If you’ve found this article, perhaps you are not planning to travel and are instead exploring unconventional options on how to spend the weekend in Singapore. Well, you’re in luck as we do have a great suggestion for you: island hopping! Yes, you can island hop in Singapore. South of Sentosa, there is a cluster of islands known as the Southern Islands that are made up of: St John’s Island, Lazarus Island, Kusu Island and Sisters’ Island, and they are quite easily accessible from the mainland. Each of these islands has a very rich history and boast beautiful, unspoilt beaches. Kind of like a sanctuary away from city life, so they are definitely worth a visit.
To really maximise your island hopping experience though, we strongly recommend chartering a private yacht so that you can have maximum control of your time while exploring the islands. You can choose a time slot and duration that you prefer, and you’ll be accompanied by an experienced Captain and crew who will be with you throughout the charter. Private yachts have a reputation of being expensive but that is not true at all! There are plenty of affordable options for you to choose from. In fact, a 4h yacht charter for up to 16 guests can cost as low as $899 nett on a weekday – that is about $56 per person!
So what can you expect from a private yacht island hopping experience? While the Southern Islands region is made up of four islands, only St John’s and Lazarus Island are accessible by yacht. Not all is lost though, because the crown jewel of the Southern Islands, Eagle Bay Beach, happens to be on Lazarus Island and is a very popular haunt for avid yachters. The beach, in reality, is as clean as it looks in the picture below and the sea is so clear and blue. A really nice spot to have a stroll or a dip with family and friends.
Once the yacht has anchored off the beach, you can kayak to shore to explore the island on foot or enjoy the other water activities that the yacht provides, such as the floating mat, snorkelling kits and fishing. If you don’t wish to get into the sea to access the island, you also have the option to be dropped off at the pier.
As Lazarus Island and St John’s Island are connected by a bridge, you can explore both islands on foot before coming back to the yacht to chill out. The yacht is fully air-conditioned, a great respite from the hot sun, and comes with onboard entertainment such as the karaoke system which is pre-installed with over 10k songs from a variety of languages. Yachts are very flexible in that you can bring your own food and heat them up with the microwave or you can enjoy a bbq party and bring your own, or order bbq food from the yacht provider.
The good news is, you can still view Sisters’ Island and Kusu Island, but yachts can only cruise past them. So it is highly recommended to try out the Southern Islands cruise where the yacht will cruise past the islands before stopping at either St John’s or Lazarus Island. We also recommend ending the charter with a scenic cruise past the Marina Bay City Skyline on the way back to Sentosa. The views you’ll get to enjoy there are beautiful, especially at night when the city lights shine bright.
If an island hopping experience is something that you’d be keen to consider to spend the weekend with loved ones, you can check out our guide to renting a yacht or give us a call at 86617600 to find out more.
