A big day out on Sentosa

We crossed to Singapore’s resort island by cable car with its great panorama of the harbour.

Once I’d prised my fingernails out of the bench seats (the cable

Verdict: Oliver: Awesome and confirmed his view that swimming in the ocean is to be avoided;

Me: The best aquarium, I’ve visited.

Luge

After a lunch stop (Mcdonald’s – travel with a teenage boy meant this is inevitable at some point and, to be fair, Oliver had eaten Chinese, Thai and Mongolian with enthusiasm at every other meal) we headed for the luge.

Part of the New Zealand Skyline Luge group, the Sentosa luge offers a combination of rides – we opted for a three-ride luge and chairlift package.

After choosing our helmet we jumped on the chairlift to access the start of the luge.

This proved to be more exciting than we intended when Oliver’s ticket blew out of his hand and fluttered into the jungle below to join stray Jandals and helmets that already littered the undergrowth. However, the staff dealt with this smilingly and we were on our way.

For the uninitiated, the luges are rather like sleds on wheels and were easy to control as you shot down the curved paths.

By my third run I’d got my confidence and almost caught Oliver before the last bend (really, I nearly did). What would make the luge experience better is a separate run for the more experienced or reckless – as a 50-mumble woman I felt a bit reluctant to cut off small girls and large older ladies pottering down the run at a snail’s pace. But I did – aunt honour was at stake.

We might have been tempted to buy another three-run pass but Oliver wanted a swim. Reminder: even if you don’t intend to swim at Sentosa, take your togs; the water’s warm and the beach is clean.

Overall verdict: Oliver and I need to go back. We have to brave the rollercoaster, time a go on the bungy swing for dinner (my

‘‘only’’ reason for not doing it this time was we’d just eaten); try out more street food and spend a day at the waterpark. Singapore’s still a great place for a stopover and a fun place for a family holiday.

The author travelled on her own dime.