Why we love Canopy Park {Review and Giveaway}

At the preview of Jewel Changi Airport previously, while many others were rushing to check out Pokemon Centre and the wide range of F&B and retail outlets, we practically spent the whole of our day in Canopy Park.

That was quite a surprise considering that the main attractions like the sky nets, mazes and slides were not even opened at that time. All we did was to roll on the grass, admire the blooms, let the Rain Vortex take our breath away and enjoy the simple luxury of feeling close to nature and being transported to a garden paradise - when we are actually in the highest level of a shopping mall.

Fast forward to now, it is not free of charge to visit Canopy Park and while that can be a little disappointing, we discovered why it is still totally worthwhile to fork out the money and the kids are looking forward to our next visit already. After all, an admission ticket to Canopy Park is just S$4.50 for Singaporean residents and you gain access to enough places (Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden and Topiary Walk) for you to spend a good afternoon. If you have the cash to spare, then don't miss out on the other unique and fun attractions too. The mazes - Mirror Maze and Hedge Maze - are fun for the kids and we enjoyed them more than I thought we would. For those who are up for thrills or love an adrenaline rush, you must definitely check out the Manulife Sky Nets because we had a ball of a time there.

I'll be sharing more about each attraction with you below and for those who are keen, there's a giveaway at the end too so read on, yeah?

Credit: Life's Tiny Miracles

CANOPY BRIDGE

In addition to being suspended 23 metres above ground and being able to walk on a glass bottom, part of the reason why we were so awestruck by the Canopy Bridge was the amazing vantage point of the Rain Vortex. Each session lasts for 30 minutes and I was initially wondering why would you spend so much time on this rather short bridge. It turned out that this was one of the best photo-taking spots (thanks to David of Life's Tiny Miracles for that gorgeous shot of us) so you would practically spend half of the time trying to take pictures. As for the other half, it would be waiting for the fog to emit at the ends of the bridge so that the kids can dash into it and have a wild, and wet, time while screaming in joy. See my video below for evidence, haha.

Tips: Be on time for your session and wear pants or shorts because as mentioned, the bottom is made of glass. Oh, and don't get mad when the kids get wet! If you can, go with a friend who's also a great photographer (like we did!).

DISCOVERY SLIDES

These look like a work of art or a giant sculpture from far and the first time we walked past them, I didn't realise they were actually slides! There are a total of three slides here: a normal slide which is super slippery, a spiral slide which gets dark at night and a never-seen-before 90 degree slides where kids have to put on helmets and tuck themselves in sleeping bags before they come down.

I tried out the ordinary looking slide only to realise that it was super fast (hear my screams in the video!) and I nearly toppled over my girl on my first try. Haha. We tried to reduce speed using our shoes but the speed was so fast and friction so great that we ended up rubbing off part of the soles. Fwah! Still, I have to say that we had a lot of fun here and the girls kept coming back for more throughout the day. The good thing is you get unlimited tries and can re-enter Canopy Park from 10am to 10pm using the ticket. Worth it!

Tip: The minimum height limit for the slides is 110cm and kids who fall below that will not be allowed to enter. There are benches to sit on so they can watch their older siblings have fun and patiently wait for the day when they can join in (Asher did it for nearly an hour!). It can get quite crowded at the vertical slide because of the need to put on the gear and a safety briefing, so be prepared to queue.

Credit: Life's Tiny Miracles

FOGGY BOWLS

I don't think this will appeal to everyone because after all, it's just an open play area with artificial grass, a few sunken areas and a fog that emits every now and then, right? It turned out that my kids LOVE Foggy Bowls so much and decided that they would just keep rolling in and out, doing forward roll and armstand and just enjoying that feeling of lying down to enjoy the sun rays that shine through the glass ceiling.

Tip: Lay down on the grass with the kids and enjoy that simple moment of doing nothing at all, not just watch them or take photos of them. Right beside Foggy Bowls is the Family Lounge where you can find a mini slide (perfect for those who can't go on the Discovery Slides), kids furniture, a television (it was showing SpongeBob on Cartoon Network when we were there) as well as a huge baby changing room where you can get both hot and cold water for the kids too.

HEDGE MAZE

Even though this is Singapore's largest hedge maze, it didn't take us over ten minutes to complete. I have to say we were not totally impressed by it as we've been to better ones but there were a couple of pretty nice photo-taking spots here. See below. The highlights for the kids were touching the flowers that would 'appear and disappear' and pretending to be magicians, as well as climbing up the tower to get a bird's eye view of the maze.

Tip: Leave your stroller outside if you can and enjoy the walk through the path. Have a game of hide and seek but don't lose the kids hor!

PETAL GARDEN

Those who love blooms will love this beautiful display of seasonal flower in every shape and colour. We loved how this vibrant garden instantly lifted our spirits and made for a pretty awesome backdrop too.

Tip: Don't just walk from the start to the end, ask each of the kids to decide and show you which is their favourite flower and why.

