🇸🇬 Singapore With a Toddler: Our 5-Night, 6-Day Trip — Hotels, Costs, Food & Things We Actually Did
Singapore is one of those places that looks small on the map but can keep you surprisingly busy. But our trip was a little different.
We travelled to Singapore from 2 November 2024 to 7 November 2024, with 2 adults and our 1-year-old child. And honestly, this wasn’t one of those trips where we tried to squeeze 15 attractions into five days.
It was much more relaxed.
My wife had previously studied in Singapore at NAFA, and I had also visited Singapore back in 2008, so we weren’t really travelling like first-time tourists. My wife knew the streets, the transport and many of the places much better than I did.
So, naturally, I left most of the navigation to her. 😂
Our itinerary may therefore look a little… unhinged compared with a typical Singapore itinerary.
But that’s also what made the trip enjoyable.
We traveled slowly, ate well, spent plenty of time walking around, and most importantly, traveled at a pace that worked with a 2-year-old.
✈️ Before the Trip — Visa & Flights
🇸🇬 Singapore Visa
We applied for our Singapore visas through a private travel agent in our city.
- Visa cost: Around ₹3,500 per person
- Travellers: 2 adults + 1 child
Visa charges can change, so check the current requirements and fees before applying.
✈️ Delhi to Singapore
We flew Air India direct from Delhi to Singapore.
Flight timing:
Delhi — 10:55 PM
⬇️
Singapore — 6:55 AM
Our tickets cost around ₹21,000 per person.
The flight was convenient because the overnight timing meant we could arrive in Singapore in the morning and still have most of the day ahead of us.
🚕 Arriving in Singapore — One Important Tip If You Have a Small Child
We landed on time and booked a Grab to get into the city.
But here’s something I really want parents travelling to Singapore to know:
If you’re travelling with a small child, pay attention to the taxi rules.
You should book a kid-friendly taxi/ride option where required. Singapore is very strict about its regulations, and you may face problems boarding if the appropriate child-safety requirements aren’t met.
Also, remember that a taxi generally accommodates a maximum of four passengers.
Our taxi from the airport to the city cost around S$38.
So if you’re travelling with a family larger than four, plan your airport transfer accordingly rather than assuming everyone can fit into one regular taxi.
🏨 Our Hotel — Somerset Bencoolen
We stayed at Somerset Bencoolen for 5 nights.
This was a hotel apartment rather than a conventional hotel room, and for us, that made a huge difference.
The room had:
- Bedroom
- Kitchen
- Living space
- Hotel-style lobby
- Good overall facilities
💰 Cost
Around ₹14,000 per night.
Yes, it was on the expensive side.
But for us, it was absolutely worth it.
Our son was only two years old and wasn’t really eating outside food. So having a kitchen meant we could prepare his homemade porridge and other food whenever needed.
For parents travelling with a toddler who still needs homemade meals, I would strongly consider an apartment-style hotel.
📍 Location
The location was another major advantage.
- MRT was right outside/very close to the hotel
- The neighbourhood was quiet
- Taxi stand nearby
- A masjid was around a 3-minute walk away, on the same road
For us, it was pretty much the perfect combination.
😴 Day 1 — Surviving the Night Flight
We reached the hotel at around 8:00 AM.
Normally, I wouldn’t expect a hotel to give us a room that early.
But our son was crying and we were completely exhausted after the overnight flight. The receptionist was kind enough to give us the room early.
And honestly, we were seriously grateful.
We went inside, dropped everything and basically slept like logs. 😂
We woke up around 10:00 AM and finally started our Singapore adventure.
Our hotel booking did not include breakfast.
But because we had our own kitchen, that wasn’t really a problem.
☕ Breakfast at Toast Box
We went to Toast Box near NAFA College for breakfast.
We had the usual:
- Toast
- Bread
- Coffee
Nothing extravagant, but it was good and reasonably priced.
