cannon balls themselves. While interesting to learn about this piece of Singapore’s history, I also acknowledged the not-so-great colonialism that plagued this small island-nation, let alone much of Southeast Asia– overall, I didn’t find Fort Siloso too captivating, and soon enough left to catch the local bus over to my next destination on Sentosa.

20240113_101258Cannons at Fort Siloso

Sentosa is known for its beaches, the only ones in Singapore. There are three in total, those being Siloso, Palawan, and Tanjong. I saw Siloso Beach from the eponymous fort, but I didn’t descend to visit it. Instead, I caught the bus to Palawan first, then I took the 20-minute stroll down to Tanjong, where I took a break at the “exclusive” Tanjong Beach Club for a drink. I got some sort of coconut slushie and sat at one of the outdoor tables on the sand to admire the turquoise-blue waters. Soon thereafter, I decided to head back to the mainland, catching the bus and then the cable car over, returning around 13h00.

20240113_112051Net bridge at Palawan Beach


20240113_121614Tanjong Beach


20240113_115716Coconut drink at Tanjong Beach Club

From there, I caught the bus all the way to Old Airport Road Food Centre. It’s located far east of Singapore, literally not too far from the airport. Compared to the other hawker centres I went to during my stay, Old Airport Road’s definitely felt a lot more local, and I think I was the only tourist there, to be honest. All the same, the food was delicious, as per usual, and I ordered beef noodles with soup on the side. Very simple, but comforting all the same.

20240113_140853Beef noodles

It started to rain by the time I finished my meal, and I caught the bus all the way back to the center, where I visited Raffles Hotel, a luxury hotel from 1887 that not only is very swanky, but is also the site where the famous cocktail, the Singapore Sling, was invented, specifically at the hotel’s Long Bar. There was a queue to get into the bar, but the line went by quickly, and I was soon seated at the bar, where I ordered the iconic drink. Although I don’t drink anymore, I still wanted to try the cocktail, and so I ordered the non-alcoholic version of it, which was just as delicious as the alcoholic one. Even better was that it cost half the price of the alcoholic version, and I only paid $19 SGD ($15 USD), instead of $38 SGD ($29 USD)!

20240114_114638Raffles Hotel


20240113_152049Singapore Sling (non-alcoholic) with peanuts

Besides having a drink, I was also served a bag of peanuts, shells intact. I guess it’s a tradition not only to snack on peanuts with your drinks, but also to discard the shells on the floor– I saw plenty of guests cracking the shells and eating the peanut inside before literally throwing them on the floor; I even had to be careful not to step on the shells when entering and leaving the bar!

I decided to head back to my hotel to rest a bit before I went out again in the early evening to get dinner at another hawker centre, this time at Lau Pa Sat. Also known as Telok Ayer Market, it’s housed inside one of the oldest Victorian buildings in Southeast Asia, dating back to 1894. It was originally a fish market before becoming the bustling and popular hawker centre it is today. Evenings also have the well-known Satay Street, a street right beside the building that serves, of course, satay.

20240113_183634Inside Lau Pa Sat

As much as I wanted to get some satay, unfortunately, you have to buy at least 10 pieces together, and I knew I couldn’t finish all of them, let alone eat more dishes afterwards. Instead, I ordered Hokkien mee (noodles with shrimp) and fish balls with noodles, a distinctive Singaporean dish. Both were rich and a bit heavy, but absolutely delicious. Stomach full, I returned to my hotel where I rested for the remainder of the evening.

20240113_184311(1)Hokkien mee


20240113_190141Fish ball soup with noodles

Stay tuned for my final post on Singapore (and my Southeast Asia trip) soon. Until then! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

30 thoughts on “Destination: Singapore (Day Trip to Sentosa Island, More Hawker Centre Food, and Raffles Hotel Long Bar– DAY 3)”

    1. Sentosa was certainly lovely! I guess given Sentosa’s not too far from the mainland, taking a cable car is feasible. It was fun going over the open water and getting views of the island and city upon return 😊

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  2. Sentosa looks like a wonderful place to visit especially as it is home to some of the world’s most prestigious resorts, action-packed theme parks, fast food and fine dining restaurants, and the best beaches in Singapore. Given how much there is to see and do, you could easily spend a few days on the island. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 AIiva xx

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    1. Absolutely! Sentosa is full of entertainment, and spending a half day there was not nearly enough to see everything. Definitely a piece of tropical paradise not too far from the mainland! Thanks for reading, Aiva 😊

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  3. I’m not into Pokémon but I do love a cable car ride, so that looks fun! It seems there’s not so much to do on the island however, compared to the mainland? On our very brief visit to Singapore (a stopover en route to Australia years ago) we went to Raffles for a Singapore Sling and yes, we were told it’s tradition to throw your peanut shells on the floor!

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    1. Haha, Pokémon was a big part of my childhood, so I always get excited whenever I see it (including cable cars)! Sentosa is known for its beaches and theme parks, the latter which aren’t my thing, but perfect for families with children! Even though I don’t drink alcohol anymore, I still enjoyed my experience at Raffles Long Bar with a non-alcoholic Singapore Sling!

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  4. Your story about the peanuts at Long Bar reminds me of Texas Roadhouse where they also let diners throw away the shells on the floor – kinda messy, but fun! I liked your photos of the net bridge and cable car, too. Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!

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    1. Interesting! I didn’t know it was a thing to throw peanut shells on the floor! I didn’t dare do it, as I wasn’t comfortable littering, haha! Thanks for reading, Darlene; my final post on Singapore is coming soon!

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  7. Another lovely Singapore post Rebecca. I can never believe, for such a small country, how much there is to see and do. As I said to you previously, I can’t wait to get back and I’m definitely going to check Lau Pa Sat out 🙂

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    1. Absolutely! Singapore is such a beautiful country, and I would honestly go back to see more of it. Lau Pa Sat was lovely, and I highly recommend checking it out (especially for the satay)!

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    1. Nice! Sentosa is lovely, and the cable car ride over was very scenic! The Singapore Sling was delicious, and seeing people throw peanut shells on the floor was quite the experience!

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  10. The view on Sentosa Island look fantastic from above on the cable car and walking on foot. Although Singapore is a very modern city, it has greenery everywhere. It’s fantastic for shade from the heat and environment. Glad you enjoyed the non-alcohol Singapore sling and the peanuts. I hope peeling the peanuts became second nature to you 😄 Again the food looks delicious. Two dishes for dinner. I really don’t know how you manage that, I’m usually full after one dish!

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    1. The cable car ride to and from Sentosa was a lot of fun, as much as the visit on the island itself! I’m really impressed with how green Singapore is, despite being such an urban city…I enjoyed so much good food in town, and I wanted to try them all!

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  11. I haven’t been to Sentosa despite visiting Singapore many times. Now I think I will add it if and when I am visiting next. It looks like a great place to be on those hot humid afternoons. I had my first Singapore Sling at Raffles back in 1986 – would you believe? No peanuts served then! And how weird that people drop the shells on the floor! Too many slings, hey?

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    1. Sentosa is a bit of paradise not too far from the bustling Singaporean mainland. Singapore Slings are delicious, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, although I didn’t choose to drop peanut shells on the floor!

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  15. Glad you were able to get out of the very urban city for a Sentosa Island beach trip, by cable car, no less! I would like that coconut drink (non-alcoholic is just fine) and the seafood noodle dish.

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