Hey guys! In today’s post, I share my adventure around the eastern side of Coney Island. I had a lot of fun exploring this reclaimed island found on the north-eastern part of Singapore. This island used to be 13 hectares but has been expanded to 100 hectares through a series of reclamation projects by the National Parks Board.

I made a vlog which you can watch below or you can keep reading for more info on the park.

As always, I recommend dousing yourself with a lot of mosquito repellent (if you are prone to getting bitten)! I was bitten a lot while exploring the place.

The island was pretty quiet on an early Saturday morning (around 8am), although there seemed to be more cyclists trailing in as the morning went by. The park opens between 7am - 7pm. I didn’t notice any lights around which is probably why the park is only open during the day.

The East Entrance

I was dropped off by my grab ride at the east entrance (click link for google map) because I hadn’t explored the eastern side of this park. Most people start out at the west entrance (click link for google map) as it is easier to get to. More on the west entrance in a bit.

Initially, I was rather confused when I got out of the grab car as there was a barricade and construction all around. Thankfully, I came across the Coney Island park sign so I followed the road which will take you to the east entrance within minutes.

Do note that there is ongoing construction (till June 2024) at the east entrance but there is an alternative path to get to the beaches and rest of the park.

The west Entrance

The west entrance is a short walk / bike ride to the Punggol settlement where there is a bike rental shop called Jomando. Another bike rental kiosk option is GoCycling @ Punggol Jetty which can be found further along, through the Punggol Point Park and near the jetty there.

Jomando Adventure & Recreations

Address:

500 New Punggol Rd, #01-13 The Punggol Settlement, Singapore 828694

Hours:

Monday: 10am–8pm

Tuesday: 10am–8pm

Wednesday: 10am–8pm

Thursday: 10am–8pm

Friday: 10am–8pm

Saturday: 8am–8pm

Sunday: 8am–7pm

gocycling @ punggol jetty

Address:

911 Punggol Rd, Singapore 829170

Hours:

Monday: 10am–7pm

Tuesday: 10am–7pm

Wednesday: 10am–7pm

Thursday: 10am–7pm

Friday: 10am–7pm

Saturday: 9am–8pm

Sunday: 9am–8pm

The Punggol Settlement

There are restaurants on both levels of the Punggol Settlement (click link for google map) building and a 7-eleven convenience store where you can buy snacks and drinks. People usually park their cars at this complex to get to Coney Island. Just beside the settlement is Punggol Point Park which also has parking.

House of White Bee Hoon is a popular place to dine at.

Punggol Point Park

While I didn’t stay at this area for too long, it’s a nice area to explore as well. A popular park for families. There is a small playground, a pond full of terrapins and there is also a small jetty and beach in the area.

From the park, I headed to the nearest bus stop — Punggol Rd End (click link for google map) — to catch bus 84 to the Punggol Temp Interchange which is the last stop on this short bus route. This interchange is where the Punggol MRT is (purple line). Alternatively, you could walk to the Punggol Point LRT which will also connect you to Punggol MRT but this bus stop is much more accessible and closer to the Punggol Point Park than the LRT is.

Commute aside, Coney Island is a lovely park to explore! It doesn’t feel like Singapore given the forest vegetation and beaten tracks. For that reason, it is a popular place to take pre-wedding photos for an overseas escapade aesthetic.

The island was originally known as Pulau Serangoon. In 1950, the island was sold to a businessman, who developed the island into a leisure resort and named it Singapore Coney Island (named after Coney Island in New York City). The island opened in 1951 and was marketed as “Singapore’s first island health resort”. A dance hall, a restaurant, bar and seaside accommodation were amongst the facilities available on the island.

Apart from the bathroom facilities that are found on both ends of the island (east and west), none of the aforementioned facilities remain. Although, there is the abandoned and dilapidated Haw Par beach villa (click link for google map), formerly owned by the Aw brothers (founders of the Tiger Balm brand of analgesic heat rub), which remains fenced off, deep inside the forest.

At the east entrance, you will come across construction for the Outward Bound Singapore. It’s pretty much a camp site where youth programmes are conducted. Back in the day, all secondary 3 students (15 year olds) would have to attend this camp (I’m not sure if this is still the case, today). I think the camp was 3 days 2 nights on the Pulau Ubin island. It seems like Coney Island will be the second location (unless they have other sites which I am not aware of). I didn’t end up attending the camp because I had really bad homesickness in the past and was filled with a lot of anxiety as a teenager. I knew I wouldn’t survive the camp so I feigned sickness and got a medical certificate from the doctor’s. I do wish that I had the courage to face my fears back then because all my friends and peers fondly remember this once-in-a-lifetime experience, though they recount the camp as gruelling and similar to that of a boot camp with strenuous activities such as hiking and kayaking in the sweltering heat.

I came across this little guy on my way to beach D!

Isn’t he cute!

Felt like there was a high chance of him being stepped on or becoming road kill while crossing so I decided to pick and drop him on the vegetation where he was headed.

It was a rather gloomy day and started to drizzle by the time I made it to the beach so the photos will look rather moody but I’d imagine that it would be much prettier on a sunny day!

beach d

I was very thrilled at the sight of the beach. The beach stretches all along the perimeter of the island. Spanning from beach A (at the west end) to beach E (at the east end). Do note that you aren’t allowed to camp, fish or start open fires to barbecue on the beaches. You can also get bitten by sandflies and other insects so take precaution by spraying yourself with insect repellent!

The only thing that was disappointing about the beaches were the amount of litter that was widespread.

beach c

To my surprise, beach C (see photos below) was much cleaner than beach D but this was because I noticed a lady picking up the trash, out of the goodness of her heart. She had brought along her own trash bag and was clearing the litter while her 2 boys were swimming in the water.

What a kind soul!

I wasn’t able to explore the other beaches (A, B and E) as the drizzle was picking up and I was getting hungry (I hadn’t eaten breakfast and it was almost lunch time by then) but I look forward to coming back! Perhaps with a bike as it is much quicker to get around. I would also love to shoot a lookbook here because of the picturesque scenery!

I also recommend coming on a weekend if you plan to walk around (especially if you are a lady) because it will feel much safer with people walking or cycling past you from time to time. Otherwise, the island can feel pretty secluded. There were moments where I would get startled hearing a rustling sound amongst the trees and bushes, only to find that they were squirrels. 🤣

Overall, I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to see a different side to Singapore!

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