shooshy

In January 2005 my family of 5(2 adults,2 teens and a 9 year old)will have 7 nights to spend in Singapore before heading off to Vietnam and Cambodia.My questions are these-We think 7 nights may be too long just in Singapore and we are thinking of dividing the week into a few nights in Singapore and a few nights someplace else.Sentosa for a few nights would be an option as would Bintan.Does anyone have any comments on this or suggestions as to where to stay in any of the above places??
I am considering booking Raffles The Plaza for the Singapore stay but have also considered the Shangri La or could be convinced to look at something else.
More pressing is whether to go for Sentosa or Bintan and I would love some input on that.Also how much of a problem will the rainy season be then?
Thanks all for your help!

marmot

Seven nights is a bit long for Singapore, but I'd still prefer it to Bintan or Sentosa. If your family is new to Asia or if you're getting over jetlag, then you can find enough to do in Singapore. (The night safari, birdpark, aquarium are some examples.) Bintan and Sentosa bill themselves as resort islands, but they're really more weekend getaways for Singaporeans, not destinations in themselves. The best solution, if you can, would be to cut down on your Singapore time and spend more in VN and Cambodia, which have so much more to offer.

I like the Shangrila a lot, especially for kids. It has the most spacious grounds and pool of any hotel in Singapore. Gives them some space to roam.

The rainy season won't be a problem in Singapore. It usually rains heavily for an hour in the afternoon, then clears up quickly. The other countries I can't comment on.

Cicerone

I agree 7 nights may be too many, and also agree that Bintan is to be avoided. Sentosa is a possibility, but as noted, it is a part of Singapore and is not really "offshore", it divided by about 100 yards from the main island, you can take a taxi or a bus from downtown Singapore in about 15 minutes. However, as it is so easy to get into parts of Singapore from Bintan, you might consider basing yourself there, esp at the Sentosa Resort hotel which is on the beach. The beach is nice but not spectacular, but the hotel is lovely pools and nice grounds, and if your kids want to go to the rides and amusements of Sentosa (an ersatz Disney, but does have a great aquarium) they could safely go off by themselves. (They can in fact go off anywhere in Singapore by themselves in total safety.) Take a look at http://www.thesentosa.com for info on the Sentosa Resort & Spa. There is also a Shangri-La there, which I don't know much about, take a look at http://www.shangri-la.com/eng/index.htm.

The Raffles Plaza is nice and has a large pool deck, but not a lot of shade. The Shangri-La has more grounds and gardens and shade trees around the pool. I think you would be happy at either. The Marriott and the Hyatt are also nice and are smack in the middle of one of the prime shopping areas.

Run a search here for other activities in Singapore esp with children, as myself and others have posted. You can rent bikes and windsurfers, go to nature parks, watch cricket on the maidan, etc. If you can't find the posts, let me know and I can re-post them.

If you want to spend some time outside of Singapore, a good choice would be Kalimantan Island, which is a Malaysian island east of Singapore (usually and incorrectly referred to as Borneo, its former name) which has good weather in January. You can see orang utans, go upriver to "head-hunter" villages, climb Mt Kinablu, plus a whole host of outdoor activities. There are two Shangri-La hotels there, I think the consensus is that the Tanjung Aru is the preferred hotel, at least it is to me. You can fly from Singapore in about 3-4 hours.

Another suggestions is to go up the west coast of Malaysia to Malacca and/or Penang for 2 or 3 nights. Malacca is a very easy and pretty drive of 3 hours or so, you can also take a bus. You could drive to Penning but a flight is probably your best option as it is a longer trip. You can fly non-stop in an hour. You could pretty much decide when you get to Singapore whether you want to make a trip to Malaysia, as you should be able to get flights and hotels or rent a car at fairly short notice. Malacca has some nice colonial bits left (even from the Portuguese days) and a nice China town area. The beach is not really worth it so I wouldn't go for that. Penang has a good size preserved colonial area, and better beaches, so that might be the best choice for a family if the kids are not so interested in colonial architecture. . . .(There are 3 Shangri-La's in Penang, two are on the beach. I prefer Rasa Sayang, but Golden Sands is nice too as well, others here may have more recent opinions as I have not been to Penang in many years.)

