A day in Sentosa: A hidden gem in Singapore

Sentosa, which has been given the nickname "A joyful island" by travellers, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore. With blue sea, breathtaking landscape and interesting places hidden inside the green tropical nature, Sentosa is more than enough for a trip if you want to get away from daily stress and deadlines.

Sentosa is the fourth largest island in Singapore, with the total area can be counted up to approximately 5km2. With the distance of 6-7km from the city centre, it only takes you about 15 minutes by bus to get to the island. This place can satisfy tourists no matter they like entertainment park, cultural studies or exploring the diversity of nature, as it has a wide variety of activities for visitors to join. Believe me, you will never regret once stepping into this island, because its beauty has enough strength to keep your good memories. You are advised to spend at least two days in the island, as only one day is not enough for you to explore everything there.

There are many transports for you to choose to get into Sentosa. The first choice is cable car, where you can fully enjoy the beauty of the island from a certain height. The most ideal time for taking cable car sightseeing is in the early morning or late afternoon, when you can enjoy the dawn and dusk in the harbor, with 8 minutes travelling. The only negative thing when going by cable car is the expensive ticket price, about $35 per adult and $28 per children, so this option might be unsuitable for students or people with limited budget. If you don't want to go by cable car, you can choose to go by Sentosa Express, a monorail starting from L3 Vivo City to the final destination in Beach Station, which takes you only 3- 5 minutes to get into the island. The price of this transport is only $4 per adults, or you can use your Ezlink card to get into the train without buying ticket. If you have time and want to walk slowly to fully enjoy the landscape, you can walk through the bridge in the rooftop of Vivo City to Sentosa, leading you to the island in about 20 minutes. You can also go to Sentosa by bus, with some buses will take you from your nearest stops directly to Resort World Sentosa.

The first place that is strongly recommended when you want to learn about Singapore's history is Fort Siloso, an old fort built at the end of the 19th century, and became a place to jail prisoners during World War II. The fort is totally free, so you can stay as long as you want. The first thing that you can see when walking into the fort is the large guns, which located outside the museums that used to be utilised during the war. There are a lot of things for you to explore, as everything has been remained as it used to be in the past, from kitchen, jails to surrender chambers. I visited this place on a rainy afternoon, so the fort looked a bit spooky. However, holding an umbrella in your hand and slowly passing by the historic sites was a romantic and unforgettable experience for me.

Then, you can take the buses, which are totally free on the island, and go to Trickeye Museum. This is a place for entertainment, when you can enjoy yourself in a colorful area. You need to download museum's app on your phone, turn on the camera and let it swept through the pictures on the walls. Virtual reality will enhance your experience, that you can take part in pirate fleet, join King Kong's fight, and even become a heroic saving the world. Hundreds of magical photos has been taken using this app, so you are suggested to try this museum at least once in your lifetime.

If you are bored of visiting somewhere, never mind, you can sit on the bus and go around the island. Sentosa's landscape is breathtaking, so even on rainy day, you can still fully enjoy the beauty of the island, in a quiet and chilling atmosphere that you will remember forever. There are three buses on the island, bus A, bus B and bus C. Bus A and C has nearly the same journey, but if you want a longer journey, you can sit in bus B, which will drive you around the island in more than 30 minutes.

In addition to the suggested places, you can also go to S.E.A Aquarium- one of the largest aquarium in the world, to travel to the sea bottom; visit Madame Tussaud Singapore to see the wax statue of your favourite stars; travel back to childhood in Universal Studio or watch the water show "Wings of time" with 3D effect with give you unforgettable moments on this famous island.