The hotel also offered breakfast, but I felt it was expensive, so I decided not to include it in our booking.
🛍️ Bugis Street — Shopping Begins!
After breakfast, we went for a stroll around Bugis Street.
If you’re looking for souvenirs and gifts, this is one of the places I would recommend checking out.
You’ll find all sorts of things:
- Small shops
- Gift shops
- Clothes
- Snacks
- Drinks and juices
- Small souvenirs
- Things you can take home for family and friends
And because there are so many little shops, you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune.
And here’s where my wife took over. 😂
My wife was a student at NAFA, so she knew the area much better than I did.
I basically left everything to her.
She knew the way.
She knew where things were.
And I was just following.
🇸🇬 Was Five Nights Too Much for Singapore?
Honestly?
For us, yes.
I felt that five nights was slightly too much for Singapore, especially because I’d already visited in 2008 and my wife had lived there as a student.
We weren’t trying to cover every tourist attraction.
Instead, we were travelling slowly and experiencing Singapore more like locals.
We walked around Chinatown, explored the streets, ate, shopped and simply enjoyed having a relaxed family holiday.
But if this is your first trip to Singapore, there are quite a few major attractions that you should consider.
Our list included:
- Universal Studios Singapore
- Night Safari — not worth it for us
- River Wonders — we missed it, although it looked good
- Borealis at Gardens by the Bay — must go
- Museum of Ice Cream — we went mainly because of our child, but enjoyed it
- Merlion Park
- Charles & Keith shopping — and my wife went absolutely crazy here! 😂
👠 Charles & Keith
If you like Charles & Keith, Singapore is a great place to shop.
My wife bought quite a lot.
According to her, the prices were seriously good compared with what we were used to.
🌙 Chinatown → Arab Street
After Chinatown and some relaxed street strolling, we headed back towards the hotel.
But for dinner, we went to Arab Street.
And guys, I would definitely recommend visiting Arab Street at night.
It’s lively, atmospheric and has plenty of halal food options.
The area around Kampong Glam and Bussorah Street is particularly nice in the evening.
🍖 Dinner at Tabbouleh Lebanese Restaurant
We ate at Tabbouleh Lebanese Restaurant, located at the corner of Bussorah Street in the Kampong Glam / Arab Street area.
We ordered lamb mandi.
And seriously…
It was too good.
The meat was tender, the flavour was excellent, and I absolutely loved it.
Our bill for two people was around S$70.
So, yes — it wasn’t cheap.
But I thought the food was good enough to justify it.
After dinner, we had some kunafa nearby.
By then it was around 11:00 PM, and the area was almost empty.
Actually, that turned out to be a good thing because we could take some nice photographs around the mosque without the usual crowds.
Then we headed back to the hotel.
🍦 Day 2 — Museum of Ice Cream & A Local Beach
We started the morning with our usual homemade breakfast.
And by usual, I mean:
our son had his porridge, his mother was happy because he was full, and I was just happy that we didn’t have to fight with a hungry toddler. 😂
Travelling with a two-year-old changes your priorities completely.
🍦 Museum of Ice Cream
Our first attraction of the day was the Museum of Ice Cream.
💰 Ticket
Around S$35 per person.
Children under 2 years old were free at the time of our visit.
If you haven’t been, think of it somewhat like teamLab Planets, but with an ice-cream theme.
There are different interactive and colourful rooms, and as you move through the experience, you get opportunities to stop and have ice cream.
And yes…
🍨 The ice cream is actually included!
There were also premium flavours available depending on the ticket package.
If you’re an ice-cream lover or travelling with children, I think you’ll have fun here.
Our son enjoyed it, and honestly, so did we.
We spent around one hour inside.
🚕 Getting There
One important practical point:
There wasn’t a convenient direct bus to the Museum of Ice Cream area from our hotel.
For us, taking a taxi was the easiest option, especially with a toddler.
🛍️ More Shopping & Charles & Keith
After the museum, we went back into shopping mode.
