Singapore Vacation 2015

When I opened my blog site to write this post, I was surprised that it has been more than couple of weeks since I last posted an entry. I was not aware that it has been that long. I had been active but only to answer comments or queries which is probably why I did not notice that I have not updated quite that long.

Well, there is not better way to be back than write a post about our recent summer vacation! School is out for two months now and for quite some time we had been planning this trip with our two sons. It was their first time to go out of the country so we were very excited. I will share with you our experience and some tips as well on how we managed 5 days on tour with just the 4 of us (no nanny in tow!).

We are with Kids

My sons are ages 7 and 3. When we planned our vacation, we kept that thought all the time. We are with our kids, most importantly, one of our sons need special care so we have to take that into consideration as we plan our itinerary. It only meant that their enjoyment is our goal. Sight-seeing became less of our priority. We do not expect our sons to enjoy walking around for hours to admire views or go to museums and other tourist sights. We knew that they will  appreciate more theme parks like Universal Studios, SEA Aquarium and Legoland in Malaysia. We also did not schedule any major shopping trip. We want our kids to have fun, that is our goal and we make sure we stick by it.

Plan, plan, plan

It took months of planning for me and Daddy S not just for the itinerary but more so that we, especially our children, are on the best of health when we travel. We made sure that all necessary tests and clearances are secured so we can ensure, as much as we can that Hendrix is in perfect shape. Our itinerary are also based on the conveniences of our children. Our flights to and from Singapore are not too early and not too late so our kids can still get enough sleep.

We got the best deal for our hotel in Singapore because we availed the perks of our membership in one of the major chain hotels. We arrived around 2:30pm in Singapore and just spent the entire afternoon resting at our hotel. We just went out at night to have dinner and watch the laser light show in Marina Bay Sands.

We did not pack our day and just booked one major attraction in advanced. If after that the kids still are up for more activities then that is when we squeeze another item in our itinerary.

Clear Roles

Since it was just the four of us, it meant that Daddy S and I are ultimate partners in taking  care of our kids while making sure that it will be a fun vacation. From the start, our roles are clear. Daddy S will take care of itinerary, transportation, bookings and tickets, while I am in charge of making sure that all our stuff are prepared and arranged, medicines, clothing, luggages, etc.. With roles being clear, we get to accomplish much more and be organized. Our Heinel also helped a lot in taking care of his brother Hendrix.

In Singapore, your Taxi Drivers can be your Tour Guide

Singapore taxi drivers, or at least those we got a chance to be with, are awesome. They are very tourist friendly. We got a lot of tip from them like when is the best time to go, what to bring, what to expect, etc..  to the attractions that we are about to visit. They also provided us some information about Singapore in general, making our taxi rides more interesting. Heinel also likes the cool and clean cabs. It is also not that expensive especially if you are travel in groups like us.

Check out Weather Forecasts

Thank heavens for modern technology! We were able to predict the weather. We went to Universal Studious on a Monday because the weather prediction is that it will be cloudy with a little thunderstorm. It did rain just a little but overall, it was not as humid as it was when we arrived on Sunday, which is what I am really praying for because all my 3 boys (yes, Daddy S included) are allergic to extreme heat.

On Tuesday, we knew that the weather will be bright and sunny so we went to SEA Aquarium since it is covered and air-conditioned. Our Hendrix enjoyed that different marine animals.

Since our kids were not too tired with SEA Aquarium, we asked Heinel if he is willing to try the cable car. Im glad he said he is because we were able to visit Sentosa and see the Merlion up close. Plus the view from the cable car is magnificent.

Love Legos? Legoland Malaysia is a must see if you are in Singapore

It is so convenient to go to Legoland Malaysia as it is just an hour and 15 mins away from Singapore. I think it is strategically located that way to enocurage Singapore tourist.

Tip: Unless you have a guaranteed transportation, I suggest that you book a private vehicle going to Malaysia from Singapore. You will pass through immigration so it means that your driver must also have a passport. Also, it is best to go there on a weekday. We went on a Wednesday and thus there are not much tourists. There were hardly lines in most rides and we were able to take many good pictures! Just be sure to bring water as it goes humid especially in the afternoon.

 

Legoland is a haven for Lego lovers.  One needs an entire day to tour the majestic theme park. It has tons of amazing Lego structures. We got to tour that whole theme park but by the time we are done, Heinel was already tired and the park is near closing time which is only until 6pm. From the signs that I saw in the park, there will be more attractions that will be opened.

 For moms like me who loves taking pictures, my eyes feasted of the many photo opportunities. I was impressed with the whole park because it was consistent through and through; the gardens, restaurants, waiting areas;  all lined up with Lego structures. No details were spared. If you will visit the waterpark resort, then that is another day altogether. Unfortunately, we were not able to consider that it will take us a an entire day for the theme park alone and since our flight home is the next day, we were not able to visit the waterpark anymore.

A Legeoland trip will be more amazing if your family will stay in Legoland Hotel. It was amazing! The lobby of the hotel is a big playground already and my son spent hours in it.

You get to choose which theme of the room you like and for us we chose an adventure room. It was so cool. The kids’ room have double decks with their own TV and several Lego structures are in it. The sheets, the walls, cabinets are all in accordance with the theme!   I like the treasure chest challenge wherein you will solve and look for the right combination to open the chest and get a prize. Pretty cool!

The master’s bedroom are also in accordance with the theme and is overlooking the whole themepark. The bathrooms has two sinks for kids and adults and there are also Lego structures inside like a spider in the the shower area (yikes), a scorpion in the kids sink (cool!) and a cowboy’s hat in the adults’ sink (yiihaa!). The room is spacious and exciting. What i also like about the hotel is it is family oriented. The TV channels are all kid friendly. The doors have alarm if opened without taking out the card from the main card holder. There are bathrobes for kids and lots and lots of pillows. I just wished we stayed another day.

The Brick family restaurant is not spared from the detailed Lego theme. The buffet breakfast has a wide array of cuisines and breakfast choices to choose from; from cereals, porridge, rice and viand, breads, even noodles. But since it is in Malaysia, there are no pork dishes available. But for us, we hardly miss that because there are plenty of alternatives.

Tip: If you want to take pictures inside the restaurant, it will be better if you come in early like around 7-8am or late like around 9:30-10am because in between those time there are a lot of diners who not only have their breakfast but also taking pictures as well.

It is Your Vacation Too!

I must admit, the whole trip was tiring, most especially for Daddy S and me. It was not a perfect one as there are hassles here and there, but you know what? It was still the best experience ever! I used to get pretty much uptight about hassles, but for this trip, I just convinced myself to let loose and just have fun! All those planning and preparations paid off. The joy on my kids’ faces are reason enough for me to cherish this experience and look forward for more.

Children grow up so fast and as early as I know, Daddy S and I wants to instill in them the importance of spending quality time with family. It will be the experiences of the time well spent with us that we want our sons to take with them as they grow into fine young men. We are looking forward to next year’s vacation and more so those in the years to come!