Sentosa has many advantages over Phuket and Bali – it is safer, more compact with less pollution and less traffic . There’s no danger of getting stuck in endless rows of cars trying to visit spread-out attractions. On Sentosa, every attraction is just a few minutes’ ride away. Yet this island remains under the radar with traveling families. Here are a few more reasons to consider it for your next family holiday.

Best family hotel for theme park access:
Equarius Hotel

Resorts World Sentosa is a giant, integrated resort with a casino, Universal Studios Singapore, Adventure Cove Waterpark and eight high-end accommodation options: Equarius Hotel, The Laurus, Hotel Ora, Hotel Michael, Crockfords Tower, Equarius Ocean Suites, Equarius Treetop Lofts and Equarius Villas.

Our Deluxe Room at Equarius Hotel was perfect for a family, with 51 square meters of space, two queen beds, a vast, impressive bathroom and wonderfully calming views of the adjacent rainforest. Within minutes of leaving our room, we were able to enter that jungle, which is pierced by scenic hiking trails.

Equarius Hotel’s 183 rooms and suites start from about US$360 per night for the deluxe rooms, up to around US$850 for its 130-square-meter deluxe suites. Each room includes a filtered water refilling station, a Nespresso machine, premium body care products and free on-site parking for one car.

After downtime watching cartoons on YouTube via our room’s huge smart TV, my son was even more excited to splash in the hotel’s vast swimming pool, shaded by dense greenery. That wonderfully lush environment greeted us each morning through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Tangerine restaurant.

This is the chic venue for Equarius Hotel’s impressive semi-buffet breakfast. While my wife and I savored Tangerine’s smoked duck, handmade dumplings and steaming congee, our boy was delighted with the fresh pastries and waffles.

What makes the hotel extra appealing for families is its easy access to the myriad attractions of Resorts World Sentosa. As guests, we got VIP access to the adjoining Adventure Cove Waterpark, via a gate that is just 30 seconds’ walk from the hotel’s lobby.

Meanwhile, we only ever had to wait a few minutes for the free shuttle bus that runs from the Equarius Hotel lobby to the main area of Resorts World Sentosa, where we visited Singapore Oceanarium, Universal Studios and Harry Potter: Visions of Magic.

Best family hotel for beach fun:
Siloso Beach Resort

“This is the best room ever!” my six-year-old son shrieked in delight, as we entered our unique Family Room at Siloso Beach Resort to find a wooden playhouse with a slide cleverly built over the top of two twin beds. Behind that, in this spacious 45-square-meter room, was a queen bed next to floor-to-ceiling windows with a view through trees to Siloso Beach.

It was just four minutes’ walk from our room to this pretty strip of sand, lined by restaurants, bars, water sports activities and the unique Scentopia. This perfume-making workshop, which has branches here and on Orchard Road, let us take a personality test that matched us with suitable scents, before my wife, son and I each blended our own bespoke perfume or cologne.

Each day, we swam on that same beach, made sandcastles and watched the sun set. Few properties on Sentosa have such easy beach access. And none is as affordable as Siloso Beach Resort, where rooms starts from just US$140 per night for a 22-square-meter superior room, up to its distinctive one and two-bedroom villas, each surrounded by trees. Some even have trees growing up through the floor and roof, encased in glass, such as the 93-square-meter, two-bedroom Family Villa (approximately US$630 per night).

Built in 2006, this is Sentosa’s only eco-resort. At least 200 native trees were integrated into the design during construction, while some 1,000 fruit trees, herbs and ferns were planted. This is explained by staff during free eco tours of the property.

Also free is the daily Family Fun session, from 2pm–6pm at its Eco-Alfresco Café, with toys and games set up. This venue serves meals all day, including a hearty buffet breakfast. We didn’t use the on-site gym, but cherished its 85 meter-long landscape pool, filled by natural spring water, shaded by palms and fed by an 18-meter-high waterfall. Before we checked out, my son had one last squealing ride down its water slide.

Best family hotel for serenity:
W Singapore – Sentosa Cove

On the quietest part of Sentosa, its eastern tip, W Singapore – Sentosa Cove overlooks a luxurious marina, populated by multimillion-dollar yachts. Called Sentosa Cove, this area brims with high-end condominiums. Just footsteps from the hotel, meanwhile, is a waterfront strip of cafes, restaurants bars and shops.

