SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA ITINERARY 2015

My son opted for a LEGOLAND Malaysia trip to celebrate his 7th Birthday.  We were there just last year, so planning this one was easy.  

The plan was simple, reach Malaysia via Singapore, stay overnight in LegoLand Malaysia (LLM) leave and stay one night at Sentosa in Singapore for a quick visit to Universal Studio.

Here is our itinerary:

Day 1 - LEGOLAND Malaysia - Water Park

• 5am - Early flight from Manila to Changi Singapore
• 10am - Arrive at Changi Airport
• 11am - Travel to Legoland Johor Bahru, Malaysia via a pre-arranged private taxi.  We used SGMY taxi services, the same one we used in our last visit.  We had a very good experience hiring them last year ~ easy and really hassle free!
• 1230pm - Arrived at LLM Hotel.  Check-in is at 4pm, so we just deposited our luggage and got our 2 days combo tickets. 

 

 

• I pre-booked the LLM  Hotel and got the ticket via the LLM website.  The 2 days combo ticket allows multiple entries to both the LEGOLAND Themepark and LEGOLAND Waterpark for 2 consecutive days.
• 1pm - Lunch at PanCake House at the Mall of Medini.
• 2-5pm - LL Waterpark.  I packed our wetsuits and change of clothes in a separate bag, so we don't have to open our other luggage. We got a CABANA like we did before.

• A half day cabana rental costs MYR180. Each cabana has two deluxe chair lounges and seating chairs, two complimentary towels, safe deposit box, mini refrigerator and a table.  It also has free wifi access, plus bottled water and soda.

(Check out our LL Waterpark trip from last year:  LLM Waterpark)       

• 4pm  - Left the waterpark to check-in and rest for a while before dinner. The boys were tired from the early morning flight and swimming.

 

• 6pm - Dinner at Burger King the Mall of Medini.
• 7pm - Early retreat.  

Day 2 - LEGOLAND Malaysia - Theme Park

• 8am - Breakfast at the Bricks

• 930am - Off to LLM Theme park. The park opens at 10am, but LLM Hotel guests are allowed to enter 30 minutes earlier. Note: We had to check-out before leaving the hotel. Our bags were deposited at LLM Hotel's luggage storage. 
• 6pm - Left LLM Hotel. I have arranged for an SGMY taxi pick-up at LLM and drop off at Movenpick Sentosa Singapore
• 730pm -  Check-in at Movenpick Heritage Hotel our home for the night. Dinner was at the Imbiah Station, which is just across the hotel. 

Day 3 - Universal Studio Singapore (USS)

• 830am -  Early check-out. Left our luggage at the hotel luggage storage for pick-up.  Before leaving we requested assistance from the concierge for a taxi booking at 330pm to take us to the airport.  
• 9am - Breakfast at McDonald's Forum Mall, Resorts World

 

• 10am - USS Theme park. I realize that USS is more enjoyable off peak season.  We were able to cover more rides this time, compared to our December USS trip, that considering we only stayed 5 hours this time (compared to our 9-9pm last time). 

• 3pm - Left USS.
• 330pm - On the dot, left the hotel for Changi for our late night flight.
• 8pm - Flight back to Manila. 

It was a busy and fun packed 3 days at LLM and USS.  

I will post updates of our SG-MY 2015 trip on our budget and will try to provide additional tips, that hopefully will help you in planning yours.


Meanwhile, you can also check below blog post from our SG-MY trip from last December 2014: SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA ITINERARY 2014
 

Legoland Water Park

 

 Picture this: A Lego themed water park!!!

 

My boys literally went gaga, when they heard of waterpark and Lego in one sentence...

 

LEGOLAND's WaterPark boasts of 20 thrilling slides and more than 70 Lego models.

 

 

LEGOLAND WATER PARK

 

 

 

 

Attractions included:

• Build a Raft River - a lazy river type pool, which my boys totally enjoyed.
• Duplo-Splash Safari - a water play area for the younger kids
• In the Imagination Station - there are interactive tables where kids can build stuffs
• Joker Soaker - is an interactive playground, built to get you wet (BIGTIME!)
• The Lego Wave Pool - the pool generates gentle waves for all ages. 
• Older kids, would definitely have swell time trying the water park specialized  tube slides such as:  Red Rush, Twin Chasers, Brick Blasters, Splash and Swirl, Tidal Wave, Slide Racers

  

LAZY RIVER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIPS:

• Bring lots of sunscreen. Did I mention, how scorching hot it is?

