SINGAPORE DAY 4 (Jurong Bird Park and Science Center with side trip to the Transformers Exhibit)

Singapore has numerous zoo parks that vies for the title best zoo in Asia, if not of the world.  Their zoos mimic the animals original environment, that somehow creates an impression of freedom.  I was glad we had this in our itinerary. 

• 730am - Breakfast at the Carousel Restaurant, Royal Plaza on Scotts.
• 830am - Left for Jurong Bird Park via taxi (SGD30)
• 9am - Arrive at the Jurong Bird Park. 
• 12nn - Lunch at Birds at Play, Jurong Bird Park. Food was surprisingly very good and tasty. 
• 130pm - Left the zoo via a limousine taxi (SGD20). This was more expensive, but realized after that the difference was merely SGD3-4. It was very nice and the ride was so smooth.
• 2pm - Arrived at the Science Center. It is just a short distance away Jurong Bird Park. 

The Science Center is huge complex that houses numerous exhibits.  My boys love museums and if we have more time, we could easily spend an entire day touring this center.

• 430pm - Transferred to the Transformers' Exhibit. We just had to see the biggest touring Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime models.
• 6pm - Left the Science Center
• 630pm - Back to base to freshen up, before dinner
• 8pm - Hainanese Delight at Far East Plaza along Scotts Road (across Royal Plaza Hotel).  Delicious Hainanese chicken and very affordable as well.  Our entire meal costs less than SGD20.

Day 4 is Tiring.

More attraction packed days ahead!


Check out the rest of our Singapore-Malaysia escapade here:

Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City


 

SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA DAY 2 & 3 (LEGOLAND)

My boys are Lego fanatics.  LEGOLAND Malaysia, which is located at Johor Bahru, which is about 1 hour travel by land from Singapore was an obvious must in our itinerary. 

Although Legoland is just an hour away from Singapore, clearing immigration and  the volume of travelers going to and fro Singapore and Malaysia can be a nightmare at times, which can easily add another hour or so to your travel time.

We have 3 travel options in getting to Malaysia from Singapore: public SG-MY cab, bus or private transfers.  Again we opted for convenience and booked a door-to-door transfer from Singapore to Malaysia and back.

DAY 2 (LEGOLAND PARK)

Our Day 2 starts with an early check-out from Royal Plaza on Scotts (RPoS). We deposited our luggage and brought only our Malaysia bags (Note: I packed a separate bag for Malaysia, so we do not have to bring everything back and forth).

• 7am - Check-out at RPoS. Check out was a breeze. Before leaving I informed reception that we would be returning late the following day and requested for same room configuration (separate beds).
• Breakfast was at Starbucks, Pacific Plaza located near RPoS.
• 8am - SGMY Transfers pick up arrived and left Singapore soon after.  Travel was fast, but immigration was a bummer.  It took us about an hour to clear immigrations.
• 10am - Arrived at Legoland Malaysia.  Deposited our bags at Legoland Hotel and claimed our park tickets.  We availed of 2 days Legoland Park and Water Park combo tickets, which allowed unlimited entry to both parks for 2 days.
• 1030am - Legoland Park invasion begins.
• 4pm - Went back to the hotel to rest our tired feet.
• 6pm - Dinner at Secret Recipe, Medini Mall located right next to Legoland Hotel.
• 7pm - Return to Legoland Park for the Christmas Tree lighting.

For details of our LEGOLAND Park Adventure, please click here:  Legoland Malaysia (Dream coome true for Lego fans - for children and kid's at heart)

DAY 3 (LEGOLAND WATER PARK)

• 7am - Breakfast at The Bricks came free with our package.
• 8am - Packed our bags for travel back to Singapore (pick-up at 530pm).  One good thing about private transfers is you get to choose the time of pick up.  We were able to fully enjoy and make the most of our Legoland trip, without the hassle or fear of missing our transportation).
• 9am - Check-out from Legoland Hotel.
• 930am - Enter Legoland Park (Note:  Hotel guests are allowed 30 minutes earlier entry to the park).    
• 10am - Entered the Legoland Water Park. We got ourselves a Cabana (MYR280) for some privacy and a place to relax.  Included in the cabana rental are: 4 bottled water, 2 soda cans, 2 juice bottles, wifi access and 2 huge Legoland towels.  The  cabana also has 2 lounge chairs, 2 lounge beds, a safety deposit box, an electric fan and a mini-refrigerator to store your drinks.  There is also a roving resort staff to take-in food orders in case you get hungry.
• 330pm - Left the water park, much to my youngest son's dismay.  He really enjoyed the water park more than the theme park.  
• 4pm - Ate our Dinner at The Market Restaurant, Legoland Park.
• 5pm - Last minute Lego shopping before returning to the hotel to retrieve our deposited luggage.
• 6pm - Bye-bye Legoland, with a promise to the boys that we will be returning.
• 8pm - Arrived in Singapore and Check-in at RPoS. 

