good place to stay for families and itinerary
 

Hello! We are an Australian family of 4 (2 girls aged 12 and 10) who will be visiting Singapore for 5 days (7th to 13th Jan) before going on a cruise to KL, Penang, Langkawi and Phuket. We are excited to finally be able to see Singapore - we have passed through Singapore airport twice but never set foot in the city.

I am having a lot of trouble working out where best to stay in Singapore in a middle range hotel. We want to be close to public transport and happy to walk around the city and explore. We want to take the kids to the night safari (not sure if we should also do the zoo) and also take them to Universal Studios. Not sure if Legoland is suitable for our kids ages or better suited for younger kids?

A rough itinerary so far: sun 8th - hop on/off bus and visit merlion. Evening night safari
mon 9th - sightseeing/shopping. Gardens by the bay at dusk for light and sounds show
tues 10th - Universal Studios
wed 11th - ?Legoland or Legoland waterpark
thurs - breakfast at the zoo, singapore flyer
fri - board cruise

We are very open to suggestions
Look forward to your help please!
Thanks

For starters, I'd switch your night safari to monday night. The merlion is closer to the gardens. It takes quite a while to get out to the zoo, whether you go by train/taxi or train/ bus, or even if you take a cab, so I'd do it after shopping. Plus it takes quite a long time to get out to the zoo. There used to be a private bus from one of the MRT stations for the night safari. It is much easier than taking the train, especially when you come back into town afterwards late in the evening.

There are lots of good places to stay in Singapore, and being close to the MRT is crucial for me. Cabs aren't that expensive, especially when there are 4 of you, but it is hard to hail them.

For a budget (by S'Pore standards!) the YWCA is basic, but Comfortable and a very short walk to the Dhoby Ghat Station. They used to have family rooms too.
I like the Intercontinental a lot. Sometimes they have some great promo prices, and they are in the midst of good shopping, with a big food court and and Bugis station practically underneath the hotel.

I've stayed at Village Albert Court, near little India. Big rooms and in a walkable area between two MRT stations, so maybe a block or two to get there. The rooms were somewhat outdated in style, but very comfortable and priced right.

Did I mention it takes a long time to get to the zoo? Ha Ha, I guess this makes 3 times!

It does take a long time to get to the zoo! Might be worth considering a taxi....

You might also want to visit the Jurong Bird Park
http://www.birdpark.com.sg

Enjoy!

The Holiday Inn Orchard Singapore City Centre seems to meet your brief and kids under 19 stay free. They can also eat free (at breakfast for example) if at least one of you is eating too. Mass transit is nearby and (IMO, an important consideration for a stay in hot and humid Singapore), the hotel has a decent sized pool.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/sg/holi...ml#tab-reviews

Thanks for your replies! I will have a look at the hotel suggestions

Loved the BotGardens with the fab orchid displays. And the Indian food across the street where we ate the curry off a banana leaf with our fingers, spoons optional, is recommended.