Spooky St John's has a chequered past: it was a quarantine for immigrants in the 1930s before becoming a political prison and later a rehabilitation centre for opium addicts. A prison-like feel still lingers, barbed-wire fences and watch towers dotting the landscape. There's a small beach where some people picnic and a tiny tin-roofed mosque used by maintenance workers, but most visitors head here for a quiet spot of fishing .
The island has one self-contained, three-bedroom bungalow (from $53.50 per night). For more information, click onto www.sentosa.com.sg and follow the 'Nature' link. Camping is not allowed on St John's, although people occasionally flout the rules.