Days 2 and 3 - SUCCESS!

Check out the rest of our Singapore-Malaysia journey here:
Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City

SINGAPORE DAY 1 (Singapore Flyer, DUCKtour and Gardens by the Bay)

We had an early first day kick off in Singapore.

• 6am - flight out Manila via PAL.  My husband and I had 3 options in going to the airport: park and fly, rent an airport transfer or ask a friend to bring us to the airport.  For safety reasons we opted for park and fly (will write a detailed review on this later).

PAL left Manila on time and we arrived in Singapore 3 hours and 40 minutes after.

• 10am - Arrived at Changi airport Singapore. It took us less than an hour to clear immigration and collect our baggage; Bought Singtel's Hi! SIM Card at Changi Recommends outlets.
 
• 1030am - Left Changi via taxi (SGD25) and arrived at Royal Plaza on Scotts (RPoS), Orchard 20 minutes later. 
 
• 11am - It was real nice of RPoS to accommodate our request for an early check-in. We were able to freshen up before heading to our next agenda.
  

Note:  I bought the Singapore Flyer, DUCKtour and Gardens by the Bay tickets through Asia Travel.  You can get these tickets cheaper at travel and tour agencies at Lucky Plaza in Orchard, but again we opted for convenience.  I do not want to drop by Lucky Plaza to pick up the tickets.


SG Flyer and DUCKtours are located in the same building.

• 12nn -  Singapore Flyer and Journey of Dreams. We exchanged the Asia Travel e-mail vouchers at the Singapore Flyer Counter, Guest Services Lounge 1st Level (Note: In Singapore, floors starts at Level 1 and not Ground Floor).   

• 1230pm- Lunch at Popeye's located at Level 1, Singapore Flyer  Building.  I wanted a fast and safe first day lunch for the kiddos and ended up with a Family Chicken meal package (less than SGD25 for a full meal with drinks and desserts for 4).

• 130pm  - The Original Singapore DUCKtours. We exchanged our vouchers at the Singapore DUCKtours Counter. The tour lasted for about 1 hour and included land and  water tours.  We were able to see and get good pictures of the major Singapore structures such as Esplanade, Merlion,  SkyPark and Art Science Museum, saved the tired feet. 

This is a good way to see Singapore without tiring the kiddos. (Note: Remember to call in for tour reservations.  I called in from Manila 3 days before the actual tour.  I saw guests turned down since they were not able to reserve slots even with travel vouchers.)  


We left SG Flyer via taxi (SGD8) for Gardens by the Bay (GB).  Singaporeans would tell you GB is a short walk from the Flyer, but it was really quite a long walk from SG flyer. You would have to cross a hi-way bridge under the scorching heat.     

• 3pm - Gardens by the Bay (GB). The e-mail vouchers were exchanged for tickets at the Friends of Gardens by the Bay Office (It is a separate counter and is located across the main ticketing counter). Our package included entrance to the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. Touring both domes took us about 3+ hours.

Missed due to time constraints:

• SG Flyer: Singapore Food Trail (This was our first choice for lunch.  The center is located right next to the DUCKtour boarding center).
• GB: Outdoor Garden Tour (We figured, we would have enough garden inside the air-conditioned dome, so we gave this one a skip), Super Trees and Far East Organization Children's Garden and Playground (The boys were pretty tired and exhausted from visiting the domes and the playground was a skip as well).

We left GB via taxi (SGD20) around 6pm.  We headed straight to the hotel with hubby ordering take out (in SG the term they use is take away) at KFC (which luckily has branch located right across our hotel).


First day accomplished! 

Check out the rest of our Singapore-Malaysia escapade here:

Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City

SINGAPORE - MALAYSIA Itinerary and Tips (8D/7N)

Singapore never runs out of things to do for everyone. This particular itinerary was tailor fitted for families travelling with young children (mine are ages 6 and 10).

The plan was 1 day Singapore City tour, then an overnight at LEGOLAND Malaysia, before returning again to Singapore to finish the remaining days of our vacation.