And once again, Charles & Keith was one of the main targets.
My wife was definitely getting her money’s worth out of this Singapore trip. 😂
🍛 Bismillah Biryani
Later, we returned to the hotel and ordered Bismillah chicken biryani and mutton biryani through Grab.
The food was good.
But according to my wife, there’s a difference between eating it at the restaurant and ordering it for takeaway.
She felt the restaurant version tasted better.
So if you’re planning to try it, I’d personally listen to her and eat it fresh at the restaurant.
🏖️ ECP — A Place More Locals Know
After that, we went to ECP – East Coast Park
This wasn’t one of the typical tourist attractions.
It was much more of a local, relaxed beach and barbecue area.
You have:
- Beach
- Barbecue pits/dugouts
- Walking areas
- Cycling
- Places to sit and relax
- 7-Eleven nearby
It’s the kind of place where you can just spend a few hours doing absolutely nothing.
And sometimes that’s exactly what you want on holiday.
There were plenty of bicycles around.
I believe the company was Go Cycling.
A normal bicycle was around S$7 per person for one hour, while a family bike for four was around S$30 per hour.
And yes…
The family bike requires some serious effort to pedal. 😂
After all that exercise, we went back to the hotel and ordered our old reliable:
🍔 McDonald’s
One thing that surprised me was that McDonald’s in Singapore is halal, so Muslim travellers can enjoy the burgers without the same concern you might have in some other countries.
And yes, I happily had my McDonald’s meal. 😂
🎬 Day 3 — Universal Studios Singapore
Today was Sentosa Island day.
And I really wanted to reach Universal Studios by 8:00 AM.
But…
My son wasn’t awake.
And my wife wasn’t letting me wake him up. 😂
So by the time we got ready, it was already around 10:00 AM.
And then, just to make things more interesting, the weather started looking gloomy.
I thought:
Come on! It’s Universal Studios. Let us enjoy!
Thankfully, the weather only cried a little. 😂
🚕 Taxi to Universal Studios
Because we were already late, I didn’t want to waste time figuring out public transport.
We took a taxi.
- Cost: Around S$13
- Travel time: Around 20 minutes
And we were finally there.
🎢 Universal Studios Singapore — Honest Opinion
First things first:
It’s small.
Don’t compare it with the Universal Studios parks in Los Angeles or Orlando.
This one is considerably smaller.
But that doesn’t mean it’s bad.
There are still plenty of rides, shows and attractions, including both thrill rides and family-friendly rides.
Because we had a 2-year-old child, we couldn’t simply leave him alone while we went on the bigger rides.
Luckily, some friends were also travelling with us. They had arrived in Singapore before us and were later going to Hua Hin.
Since my trip was entirely Singapore-focused — I didn’t want to keep changing destinations with a two-year-old — they helped us by keeping an eye on our son while we did some of the thrill rides.
So yes…
We actually managed to enjoy some proper rides too. 😎
🎢 The Thrill Rides
Some of the major rides we experienced/wanted to experience were:
- Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon
- Revenge of the Mummy
- Transformers: The Ride 3D
- Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
🚀 Battlestar Galactica
If you’re doing Battlestar, try to get the first row.
It’s a completely different experience.
I absolutely recommend it.
Unfortunately, Revenge of the Mummy was under maintenance during our visit, which was disappointing because I really wanted to ride it.
🌊 WaterWorld
One of the shows we watched was WaterWorld.
The show was around 2:00 PM, and after coming out, it was time for the Jurassic Park area.
I personally liked the Los Angeles version of WaterWorld more, but the Singapore version was still entertaining and worth watching.
And here’s a simple tip:
🥥 Get some coconut water!
There are coconut-water stalls around the park, and after walking around in the Singapore heat, it really hits the spot.
🍕 Lunch at Universal Studios
For lunch, we had prawn pizza at a restaurant near the Jurassic Park area.
It was good and worked well for a quick meal while exploring the park.