 

• There are very few picnic tables and benches around. The park can get pretty much crowded; and the humid (with occasional thunder storms) Malaysian weather doesn't help much, I really recommend you rent a cabana.  

 

A half day cabana rental costs MYR150, while a day rental costs MYR280.  I know it is somewhat expensive, but it was so worth it. 

 

 

THE "Elephant" CABANA

 

Price is inclusive of Cabana rental, with mini refrigerator, electric fan, safety deposit box, 2 lounge chair, 2 lounge bed, 2 huge Legoland towels, 10 bottled drinks and wifi.  There was also a host ready to assist the Cabana guests for food orders and other needs.

I had a lovely time in the Cabana, while the boys ran wild all over the park.

• Best to come on a weekday to avoid the crowd. I also noticed it was less crowded in the mornings, so best if you can come early.

(Photo grab from Legoland Malaysia website.)

• We bought our water park tickets through the Legoland Malaysia website. The site has regular promotions such as combo-tickets and  special rates online and advance purchases. 

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Also planning to visit the Legoland Theme Park, check out our Legoland adventure here: Legoland Theme Park, consider also staying at the Legoland Hotel.

Singapore - Malaysia Budget

Sharing our expenses during our December 2014, 8D/7N travel to Singapore - Malaysia.

I admit our budget is nothing close to frugal travelling, but will try to add notes, on how you can possibly save and make the most of your hard earned money. 

Prices are in Philippine Pesos (using Php34 per SGD conversion) as of December 2014 and are broken down by day (except for hotel and combo tickets costs) based on our itinerary.  Cost is for 2 adults and 2 children, ages 6 and 10.

Since we travelled on a peak season, airfare and hotel prices were obviously higher. You would be able to save a lot if you choose to travel on a non-peak season.


If you have very little options and decided still to travel on a holiday, I suggest you book your airfare and hotel accommodations at least six (6) months in advance.  It is very rare that airlines and hotels will even lower their rates during peak seasons (which based on what I have seen starts 16th of December, all the way to the Chinese New Year). Remember: The earlier you book the more you will save.



I. AIRFARE

For 2 adults and 2 children is P 47,000 via Philippine Airlines (Booking PAL later on proves to be a wise decision, since Cebu Pacific had issues on numerous cancelled and delayed flights last December). 


II. TRANSPORTATION
Travel by taxi proved to be both efficient and convenient.  The attractions are not necessarily right next to the MRT or Bus station and still requires quite a bit of walking, which is strenuous if you are towing children.  Travel by taxi is roughly SGD15-20 from Orchard area to most of the tourists' attractions.  

III. FOOD
Price depends where you eat. Cost is expectedly more expensive inside resorts and parks.  I have noticed that most locals bring water container and refills it once empty. 

Meals at hawker center is about SGD5-8 per viand, while prices at fast food restaurants cost SGD15-20. Hotel buffets range from expensive at SGD25-30 (for breakfast) to SGD80-100 (for lunch and dinner).  Note that prices are higher for holiday lunch and dinner.


IV. HOTEL

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
ROYAL PLAZA ON SCOTTS (ORCHARD) - SUPERIOR ROOM - 4 NIGHTS	32,000.00	This hotel is located in Orchard area.  It is very accessible to public transport and taxi fare is never more than SGD20 in most of Singapore's tourists' attractions.  At P8,000/day, we get free mini-bar (replenished daily) and wifi access for multiple devices. BTW, we have been upgraded to a Royal Premier Suite, which gave us access to the Royal club which included free buffet breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner for two.
LEGOLAND MALAYSIA - 1 NIGHT	19,000.00	Rate is for a Standard Room and included buffet breakfast for 4 and two days combo tickets to the Legoland Wetpark and Themepark. We were again upgraded to a Premier Suite.  To make the most out of your Legoland visit I strongly suggest you get a two days combo pass (however, this is only available to hotel guests).
FESTIVE HOTEL RESORTS WORLD - 2 NIGHTS	29,000.00	Total cost is for a Deluxe Family Room and included tickets for 2 adults to SEA Aquarium, Universal Studio and Adventure Cove. Reservations was done through a Mastercard Promotion.

