Woodlands

Connecting Singapore with Malaysia's southernmost city, Johor Bahru, via the Johor-Singapore Causeway, Woodlands is a bustling neighborhood growing in attraction for people looking for homes in established estates. Besides educational institutions like Marsiling Primary School, Fuchun Secondary School, Singapore Sports School, Republic Polytechnic and Singapore American School, residents also have access to healthcare facilities like the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics. Meanwhile, the existing Woodlands Civic Centre is a designated center of education, and a one-stop location for public services such as Woodlands Branch Office, CPF Board, North West CDC and National Library Board. In the future, a unique waterfront destination with high-rise residential and commercial developments is in the pipeline, offering myriad employment and investment opportunities for both locals and visitors. Apartments in the vicinity include Rosewood Suites, Woodsvale, La Casa, Century Woods and Casa Blanca condominium – all easily accessible by Woodlands, Marsiling and Admiralty train station.

Public transport and amenities in Woodlands

Woodlands URA Masterplan 2019

According to URA Masterplan 2019, big urban transformation plans will be conducted over the next 15 years in Woodlands. New spaces for business, industry, research & development, and learning & innovation will be introduced to Woodlands Regional Centre on over 100 hectares of developable land. Nestled within a vibrant, green landscape, yet seamlessly connected with key locations in Singapore and Johor Bahru, it can serve as the strategic centre for the Northern Agri-Tech and Food Corridor. 

This Corridor will integrate the mix of uses in Singapore’s north, connecting the future Agri-Food Innovation Park and Woodlands Regional Centre with synergistic elements of the ecosystem in the North (such as farms, Republic Polytechnic, and the Senoko Food Zone).

Woodlands Regional Centre will benefit from a diverse palette of office, retail, business park and industrial spaces planned across the two precincts, Woodlands North Coast (WNC) and Woodlands Central. Along with its proximity to established industrial estates in Woodlands, Senoko, and Sungei Kadut,  this will position it as the key commercial centre supporting the Northern Gateway and Agri-tech and Food Corridor, bringing a broad range of good jobs closer to residents of the North.

The upcoming transport hubs at Woodlands Central and Woodlands North Coast will further connect Woodlands Regional Centre via the bus and MRT networks to key destinations around the island. What’s more, the RTS Link will connect the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru with the RTS Link Woodlands North Station, creating a seamless transport link to key destinations in Singapore via the Thomson-East Coast Line.

Top 5 Things To Do In Woodlands

Being next to the sea and nature reserve, Woodlands has a surprisingly long list of things to do. Both tourists and locals enjoy a plethora of attractions – nature, sports, learning history, relaxing foot baths, you name it! Here is a list of top things to do in Woodlands:

1. Visit the Mandai Wildlife Reserve

Mandai Wildlife Reserve has a lot of attractions, including the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Bird Paradise, and the famous Night Safari. At Mandai Night Safari, you can go on a buggy-and-walking adventure with expert guides who will share insider tales about the nocturnal animals, while seeing them in their natural habitat.

2. Go bird watching at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a paradise for migratory birds due to its marshland landscape. Every year, thousands of migratory birds fly in from their breeding grounds in the Northern Hemisphere to the 202-hectare reserve, to tide over the cold winter months. From September to March, the reserve, comprising mangroves, mudflats, ponds and forests, becomes a warm home for these birds, attracting many visitors and photographers.

3. Bet on horses at the Singapore Turf Club

Gambling on horse racing in Singapore is legal, but only at the Singapore Turf Club! Founded in 1842, Singapore Turf Club (STC) is the oldest existing and only horse racing club in Singapore with world-class racing sports facilities. The Singapore Turf Club offers a variety of tickets and hospitality packages. A day out at the races doesn’t have to cost much in Singapore, with tickets to the grandstand ranging from $6-8.

4. Visit the Kranji War Memorial

Kranji War Memorial honours the men and women from Britain, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands, and New Zealand who died in the line of duty during World War II. Here, you’ll see more than 4,400 white gravestones lined up in rows on the cemetery’s gentle slope. It’s a must-visit, especially if you’re a history buff or simply want to pay some respect to the fallen. 

5. Foot bath at Singapore's only hot spring

Enjoy a foot soak at the edge of the cascading pool at Sembawang Hot Spring Park. The pool mimics the hot spring in its natural state, where overflowing pools of hot water form after emerging from the ground. Water emerges at the top at 70°C and will flow out at the final pool at 40°C – the optimal temperature for contact with skin.

Woodlands - Public Transports and Accessibility

Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub (WITH) is an underground bus interchange in Woodlands. Connecting with Woodlands MRT Station along the North-South Line and Thomson-East Coast Line, the interchange is a key transport node for commuters, allowing for convenient transfers between the rail network and the many bus services at the interchange. It has easy access to the various expressways (BKE, CTE, SLE). On a good day, Woodlands is only 25 minutes from Orchard Road by car.

Woodlands is looking more and more attractive as a location to live in or for property investment. And since it is only a few minutes’ drive from the Causeway, it is a breeze if, on the spur of the moment, you decide to make a quick run into Johor Bahru for some food, shopping, or foot reflexology.

Woodlands - Stay

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation options in Woodlands. There are HDB flats, executive condominiums (ECs), private condominiums, townhouses, and landed property both for sale and rent. Most of them are still affordably priced now, but most likely, it won't be for much longer as the area is undergoing a major makeover. 

Woodlands is home to ECs such as Bellewoods, Northwave, Forestville, Rosewood, and Twin Fountains. ECs bridge the gap between HDB flats and private condos as they come with condominium-like facilities such as a swimming pool.

