Top marks go to Adventure Cove, the latest theme park to open on Sentosa island, Singapore. I visited just 2 weeks after it opened in Dec. 2012 with kids in toe and had a fantastic day. It is great for all ages, but the sweet spot is families with kids from 5-15 although our 3yo loved it too. Arriving early, Singapore time, we had 20 hours to kill and after clearing customs, we took a taxi to the local market opposite Vivo City. This is a great place to sample the local food and it was open early (other shops open later in Singapore).
After breakfast, we headed straight over to Sentosa island via the monorail then into Adventure Cove.
The prices were quite reasonable for a day’s activity with the kids (approx $20-$30ea check latest here). The only thing I felt was a bit steep was the lockers after you go through the entry (S$20), but for a family locker it was ok.
A great place to start is Adventure river. The kids went around 4 times then back around later in the day again and had a great time. From there, we went into Bluewater bay which is a big wave pool that young and old will enjoy. The waves run for about 10 minutes every 10 minutes(approx). This was a good rhythm with excitement and then relaxing and splashing around in the water.
There are a number of great water-slides, they are all worth going on (see details here), but what ever you do, don’t miss the Riptide Rocket. This is a world class ride – really, really cool. The boat is liable to tip at the end, so just be aware. One of the things that impressed me was the number of safety personal and their attentiveness. Adventure Cove have obviously spent time training their staff, I found them friendly and helpful and they had specific processes that they followed around changeovers. Obviously parents need to keep an eye on children, but having the staff there was a comfort.
Other excellent attractions include Ray Bay where you can walk among the stingrays and Rainbow Reef where you snorkel around a reef with 20000 fish swimming all around you. This is an excellent way to introduce children to snorkeling. Ours jumped in and followed everyone else without any problem. It was great floating along and seeing the fish all around. Really peaceful and relaxing.
We spent almost the whole day inside Adventure Cove, we couldn’t be bothered changing our of our bathers and the kids just wanted to keep going. But if it’s time to move on, the rest of Sentosa island is right there only 2 minutes walk away with more activities and more choice for food.
If there is one thing I might improve it would be the signage. It wasn’t really hard to find my way around, but you can’t carry the map because you’re in the water the whole time so a few more signs to the main attractions, entrance and lockers wouldn’t go astray. That said, it wasn’t a problem and overall for families with kids, it was a top day.
So remember to pack your bathers next time you are going through Singapore and visit Adventure Cove Waterpark on Sentosa Island. Aim for a visit through the week when the locals are at work/school – you and the kids will love it!