DAY 1 - SINGAPORE CITY

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
Asia Travel 3 in 1 combo ticket  - Adult P2400 / Child  P1800	8,400.00	Singapore Flyer, Ducktour and Gardens  by the Bay entrance to the twin conservatories

DAY 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND MALAYSIA

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
Singapore - Malaysia - Singapore via SGMYTaxi Private Transfers	7,140.00	There aree cheaper options of travel from Singapore to Malaysia, but we opted for a door to door private transfer.  Cost is SGD105 per way.
Tickets to Legoland Themepark and Wetpark inclusive in the	n/a	Included in our hotel cost.
Cabana Rental	3,220.00	Rental is not necessary, but very nice to have.  Cost is MYR280 for a whole day use.  Inclusive of Cabana rental, with mini refrigerator, electric fan, safety deposit box, 2 lounge chair, 2 lounge bed, 2 huge Legoland towels, 10 bottled drinks and wifi.

DAY 4 - JURONG BIRD PARK and SCIENCE CENTRE

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
Park Hopper Special 2 in 1	5,800.00	If you intend to do multiple zoo attractions, I suggest bookings online via zoo.com website and avail of their park hopper special.  We bought Jurong Bird Park and Singapore Day Zoo combo.
Combo Science Center with Transformer Exhibit Tickets	3,672.00	We bought the tickets directly at the Science Center complex.  Adult - SGD32 / Child SGD22

DAY 5 - SINGAPORE ZOO

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
Zoo Entrance	n/a	Included in the park hopper ticket.
Breakfast with the Orangutans	3,672.00	My boys enjoyed breakfast with Singapore Zoo's resident orangutans.  Adult SGD32 / Child SGD22

DAY 6 - SENTOSA

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
Sentosa Day Pass	10,064.00	The Sentosa Day Pass gives you single entry access to more than 20 attractions in Sentosa. Adult - SGD79/Child - SGD69.

DAY 7 AND 8 - UNIVERSAL STUDIO and SEA AQUARIUM

ITEM	PRICE	REMARKS
Universal Studio Singapore (USS) and SEA Aquarium combo tickets through Asia Travel	4,624.00	Our USS and SEA Aquarium adult ticket came free with our Festive Hotel bookings, so we only bought USS and SEA Tickets for our children. Cost is SGD68 per child.

Please see also the detailed itinerary of our Singapore-Malaysia travel. 

"SINGAPORE - MALAYSIA Itinerary and Tips (8D/7N)".


I hope you find this helpful as you plan your own Singapore-Malaysia adventure.  Let me know if you have questions, will try my best to answer them for you.

Legoland Hotel ~ Lego fanatics Dream Hotel!

To complete the LEGOLAND Theme Park experience, we have decided to stay over night at the Legoland Hotel.




Legoland Park is located in Malaysia's Southernmost city Johor Bahru, which is an hour away by land travel from Singapore. 


THE TRAVEL

We went here via a private taxi "SGMYtaxi", I booked on-line.  SGMY is efficient and travel is convenient and hassle free.

Note: You need not pay anything right away. Payment is made in cash after reaching your destination.


The owner Mr. KY is very easy to talk to and very generous, if I may add.  Our ride was upgraded from a Toyota Innova to a Toyota Alphard.

THE HOTEL

The Legoland Hotel is located right next the Legoland Park and WaterPark. With a two days combo park and waterpark tickets, hotel guests can leave and enter both parks anytime for two consecutive days, so you are assured you get the most out your vacation.

The moment we entered the hotel confines, I immediately felt the
excitement from my boys eyes.  My youngest rushed to the lobby and started digging in a pool of Lego blocks to start building!


The hotel's lobby alone was enough reason to visit the hotel. 

The boys were pleasantly surprised to find Lego mascots and toy models.  The discotheque elevator was also a welcomed surprise.


The fun doesn't end there.  We have been upgraded to an Adventure Themed Premium Room.  The room is huge, with a separate sleeping area (which my youngest called the "double-decker couch") for the kiddos.

The room has 2 televisions, 1 in the adult room and another at the kid's sleeping area - so there is no fighting over the television remote.

All rooms invite kids and kids at heart to a Treasure Hunt.  My boys gamely took the challenge and immediately started with their treasure hunt.

Other plus:

• Each room also contains a Lego bucket to busy the kids.
• Aside from the basic amenities,  kids get to have their own bathroom sink.
• Splendid View of the LEGOLAND Park 

 

 

• Room packages also comes with a buffet breakfast for 4 at The Brick.

VERDICT 
(Warning:  My boys are Lego fans, my review can be a bit favorable).

