In a time of covid-19, many hotels are marking down their prices and increasing their package offerings to stay competitive. As such, my husband and I were able to purchase a night’s stay at this luxurious 5-star hotel at an awesome rate (before the pandemic, I never even considered staying here as it was way too pricey). Plus, we got an additional discount by making the purchase via Klook (receive $5 credit straight up when you sign up via my link, I’ll get $5 credit too yay!). Not glad for the pandemic, but thankful that there are silver linings and opportunities like these (:
Check-in
We entered the hotel via a small lobby near the drop-off point at level 1 before taking the lift to the reception counter on level 5. Even though we arrived at the official check-in time of 3pm, we were regretfully informed that many other guests have also booked the same package as us that included a late check-out at 4pm, so there were no rooms available at that moment. I’ve never had to wait 2.5 hours before for a hotel room (our room was only ready at about 5.30pm). Thankfully, the staff were very apologetic about it and offered us a room on a higher floor, as well as complimentary drinks and snacks at 1864 The Bar (the hotel’s lobby lounge, named historically after the year in which the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company was founded) while we waited.
Room
There are 3 room types available: Luxury (Luxury Room, Luxury Premium Room, Luxury Club), Prestige Suite and Joaquim Suite. Apparently the two main differences amongst the Luxury-type rooms are the floor on which it is located and club lounge access. Our room was the Luxury Club, which truly lived up to its name with its luxurious fixtures and modern furnishings. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in a ton of light and gave us an unobstructed view of the sea of orange-tiled roofs below. My favourite part of the room was undoubtedly the inviting lounge chair in a nook by the window that was simply perfect for reading ❤ I was also particularly grateful for the provision of a firmer pillow, which helped me sleep better.
The bathroom was fancy, sufficiently large and very clean, giving off pampering vibes of opulence. Due to the hotel’s safety measures, they cleared out some of the regular bathroom amenities but we could easily request for them if we needed them. I also understood from the staff that rooms have to be thoroughly inspected before being deemed ready to receive guests. That’s reassuring in a time like this.
Facilities
After settling down in the room, we went to Club Millésime (the hotel’s club lounge) for evening cocktails and canapés. We opted to sit outside facing the pool as it was a relatively cool evening, great for chilling out. The yummy canapés came in cute little portions (perfect because we still had dinner to go for, haha) and we could order as many as we liked. The staff there were also friendly and attentive, making us feel really taken care of. For those of you who are looking forward to enjoying the self-service wine dispenser, the bad news is they had to remove that due to covid-19 safety measures.
Next up was our 3-course dinner at Racines. This restaurant’s design is chic and classy, with floor-to-ceiling windows creating a bright and breezy atmosphere in the day and contemporary chandelier lights bringing the place to life at night. For the appetizer course, I ordered the hamachi tartare while my husband ordered the wild mushroom soup. Both of us got the black angus beef rump for the main course and the basque burnt cheesecake for dessert. The food was refined, well-plated and delicious (except the beef rump as it was a tad too rare for my liking). All in all, it felt like a real treat.
We came back to Racines the next morning for our complimentary breakfast. Breakfast was ordered via a QR code link and served a la carte style with unlimited ordering. Dishes were served in tasting portions but you can choose to “upsize” to a big plate resembling a full meal portion. I like trying a little of everything at a buffet, so the tasting portion size was well-suited to my preference. Most of the dishes were yummy and we left the restaurant feeling satisfied.
Having finished a sumptuous breakfast, we decided to check out the pool and gym. Prior reservation was required in order for guests to use these facilities due to the safety measures. Most sections of the pool were closed off, leaving only the main section available for guests to use.
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. The hotel truly exuded modern luxury, living up to and fully deserving its 5-star status. The staff provided wonderful service, going out of their way at times to ensure that our stay was comfortable and pleasant. The food was consistently good too, which is quite a feat. Unfortunately, the 2.5-hour wait for our room was the wrong kind of “first” in my books. Our experience also fell short due to the multiple restrictions inherent in the covid-19 safety measures, which I acknowledge is no fault of the hotel, but it did take away the feeling of being able to do whatever you want whenever you want on a vacation. With that said, if I ever had the opportunity to stay here again, I’d definitely take it without hesitation!
Dania Experiences 