September 05, 2016

5 Days in Singapore with Kid

I already knew that my husband will be going to Singapore last month so I already take note all the stuff that I wanted him to buy for me in IKEA. If you remember, I also did this when he went to Thailand. Hehehe!

 August is also my birthday month and for the last 14 years, I've been celebrating my birthday with my ex-boyfriend now husband. But now that he is always out of the country, I was so worried that he won't be home so when August came, I immediately told him, "Bawal absent sa birthday ko, kundi marriage is over. Lololol! "

He just laughed at me but fast forward to my birthday, dahil bawal ang absent, sinama na lang niya kami. Life is full of surprises because we all went to Singapore.

You can't buy happiness but you can buy a plane ticket and that's kind of the same thing. 

When I saw the schedule of my son and they only have activities for the whole week (Feast Week) so no lessons. So the following day, my husband decided that we will go with him. He bought plane tickets three days before our trip and because of that, I have a very limited time in making our itinerary + packing our stuff. We only have 4 days to enjoy Singapore because we chose the last flight on Day 1 para 3 days lang absent ng aking anak.


I was cramming to finish our itinerary. This will be the 4th time (hubby), 3rd time (me) and 2nd time (son) in Singapore so I listed down the places that we haven’t tried and visited yet but my son wanted to visit zoos. This was my itinerary, not the usual itinerary but I have a kid in tow so even it is my birthday celebration, pang kids pa rin ang pupuntahan. Hehehe!

Day 1 Arrival in Singapore 
Day 2 Singapore Zoo + IKEA Alexandra 
Day 3 River Safari + Night Safari 
Day 4 Jurong Bird Park + Wonder Full Show 
Day 5 Gardens by the Bay 
           Back to Manila 

But of course, the itinerary is just a guide, marami pwedeng magbago so I'm sharing with you, our 5 Days Trip in Singapore.

Day 1 Manila to Singapore 

We fetched our son in school and we went straight to the Park N Fly and airport


Travel Tax

I walked to travel tax counter to pay the travel tax (Ethan + Me), I was holding P2630 and I was surprised when the staff told me that I need to pay P2430. Wow, I just read the news last July 26 that they are planning to remove or reduce the travel tax, may nagbago agad. There is no more P200 processing fee for RTT (Reduced Travel Tax). #changeiscoming

Manila to Singapore via Philippine Airlines 

We arrived at Changi Airport past 11PM. No more Sky Train ride because we're already in Terminal 1. We got our luggage, withdrew cash and we took taxi. Finally checked in at Sheraton Towers Singapore.


Read: Sheraton Towers Singapore

Day 2 River Safari 

For directions, I used gothere.sg. I was checking our directions and I was a bit nervous when I learned that we need to ride a bus. We haven’t ridden public buses in SG so I was hesitant at first but since we are budget travelers, we need to take trains and buses.

EZ Link Card vs Singapore Tourist Pass

The train station is just 2-3 minutes walk away from Sheraton Towers.

Two years ago, we availed of the Singapore Tourist Pass at SGD10 per day but after our trip, we were not able to maximize the SG Tourist Pass. Sayang! So now I decided to use EZ Link Card because when I computed the fare, we will not reach SGD5 per day.

SGD12 (SGD5 card cost and SGD7 value) + SGD10 load x 2 = SGD 44. My son is 7 years old so adult rate na rin. You can use the card for train, bus, taxi, shopping, vending machines and many more. The EZ Link card is valid for 5 years so we can use it again if ever we will go back to SG or souvenir na lang kung hindi. Hehehe!

We took train + bus on our way to Singapore Zoo. Do not worry because the last stop of the bus is the zoo.

Park Hopper Plus vs Regular Zoo Entrance Tickets

We just visited Tama Zoological Park when we went to Japan but my son wanted to visit the zoo again so I decided to visit all the zoos of Wildlife Reserves Singapore. I crossed out other places and we just focused on zoos so I can save money.

Read: Tama Zoological Park 


I bought the Park Hopper Plus Tickets (1 adult + 1 kid)
SGD79 adult SGD59 kids

1. The package includes the entrance fee for River Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, and Singapore Zoo.
2. Unlimited tram rides at Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, and Singapore Zoo.
3. Unlimited Amazon River Quest and River Safari Cruise at River Safari.
4. Wild Animal Carousel ride at Singapore Zoo (child ticket and one ride only).
5. ParkHopper entitles you to one visit per park within 7 days from the date of the first visit. You may visit each park on a different day.


Regular Tickets SGD 256
Park Hopper Plus Tickets SGD 138
Savings SGD 118 x 34.28 = P4,045.04

River Safari 

After buying our ticket, we both decided that we will visit River Safari first. To avoid a long queue we went straight to Wild Amazonia for Amazon River Quest and River Safari Cruise. After that, we explored the Rivers of the World such as the Mississippi, Congo, Nile, Ganges, Mekong, and Yangtze rivers. Then the Wild Amazonia such as Amazon Flooded Forest and Squirrel Monkey Forest.

