Estimated Read Time: 6 Minutes.

Singapore might be famous for its futuristic skyline, incredible food and world-class shopping, but look a little closer and it’s also a fantastic destination for families.

There are theme parks and water attractions, wildlife experiences, enormous gardens, interactive museums, beaches and plenty of opportunities to simply cool off beside a hotel pool after a busy day exploring.

Better still, Singapore’s relatively compact size and excellent transport connections make it surprisingly easy to navigate with children. Families can spend the morning meeting wildlife, the afternoon exploring Gardens by the Bay and still be back at their hotel in time for a swim.

And for clients who want their holiday to feel less like a traditional city break, there’s Sentosa – Singapore’s resort island, where beaches and attractions can turn a few days in the city into a much bigger family adventure.

Here are six family-friendly stays worth knowing about.

5* Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa

If the brief is “somewhere the kids will love just as much as the parents”, Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa, Singapore should be high on the shortlist.

Set directly on Siloso Beach, it is Singapore’s only beachfront resort and combines a tropical holiday atmosphere with a huge amount for younger guests to enjoy.

The dedicated Cool Zone children’s club provides supervised activities, while the resort’s water facilities include pools, slides and splash areas. There are also family rooms and suites designed with parents and children in mind.

The location adds another big advantage. Families have Sentosa’s many attractions nearby but can return to a genuine resort environment afterwards – meaning not every day has to involve sightseeing.

Parents can have some downtime, children have plenty to keep them entertained, and everyone gets a beach holiday without actually leaving Singapore.

4* Village Hotel Sentosa

Also on Sentosa, Village Hotel Sentosa offers a fun, contemporary base with many of the island’s attractions within easy reach.

One of its biggest family selling points is its extensive pool deck. Four themed pool experiences include the Pamukkale Pool, with views towards the sea; an Adventure Pool; a Lazy River Pool; and a Children’s Play Pool.

Family Rooms are another useful option for agents, comprising two connecting rooms and accommodating up to four guests – ideal for parents who appreciate having a little more space and privacy.

Its location within the Sentosa precinct also makes it easy for families to divide their time between attractions and downtime at the hotel.

5* Resorts World Sentosa – Equarius Hotel

For families planning to put Sentosa’s major attractions at the centre of their holiday, Equarius Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa is another option worth considering.

Now operating as The Laurus, a Luxury Collection Resort, Singapore, the property sits within Resorts World Sentosa, putting attractions such as Universal Studios Singapore and Singapore Oceanarium close at hand.

Spacious accommodation is a particular advantage when travelling as a family, while the resort setting gives clients somewhere comfortable to retreat to once they’ve finished exploring.

This is a good example of why Singapore can work as much more than a quick city stop. Give families several nights on Sentosa and there’s enough to keep them entertained without needing to rush from one attraction to the next.

5* Pan Pacific Singapore

Not every family needs to stay on Sentosa.

For clients who want Singapore’s city sights to take centre stage, Pan Pacific Singapore provides a very different option.

Its Marina Bay location puts families close to some of Singapore’s best-known attractions, making it easy to build days around sightseeing before returning to the hotel to relax.

The hotel also has a dedicated children’s play area and family-friendly facilities, while its swimming pool provides a welcome opportunity to cool off after a warm day exploring Singapore.

Staying centrally can be particularly useful for families with older children who are more interested in experiencing the city than spending entire days at a resort.

5* PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay

For families who want a central Singapore stay with a little more breathing space, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay offers an unusual setting.

The hotel describes itself as Singapore’s first “Garden-in-a-Hotel”, with an impressive indoor atrium filled with greenery. Its location provides convenient access to Marina Bay and the surrounding attractions, while the outdoor pool gives families somewhere to unwind between sightseeing trips.

The property works especially well for families who want to experience the excitement of Singapore but still appreciate returning somewhere that feels a little removed from the streets outside.

5* Shangri-La Singapore

Shangri-La Singapore demonstrates just how family-friendly a luxury city hotel can be.

The standout feature for younger guests is Buds by Shangri-La, a dedicated interactive play space with both indoor and outdoor areas. There’s also Splash Zone, an outdoor water-play area complete with slides and other features designed specifically for children.

Families can choose accommodation designed with children in mind too, including themed family suites and rooms.

That means parents don’t necessarily have to choose between a sophisticated Singapore hotel for themselves and somewhere exciting for the children – this property manages to offer both.

So much more than a stopover

Of course, choosing the hotel is only part of the fun.

Singapore packs an impressive number of family attractions into a relatively small destination.

On Sentosa, Universal Studios Singapore brings rides, shows and movie-themed worlds together, while the revamped Singapore Oceanarium takes families beneath the surface to discover marine ecosystems and ocean life.

Elsewhere, Gardens by the Bay provides plenty of visual wow-factor for adults and children alike, from the towering Supertrees to the spectacular indoor conservatories.

And families who love wildlife could easily dedicate a substantial part of their trip to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve precinct, home to Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild ASIA.

Then there are museums, playgrounds, beaches and family-friendly food experiences – plenty of which work just as well for parents as they do for children.

Turn Singapore into the holiday, not just the stopover

For families travelling between Europe and Australia or New Zealand, Singapore has traditionally been an obvious place to break up a long journey.

But there’s a strong case for making it much more than that.

Instead of one or two nights between flights, clients could spend several days exploring the city, or even combine a city hotel with a Sentosa resort to create two very different experiences within the same trip.

That combination can work particularly well for families: sightseeing first, then a few days of pools, beaches and attractions on Sentosa.

And that’s perhaps the biggest opportunity for agents.

Rather than asking whether a family wants to stop in Singapore, ask whether they’d like to stay and discover it.

With wildlife, theme parks, beaches, futuristic gardens, great food and hotels that genuinely understand family travel, there’s more than enough to turn those few nights between flights into one of the highlights of the holiday.