Family Day Trip to St John's and Lazarus Island

In May of this year, I turned 40. Yikes! I probably would have been a bit bummed about it save for the fact that the two very important people who brought me into the world (thus enabling me to see this day) flew over to Singapore to be with me 😊

My parents landed in Singapore the day before my milestone birthday. They were our first overseas visitors in the three isolating years that we were shut off from the rest of the world as the pandemic cast its shadow over travel and social interactions. That made their visit all the more eagerly anticipated. 

You know something interesting about birthdays in my family? The previous day of my birthday is my brother's birthday and the day after my birthday is my father's birthday. It is three consecutive days of celebration which makes the first week of May rather special for us. 

On my birthday this year, both my Dad and I cut our guava-lychee (his and mine favourite flavours combined) birthday cake together and it turned into an intimate celebration and special memory for both of us 💕

I wasn't able to take as many days off work as I would have liked as I had to finish several experiments over at my lab for an important deadline that was fast approaching. I did manage to take two days off which we made use of judiciously by devoting one day to some much-needed retail therapy and dining out at a nice restaurant and another for a family day trip. 

The last time my husband and I had been to St John's Island was way back in 2006, the year we arrived in Singapore as a newly married couple. One of my husband's friend happened to be visiting and we had taken him to St John's and Kusu Island. The memories were hazy and I really wanted to relive them with the kids. And considering my parents have already been to every imaginable tourist spot in Singapore, we didn't have that many options left 😄

We drove to Marina South Pier. The ferries to Lazarus Island (via St John’s Island) depart from Marina South Pier a few times daily. Depending on the ferry company, you can island hop between St. John Island, Lazarus Island, Kusu Island and Sisters’ Island.

Even though we had gotten ready in good time and left home on schedule that morning, we got delayed in traffic and having parked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre which happened to be a longish walk away, we unfortunately just missed the ferry that we had originally planned for. We had to wait a while to take the next one 😕

We took this opportunity to have a cup of kopi and buy some  water and snacks from the shops that are located by the ticketing counters. It is important to know that there are NO shops on the islands so it is good to stock up with necessary provisions. Also remember to carry a garbage bag so you can bring back the litter and dispose it responsibly. 

We bought tickets for the Marina South Ferries. I would have loved to check out the Sisters' Island but unfortunately, it was closed for enhancement works. We went for the Island Hopping pass (St John's Lazarus & Kusu Island) with a family package plus two senior citizen tickets, the pricing of which worked out cheaper than the already reasonable adult and child ticket prices. You can check out deals on Klook as well (the tickets come bundled with redeemable snacks). Note that pets and bicycles will also be allowed onboard at no extra cost.

Our ferry had two levels. The bottom cabin is closed and has plenty of comfortable seating. We however opted for open grassy roof deck that has comparatively lesser seating but is a much better spot to enjoy the panoramic views and breeze (provided you are prepared to withstand the scorching heat). 

The kids absolutely loved being on the open-air deck. Since both of them are quite barfy by nature due to terrible motion sickness, I was a bit worried about taking them in a boat but my concerns were unfounded. The trip to St John's Island took barely 30-minutes from Singapore and it was a smooth ride for the entire journey. It was a blazing hot summer's day but it was breezy and we loved gazing at the Lion City's iconic skyline. 

I find being surrounded by sprawling calypso blue sea very soothing. Don't you agree?

These waters are also popular for dolphin sighting but we didn't see any on that day. 

St John's Island is located just 6.5 km to the south of the main island of Singapore so it seemed like we reached our destination in no time. Even though it is so close to Singapore, it does feel like a getaway since it is shrouded by nature, there isn't a bloody building in sight and it isn't teeming with people for a change. I had some old memories of my first visit resurface as I hopped onto the jetty 😀

I had packed a simple picnic lunch that morning. Some sandwiches, fruits, homemade banana bread, biscuits and chips. We were delighted to notice picnic benches dotting the shore. We made ourselves comfortable and tucked in while enjoying the views. Fortunately for us, there were no monkeys in sight. We were very careful to make sure we gathered all our belongings and secured the trash bag for disposal later. 

Eons ago, St. John’s Island, previously known as Pulau Sakijang Bendera, used to be the quarantine island for infectious disease and drug rehabilitation center. Today, the 40-hectare hilly island offers a welcome respite for Singapore residents to escape the glitzy city life and embrace nature. St. John’s Island is largest of the Southern islands in Singapore and has swimming lagoons, beaches, picnic grounds, trekking routes and fields. However, a large portion of the island is used for research and another large portion is reserved for a holiday bungalows and camps, so only about 35% of the island is accessible to the public.

If you haven't been there before, know that it is an island with a rustic and non-commercialized vibe which can be easily navigated by foot. There used to be a facility to rent bicycles at Gogreen Southern Island Bicycle Rental but I'm not so sure now. St John’s Island has a small patch of mangroves. There are several signboards that offer information on the native flora and fauna. The clear water lagoons by the jetty are rich in starfish, crabs, other marine life like horseshoe crabs and tropical fish. If you look carefully you might also spot smooth-coated otters and migratory birds. I'll be honest at this point and admit that we didn't spot anything 😆

We didn't explore St John's Island because the main agenda was to visit Lazarus Island. 