My boys love LEGOLAND Malaysia.  They had so much fun at the Legoland Park and my youngest won't leave the Water Park.

That being said I think there are still room for improvements, especially on the following areas:

• Food - they serve mostly Malaysian and Indian food, which were quite spicy to for our liking. If the hotel food was a miss, you may try Medini Mall  located right next to Legoland Hotel. There are a number of Western Restaurants at Medini - we were able to try Secret Recipe.
• Check-in is at 4pm, while Check-out is at 11am. Early check-in is highly appreciated. 

Staying at the Legoland Hotel (LH) is more costly than staying at nearby hotels, but we find it more convenient staying at LH.

• LH is just a few hops away the Theme park and the Water park.
• The 2 days combo ticket is  exclusive to hotel guests.
• Guests can enter the park 30minutes earlier than other patrons.

And the experience staying in a Lego themed hotel, is really priceless.

For Legoland Hotel bookings and inquiries, please visit their webpage: LEGOLAND MALAYSIA

Legoland Malaysia (A Dream come true for Lego Fans)

Legoland Malaysia is a dream come true for Lego lovers and fanatics. The park is located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia's southern most city.  It is actually closer to Singapore than Kuala Lumpur, hence the suggested point of entry is via Singapore. 


The Park is divided in 6 major zones. These are (counter-clockwise): 

1. Lego City is where you can find most of the kiddie rides and attractions.  

• Lego Rescue Academy*. The boys love this family firemen role-play competion with other families.  My boys did all the work, as I cheer them on.  Of course, we WON!!!

 

• Lego City Airport. My son piloted a plane while I co-pilot.

  

• Boating School*.  The boats were quite difficult to navigate.  My eldest was very good at it, while my husband and youngest struggled a bit...

My serious boat captain.

• The Driving School* was one of my boys' favorite attractions.  My youngest was quite proud to drive his first Lego car and get his own Lego driver's license after (He wore it the entire duration of our Singapore-Malaysia vacation. Yup, even in USS - check out his USS picture with his Papa here).  

• Junior Driving School for toddlers (pass).

• The Shipyard is a playground for younger children (pass).

• The LEGOLAND Express* is a mini train that goes around the park.  It is a good and easy way to tour the park, while resting your tired feet.

2. Land of Adventure takes you to:

• Lost Kingdom Adventure* is a ride to an Egyptian-themed landscape on board a jungle vehicle, while armed with laser blaster.  Your goal: to shoot enemy mummies and tomb creatures.

• Beetle Bounce (pass)

• Dino Island* is a river raft jump ride similar to Enchanted Kingdom's Jungle Log Jump (pass)

• Pharaoh's Revenge is a play gym for small children (pass) 

3. Imagination is a place for Lego fans creative minds. Here guests can bring their imaginings to life. 

• Kid Power Tower you pull yourself up to get a vista of the park (tiring - pass).

• Observation Tower is actually an observation deck, that gives you a 360 degrees view of the park.

• Lego Studio** is a LEGOLAND's theatre showing Lego movies with 4D features.  If you have time suggest you watch all the movies.  Click here for the latest schedule - Lego Studio Shows.

• Duplo Play Town is an interactive playground for small children (pass)

• Duplo Express is a mini train for much smaller children (pass).

4. Lego Kindgoms is a legend and myths themed zone. 

• Forestmen's Hideout is a play gym for school age children (pass). 

• Dragon Apprentice* is mini roller coaster ride for school age children.

Courtesy of LEGOLAND Malaysia webpage.

• Royal Joust is a medieval contest on a Lego horse.  Boys particularly loved riding the Lego horses all dressed up in medieval outfit. 

• Merlin Challenge is a high speed carousel (pass).

• The Dragon is Dragon Apprentice's mommy.  It is a huge roller coaster for thrill seekers. None of my boys wanted to ride with me after the Dragon Apprentice experience (pass). 

5. Lego Technic has action packed rides and exciting workshops for older children.  

• Technic Twister you spin the wheel to control your ride (pass)

• AQUAZONE is a wave surf type of ride, where viewers can water bomb riders (pass - not cool, unless you want to get wet)

• Project X* is an 18 meters high crazy ride. I so wanted to ride this one, but you know about the Dragon Apprentice experience already, so I would no longer elaborate (pass).

• Lego Star Wars Miniland* is the latest of Legoland's attractions.   The park has recreated various scenes from the Star Wars  movie.  On display are about 2000+ well known Star Wars models  and iconic scenes.

