Sentosa Island is arguably the most popular tourist destination in Singapore. From natural beaches to man-made amusement parks, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Sentosa Island tops the Singapore tourist destination list.
Having been to Sentosa Island several times during my 6-year stay here in Singapore, I have never really explored its beaches myself. Hence, exploring Sentosa's beaches was my top priority during my 3D2N impromptu staycation over the Good Friday long weekend.
I like to take the Sentosa Boardwalk from Vivocity to Sentosa Island compared to the cable car and sky train. The atmosphere along the boardwalk especially at night is really tranquil.
The walk takes around 10-15 minutes and there are travelators to speed up the walk if you wish. Entranceinto Sentosa Island via the boardwalk is free.
After the entrance, head right towards Universal Studio and the rest of the attractions. The beaches are located at the back of the island so you should pass by those amusement parks and themed attractions before reaching the beaches.
Along the way, you will also pass by a series of eateries "attractions" ranging from the cheaper Malaysian Food Street to the higher end Din Tai Fung. There is also an Insadong Korea Town! However, I highly recommend the Malaysian Food Street especially their Klang Bak Kut Teh and Penang Asam Laksa.
If you plan to visit all attractions in Sentosa, I think you would probably need 3 full days. As my priority today was the beaches, I head South towards the Imbiah Station to visit the Imbiah Lookout. I recommend that you visit these attractions by foot instead of the skytrain (or Sentosa Express) as there is this giant Sentosa Merlion before Imbiah station. If you had taken the skytrain, you might miss the Merlion.
There is an escalator on the right which will lead you to Imbiah Lookout. There is a wax museum up there too.
That's about it for Imbiah Lookout. Not too exciting compared to the other attractions I would say. If you'd like to experience amusement attractions besides Universal Studios, I'd recommend Skyline Luge! Not only it is so enjoyable to race from the top of the hill, it also offers a birds eye view of the island as you ascend up through its "cable swing".
Now lets head to the beach!
There are 3 beaches at the back of the island: Siloso Beach, Palawan Beach and Tanjung Beach. Due to time constraint, I only managed to visit Siloso Beach and Palawan Beach. Siloso Beach is the beach on the right and it is the smallest of the three. But its beach bars more or less put up for its size. There is even a Bikini Bar at Siloso Beach.
Now lets check out Siloso Beach!
Palawan Beach is slightly further away from the Beach Station. But it is worth the walk. Though not as many beach bars here but the sheer vastness of the beach is just breathtaking.
And it gets better as you walk towards the far end of the beach The sand gets whiter and softer, perfect for a barefoot stroll, like having a foot massage!
Further down the beach, there is a suspension bridge that connects Palawan Beach to a little islet with two watch towers. This little islet marks the Southern most point of Continental Asia!
Do check out the watch towers for some amazing views of Sentosa Island!
As the sky is getting darker, I had to forgo the last beach which is Tanjung Beach. As you can see from the pictures, today's weather isn't the best. There are a couple of restaurants for some simple dining around Palawan Beach. As I made my way back to the Boardwalk exit, I was fortunate to catch the Sentosa Merlion light show. The transformation of the Merlion is really spectacular under the lights and I highly recommend that you linger around the area between 7:30pm to 8:00pm for the light show.