TOPIARY WALK

For those who love to take photos, you will love this creative topiary which consists of stylised plants that resemble animals including orangutans, birds, crocodile and elephant. Our favourite was the see-no-evil and hear-no-evil Ah Mengs who were too cute to resist.

Tip: Try not to touch the topiary and other than that, just take more photos, wefies and selfies!

MIRROR MAZE

When I asked the staff at the entrance how long it would take us to complete the maze, he told me "Five minutes". Well, I guess we definitely made our one-time tickets worthwhile because we were inside for nearly an hour! Haha. Yup, check out my video and IG highlights to see how we danced, played Music Freeze and tried to pose like supermodels before finally letting the kids attempt to lead the way out.

The fun part was using the foam noodles, which were given to us at the start, to find your way around and make sure you don't bump into any mirrors. Think it's easy? Well, think again! It can be a little challenging and two of my three kids failed to find the way out and we kept coming back to the same place. This was our first mirror maze and we definitely enjoyed it tremendously!

Tip: Try out creative poses and not just boring ones. We love this V-shaped corner where you can easily crop away other people in your frame and see a hexagonal reflection effect. Let me know if you can find it!

MANULIFE SKY NETS - BOUNCING

Similar to the slides, the minimum height limit for the Sky Nets is 110cm and kids below that will be strictly denied entry. So while the boy was taking his afternoon nap, I had a one-on-one session with the little sister, thanks to the elder one who agreed to help me look after the brother and even took photos for us. Awww.

Stretching 250 metres long with the highest point at 8 metres above Canopy Park, it was no wonder we felt like we were flying through the sky. We tried to bounce up high and do splits, knee tucks, spin arounds as well as any funny poses we could think of. The highlight for the girl was the slide - also made of a net - which she loved and went on it again and again.

Tip: Complimentary lockers are available for use. You can bring your mobile phone but not cameras or other bulky belongings. Wear proper, comfortable shoes and pants or shorts. Tickets go by timings and each session lasts for one hour so make full use of it!

MANULIFE SKY NETS - WALKING

Lastly, the Manulife Sky Nets - Walking was something that terrified the girls initially but made them fall in love with it soon after. Suspended across a void at 25 metres above ground, the big girl was at first scared to take big steps and told me "Mummy, there's nothing below!". Well, there is a taut web made of ropes and another safety net below, but walking across made us feel like we were doing a balancing act across a tightrope and we definitely felt the adrenaline rush.

The girls and I enjoyed our mum-and-daughters walk under the stars and I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed having the net all to ourselves - for a while - as we admired the magnificent night view of the Rain Vortex and the incredible architecture of Jewel. Special thanks goes out to Julius Crisostomo, the friendly staff who helped us to capture a few shots when my phone went dead and kindly sent them to me thereafter too. It's the wonderful service of you guys who make our airport a world-class one!

Tip: Make sure you have on comfortable, tight shoes for this as loose ones might come off easily in between the ropes and you will risk spraining your ankle. Step onto the rope intersections for better grip and balance. Tickets are for one-time entry only so take your time to walk and cherish it! Don't be afraid to ask the staff to help you take a picture too.

Credit: Life's Tiny Miracles

It's astonishing to say that we ended up spending a total of 13 hours in Jewel Changi Airport that day. Okay, we also had A&W for lunch and went to Five Spices for dinner in between but the majority of our time was spent in Canopy Park, either having fun at the attractions or just enjoying the company of each other. We definitely love this family-friendly place even more now and will be back for more bonding time again soon. Thanks for all the wonderful fun and precious memories, Jewel Changi Airport!

Watch my video to see all the fun we had! Must watch before you join giveaway, okay?



******

GIVEAWAY!

Win a family bundle of FOUR tickets to visit Canopy Park!

Credit: Life's Tiny Miracles

This bundle consists of admission tickets for four to:

- Canopy Park (includes Topiary Walk, Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls and Petal Garden)
- Hedge Maze
- Mirror Maze
- Manulife Sky Nets - Walking

*Please note that tickets to Canopy Bridge and Manulife Sky Nets - Bouncing are not included in the package due to them being time-sensitive. You can re-enter Canopy Park upon receiving a stamp but for Hedge Maze, Mirror Maze and Manulife Sky Nets - Walking, tickets are valid for one-time entry only.

To join in the giveaway, leave a comment in this post with your name, email address and your favourite attraction in Canopy Park. Indicate in the widget that you have done so and to increase your chances of winning, you can choose to carry out the rest of the options.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms and Conditions
This is an international giveaway and open to all Singapore and overseas residents above the age of 18. The giveaway ends on 4 Aug at 2359hours. Winners will be chosen and contacted through email, they are required to respond within 48 hours or replacement winners will be picked. This giveaway is in no means endorsed by or affiliated with Facebook or Instagram.

P.S. For more chances to win, join in the giveaways hosted by fellow bloggers Life's Tiny Miracles and SengkangBabies too!

Best of luck, everyone!

Disclosure: We were invited by Jewel Changi Explore to visit Canopy Park and received complimentary access to the above attractions. All photographs are my own unless credited otherwise. All opinions are mine.