Your last-minute family staycation ideas for the June school holidays

SINGAPORE — The mid-year school holidays are almost here (they start next week, in fact!), but you have nothing planned at all. When you’re pressed for time and in desperate need of a break, do you really want to go through the trouble of looking for flights and hotels to make that quick escape?

I don’t. I just want the most efficient way possible to get myself onto a deck chair by an infinity pool, stat. Enter the fuss-free staycation — no queues, no hassle and no headache.

And I found it when I stayed at The Westin Singapore recently. The hotel, located at Asia Square Tower 2, isn’t the typical staycation venue — for one, it’s in the Central Business District. Still, it was absolutely relaxing to breeze into the CBD on a Saturday to see tonnes of empty car park lots waiting for your humble carriage.

The hotel is also only an S$11 Grabcar ride away from Sentosa so I took the opportunity to head to the Southeast Asia Aquarium with my toddler for a jaunt in the afternoon. When it came to dinner, Lau Pat Sat opposite The Westin Singapore was pleasantly sparse before 7pm. No need to jostle, perspire and feel annoyed with humanity. Bliss.

And yes, there was nothing quite as carefree as waking up without feeling the need to do weekend chores or seeing toys scattered all over the floor. The rest of the day passed in a leisurely blur: Buffet spread — check. Infinity pool dip — check. Watching TV and eating cookies while lying in Westin’s renowned 12.5-inch Heavenly Bed (100,000 mattresses sold, and counting, according to a Wall Street Journal 2015 report) — check, check, check.

You can understand why staycations are a perennial favourite with Singaporeans as they’re a convenient, last-minute alternative to fall back on. Data from Hotels.com showed that searches for staycations in Singapore grew by 87 per cent from 2014 to 2015. There’s also been a 14 per cent increase in searches for staycations during the June holidays in 2016, compared to the same search period last year (from January 1 to May 15).

“In order to better adapt to the growing market for staycations, the travel industry is looking for ways to provide more options for the public,” said Katherine Cole, regional director at Hotels.com (Singapore, Australia & New Zealand). “For instance, at Hotels.com we have a staycation landing page which highlights the latest promotions for locals.”

This view is shared by Arthur Kiong, CEO of Far East Hospitality. “We see a rising trend in the increase of Singaporean families opting for weekend staycations as an affordable alternative to an overseas vacation. Families, especially those with younger children, enjoy staycations as it is a holiday without the fuss of arranging a trip out of the country,” he said, adding that Far East Hospitality hotels like Village Hotel Changi have seen over 50 per cent growth in staycation numbers from 2013 to 2015.

With more options in the staycation market now, here are some tips to keep a homebound holiday sweet and easy.

1. Look for hotels with activity packages. Not every hotel is able to provide water slides, but more hotels are bundling a stay with family-friendly activities. The Fullerton Hotel and Fullerton Bay Hotel offer The Fullerton Family Package, starting from S$508++ for the Heritage Room at Fullerton Hotel, which throws in Singapore Standard Jubilee Passes for two adults and two children. The passes allow guests to hop on and off touring buses (such as those plying the Heritage and Night Safari routes) to get to attractions such as Tiger Brewery or the Indian Heritage Centre. Best of all, you can hop on the buses just outside the hotels. Over at Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa, guests can pick between a Stay & Play package, priced from S$423++ a night, that includes a pair of complimentary tickets to Universal Studios Singapore or the Day Fun Pass 3 Staycation package, priced from S$435++, that lets two adults and a child play at three Sentosa attractions of their choice.

2. Book a local tour. It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. According to general manager of Viator Asia Pacific, Anita Ngai, the tour company gets a lot of Singaporeans checking its website for ideas and itineraries. We suggest you go one step further and book its offerings featuring new attractions like Kidzania. The ticket priced at US$30.64 (S$41) includes admission to Sentosa and even hotel pick-ups, so you can easily combine it with a staycation at your preferred hotel. How’s that for convenience?  Or consider a food trail with a heritage slant with Betel Box Tours. These popular food walks by its owner Tony Tan priced at S$50 a person for a four-hour tour have been hailed as an “institution” by Lonely Planet. They run every day and cover the Joo Chiat Katong area, Kampong Glam, Chinatown and Geylang Serai.

3. Immerse yourself in a neighbourhood. Another way is to simply spend time in one location. Park yourself in a trendy boutique hotel in a buzzy neighbourhood to explore it in depth. For instance, hot new property M Social Singapore designed by Philippe Starck is smacked in the middle of Robertson Quay overlooking the Singapore River. The hotel, opening June 9, is a stylish haven with its designer touches likes mirrored surfaces in loft-like duplex rooms. Don’t worry, kids are welcome here too — and it’s the perfect place to base yourself, whether you check out newish spots such as Decker Barbecue and The Quay Kitchen & Bar or old favourites like Kith and Common Man Coffee Roasters. And by the way, the hotel is currently offering an opening promotion starting from S$218++ a night for a
limited time.

Meanwhile, Tiong Bahru remains popular for its cafes, bars and quirky stores as beer joints like Lee Tai Fu and outlets like Curated Records continue to open up. Also good for kids is the awesome playground with a tilting train at Tiong Bahru Park not too far away. We could see ourselves ambling along in Tiong Bahru while spending the night at Wangz Hotel nearby, which offers a Wake Up With Wangz package starting from S$218++ on weekends. It includes an afternoon tea set, a complimentary bottle of red wine, late check-out and free rental of DVDs. One tip: Book the Deep Suite room for more space as it has a living room with a queen-sized sofa bed. Another hood to check out is the Haji Lane and Kampong Glam areas where the Malay Heritage Centre and colourful textile shops exist alongside new cafes such as the Japanese-inspired Karafuru Desserts and A.R.C Coffee. Conveniently located opposite is the Village Hotel Bugis with its Kids First promotion where you can book one of the eight kids-themed rooms- think cartoon character decoration and kids amenities included - from just S$160++ a night to make it a special weekend. 

4. Camp out in the wild. A staycation doesn’t have to mean staying in a hotel. Go camping in Singapore. You read that right. If you’ve no clue how to even go about doing that, try Pesta Ubin’s two-day one night Family Nature Camp with Cicada Tree Eco-Place happening June 3 to 4. Guides are on hand to pitch a tent and show you all about appreciating the outdoors. Visit its website (http://pestaubin2016.blogspot.sg) to register your interest. Singapore Zoo is also organising a Sleep With Beasts — A Family Affair camp on June 25 to June 26. Each family gets a six-man tent and the all-inclusive programme takes participants on a behind-the-scenes journey from getting close with the creatures to a buffet dinner. The camp is priced at S$155.15 per child and S$181.90 per adult.