Our mode of transportation in Singapore is via taxi, which proved to be more convenient and faster for a family of 4.  Travel by taxi was a bit expensive, but it saved us some walking time and energy to enjoy the attractions more.  Remember we were travelling with children and the attractions are NOT really right next to the MRT.  It would take another 8-10 minutes of walking .  Under Singapore's humid weather - walking is an absolute punishment to the young kiddos. 

Here is our 8D/7N itinerary (will add links and details as I finish writing them).

Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City

I tried to pack in as much attractions as I could, but with children in tow, too much is impossible.  So instead, I tried to be realistic. 

General TIPS:

1. Plan ahead.  My rule of thumb is at least 6 months preparation. The earlier you book your air travel and hotels the more you save. 
2. Travel light.  Pack light cotton clothes with the same color hues for easier matching.  Make a list of things to bring (with your passport, money and travel vouchers on the top of the list).
3. Plan your itinerary. There are so many things to do in Singapore.  With limited time, you would have to learn to prioritize which ones you really like.  Group attractions near each other.
4. Buying SGD. We got ours from our main bank.  You would be unable to buy SGD unless you have a bank account. If that would be a problem, you would be happy to know that you can easily exchange your Philippine Pesos to Singaporean Dollar at the Changi Airport.
5. Budget. Budget all depends on where you stay and what you intend to do.  Cost is slightly more along Orchard Road and mostly tripled inside parks and  resorts. Our budget for 4 pax is: 
• Food - breakfast at SGD20-30; lunch and dinner at SGD 40-50 each.
• Taxi transfers depending on where you are going. From Orchard taxi fare is about SGD15-25 (including peak surcharges) from most tourist attractions.
6. Download helpful smart phone applications. 
• Trip Advisor Singapore
• Exchange Rates - XE Currency application allows you to convert for multiple currencies at the same time.
• My Sentosa Plan your Stay  - was helpful in planning and deciding which attractions to visit, but was a poor navigation guide. 
• Offline Maps. I downloaded some, but found the free maps at Changi more useful.
7. Buying data plan to stay in touch with your family in Manila.  We bought Singtels SGD50, with free 5GB data. My phone was on wi-fi hotspot status which enabled data share with my family.  
8. Must bring.
• good quality selfie-stick
• 3 prong British Standard outlet
• extra battery pack
• light jacket
• umbrella (in Singapore it is either raining or the scorching sun is out)
• face towel (bring a handheld fan if you have one)
• be sure your have comfortable shoes. Singapore is the walking capital of Asia! 
• also bring: plenty of water (water in Singapore is potable, you can buy a bottled water and refill to save on money) and tissue (hawker centers charge extra for tissues). 

Relaxing Stay at 8 Suites Tagaytay

It was a busy work week for me and hubby and needed a quick get-away haven to relax and unwind.

So we got ourselves, what seemed to be a perfect deal from a group buying site and before we knew it: our bags were packed and we were dragging the kids off to 8 Suites by Fat Jimmy in Tagaytay.

Traffic was light and we reached our destination just in time for the 2pm check-in.  There were no visitors when we came in and for a moment it felt like being welcomed to our own vacation home (libre mangarap).

8 Suites is a bit far-off Tagaytay City proper. It is difficult to reach without your own transportation, which also meant it was heavenly peaceful and tranquil. 

 We were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful 8 Suites is. 

And its location overlooking Taal Lake was enough reason to choose this place and stay.

As the name suggests, this bed and breakfast place only has 8 rooms. There are 3 room types: deluxe, superior and premier. 
 
We were ushered to a deluxe room, with 2 queen sized bed that can fit 4 adults comfortably. 

Our room has a balcony that overlooks the majestic Taal Volcano ~ I would honestly not mind to just laze around and do nothing with this view.
  

Our deal came with breakfast, which we opted served at the dining area.   We can't say much about the food as they were just okay.  But that was forgivable, as we did not come here for the food anyway - It was no big deal.     

VERDICT:

• It is a bit costly, but the view is really breathtaking.  If you can get your hands on promos, don't think twice.

 

• The room we stayed in, is decent and clean. Aircon worked well and the water temperature and pressure were very good.

• Food is average. If you want decent meals, you can head to nearby restaurants 5-10 minutes away 8 Suites.  I highly recommend Morielli's and Red Lemon Grill.

• There are no hotel amenities. No recreational activities, game rooms, swimming pool or gym. You can, however, borrow DVDs from the reception area or lounge by the balcony.