🕌 Halal Food at Universal Studios
Some restaurants that were listed as halal-certified during our visit included:
- Oasis Spice Café
- Mel’s Drive-In
- Goldilocks Fried Chicken
- Friar’s
- Marty’s Casa Del Wild
Important: Halal certification can change, so don’t blindly rely on an old travel blog or an old list.
If you’re particular about certification, ask the restaurant staff to confirm the current halal status.
🤖 Don’t Miss Megatron!
This was one of my favourite little experiences at Universal Studios.
Go to the Transformers area and find Megatron.
He basically insults you while you’re trying to take a picture with him. 😂
Seriously, don’t just walk past.
Get a picture.
Let Megatron insult you.
It’s hilarious.
🌆 Back to Bugis
We left Universal Studios at around 5:00 PM.
After a long day, we took a taxi back to the hotel and rested for a while.
For dinner, we went to a hawker centre in Bugis, within walking distance from our hotel.
We had rendang and roti paratha.
And surprisingly, it was really good.
After a full day at Universal Studios, it was exactly the kind of simple dinner we needed.
🛍️ Day 4 — Shopping, Bingsu & A Surprise for My Wife
Day 4 was basically our shopping day.
We went back to Bugis in the morning to buy gifts for family and friends.
And yes…
There was a LOT of shopping. 😂
Bugis is really convenient for this because you can find lots of small gifts and inexpensive things without having to spend a fortune.
🍗 Lunch at Nando’s
After shopping, we went for lunch at Nando’s.
It was good, as always.
But then my wife introduced me to something I had never really paid attention to before:
🍧 Korean Bingsu
Guys…
Try it.
I didn’t know much about it.
My wife did.
And she was right.
It was really good.
🌌 Borealis at Gardens by the Bay
After a lot more shopping, we went back to the hotel because I had a little surprise planned for my wife.
In the evening, we met one of my wife’s friends who is a local and had studied with her at NAFA.
We had dinner at Noosh Restaurant.
It is halal, and if you visit, I would recommend trying their:
- Butter Beer
- Steak
Both were really good.
I don’t remember the exact bill because my wife’s friend paid for dinner. 😊
✨ Borealis
After dinner, we took a taxi to Gardens by the Bay to watch Borealis.
The show was good, and one of the best things is that it’s free to watch.
Afterwards, you can walk around the area and enjoy the views.
We also walked along the Orchard Bridge and took in the scenery.
🦁 Merlion Park — Almost Empty!
After Gardens by the Bay, we took the MRT directly towards Merlion Park.
By the time we arrived, it was around 10:00 PM.
And here’s the funny thing:
The place was almost empty.
For a tourist, this was actually fantastic.
We got some of the best photographs of the trip without having to fight through crowds.
Eventually, we said goodbye to my wife’s friend and took a bus back towards the hotel.
❤️ A Surprise Hotel Stay
Now comes the reason I had been keeping the evening secret.
I had planned a little surprise for my wife.
We weren’t going back to our usual hotel for the final night.
Instead, we were going to Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa.
So after getting back, we started packing.
And let me tell you…
After all the Bugis shopping, packing was not easy. 😂
There were shopping bags everywhere.
🍝 A Late Dinner Near NAFA
We had eaten dinner earlier, but because we were packing and still wanted something light, we had pasta at a small restaurant near NAFA called The BiG Cheese.
It was good and halal.
Then we finally got everything packed for our Sentosa stay.
🌴 Day 5 — Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa
At around 11:00 AM, we checked out and headed towards Sentosa for our final hotel stay.
I had booked a:
🌊 Panoramic Sea View Room
Cost: Around ₹20,000 for one night
When we reached the reception, my son received crayons and a Shangri-La mascot toy.
He absolutely loved it.
And once again, because of our little one, we were lucky enough to get our room early. 😂
🛏️ The Room
The room was spacious.
The view was fantastic.
There was a bathtub.
Everything about the hotel was good.
