In Singapore's Gardens of the Bay are superstructures which are changing views on architecture and our place in the ecosystem.
A trip to the Sevens led to a host of family entertainments, writes Alexia Santamaria.
Travelling with primary school kids can be both a joyous and a challenging experience — often simultaneously. But some countries are definitely easier for family holidays than others and Singapore does it well. We recently went to the Singapore Sevens, and found so much else for kids to do in this quirky, fun country.
Singapore Sevens
Held once a year as part of the international competition, the Singapore Sevens was a very family-friendly event. Kids could pop in and out of the sporting action and costumed madness to play at (supervised) stations set up with Nerf guns, obstacle courses or remote-controlled vans while we cheered on our favourite teams. Singapore Stadium is only four years old and is an incredible, clean venue. There was after-party Sevens action very close to our accommodation at the Novotel in Clarke Quay so we popped in for a drink and were surprised to find that family-friendly too. I'm not sure if I would take my kids out into a throng of sports revellers in New Zealand but there were plenty of children even younger than ours in attendance, all having a blast. Tickets for 2019's Sevens will be released later this year. Sign up at the website for updates.
is also home to Universal Studios — a magical place for kids and parents. There is everything from the tame and cute Madagascar Flume ride through to the enormous duelling Human and Cylon Battlestar Galactica roller coasters in Sci Fi City. The highlight ride is Transformers — definitely worth queuing for.
Transport
Many Kiwi kids in New Zealand don't use public transport on a regular basis and our two loved utilising the MRT (underground) and monorail to get around. Taxis were extremely affordable too so we found it very easy to get from one place to another, a bonus when temperatures got up to more than 30C.
Gardens by the Bay
Illuminated Supertrees and Skywalk in Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
experience, except to say it's definitely a Singapore must-do. It's essentially a 101ha nature park in central Singapore that combines technology, art and flora in the most weird and wonderful configuration. The highlight for us was the Cloud Forest dome with the world's largest indoor waterfall. A towering planted structure is at the centre of this incredible experience and you can go right to the top and walk down on suspended pathways amid swirls of mist while you marvel at the exquisite mass of intertwined orchids, pitcher plants and ferns. Outside, 12 "supertrees" dominate the skyline and these illuminated mashups of plant life and architecture are seriously impressive. Come in the evening to see the spectacular sound and light show. There's definitely an Avatar-like feeling to the supertrees experience.
Food
Food is a national obsession and our kids were spoiled for choice with both local and other cuisine. Eating in Singapore won't break the bank either — hawker centres are ridiculously cheap and the food courts in most malls serve pretty decent and reasonably priced food — a very different experience to New Zealand mall offerings. Our boys loved eating satay straight off the coals in Boon Tat street and were huge fans of Kaya Toast breakfasts and freshly made prata and murtabak. Vibrant spicy food is readily available, but there's plenty of tasty fare for less adventurous palates too.
Satay from Boon Tat Street, Singapore. Photo / Alexia Santamaria
, this museum appealed as much to us as our kids — maybe more. The rotating exhibitions (one from the Natural History Museum London and one on Street Art) were seriously impressive, but the Future Worlds permanent space was what captured all our hearts. We slid down digital slides that exploded in bursts of colour at our touch; coloured in pictures that when scanned into machines transformed into living, moving elements of a giant digital mural, and ran around after giant illuminated balls, half our size. We created digital towns and chased virtual wildlife around the ground floor on an augmented reality tour; the whole experience brought out the wondrous toddler in us all.
We couldn't help but notice our guide's bemusement when we whipped our cameras out in awe at the first giant tank at the S.E.A. Aquarium on Sentosa. We realised later that this was because there was so more to come. It was definitely the most incredible aquarium any of us have seen anywhere in the world and the 36m wide by 8.3m tall Open Ocean tank left our jaws on the ground as we watched enormous grumpy grouper, majestic manta rays and darting schools of iridescent tropical fish on our real-life movie screen. For a few thousand Singapore dollars a night you can even stay in rooms which look directly in on this undersea vista.
FACT BOX
GETTING THERE Singapore Airlines flies from Auckland to Singapore, with special return Economy Class fares from $1055, on sale until June 20.
STAYING THERE The Novotel on Clarke Quay is comfortable and has a great pool and extensive buffet breakfast our kids loved. It's very conveniently located to public transport and is just a short walk to dinner by the water.
