Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia 8-Day 7-Night Trip

This year, due to the pandemic, we didn't travel abroad. I've been wanting to write a guide for our trip to Singapore last summer vacation, and I'm finally making up for it now.

This trip involved bringing along both elderly and young children, so when choosing a destination, we considered cities that are friendly to children and the elderly – Singapore. Thinking that Johor Bahru in Malaysia is very close to Singapore and has Legoland, we decided to visit there as well.

For flights, we chose Juneyao Airlines from Shanghai directly to Singapore, and Singapore Airlines from Singapore back to Shanghai. Visas were arranged for Singapore and an entri for Malaysia. We booked airport transfer in Singapore through Ctrip.

Day 1 – Day 3: Michael Hotel on Sentosa

Day 4 – Day 5: Johor Bahru, Malaysia – Somerset Medini Iskandar Puteri Service Apartment

Day 6 – Day 7: Singapore City Centre – Sofitel Hotel

We departed from Pudong Airport in the afternoon. When exiting, because I was carrying the little one, the whole family got to use the priority lane. Throughout the rest of the trip, we benefited many times from the baby and deeply felt how friendly Shanghai and Singapore are to children and the elderly. While waiting at the gate, I also received a warm reminder from a Johor Bahru friend I had never met but had consulted many times about travel info for Singapore and Johor Bahru: we must make sure to get the entry stamp when entering Johor Bahru, Malaysia. I felt so lucky!

During the Juneyao flight, they served drinks twice and two choices of dinner (choose one). The elder child loved the airplane meal that was like fast food, and even ate 80-90% of the younger one's portion.

After flying for over 5 hours, we arrived in Singapore on time. When entering, we were again directed to the priority lane. Because we were looking around, we delayed picking up our luggage and almost couldn't get it off the carousel. Luckily we stopped in time, stopped taking photos, and managed to get our bags on the last round.

The picture below is of Changi Airport taken while we were looking around.

Our hotel was on Sentosa. When the car brought us onto the island, we just showed the printed hotel booking to the toll booth staff and we were allowed to enter directly. It took only 30-40 minutes from the airport to the Sentosa hotel. Check-in wasn't crowded, after all it was around 11pm, not a usual active time. The hotel kindly gave us three small tins of cookies. We were really hungry, so we ate them as soon as we got to the room. I joked that this time we didn't bring any instant noodles or dry snacks to Singapore, while last year when we went to the US we brought too many – we always misjudge the situation. Then we washed up and went to sleep.

The picture below shows check-in.

We slept until 9am. By 9:30, the grandparents had already finished their buffet breakfast. Grandma came to our room and told us that we had to queue for breakfast.

After breakfast and getting ready, we set off this morning to the S.E.A. Aquarium. The biggest advantage of staying at a Resorts World hotel is its proximity to the attractions. Within about a 10-minute walk, we reached the aquarium. Because we had a stroller with the little one inside, our group of six was again arranged to use the priority lane. The tickets were bought in advance and printed out; we scanned them and entered. Seeing the people who didn't get the priority lane waiting in line made us feel a bit guilty. But the attraction had also thought a lot about providing the best possible environment for those queueing, with giant ceiling fans and a huge roof that provided both shade and rain protection. We later benefited from the rain protection function.

The picture below shows the giant ceiling fans and roof.

Inside the aquarium, we followed the designed path. There were many fish and plenty of related information, all in Chinese. However, because the environment was quite dim, our 28-month-old little one kept saying, "I don't want to see anymore, I don't want to see anymore." So we just skimmed through and took a quick look.

The picture below shows the interior of the aquarium.

After visiting the aquarium, we continued to the Maritime Experiential Museum since we had a combo ticket. The museum displayed replica old artifacts and introduced the Maritime Silk Road. We saw many porcelain pieces and silk, and exhibits about Zheng He and Quanzhou – a significant mark China made in human history. After the museum, the weather changed. From direct sunlight, it turned into a downpour. But with the rain shelter we were not afraid. When the rain lightened a bit, we walked along the shelter to find lunch.

The picture below shows the place we had lunch (Putien). The service was very good.

After lunch, we returned directly to the hotel to rest. It started raining heavily again. The little one took a nap while the elder child watched TV. Around 5pm, we set off again for the Luge and Skyride. When we arrived, we saw many people queuing to buy tickets. The elder child did two laps but still wasn't satisfied, exclaiming that we should have bought four laps directly.