Bintan is not a nice resort island at all and I would strongly recommend that you avoid it. As for weather in January, having lived in S'pore for 5 years, I disagree with Marmot that it only rains for an hour. You can have days of rain, however that tends to be more before and around Christmas, the later you go in January the better

JamesA

I agree that Bintan isn't worth it and also 7 days in Singapore is quite a long time but at the same time Singapore is really 'loosening up' and last week when I was there can truly be called 'busy and buzzing', a lot of concerts, theatre, and the Womad Festival was on there are always lots of things to see and lots to do if you like those kinds of things, but if you want a few days on a beach remember that places such as Phuket, Krabi, Langkawi are all around 1hr 30mins flight and it's no hassle to make a trip for a couple of days. If you do plan to spend the time in Singapore do check the what's on olistings in advance, there is always some festival or whatever going on. My personal suggestion would be a few days on Phuket, good fun for the kids.

Kathie

Seven days in Singapore is a long time, but like others, I'd prefer to spend all of my time in Singapore rather than time on Sentosa or Bintan. There is plenty to do to keep you all busy and happy for a week before your more adventuresome time in Cambodia and VN.

Raffles the Plaza is a good location, attached to a huge shooping center and the MRT station. I've stayed there several times (back when it was a Westin). I now stay in the Regency Club at the Hyatt. The Hyatt's location is wonderful, near the intersection of Scotts Road and Orchard Road. The Marriott is located nearby as well (though I haven't liked what I've seen of the Marriott). For going lots of places, though, I'd say that the Raffles the Plaza is more convenient because of the proximity of the MRT station.

bobbiergs

Having in Singapore many, many times, I too, can't imagine 7 days there. Having said that, just remember where Singapore is on the planet. It's hot and humid - summer and winter. I often find that down time in Singapore is welcome, especially around a pool with shade.

There is quite a bit to see, however. A very nice China town, newly renovated....very interesting temples....a great zoo (especially the night zoo tour)....river rides....lots of walking....decent shopping....very nice people. I, too, would stay away from Sentosa.

We stayed at the Raffles Plaza when it was a Westin. Now a bad location....above the MTR stop. Now we stay at the Hilton on Orchard Road. The Hyatt and Marriott are just up the road a block or so and so is an MRT station. It's in the center of most activity, but I, sadly, can't speak for the pool. Haven't made it there yet. Usually opt for the air conditioning.

There's a great concert hall on the water. 2-3 years old. Singapore has such an array of cultures that the concert hall is well used.

I really like the food there...multi-cultural, upscale, satay huts, kicky places for teens, even clubs.

Hope this helps.

hobbes

I am a "bathroom" person and love the Ritz carlton - their tubs on higher floors are positioned so you look out over the city while you lie in them - gorgeous! I also think 7 nights in S'pore is a lot - I take it leaving early for Vietnam is not an option?

stockexchanger

Hello....we were just in Singapore for 3 days (before 10 days in Bali) with our 3 kids, one is 14 and twins who are 10. You can check out our blog w/pictures www.themurdochs.blogspot.com and scroll down to the end (which is the beginning) to see what we did. We loved it but 3 - 4 days was enough I think.
We didn't mention in the blog, but we stayed at the Ritz Carlton and it was great. The club floor is good with kids so they can have snacks when they want them. The bathrooms were fabulous.
It is a great place to get over jet lag and ease into the culture with the kids!

shooshy

Thank you to everyone for all your helpful replies!We have ended up with a week in Singapore due to a combination of using frequent flyer tickets and meeting up with friends in Vietnam.It is a possibility to head to Vietnam a bit earlier but that would mean recovering destinations my husband and I have already done,although we did them without the kids a couple of years ago.Bintan has well and truly been panned although Sentosa may be an option.Somehow it seems so close to Singapore to be a proper destination in its own right.
Thanks everyone for Singapore hotel suggestions.There are so many good options it is hard to know what to go for.We have stayed at Raffles The plaza before when it was The Westin and liked being on top of a food court and shopping centre.Since it has been renovated we have heard good things about it.Decisions,decisions!
Thanks again