There are no shows here but we enjoyed the Amazon River Quest and River Safari ride. It was our first time seeing Giant Panda. The zoo is not that big, we were done in less than four hours. We went home at 3PM.

Tip: Visit Giant Panda first because when we went there, we only see one panda, nagpapahinga na yung isa. hahaha!

Read: River Safari

Day 3 Singapore Zoo + IKEA 

Initial plan is Jurong Bird Park pero dahil 10AM na and 75 minutes away (train+bus) pa ang bird park, we went to Singapore Zoo na lang. My husband and I visited this zoo 9 years ago but we haven’t explored the whole zoo because of limited time. But I was happy that my son and I finished everything, we only missed one show because my son doesn’t like to watch it.


Singapore Zoo is huge so make sure you avail the tram ride too. Napagod na nga ko kahit may tram ride pa, hehehe! We left at 5:30PM. Our favorite here is the Elephant Show, Polar Bear, Goat Feeding and Carousel Ride.

Read: Singapore Zoo

IKEA 

We’re supposed to visit this on Day 2 but my husband has a dinner meeting so we postponed it. On day 3 naman, naunahan kami ni hubby sa hotel so when we reached the hotel, we just changed clothes and off we went to IKEA for shopping and dinner. Yey! we took taxi na para mabilis.

Read: IKEA Alexandra 
Food Trip at IKEA Alexandra 

Day 4 Jurong Bird Park + Night Safari 

We left at past 9AM. I don’t want to miss the 10AM show so we took a taxi to Jurong Bird Park. If we missed it, we need to wait till 4PM for the next show. And hindi kami pwede magtagal because we have Night Safari at 7:15PM and magkaibang location yun.


Jurong Bird Park is not that big if I will compare it to Singapore Zoo so we were able to finish everything at 3PM. Our favorites in Jurong Bird Park are penguin feeding, pelican feeding, and the two shows.

We went back to hotel, natagalan lang kami sa biyahe because we took bus and trains pauwi para tipid. We took a bath and prepare for Night Safari. My husband was supposed to go with my son para bonding nila but he has a dinner meeting again so my son and I went to Night Safari.

Read: Jurong Bird Park 

Night Safari 

We were late with our 7:15PM schedule so we went straight to the tram ride bago pa maunahan nung nasa 8:15PM schedule. After that, we watched the Creatures of the Night show. We did not do the Walking Trails anymore. There is another show Thumbuakar Performances but we did not finish this because we need to catch the last train ride.


It was funny because 9 years ago, my husband and I did the same thing, tram ride + creatures of the night and nung bumalik ako, same na naman. Though may nagbago naman sa show but still I missed the walking trail and Thumbuakar Performances.

Read: Night Safari 

Good thing I availed the Park Hopper Plus tickets because I find SGD45 and SGD30 expensive for a four-hour stay and we did not stay that long. It was a very long day but I was happy that we were able to finish the four zoos. If you have very limited time and you just wanted to visit one or two, this is our ranking.

1. River Safari
2. Singapore Zoo
3. Jurong Bird Park
4. Night Safari

We have visited the four zoos and each zoo has its own shows, programs, and animals. There are some similarities but you cannot see everything in one zoo so if you have time, visit them all and see the differences.

Note: If you like Pokemon Game, don't forget to download their Pokemon Go Maps.

Day 5: Friend’s House + IKEA 

We crossed out the Gardens by the Bay and we went to our friend’s house. It was the first time that Ethan will meet his Ninong who lives in SG. Two years ago we’re supposed to meet him but because of limited time hindi na natuloy.

IKEA for late lunch and shopping. We went back to the hotel to get our luggage and off we went to airport. Flight was delayed. :(

Singapore to Manila via Philippine Airlines 


It was a short trip but we had fun. It was my first time celebrating my birthday abroad. :)

Read: 6 Days in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore 
Things to do in Singapore

44 comments:

  1. Hi Michi!

    Thank you so much for sharing abt your family SG trip. Super helpful and very detailed. It will surely come in handy as we will be going there next month :)

    Praying that the Zika virus will stop spreading.

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    1. You're welcome. I hope they can control the Zika Virus or better bring insect repellent.

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    2. I've already packed Off lotion in our bag and I'm organizing our outfits that will protect us from the insects. Thanks again :)

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    3. I also bought insect repellent for my husband because he will go back again next month. :)

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  2. what a fun way to celebrate your birthday. And also love your husband's effort to bring you all with him in Singapore. We havent visited any zoo in Singapore, perhaps we dont have any kids to please. And for Ikea, they were on sale when we visited and I only regret dropping by as I have seen so many nice items I camt buy. They are simply too bulky. Ehehe.

