Staycation in RWS! (Part 1 of 3)

My semester was starting and in preparation for all the coursework I am about to embark on, I read up on my essential readings… who am I kidding. I enjoyed a staycation at Resort World Sentosa to make the best out of my last few days of my holidays with a friend.

This is part 1 of 3 of my staycation at RWS. 

My itinerary for the staycation was to first visit one of the latest attractions at RWS, Adventure Cove! Following that we checked into our hotel, Equarius Hotel before heading to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. And to end off the day, we enjoyed the musical, Addam’s Family, in the Festive Grand Theatre. 

Adventure Cove

Adventure Cove is a recently opened water theme park in Resort World Sentosa. It is nestled in a corner of RWS, right beside the S.E.A Aquarium. The entrance fee is $29/pax and this gives you access to the various rides available and the facilities in the park. 

 Entrance to Adventure Cove

The locker room. There are several locker room with the one nearer the entrance being the biggest. Locker rental fees are not included in the entrance price to the park with a small locker costing $10 and a bigger locker costing $20. Lockers are reusable for the day. The small locker was sufficient to accommodate 2 overnight packs.

On the whole, I did enjoy the afternoon spent at Adventure Cove. Adventure Cove does pale in comparison to water theme parks overseas, however, I would say by local standard it is rather impressive (compared to previous water theme parks like Wild Wild Wet).

The entrance fee on $29 can be deemed to be hefty but judging by the decor of the park and the maintenance cost of it, the $29 seems reasonable. Plus, there were lifeguards at almost every turn to ensure everyone’s safety, so this also adds to operational cost. 

The Rides

The rides were all rather exhilarating. I visited on a Friday during the off peak season I presume (not during the school holidays) so the wait time for the rides were reasonable with me waiting no more than 20 minutes for each ride. However, most of the rides soon became one and the same as it involves sliding down with a float from above.

The rides are not too scary and you do not have to be a daredevil to attempt them, that being said, some might deem the adrenaline rush from the rides as being insufficient and might not get a thrill from them. Aside from the rides, there are other attractions like Ray Bay (additional cost required) and Adventure River. My favourite attraction would be Rainbow Reef, for those who have never tried snorkelling before, this could be a start. 

The toilets were all very clean for toilets in pools. Even a hygiene freak like me would feel comfortable with showering in them.

There are photographers around in the pools who would offer their services. What I like is that it is not compulsory to purchase the shots taken, you can review them at the Visitor Service Centre before making a decision. 

I left Adventure Cove with a nice bronze tan and a smile on my face.

Equarius Hotel (check-in and room)

We checked into Equarius Hotel after our trip to Adventure Cove, hoping to catch a rest before we head out for the night. We were already tired out at Adventure Cove and wanted to crash into our rooms as soon as possible.

This goal of ours was however impeded by our inability to find our hotel! The directions to Equarius Hotel were so poor, probably because it is still so new and we ended up walking around in circles! So for those considering staying there, follow the signs to ESPA and ESPA is located just beside the hotel. 

The stipulated check in time for the hotel is 3pm. We arrived slightly early and the hotel was flexible enough to allow us to check in and register. The service at Equarius Hotel was impeccable with well-groomed service staff. As we arrived early, the rooms were not ready and we were told to wait for a while. We headed over to the bar for a quick drink to cool ourselves down and to rehydrate.

Part of a sculpture at the reception area.

Forest 森

The bar was part of celebrity chef Sam Leong’s restaurant, Forest 森 and is the only disappointment I faced in RWS. The bartender that attended to us was simply inexperienced. From the picture, we ordered 2 bottles of Corona beer.

The Corona was served without a slice of lime and the bar tender poured out one bottle into the glass before asking us for our preference. We had to stop her before she poured the second bottle into the glass. I would think that a 5 star hotel would train their staff properly before allowing them to serve customers or least have a more experienced member of the team guiding the trainee.

After our drinks, we headed back to the check-in counter to enquire about the status of our room. They gave us several options and we took a room facing the forest on the highest floor. The hotel was like a maze as the lift to our rooms were not located at the hotel lobby as with most hotels, instead it is nestled in the middle of the first-floor rooms.

The beautiful foliage view from our room. 

The room was extremely plush and spacious. There is a small sofa and coffee table area on the other side of the room. The toilet has a long bath, a separate shower area with a rain shower, a toilet bowl and 2 sinks. For the vain or those who love to take self shots, good news is there is a huge mirror just above the long bath and many other mirrors in the toilet.

The bed was Sealy (I checked!) and was an extremely comfortable king sized bed. My only issue was the glass panel and you can look into the toilet from the room, it is good for couples, but perhaps not so for families with teenagers or friends on a staycation!

After a quick nap, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for Dinner and caught Addams Family! 

To be continued…