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| Sentosa Boardwalk - A new way to get to Sentosa Island. [Pic] |
Sentosa Boardwalk was officially opened on the 29th January 2011.
Sentosa is a 5km² (2mi²) resort island south of Singapore. It received 17 million visitors in 2010 and is ready to receive more. Before 2003, we used to be able to cross over to Sentosa by ferry. On the site where the ferry terminal used to be, we now find the brand new, Resort World Sentosa on the northern shore of Sentosa waiting to lure more visitors.
Although the ferry is gone, we now have many more ways to get into the island: Car, bus, cable car, Mass Rapid Transit and Sentosa Express (rail). The Sentosa Boardwalk is the latest addition to the list and it now allows you to travel to Sentosa on foot.
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| The 700m boardwalk offers a seamless connectivity between Vivocity and Sentosa. [Pic] |
The 700m (770yd) Sentosa Boardwalk connects Sentosa to the mainland. There are five sections which promise lush greenery of different kind: Mangrove, Rock Garden, Terrain and Hill, Coastal Floral and Tropical Rainforest. These garden themes depict different landscapes found in Singapore.
The Sentosa Boardwalk is made of environmentally-friendly material and consisting of 60%-70% of recycled hardwoods and 20%-30% of resin. According to the Media Release by Sentosa, "the Sentosa Boardwalk features a specially designed catchment structure beneath the timber board surface to capture up 120m3 of rainfall, and thus reduces the need for freshwater supplies."
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| Great sunshine on the boardwalk. [Pic] |
In the day, the 15-minute stroll is accompanied by great bay view and warm sunshine. In the evening, the Sentosa Boardwalk greets you with cooler sea breeze and subtle play of lights. If you visit at the right time, you might even be dazzled by the spectacular Crane Dance at no charge.
One of the ideas behind the new linkway is to expand the capacity of visitor traffic. The new addition promises to let 8000 people flow into or out of the island every hour. There are five pairs of 2-way travellators under continuous canopy along the entire stretch of the boardwalk to help to make this possible.
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| F and B outlets are available on the boardwallk. [Pic] |
There are four F and B outlets along the Sentosa Boardwalk and a couple of retail shops. Besides buying some souvenirs, you get to sip some wine and dig into endless flavors of gelatos.
The boardwalk is not your conventional wooden bridge. There are varying heights which help to break the monotony of your stroll and the curves of the timber planks also make the otherwise stiff and neat blocks somewhat sexy.
There are reasons why I think the Sentosa Boardwalk is alluring:
The boardwalk is made of timber material which is friendlier to the Earth. It is also designed to collect rain water to save water on plant irrigation. Everyone should do something to help protect our planet.
2. Great view
The bay view is a welcome treat for everyone. After all, Singapore is a tropical island and our coastal view is certainly one of the well-loved landscapes.
3. Skip the jam
Now you can skip the mad jam of crawling vehicles from Vivocity to Sentosa especially during the weekends or holidays. Just leave your cars on the mainland and voila, you are at the door step of the new Resort World Sentosa after a short stroll.
1. What greenery?
I expect to see tropical landscapes over an area of 2,870 m² (30,900 sf²). Unfortunately, I fail to feel or see the promised lush greenery. A few potted plants and skimpy flower beds won't do the trick.
2. Too much metal
Wood is cool and wood is natural. But, when you see wooden planks coexist with hard, cold and modern travellators, that somehow makes them a rather odd couple. I feel more cold steel than warm greenery.
3. Loosen up
The F and B outlets are a tad too 'atas' (a local expression for being a snob). I would love to see the outfits loosen up a little and dress down to shed some arrogance. I am sure some affordable light snacks and quick bites would fit the budget of many more visitors.
Here are more pictures taken during my visit last week.
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| Bay view along the boardwalk. [Pic] |
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| There are 5 sets of 2-way travellators. [Pic] |
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| There are some benches along the boardwalk. There can be more. [Pic] |
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| Variation of heights along the boardwalk. [Pic] |
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| The design of the boardwalk is brightened up by interesting curves. [Pic] |
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| Retail and F&B outlets. [Pic] |
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| Covered walkway under continuous canopy. [Pic] |
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| Mesh-wire sculptures. [Pic] |
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| A mesh-wire sculpture. [Pic] |
Read about USS, an attraction in Resort World Sentosa:
See Sentosa Boardwalk Photo Album
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." ~ William Shakespeare
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