Our Chance Encounter of the Port of Lost Wonder

Port of Lost Wonder (POLW) - Singapore's First Kids' Club by the Beach. It's one of the newest attractions in Sentosa, specifically intended for kids! :) It's a pirate-themed swimming resort that offers a lot of attractions and facilities for the whole family.

Last week, we had no intention of going here. We originally planned to take the cable car and get off at Beach station, then walk towards the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia to have our picnic there. Along the way past the carpark building, we got a glimpse of this huge pirate ship and right then and there we decided to go in and have our picnic there.

Obviously, that was a good call. :)

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TIP: POLW is the first stop of the Palawan-Tanjong Beach tram from Beach Station. Can't miss it.

What It Is… And What It Is Not

This is a kids' club. Keyword is kids. And that will soon become apparent once you get in.  The pool is shallow obviously only intended for the young ones. So don't expect anything extreme like the Slides Up or the Ular-Lah in Wild Wild Wet.

Also, this is not just a beach/swimming club. It's a well-rounded club with lots of activities to keep the kids busy and interested with a lot of things. It's like a nursery/kindergarten, only much more fun and interesting. So it's one-half swimming, one-half fun activities.

And by kids, they actually mean between 3 to 10 years old. So everything -- facilities, activities, everything -- is made with this range of kids in mind.

Getting Started…

Since it's pretty new, you'll see the below discounted promo rates:

	Promo Rate	Normal Rate
Weekdays	6.80	8
Weekends	12.75	15
Membership	72	90

The above rates are at 15% discount for weekdays and weekends and at 20% discount for the year-long membership. Not sure how long this promo rate will go on.

For us, the membership is a bit steep. The 72sgd one-year membership is about the same as going back to POLW at least 6 times a year. Which is the point I guess; they want you to return there as much as possible. It's just not for us, though; we're not really beach people. :)

TIP: only the kid's entrance needs to be paid. Adults are free as long as they are the accompanying adults of the kid. In our case, there were total 7 adults with our son: we only paid 12.75 for all of us. :)

And once you've paid, you'll get wrist tags (orange for the kid, green for everyone else) which serves as your "day pass" for the resort (unlimited re-entries), a pouch of Curios, and the Port Pass (collect stickers and win a prize!)

Map of the Port of Lost Wonder

Getting Around: Pirate Ship Galore

At the heart of POLW is the Pirate Ship in the middle of the swimming pool with slides, a giant bucket that tips over and splashes tons of water every few minutes, and a lot of water cannons and fountains on the sides. It's the main attraction and does not disappoint. You'll be spending most of your time here.

In addition, there are always two or three lifeguards always on-hand looking out for everyone in the pool area.

TIP: You are allowed by the lifeguards to ride the slides as long as you have your kid taking the slide with you. Of course, if you're small enough that you look like a kid, just make sure you hide your wrist tag from the lifeguard. :)

There are also several tables lined up on one side of the pool with large roof/canopy providing good enough shade during lunch time.

Getting Around: Curious Curios and Curiosity Island

Another point of interest is the Curiosity Island. This is where the programs and other activities are found. Each of those programs cost some Curios, which is included in the pouch initially given to you upon payment. For each activity, kids spend their Curios to participate. Some of the activities are the Bubble Bath, Pots and Planks, and Teach Us Wild. You should check out their website beforehand so you can plan ahead which activities you want your child to attend.

Getting Around: Your Own Private Celebration Island

The Celebration Island is a closed-off function area, for parties and the like. So yes, you can make reservations there. At the time we came, we've seen one birthday celebration going on. It is situated at the far-end of the resort, thus providing a little bit more privacy for those special occasions.

Getting Around: Other Areas and Facilities

The Hatch Patch is a playground of sorts just beside the Pirate Ship pool. This is just a dry playground -- or at least dryer than the pool area.

The Deck is the grassy picnic area. There are single-bed-sized "wooden planks" built up and spaced quite far apart. That plank serves as the base for a mattress, where you sit down and have your picnic. Quite interesting actually, as the fixed location of the planks ensures that there is enough space for all picnickers in the area.

Other facilities include a souvenir shop, a restaurant, and the toilet.

The souvenir shop, Just Wonder, thankfully also sells swimming diapers -- a little pricey, but it's there if you need it)

The restaurant , Port Belly, is the in-house restaurant. You can buy and eat at the tables in the restaurant itself or you can have it delivered to your table/picnic area. They have staff walking around the place carrying menus.

TIP: you can bring your own food,  at least you still can by the time of this writing; Not sure if this would change in the future, but as it is, you don't have to settle with the restaurant that is there if you don’t want to.

And of course there is the toilet, Nauti Potti. It also has nursery/diaper changing room as well as some lockers for rent.

Conclusion

It's a nice new place to hang out with your family. If you or your kids are the type who wants to be on the beach or swim all the time, you should consider the membership. It's fun and educational at the same time. And you may meet new friends and your kids meet regular playmates. Not a bad deal at all. Unless of course if you think going to Sentosa is a bad deal… Then again, going to Sentosa is not a bad deal, but maybe a bit pricey depending on what you want. However…

Okay now I'm just rambling. :)

Just my two cents: go and experience it yourself.