We left 8 Suites refreshed and rested. 

We will definitely be back.

LOCATION:

Lot 7, Ridge View Subdivision,

Barangay Iruhin, Tagaytay City

 

Manila Office (T : 655-0194 / M: 0922-8753088)

Tagaytay Office (M: +63(922)874-4088)

Email: eightsuites@gmail.com

Movie Star Cafe just like in the MOVIES (updated)

I have heard quite a lot about one of the newest family restaurants in town - Movie Stars Café.  

It is a special kind of restaurant that runs hourly performances for the entire family entertainment.

So on my youngest son's 6th birthday, I pre-booked seats for us to check out and see for ourselves what the rave is all about.

 Movie Stars Café (here we are)

  

My boys gamely posed next to the King (himself) Kong (LOL!)

We came at about 6pm and found the place already half-packed.  There were still plenty of seats upfront, but to my dismay, we were given seats at the back. 

Although the place is small, and the back seats are only about 3-5 feet away from the  small runway stage,  I have been wanting to get front seats to amp my kids enjoyment in watching the shows.

I tried to use my charm to be moved upfront, but nah!

People started pouring in at 630pm and by 645 it was already jam-packed, so it was good we came in a little early.

We got eat-all-you buffet for four (2 adults and 2 kids), which cost P699 for adults and extra P100 for drinks.
 
There is not much to say about the food. It was plain and simple - much like a birthday party sort of spread.  
I honestly recommend you just do an a la carte.  That would be much cheaper and you get to choose what you like.  

There are plenty of MSC cast in famous movie character costume around to keep your kiddos busy in between performances that starts at 7pm.

If you did not get your money's worth from the food, don't fret since the shows are truly worth your every centavo.

(Performances photos courtesy of MSC FB page)

My boys had so much fun - my youngest son's jaw dropped seeing Spidey dance.

 Our choice pictures. L-R/T-B: Papa with Atom; Raj with Spider Man; Kuya with Jabbawockeez and Me with Bubblebee!

TIPS:

1. Reserve early.  Don't take chances, especially during weekends as it gets really crowded.
2. Do a la carte instead of buffet. 
3. Enjoy and don't hesitate to approach the performers.  They are very accommodating and will gladly pose with you!
4. Enjoy and have fun.

Movie Stars Café

Seaside Blvd., SM Mall of Asia

Pasay City

Tel. No. 550-1234

The restaurant has moved to a new home at the

G/F of Centris Station, EDSA cor Quezon Ave., Quezon City

For inquiries please visit their facebook page:

Movie Stars Cafe 

Exploreum... where SCIENCE becomes FUN

Worthwhile family activities is become more and more difficult to find.  

 

I was excited to hear that the SM through its lifestyle and entertainment arm, has recently undertaken a revamp of the SM Science Center into the Exploreum.

 

The Exploreum houses eight (8) main galleries, covering vast range of topics and interests.

 

 

Connect showcases various communication equipment. 

It has an exhibit of old computer, television, cellular phone, which were amusing conversational pieces to tell your kids how communication evolved as we know it today.

 

 

 

Cyberville is a hands-on-gallery featuring various inventions.  My kids grew a liking to the solar powered car that actually moves and took turns running it. 

 

Human Adventure provides visitors an in-depth view of the human body.

 

 

The Living Earth shows the origin of the planet.

 

 

Natural World showcases flora and fauna.

 

 

Zoom Gallery explores automobiles and planes at work.

 

 

 

Space Camp, meanwhile shows visitors a peep of life in space. 

 

 

The SM Planetarium is a 180 degrees full dome theater, showing digital videos and films. 

Aside from these galleries, Exploreum also has a practice science area called Discovery Science and a scientific play space/lab called Science Park. 

My honest verdict:  

The Exploreum is actually  a cheaper alternative to the Mind Museum at P350 per pax (inclusive of Gallery, plus one Planetarium show). We enjoyed our tour and my boys had fun learning . 

However, although Exploreum has all the key elements of a Science Museum, I don't think it has enough to fully engage and wow guests.

It tries hard to impress by packing it's space with too much themes, that they were unable to fully explore each one profoundly nor were they able to provide smooth transition from one gallery to another.

In the end a trip to the Exploreum is not a waste of time and money, however, for a more engaging science adventure, I suggest you spend some more and head to the Mind Museum. 

The Exploreum is located at the GF Southside Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia Pasay City. 

You may click here for the rates <<<<