What in the world is a daycation, you are probably thinking? Since Singapore is an island that was once so dependent on international travelers, they are trying their hardest to entice all residents to “rediscover Singapore”. For us, as relative newbies who have not had the chance to travel the area 😢 this is fun. For most, it’s a sad reminder of just how close so many wonderful places we are…
The other conundrum is, Singapore has very strict entry guidelines right now. You have to apply to enter Singapore. If you are a citizen or permanent resident, you are automatically allowed entry. If you are a work pass holder (like us) you are allowed entry “if” there is space. What does “space” mean? Depending on what country you are traveling from, will dictate how you must quarantine (all entries must quarantine). Right now (this has just changed slightly this weekend), if you are from a “safe” country, you can quarantine at home (in a room separate from the rest of your family if they have not traveled with you) and the government checks, both in person and virtually. If your country of origin is “unsafe” you have to serve your 14 days in a hotel not if your choosing (you are put on a bus at the airport and taken to where there is space). To accommodate this, the Singapore government is renting out entire hotels (they charge each non Singaporean person entering $2000 for their quarantine, so they’re not footing the whole bill). This brings me back to our daycation. The Shangri-la rasa sentosa is a 14 day traveler quarantine hotel. The government rents out all 450 rooms every night. But they also have beautiful grounds, pools and beach with waterfront “toys”. Quarantiners, not being allowed to leave their rooms, clearly aren’t using these facilities. So the shangri-la was smart, and had the government approve them to use these facilities for day use. I felt a little guilty as the quarantiners watched us from their balconies, but not too guilty as this is a pretty great hotel to get for a quarantine…
As you can imagine, this idea is very popular. I booked our day about a month ago, shortly after it was publicized. All weekend are sold out. We paid about $275 for the 5 of us for 10am-8pm. Included in the fee was about $170 in coupons to use for food/drinks. So it was a bargain! We could use all 3 pools (including water slides), beach activities including kayaks and paddle boards and order food and drinks to our pool loungers all day. Normally when I travel, much to my families annoyance, I am consumed by the need to SEE AND DO ALL THE THINGS!!! Since there is nothing to see or do, this was amazing for all of us as I could relax and consequently, so could the rest of the family. Luckily they love me….
I am the Morris family badminton champion. 
Nutmeggers in Singapore 