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    1. True, they are so bulky but I bought their sako bag so I can shop since I don't have extra luggage. :)

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  3. #changeiscoming! And I love it! haha. But may I just say, diba parang kailan lang, you were in Japan, and now you're in SG! And here I am, never parin nakalabas ng Pinas! haha! I bet it was fun! Hopefully someday, I can also visit these places with my hubby and son!

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    1. No worries, someday you can travel too. Paminsan-minsan lang din kami, nagkataon lang na nakatwo kami this year after two years na wala. hehehe!

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  4. I missed SG! The last time i visited was like 4 years ago and without my kids. Now we're planning to go back for the kids to explore the city and the zoos.. Im excited with Gardens by the Bay and the shopping at Orchard.. The rest of the IT will always be for the kids,cyempre! :)

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    1. There are so many kids-friendly places in SG. :)

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  5. Ang bilis kausap ng hubby mo ah, sinama na lang kayo para hindi absent sa birthday mo! Hehe! That was sweet :) Sulit ang ilan days nyo sa SG, dami napuntahan :)

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    1. Hehehe! Bawal kasi absent e. Naubos namin ang zoos. :)

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  6. Happy Happy Birthday sis :-) , wow sa SG ang celebration. More travel pa sis

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    1. Thanks! I hope more budget pa for travel. hehehe!

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  7. Napa smile ako sa phrase na to "You can't buy happiness but you can buy plane ticket and that's kind of the same thing." Happy birhday sis, kami din last week sa Boracay naman kami nag celebrate ng birthday ng hubby ko

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    1. Nabasa ko lang din yang hugot lines na yan. hehehe! Thanks! I miss Boracay na rin, ganda ng beach dun, matao nga lang. Belated happy birthday to your hubby! :)

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  8. We are heading to SG end of Oct and hunt for Pokemons 😆 - checking the Pokemon map link you shared 👌

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  9. I've been to Singapore when I was still single. I plan to bring my kids there too in the future. :)

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  10. The River Safari and the Bird Park both sound so awesome! I hope we can visit Singapore too!

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  11. Your post reminds me of my solo trip in Singapore a few years back. I also have the Ez link card and it is very convenient talaga lalo na kung palipat lipat ka ng train station. I was able to explore Sg by just using their train system. Ang tipid at ang saya!

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    1. Yes, SG has easy and efficient train system too. :)

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  12. Wow 5 days in SG! Fun. Btw, musta ang park and fly experience nyo? Planning for a trip soon pero di namin sure if park n fly nalang or cab/uber. :-S

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    1. Ok naman ang Park N Fly, ok ang service nila. :) Mabilis ang hatid at sundo sa airport. Mahal na kasi sa NAIA parking kaya dito na lang and mas safe ang car at covered parking.

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  13. Hopefully we can go to here as a family soon. Been bookmarking posts like this as reference once we get to na :)

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  14. Wow, ang galing mo mag compute compute ha, hihi. I need to learn this skill. Ang laki ng na-save mo at 4K sa Park Hopper.

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    1. When you really try to save money, you can find ways. :) Yes, super laki ng 4k+ how much more kung ilang pax.

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  15. It's one of our goals to bring our kid here in the future. I've been here before when I was single, but not yet as a family.

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  16. Whew! Reading your post makes me feel like I was with you and your son going from one place to another. Thank you for sharing this. Very helpful and informative. Would like to visit Singapore one day with my little family. :)

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    1. Thanks for reading! Singapore is a family-friendly destination. :)

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  17. Your son seems to have enjoyed the SG trip kahit 2nd time na nya. :D It's also a dream of mine na we get to travel as a family. Someday, that dream will come to life. :) Btw, belated happy birthday to you sis! :*

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    1. Thanks! Yes, he really enjoys traveling and visiting new places. Have faith, dreams do come true. :)

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  18. I would love to travel with my kids overseas too! This is very detailed itinerary especially you have a kid in tow.

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    1. Thanks! Hope this will help you in your future trip. :)

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  19. Traveling with the people you love is a great way to celebrate your birthday. Belated happy birthday, sis!

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    1. Thanks! Yes, it is nice to celebrate with my two boys. :)

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  20. Belated happy birthday to you! :) What a great way to spend your birthday! When we went to Singapore, we also dropped by zoos for my son's enjoyment. They really do love seeing the animals. :)

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    1. Thanks! They also love watching shows and experience animals feeding. :)

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  21. My husband and I really loves to travel but I am saving Singapore and Hongkong talaga for my future kids. And now that I have a toddler and I am pregnant, will save money for future travels. Singapore zoo will definitely on top of the list. :)

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    1. Hongkong is also nice because of the Disneyland. :)

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  22. This travel looks fun and interesting. Thanks for sharing your travel experience. I will have your blog as my reference when my family decided to travel hopefully this year.

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  23. I cant wait for my kids to get a bit older so we can travel. Ang hirap when there are two kids below five in tow. Hehe. Thanks for sharing this :)

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