Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
48
a bab ysitter for y ou on r equest, though
most ask for at least 24 hours notice.
While almost all hotels have pools to keep
the kiddies cool and happy , none hav e
lifeguards on duty , and only one hotel,
Shangri-La's Rasa S entosa R esort, has
activity programs specifically for childr en.
See chapter 5 for mor
trip, the best places to take them ar e the
Singapore Zoo and N ight Safari, the S in-
gapore Science Centre, Underwater World
on Sentosa, and Escape Theme Park and
Wild Wild Wet, all of which are covered in
chapter 7. I can almost guarantee that
your teen(s) (and y ou) will hav e a gr eat
time at any of these attractions.
To locate accommodations, restaurants,
and attractions that ar e par ticularly kid
friendly, refer to the “Kids” icon through-
out this guide.
For a list of mor e family-friendly travel
resources, visit www
e information on
these hotels.
Children have their own special rates of
admission for just about ev ery attraction
and museum. The cutoff age for childr en
is usually 12 y ears of age, but if y our kids
are older, be sur e to ask if the attraction
has a student rate for teens. I f the kids get
antsy during the cultural aspects of y
.frommers.com/
planning.
our
9
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Sustainable tourism, meaning suppor ting
tourism effor ts that ar e pr otective of the
environment and respectful to indigenous
cultures, has become impor tant to many
travelers. S ince S ingapore is a v ery small
nation that is almost entirely defined by its
urban core, it has fe w natural resources to
either exploit or defend and vir tually no
native cultures to speak of. However, trav-
elers who ar e envir onmentally conscious
may find Singapore interesting in surpris-
ing ways. The government is responsive to
the call of envir onmentalists and has
designed and implemented a number of
innovative ways to solve the very real envi-
ronmental and r esource management
issues that plague countless urban centers
around the world.
Local legend has it that a pr ominent
monk warned (then) P rime M inister Lee
Kuan Yew that as S ingapore develops, he
must be car eful to pr otect the for ests.
According to the monk, Singapore, whose
name in S anskrit means “Lion City ,” gets
its power from the lions that once suppos-
edly roamed here. To take away the tr ees
will destr oy the lion 's habitat and for ce
him to mo ve else where. I t is a lesson in
feng shui that Lee took to hear t, as evi-
denced by the trees, shrubs, and flowering
plants that hav e been incorporated into
the urban design at almost ev ery turn.
To learn about S ingapore's unique
approach to envir onmental sustainability,
start at the
Marina Barrage,
260 M arina
Way (
&
65/6514-5959;
www.pub.gov.sg/
marina), the massiv e hy drodam that is
transforming S ingapore's do wntown city
core into the world 's largest urban r eser-
voir. The dam can be tour ed, but equally
interesting is the S ustainable S ingapore
Gallery located within the dam, a brilliant
display that outlines the go vernment's
efforts to ward envir onmental sustainabil-
ity. The gallery is open M onday to Friday
9am-6pm, but is closed on Tuesday. O n
Saturday and S unday it 's open 10am to
8pm. Admission is free and there is a fr ee
shuttle to the B arrage fr om M arina B ay
MRT.
In addition to water resource and waste
management, the S ingapore go vernment
has initiated monetar y incentives for land
developers that incorporate green technol-
ogy into the design and construction of all
new buildings, and to those who r enovate
3