Once we were fuelled up at St John's, we immediately headed over to Lazarus Island, located a 15 min walk away via a 100-meter paved causeway. Note that if anyone wants to use the restroom, your only bet would be on St John's Island. The toilet is reasonably close to the causeway so do keep that in mind before heading over to Lazarus Island. 

The walk from St John's to Lazarus is quite scenic and we stopped to take some pictures on the way. 

Litterbugs beware 🚫

Lazarus Island falls in between St. John’s Island and Kusu Island and provides a horseshoe shaped stretch of beach with powdery sand and some endemic flora and fauna that gives this island its own distinct identity. 

Here is some interesting trivia: Lazarus Island used to hold several prisons, but these were eventually abandoned and later burned down in a wildfire!

I will confess that before we embarked on this day trip, I read up on Lazarus Island and checked out lots of pictures of the beach. In my mind, I had envisioned a pristine clean beach. To be completely honest, I was a little disappointed when I checked out the beach on Lazarus Island (I realize it doesn't have a name or does it?). The water was okay - cleaner than what I'm used to seeing at the Sentosa beaches but the beach itself could not be described as clean. There was a lot of the greenish algae and I could see evidence of garbage littered around the beach. I'd say I have been to Tanjong beach on Sentosa on a really good day and found it cleaner than the beach on Lazarus. 

The worst part though was that there was very limited shady areas on Lazarus close to the beach. Even though I had a picnic mat with me, we had to walk a considerable distance away from the beach (closer to the trees) and find a grassy patch to lay it down. There were a few other people already there who had claimed the prime spots. A tent would have been perfect but that thought had never crossed our minds. My parents weren't able to see the kids from where they sat so they were mostly by themselves while I kept scouring the beach for a relatively algar-free area for the kids to play (while also getting more than enough Vitamin D) 😄 

I've mentioned before on my blog - our children are complete water babies and love the beach no matter what state it is in. The only two requirements they have is sand and water - pretty basic. I had brought their beach toys so they spend time alternating between playing in the water and the sand. There is obviously no lifeguard at the beach so parents and guardians must do their due diligence in monitoring the little ones. The waves were gentle as they are on the Sentosa beaches and the girls are good swimmers so I wasn't particularly hovering over them. In characteristic fashion they had a great time. 

They also love looking for seashells (an endeavour that I typically help them with) although there were hardly any to be found.

I had read that Lazarus Island is home to many cats but didn't see any while we were there. The ferocious May heat probably sent the felines to seek refuge in cooler spots away from prying human eyes. 

Soon it was time to head back to our ferry. We stopped at the restrooms on St John's Island for a quick change of clothing for the girls. Let me offer you a word of advice - you absolutely do not want to do is miss your ferry 😄 On our way back we enjoyed more of the lovely sea views. 

The ferry made a quick pit-stop at Kusu Island. Some of our co-passengers got off but we decided to skip it as we felt like the two extremities of age in our little group needed their afternoon rest. I decided to head to Kusu Island next time for our day trip. I'm sure the girls will really enjoy it. 

After an eventful half day, we headed over to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands for a late lunch. To sum up the overall experience, we had a wonderful time together as a family. 

There is an option to camp at Lazarus Island but it is better to check the rules regarding timings and duration before going. Another option is to  book the chalets on St John’s Island (also better to check the latest status beforehand).

An atas way to explore the islands is by renting a yacht. Most yachts will give you the option of mooring at Lazarus Island for the day so you can enjoy the beach and swim. 

My top tips for a day trip to St John's and Lazarus Island:

• Plan which ferry you want to take ahead of time and reach the ferry terminal with enough time to spare (don't be like us ok?)
• Essentials to pack in your bag would include umbrella, sunscreen lotion, sunglasses, a hat and mosquito repellant 
• Carrying a large picnic mat or tent would be advisable
• There are no shops or stalls on the islands so pack lots of water and some light snacks
• Remember to pack a large garbage bag for your trash to maintain the cleanliness of the islands
• Bring a pair of binoculars for wildlife spotting
• Lazarus Island and St. John’s Islands are for the most part quite stroller- and wheelchair-friendly.
• There are toilets on St John’s Island
• Bring a change of clothes for kids and a bag to put the wet/sandy clothes in
• Bring sand-play toys, beach ball, frisbee for some fun in the sun
• Fishing is allowed so you can bring your fishing poles (if that is your thing)

This is how I rang in my 40th birthday. Spending quality time with the people I love most in this world. I really couldn't have asked for more. When I stop to think about it, turning 40 isn't so bad. This is an age where most people know who they are, know what they want from life and also have the courage to go after it. Stiffer knees, thinning hair and a few extra kilos notwithstanding, things can only get better from here onwards right? 😄

Happy birthday to me. Here's optimistically hoping to age like fine wine 😆🍷

Have you been to St John's and Lazarus Island? What did you think? leave a comment to let me know.

Cheers,

Megha