We had memorable views of the marina from our Premier Deluxe Twin room, starting at about US$470 per night. This plush, 40-square-meter room had two queen beds and a huge bathroom with a hidden sliding window that opened up so we could supervise our boy in the bath while we laid in bed. Wonderfully convenient.

He was kept busy by the 65-inch TV, on which he could watch YouTube and Netflix. Or by our family yacht-spotting sessions while sat on our room’s enormous balcony. Downstairs, meanwhile, he relished the indoor kids’ area with a computer for video games, a ping-pong table, bean bags and building blocks, next to the hotel’s large gym.

He also made great use of the hotel’s ‘Kids Benefits Card’, which grants child guests free popcorn and ice-cream at different times each day. Nothing, however, thrilled him like the W’s enormous pool area. Facing the marina, it has a shallow kids’ pool, a vast adults’ pool and a tall water slide.

Meanwhile, my wife and I were beguiled by the food at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove. Each morning we gorged on chili crab omelettes, cured meats and fresh pastries at the breakfast buffet in the chic Kitchen Table restaurant. We returned for the signature Sunday Brunch, a lavish spread highlighted by Wagyu steak, lobster, crab, pork belly and addictive cakes. W Singapore – Sentosa Cove satisfies kids and delights adults equally and provides peace and quiet.

Best family activities

Universal Studios Singapore – Easily the most impressive theme park I’ve visited in South-East Asia, Universal Studios Singapore has a vast array of rides and activities spread across its seven zones. Those zones are The Lost World, Far Far Away, Hollywood, Ancient Egypt, Sci Fi City, New York and its newest area, Illumination’s Minion Land, which charmed my son.

Singapore Oceanarium – Having reopened in mid-2025, the expanded Oceanarium is now triple its original size, making it one of the world’s largest aquariums. It now has interactive exhibits, life-sized animatronics and 22 zones with five kilometers of viewing paths.

Adventure Cove Waterpark – Some 13 water rides line this impressive water park, from heart-thumping slides suitable for my wife and I, to gentler rides that suited my six-year-old son. Ride South-East Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster, or snorkel with 20,000 tropical fish at the water park’s large reef.

Harry Potter: Visions of Magic – My son was convinced he’d become a magician after his waving his wand through the 10 multi-sensory, interactive areas of this unique Harry Potter themed attraction. Via his wand he was able to reveal hidden images and puzzles.

Palawan @ Sentosa – Operated by Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa hotel, Palawan @ Sentosa is a complex of brilliant family attractions. First, my son and I tried unsuccessfully to beat the track record at its modern, indoor go-karting facility, HyperDrive. Then we played 18 holes of mini golf at the adjacent UltraGolf, before swimming and sliding at the adjacent pool and waterpark of Splash Tribe. Finally, he screamed in joy again and again as we navigated HydroDash, and inflatable obstacle course floating in the warm ocean waters of Palawan Beach.

Best family dining

KA-MON – My son is a picky eater who’d never even tried Japanese food. Yet he devoured his plate of karaage chicken and tuna sushi at Ka-Mon, a stylish yet family-friendly Japanese restaurant in Resorts World Sentosa. His parents, meanwhile, were awed by the delectable king crab legs, Wagyu ribeye steak and jumbo squid.

CHIFA! – This restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa is Singapore’s first dedicated to the unique Chinese-Peruvian cuisine that emerged from Peru in the 1800s. CHIFA! honors this tradition by blending techniques and ingredients from both China and Peru, like grilled hamachi with Peruvian aji amarillo sauce.

Shangri-La buffet – At Shell Café in Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa, the Sunday dinner buffet is kids’ night. It has a designated kids’ area, with suitable hot foods – pasta, pizza, fried rice – plus fresh popcorn, marshmallows, cookies, lollipops, ice-cream and muffins. My son also got a free gift bag with a water bottle, cutlery set, coloring book and pencil set. My wife went on a seafood bonanza – grilled lobster, tiger prawn, crab, sushi, sashimi. Meanwhile, I gorged on sliced roast beef, premium steak, Indian lamb curry and chicken korma curry with cheesy garlic naan.

Start planning your next family adventure at www.sentosa.com.sg