But the real highlight for us was downstairs.
🏊 The Pool — Perfect for Kids
If you’re travelling with young children, the pool here is fantastic.
There was a dedicated kids’ area, small showers and plenty of space for children to play.
Our son absolutely loved it.
He was having the time of his life.
The problem?
He didn’t want to leave. 😂
Eventually, we managed to get him out and went towards the hotel’s private beach.
🏖️ Private Beach
The private beach was around a 5-minute walk from the pool area.
There are various activities and water sports available, but because we were travelling with a two-year-old, we didn’t really get to try them.
That’s one of the realities of travelling with a toddler.
You plan activities…
And your toddler decides the schedule. 😂
🚌 Free Hotel Bus to VivoCity
After spending time at the hotel, we took the free hotel bus to VivoCity Mall.
It was a good mall, and it also had Daiso, which is always useful if you’re looking for inexpensive little things.
We also found halal burgers at Burgs.
We bought takeaway and took it back to the hotel so we could eat comfortably with our child.
✈️ Day 6 — Last Day in Singapore
And suddenly…
It’s time to go home.
Our flight was:
Singapore — 11:00 PM
⬇️
Delhi — 2:10 AM
The good thing about having a late-night flight was that we still had almost the entire day in Singapore.
🍳 One Last Breakfast at Shangri-La
We started the day with breakfast.
And honestly…
It was fantastic.
There was a huge variety of food, and there were halal options as well, so we didn’t have to worry about finding something suitable.
You could easily eat your fill here.
While my wife was still enjoying breakfast — apparently pancakes and desserts were taking priority 😂 — my son and I went swimming.
We spent around an hour in the pool.
By the time we came out, it was already around 11:30 AM.
👋 Meeting Another Friend at Bugis
We checked out and left our bags at the hotel.
Then we took the MRT towards VivoCity and from there went towards Bugis to meet another of my wife’s friends.
We met up, had some food at a nearby stall and she caught up with her friend.
Meanwhile…
I was looking after the kid. 😂
Classic family holiday division of labour.
🐠 A Last-Minute Visit to Sea Aquarium
We still had time before our flight.
So naturally, we thought:
Why not go back to Sentosa? 😂
We headed to the S.E.A. Aquarium.
It was already close to closing time, around 4:00 PM, and we managed to get a fantastic deal:
🎟️ Around S$30 for two people
That was a very good price.
The aquarium itself was really good.
We saw:
- Sharks
- Seahorses
- Dolphins
- Jellyfish
- Plenty of other marine life
If you’re travelling with children, I’d definitely consider adding it to your Singapore itinerary.
🍛 One Last Singapore Meal
After leaving the aquarium, we had some food at the International Food Court.
There were several food stalls, but the halal option we found was the Malaysian stall.
I ordered meat canai roti with curry.
💰 Cost: S$5
And honestly?
It was expensive for what it was.
Also, make sure you specifically ask for meat.
Otherwise, you may just get the canai roti and curry without the meat.
Still, it was a nice final Singapore snack before heading to the airport.
✈️ Singapore → Delhi
We went back to the hotel, collected our bags and took a cab directly to Changi Airport.
Our flight was from Terminal 2, not Terminal 1.
And this brings me to one of my final Singapore tips.
💧 Don’t Forget Jewel Changi!
If you’re flying from Terminal 2 and want to see the famous Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi, be prepared for some walking.
From our terminal, it took around 20 minutes each way to reach the Rain Vortex area.
So we:
Checked our bags → walked to Jewel → took pictures → walked back.
And yes…
It was pure madness.
But I did it anyway.
Because…
Why not? One more tourist spot before going home! 😂
💳 Tax Refund & Airport Shopping Tip
If you’re shopping in Singapore, remember to check whether your purchases qualify for the GST/tax refund.
And don’t forget to look at the promotions available at Changi Airport.
There was also a Singapore airport promotion around our visit that offered S$10 to spend at the airport, depending on eligibility and the promotion running at the time.