6. Mini Land* is the center piece of  the LEGOLAND theme park.  We were awestruck to learn it took LEGOLAND Master Builders three years and 30 Million Lego Bricks to recreate some of Asia's best known landmarks. 

We so Love LEGOLAND where everything is Awesome!

Please check LEGOLAND Malaysia website on how to get there, pricing and latest promotions -
LEGOLAND MALAYSIA WEBSITE.

Must see attractions and rides are in "*", meanwhile we did not ride attractions labelled "pass".

Feel free to ask me questions about LEGOLAND Malaysia, I would be happy to help.

SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA DAY 2 & 3 (LEGOLAND)

My boys are Lego fanatics.  LEGOLAND Malaysia, which is located at Johor Bahru, which is about 1 hour travel by land from Singapore was an obvious must in our itinerary. 

Although Legoland is just an hour away from Singapore, clearing immigration and  the volume of travelers going to and fro Singapore and Malaysia can be a nightmare at times, which can easily add another hour or so to your travel time.

We have 3 travel options in getting to Malaysia from Singapore: public SG-MY cab, bus or private transfers.  Again we opted for convenience and booked a door-to-door transfer from Singapore to Malaysia and back.

DAY 2 (LEGOLAND PARK)

Our Day 2 starts with an early check-out from Royal Plaza on Scotts (RPoS). We deposited our luggage and brought only our Malaysia bags (Note: I packed a separate bag for Malaysia, so we do not have to bring everything back and forth).

• 7am - Check-out at RPoS. Check out was a breeze. Before leaving I informed reception that we would be returning late the following day and requested for same room configuration (separate beds).
• Breakfast was at Starbucks, Pacific Plaza located near RPoS.
• 8am - SGMY Transfers pick up arrived and left Singapore soon after.  Travel was fast, but immigration was a bummer.  It took us about an hour to clear immigrations.
• 10am - Arrived at Legoland Malaysia.  Deposited our bags at Legoland Hotel and claimed our park tickets.  We availed of 2 days Legoland Park and Water Park combo tickets, which allowed unlimited entry to both parks for 2 days.
• 1030am - Legoland Park invasion begins.
• 4pm - Went back to the hotel to rest our tired feet.
• 6pm - Dinner at Secret Recipe, Medini Mall located right next to Legoland Hotel.
• 7pm - Return to Legoland Park for the Christmas Tree lighting.

For details of our LEGOLAND Park Adventure, please click here:  Legoland Malaysia (Dream coome true for Lego fans - for children and kid's at heart)

DAY 3 (LEGOLAND WATER PARK)

• 7am - Breakfast at The Bricks came free with our package.
• 8am - Packed our bags for travel back to Singapore (pick-up at 530pm).  One good thing about private transfers is you get to choose the time of pick up.  We were able to fully enjoy and make the most of our Legoland trip, without the hassle or fear of missing our transportation).
• 9am - Check-out from Legoland Hotel.
• 930am - Enter Legoland Park (Note:  Hotel guests are allowed 30 minutes earlier entry to the park).    
• 10am - Entered the Legoland Water Park. We got ourselves a Cabana (MYR280) for some privacy and a place to relax.  Included in the cabana rental are: 4 bottled water, 2 soda cans, 2 juice bottles, wifi access and 2 huge Legoland towels.  The  cabana also has 2 lounge chairs, 2 lounge beds, a safety deposit box, an electric fan and a mini-refrigerator to store your drinks.  There is also a roving resort staff to take-in food orders in case you get hungry.
• 330pm - Left the water park, much to my youngest son's dismay.  He really enjoyed the water park more than the theme park.  
• 4pm - Ate our Dinner at The Market Restaurant, Legoland Park.
• 5pm - Last minute Lego shopping before returning to the hotel to retrieve our deposited luggage.
• 6pm - Bye-bye Legoland, with a promise to the boys that we will be returning.
• 8pm - Arrived in Singapore and Check-in at RPoS. 

Days 2 and 3 - SUCCESS!

Check out the rest of our Singapore-Malaysia journey here:
Day 1 - Singapore City
Day 2 and 3 - LEGOLAND Malaysia
Day 4 - Jurong Bird Park and Science Center
Day 5 - Singapore Zoo (with breakfast with the Orangutans)
Day 6 - Sentosa Island
Day 7 - Universal Studio Singapore 
Day 8 - SEA Aquarium and Vivo City