After that, we hurriedly had McDonald's for dinner and continued to watch the Wings of Time light show. The tickets we bought also needed to be exchanged. The light show was very loud, with fire and darkness. The little one couldn't handle it and covered his eyes with a fan and his ears with his hands the whole time.

After the show, we walked back to the hotel. The scenery along the way was beautiful – Singapore's greenery is delicate and lovely, with a view at every step.

Today was the Universal Studios trip that the elder child most looked forward to. He got up early without any reminder and urged us to go for breakfast. But with the family dawdling, we didn't arrive at Universal Studios until 11am, though it was less than a 10-minute walk away. We had bought the one-day tickets in advance, printed them out, and scanned them directly to enter. If we wanted to leave and come back, the staff would stamp our arms for re-entry. Also, some rides might get clothes wet, so it's advisable to bring disposable raincoats to stay dry.

The picture below shows Universal Studios.

Today Universal Studios closed at 7pm instead of the usual 6pm. The elder child came out at 6:30pm, having truly had enough fun. We had dinner. After dinner, we realized we were leaving Sentosa tomorrow but hadn't yet taken the monorail. So we took the MRT from the Resorts World station to Beach Station, found the monorail stop, but didn't see any monorail. Just as we were about to ask someone, a staff member came out of a door. We asked immediately, and he very enthusiastically told us that at night the monorail becomes a small bus, following the same route. He suggested we just stay on the bus to see Palawan Beach and Siloso Beach in the night. So we did exactly that, admired the beaches in the dark, and went back to the hotel fully satisfied.

Today we traveled from Singapore to Johor Bahru. To save money, we didn't book the Legoland Hotel but instead a serviced apartment about a 6-7 minute walk from the park – three bedrooms, two halls, two bathrooms, with cooking facilities and a washer-dryer. From Singapore to Johor Bahru, a chartered car takes about 1.5 hours without congestion at the customs. Along the way, we chatted with the driver. When crossing two bridges, he pointed out the houses that Country Garden had built on reclaimed land in Johor Bahru. We soon reached our apartment. Since the room wasn't ready yet, we decided to store our luggage and followed real-time guidance from the Johor Bahru friend we hadn't met. First, we used Grab to call a car to KSL for lunch, then to eat durian.

The picture below shows the apartment's exterior and interior.

With continuous guidance from our Johor Bahru friend, we had lunch at a duck restaurant in KSL. The elder child was happy to buy a milk tea from Deer House. We ate Musang King, Red Apple, Red Prawn, and Red Flesh durians – authentic and delicious!

The picture below shows the restaurant and durians.

After eating durian, following our friend's real-time online guidance, we had some herbal tea.

We bought a lot of food at the supermarket in KSL, so we had to Grab back to the hotel. We didn't explore other attractions in Johor Bahru city. In Malaysia, you must use Grab to get around because it's relatively cheap. Also, thanks to our Johor Bahru friend's reminder and guidance, we had downloaded it in advance.

Today we planned to visit Legoland. Our apartment was within a 10-minute walk from the park. But after buying tickets in advance, we had to exchange them at Window 2 on-site, which took quite a while – about 10 minutes. Then we entered the park. The rides were more suitable for younger children; for our 11-year-old elder child, they weren't very appealing. He was just accompanying us, and the queues weren't long. For the little one, some rides were challenging. Even on a flying plane ride, once he was seated, he didn't want to do it. However, he still enjoyed quite a few Legoland rides. For lunch, we ate pizza at one of the park's several restaurants. The taste wasn't great – homemade pizza is better – but when you're out, that's how it is.

The picture below shows the park scenery.

After lunch, we went to the Legoland Water Park. To get there, we had to exit the main Legoland gate and turn right. Children under 3 must buy an entrance ticket at the right side of the main gate for 11 Malaysian ringgit, which includes two diapers. The elder child had a blast at the water park. I thought there weren't many rides, but as long as he was happy, that was fine. The ride he enjoyed most was a giant slide, which I didn't photograph.

The picture below shows the interior of the water park.

We played until the park closed at 6pm, then returned to the hotel. There was a commercial street along the way where we had dinner. The lights outside our hotel room were very bright.

This morning at 10am, we left Johor Bahru for Singapore. The chartered car encountered no traffic jams, and we arrived at the Sofitel Singapore around noon. But again, the room wasn't ready. We stored our luggage and went out for lunch.

The hotel lobby had beautiful fresh flowers.