These offers change, so check the official Changi Airport website before your trip.
Estimated Trip Expense Breakdown
So the total budget for this trip if Singapore was around 90000 per person , well it can be done in less also , but i doubt as we haven’t done many popular tourist spots , like mandai wildlife and all , still if you want a good singapore trip , 90k is a good budget for
| Category | Item / Description | Approx. Cost |
| Visas | Singapore Visa (2 Adults + 1 Child via Agent) | ~₹10,500 total (~₹3,500/person) |
| Flights | Air India Direct (Delhi ⇄ Singapore) | ~₹63,000 total (~₹21,000/person) |
| Hotels | Somerset Bencoolen (5 Nights) | ~₹70,000 total (~₹14,000/night) |
| Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa (1 Night, Panoramic Sea View) | ~₹20,000 total | |
| Attractions | Universal Studios Singapore | ~S$160 total (S$80/person) |
| Museum of Ice Cream (Free for child under 2) | ~S$70 total (S$35/person) | |
| S.E.A. Aquarium (Late afternoon ticket deal) | ~S$30 for two | |
| Borealis at Gardens by the Bay | Free | |
| Merlion Park | Free | |
| Activities | Family Quadricycle / Bicycle Rental at East Coast Park (Go Cycling) | ~S$7 – S$15 / hour |
| Food & Dining | Tabbouleh Lebanese Restaurant (Lamb Mandi) | ~S$70 (for 2 adults) |
| Meat Canai Roti & Curry (Airport / International Food Court) | S$5 | |
| Toast Box, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Burgs, Bingsu | Variable (Casual dining / Hawkers) | |
| Transport | Airport Transfer Grab / Taxi to City | ~S$38 |
| Taxi to Universal Studios (Sentosa) | ~S$13 | |
| MRT & Walking | Pay-per-ride / Contactless |
🇸🇬 Final Thoughts on Our Singapore Trip
And that’s it.
2 November 2024 → 7 November 2024
2 adults + 1 toddler
Six days in Singapore.
Was it packed?
No.
Did we cover every tourist attraction?
Definitely not.
Did we travel efficiently?
Probably not. 😂
But did we enjoy it?
Absolutely.
Because we weren’t really travelling as typical tourists.
I had already visited Singapore in 2008, and my wife had actually studied at NAFA, so she knew the city far better than I did.
We were basically travelling like locals because of her.
And travelling with a two-year-old also meant slowing down, taking breaks, preparing homemade food, going back to the hotel and sometimes simply letting the child enjoy a swimming pool for an hour.
And honestly, that’s okay.
Not every holiday needs to be a checklist.
Sometimes the best trips are the ones where you don’t rush.
💡 My Singapore Tips From This Trip
👶 Travelling with a toddler?
Pay attention to Singapore’s child-safety and taxi rules. Book the appropriate child-friendly option when required.
🏨 Consider a serviced apartment.
If your child needs homemade food, having a kitchen can make life dramatically easier.
🛍️ Go to Bugis for affordable shopping.
Especially if you’re looking for small gifts and souvenirs.
🥘 Arab Street is worth visiting at night.
Great atmosphere and plenty of halal food choices.
🎢 Universal Studios is fun, but don’t compare its size with Orlando or LA.
🤖 Visit Megatron.
Seriously. Let him insult you. 😂
✨ Don’t miss Borealis at Gardens by the Bay.
It’s free and makes for a great evening experience.
🏊 Travelling with kids?
A hotel with a good children’s pool can sometimes be more valuable than another sightseeing attraction.
💧 Going to Jewel Changi?
Allow plenty of walking time, especially if you’re departing from another terminal.
And most importantly…
Don’t try to see everything.
Singapore is small enough to explore without rushing, and travelling slowly can make the trip much more enjoyable—especially when you’re travelling with a toddler.
Until the next trip…
Travel With Shez ✈️❤️