Woodlands also features rare HDB jumbo flats, so named because these flats consist of two HDB flats combined together into one insanely huge flat. HDB jumbo flats in Woodlands can be as big as 2,000 square feet and have up to five bedrooms – a rarity in land-scarce Singapore.

Woodlands - Eats

Like most areas in Singapore, Woodlands has its fair share of great restaurants. 99.co will share some of our food recommendations in Woodlands that rank high up on our must-try list:

• Citrus by the Pool at the Woodlands Swimming Complex.
• Penang Street Buffet at Causeway Point
• Rasa Istimewa Waterfront Restaurant at Admiralty Road West
• 1036 Live Seafood along Sembawang Road
• Siam Square Mookata
• Sakura International Buffet at Riverside Road
• Garden Asia Bistro at Neo Tiew Crescent 

If you’re a hawker fan, be spoiled with the numerous Makan places you can find in the area. Marsiling Lane Food Centre, a famous hawker centre in Woodlands, offers the authentic taste of Old Marsiling's best hawkers. The food centre specialises in Prata, Wanton mee, porridge, satay, BBQ stingrays, carrot cake, fish soup, and laksa. Other hawker centres to explore in Woodlands include Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, Eden Food Mall, and Kampung Admiralty Food Centre.

Woodlands - Drinks

Worried that you can’t find a decent pub for a nice cold drink in Woodlands? These places are worth checking out:

• Handle Bar at Jalan Mempurong. This is said to be a biker pub for bikers. We can’t wait to check out the beer, babes, muscles and machines
• Cheval Café Bar Bistro at the Singapore Turf Club Riding Centre
• Bojangles Pub and Diner at Woodlands Ave 1

Woodlands - Shop

You can buy fresh seafood at wholesale prices at Senoko Fishery Port. Or if wholesale shopping is more your thing, Woodlands Terrace Road is the go-to place for stocking up on frozen seafood, “bak kwa” (BBQ dried meat), tidbits etc in large quantities. You may want to bring along an industrial-size freezer bag to store your precious finds (tip: purchase the frozen seafood last).

If furniture shopping is your cup of tea, you may want to do your browsing at Courts Megastore, Soggiorno Pte Ltd, Cmyk Outdoor Furniture and Budget Furnishing Market. Woodland-ers make a beeline for Causeway Point, the suburban mall which carries most of the shops you would find downtown.

Woodlands - Learn

There are 12 primary schools in Woodlands, various secondary schools and a junior college. So, there is no need to worry that your children don't have access to educational institutes in the area. Perhaps the best-known school in Woodlands is The American School. Its presence in Woodlands has translated to the increased rentability of the many landed properties and condos in its vicinity.

If you're on the lookout for engaging in fun learning activities, you may consider browsing and borrowing books at the Woodlands Regional Library for free. With a floor area of 11,100 square meters, Woodlands Regional Library occupies a total of four storeys in the Woodlands Civic Centre. 

Across those four storeys are dedicated spaces for reading, studying, and learning, as well as a wide array of books housed on bookshelves for you to discover. With an extensive collection size of about 430,000 items, ranging from fictional and non-fiction books, magazines and newspapers, Woodlands Regional Library caters to all age groups and their search for knowledge. 

In adult and young people’s sections, for instance, it consists of titles from a wide variety of genres in four different languages. The children's section also offers a large selection of materials such as books for babies, children’s magazines, picture books for preschoolers, fairy tales, and many others. 

On top of that, the library also has a dedicated section for the Singapore Collection which showcases literary works of local authors and other local publications. What makes this library special is the Calm Down To The Library (CDTTL). The area is designed to be an autism-friendly space. Therefore, it is equipped with sensory-friendly read-and-learn areas to promote the inclusion of children with autism into the library space.

Woodlands - Parks

When it comes to parks and gardens and getting closer to nature, among the most popular is Woodlands Waterfront Park. This scenic 11-hectare park houses a large playground with a wide range of equipment catering to visitors’ needs for recreational activities. Along the 1.5-kilometre waterfront promenade, visitors can enjoy an unobstructed and panoramic view of the entire coastal park and the Straits of Johor. 

The terrain of the park is also fitted with jogging and cycling tracks, providing exercise enthusiasts with both adventurous and challenging trails. However, if you want to spoil the little ones, take them to Admiralty Park instead. It now features 26 slides where you can find the widest and the longest slide in Singapore’s public parks. 

The playground is divided into three main play areas namely Junior Play, Adventure Play, and Family Terracing Play. It caters to children of all ages and features diverse play equipment that encourages group and multi-generation interactions. Woodlands actually has a lot of options when it comes to open spaces. Besides these two, you might want to look at the exciting Marsiling Park, Vista Park, and many more.

Woodlands - Sports Facilities

Woodlands Stadium is conveniently located near Woodlands MRT Station – it would take no more than a 5-minute walk to get there. Woodlands Stadium is iconic for being the only stadium in Singapore which has an MRT track overlooking the pitch. The stadium is currently the home ground of S.League side, Woodlands Wellington FC, and is used mostly for football matches for both the S.League and Prime League competitions. 

Apart from being used for competitive matches, the pitch is also used by the club for their training sessions as well. The stadium also houses an 8-lane running track and partial athletic facilities. Nearby residents can be seen running around this track daily as it is open for joggers to use between 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

Woodlands Stadium is a part of the eight-hectare Woodlands Sports Complex, which is also equipped with a gym, a swimming complex, and a sports hall consisting of 6 badminton courts, giving residents of Woodlands a myriad of choices when it comes to engaging in Sports related activities!