We had lunch at a Michelin one-star fast food restaurant near Chinatown. There was a long queue, but the fast food tasted good, and importantly, the price was cheap.

After lunch, we strolled around Chinatown. Chinatown is Singapore's version of a Chinese quarter, full of Chinese elements. It looked like a flea market to me. We walked around in the scorching heat.

The picture below shows the Chinatown street view.

We took the MRT from Chinatown back to the hotel. On the subway, the elder child said he wanted to buy a Singapore MRT stored-value card as a souvenir. While we were talking about the deposit required for such cards, a Chinese auntie directly handed him a card, saying she had an extra one. Very friendly! We could only keep thanking her. Our hotel on the fifth floor was directly connected to the MRT station, but we only discovered this near the end of our trip.

Back at the hotel, we got our room. After a short rest, we planned to catch the 7:15pm session at the Night Safari. We left the hotel at 5:30pm, had dinner in the MRT station. Eating took time, so we departed late. After taking the MRT and then the Night Safari shuttle bus, we arrived at the entrance after 7:15pm. Only the 9:15pm session and later ones were available. We were stunned – this completely deviated from our plan. But since we were already there, we had to wait. Reminder: you must set off at least 3 hours in advance; the Night Safari is very popular.

The picture below shows the Night Safari entrance and the long queue.

However, around 8pm, an announcement said that all sessions from 9:15pm onward could queue for the tram. So before 9pm, we finally boarded the tram. In the dark zoo, we saw resting elephants, lions, tigers, cows, deer, and tourists on the tram. The tour lasted about 40 minutes. We took a Grab back to the hotel for about 30 SGD.

Today was the last full day of our Singapore trip. In the morning under the scorching sun, we went to Merlion Park. By luck, we encountered the rehearsal for Singapore's 54th National Day Parade. After getting off the MRT, we took a long detour – it was really hot.

The picture below shows the Marina Bay Sands and the Merlion.

After taking our photos, we hurried to the place where we could board the Duck Tour at Suntec City. Another detour and we finally arrived. We had lunch first. The basement level of Suntec City is a huge food court with cuisines from many countries; we chose what we liked. After eating, we boarded the Duck Tour. The tickets were bought in advance with a fixed schedule – we had booked the 1:30pm slot. The Duck Tour is an amphibious vehicle. Onboard, a guide gave a Chinese commentary about Singapore's culture, geography, and the buildings along the roads and Marina Bay. Our guide was Chinese and gave an excellent introduction, covering topics from Singapore's school system to conscription policies to real estate types and prices. The moment when the vehicle plunged from land into water, splashing water, was especially fun.

The tour lasted about 50 minutes. Around 4pm, we decided to go back to the hotel, but made a wrong decision to take the MRT, which tired out both the elderly and young. So we didn't go out for dinner until nearly 7pm. We had bak kut teh for dinner. This restaurant was Michelin-recommended. We queued for a table, and while queueing, a staff member took our order so that as soon as we sat down, food could be served. The soup could be refilled. The elder child said this was the best meal he had on the trip – just his personal feeling, for your reference.

After dinner, we took a Grab to the Singapore Flyer, claimed to be Asia's largest observation wheel, with each cabin holding up to 28 people.

From the Flyer, we had a panoramic view of Singapore's bay夜景.

We had visited all the places we wanted to. Those we didn't visit can wait for next time. I believe the two-year multiple-entry visa will be used again.

Today we woke up at 6am. The elder and younger children cooperated well. We left the hotel at 7am for the airport and arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3 before 8am. During customs exit, the grandparents were in a different queue from us and were taken to another place because their fingerprints weren't clear. Fortunately, the staff could speak Chinese, so the grandparents managed fine. Singapore Airlines' A380 had low noise and good service. Most flight attendants switched between Chinese and English easily, were kind, sincere, and polite. Both children received small gifts from the stewardesses. During takeoff, the little one didn't want to sit in his own seat; he wanted to sit on my lap and also needed to pee. The stewardess patiently told him, "Little brother, just five minutes, please sit in your seat. After five minutes you can use the toilet." The little one readily agreed. After takeoff, he fell asleep. When he woke up, a stewardess passed by and kindly asked, "Has the little brother used the toilet?" It truly felt like being at home. After lunch, a stewardess proactively asked the elder child if he wanted an extra ice cream. Singapore Airlines' service is meticulous. If there's a chance, I'll fly Singapore Airlines more – this is not an ad.

Our trip to Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia, concluded successfully. Looking forward to the next trip.