Opening its doors in 2010, The Fullerton Bay Hotel is the latest major addition to the stretch known as The Fullerton Heritage Precinct, an area with conserved establishments that hold significance in Singapore’s history. Situated on the waterfront with unobstructed views of the Marina Bay area, this hotel holds a very special place in the hearts of my husband and I as this was where we spent our first day as an officially married couple ❤ Coming back here again was magical, all thanks to the tempting prices during Klook’s sale in collaboration with Grab!
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Bay View Room (upgraded from Deluxe Room)
- $256 dining credit
- Late check-out 6pm for Monday to Wednesday stays
- Complimentary parking
- Spent: SGD$421.74
Check-in
Stepping into the hotel via the Clifford Pier entrance, I immediately felt a change in ambience from the hustle and bustle outside. It was beautiful and hushed, the interiors were classy and elegant, and there was no lack of natural light streaming in from all sides along the way to the reception area. Not many guests were queueing up at the counters but when it came our turn, the registration itself took about 15 minutes, slightly longer than what we’re used to. Yugen, the staff attending to us, was happy to share (and I was ecstatic to hear) that we’d been upgraded to the Bay View Room! He informed that the room wasn’t ready yet but once it was, they would give us a call. Anyway, we already had plans for lunch at Jade restaurant so that wasn’t a problem (:
Room
Our assigned Bay View Room was on the fifth floor, the penultimate guest room floor of the hotel. The first thing that hit me when I first entered the room was the sheer amount of reflective glossy surfaces there were. Everything glistened and winked as they caught the sunlight filtering in through the floor-to-ceiling window. And of course, that unbelievably breathtaking view of the Marina Bay! I spent so much time just sitting and staring at this view, watching it turn from noon to dusk and getting lost in my thoughts along the way. There was almost nothing to fault with the room, it was super on point in terms of cleanliness and tidiness. My usual firm pillow was delivered promptly and although the bed was a little soft (it would sink in significantly when we sat on it), we still had a pretty good sleep. Turndown service was provided upon request and we came back to find a small box of chocolate slices, nice touch (:
Another huge plus was the bathroom, where being in the tub also afforded a clear view of the Marina Bay through a full glass window (similar to the bathroom we had at Pan Pacific Hotel). I don’t often soak in hotel bathtubs for hygiene reasons but over here, there was little reason not to 😀 In addition, you have the option of watching either the main TV in the room or the smaller wall-mounted TV while in the tub.
As we didn’t have breakfast included in our package (a very rare phenomenon), we did away with the usual rush in the mornings. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. Waking up later and lazing in bed with jazz music in the background, together with this fantastic vista was simply mesmerizing. What an amazing room!
However, we did encounter a mildly amusing incident during our stay. At around 7am, I awoke to thumping music and audible arguing coming from the room directly below ours on level 1. When I stepped out onto the balcony to investigate, the guests moved back into their room and things quietened down for a while.
After taking the opportunity to snap some sunrise shots, I went back to bed. To my dismay, the volume from downstairs was cranked back up. I was like, are you people quarrelling or partying, I can’t tell anymore but I want to sleep ): When we gave this feedback to the staff, they assured us that they would look into it and offered service recovery in the form of afternoon tea on a separate visit. We were really thankful for this unexpected and sincere gesture, it showed us that our experience truly mattered to them (:
Facilities
Given that our dining credit could be utilized across the restaurants at both The Fullerton and The Fullerton Bay Hotels, we made our first stop at Jade restaurant located at the former. The restaurant looked packed when we arrived, thank goodness we made our reservation in advance. I like how they married the various shades of green within the same space without it looking out of place, creating a soothing colour palette overall. Service was also pretty good, everyone looked busy but when we needed assistance, a staff would promptly attend to us.
On to the food! Our favourite was definitely the bak kut teh xiao long bao, an interesting take on the standard xiao long bao dish we all know and love. The minced pork was heavily seasoned with pepper, and together with the hearty broth, it really emulated the experience of eating the classic bak kut teh dish. It was so good we ordered another basket of it! We also ordered the wok-fried Kagoshima wagyu and the sweet and sour pork dishes – both of which had flavours that were well-balanced. Although the portions were on the smaller side, everything tasted absolutely delicious (:
Facilities like the pool, jacuzzis and gym are located on the rooftop, along with Lantern bar. Despite this hotel being a low-rise building, the views here are still incredible given that there are no skyscrapers in the way. Once I put on my swimwear and the fluffiest bathrobe my skin has ever touched, I made a beeline for the jacuzzi (you should too because it’s first-come-first-serve!). It’s almost like being in a private jacuzzi since the shrubbery around it provides some respite from prying eyes. As there are no staff keeping tabs on the use of the jacuzzis, please be kind and take turns to let others enjoy it too!
A little-known fact (at least to me before I stayed here, heh) is that guests at both The Fullerton and The Fullerton Bay Hotel have access to the steam room and sauna situated within the spa at The Fullerton Hotel. However, reservations can only be made upon check-in as your room number will be required. It didn’t look particularly inviting so I gave it a miss altogether.
After a ton of soaking in the jacuzzi and bathtub, it was time for dinner at La Brasserie! The ambience was cosy and inviting despite the immense ceiling height, perfect for a romantic night out. I ordered the lobster roll, which was yummy and full of huge, juicy lobster chunks. My husband went for the wok-fried vermicelli, which turned out to be a little underwhelming. The staff here were warm and attentive, making the atmosphere a very welcoming one.
The next day, we had lunch at The Landing Point restaurant. We were seated on the high chairs right next to the full-length windows, giving us a wide open view of Marina Bay Sands. Foodwise, the dishes we ordered (hainanese chicken rice and spaghetti bolognese) were rather decent, though they didn’t exactly wow us. But again, service was a standout at this restaurant as well.
As our package came with a late check-out, there was still time to enjoy one last dining experience in the room! Our dining credit was restricted in that it couldn’t be used for afternoon tea at The Landing Point, but the staff I checked with recommended a work-around: Order in-room afternoon tea because we’d get exactly the same items anyway. The drawback was that it wouldn’t be refillable and the portion would only be for 1 pax. Since lunch wasn’t too long ago, we figured we could forgo the unlimited servings and just sample the menu.
The theme of the month was Mid-Autumn Treasures so the sweet items were all inspired by mooncake flavours, very interesting! Every one of them tasted exquisite and were executed with finesse – the layers and flavours were exactly what the menu descriptions said they would taste like. I found all the items superbly well-balanced and light such that nothing was too overpowering or rich. The set also came with a choice of tea so I went with my favourite white tea (labelled “Fullerton Express” on the menu). Savouring these delights in the room while taking in that glorious view has easily made it onto my most-memorable-moments-in-life list ❤
My overall rating of the experience: 5 out of 5 stars. The highlight of this stay was hands down the magnificient view from the room and rooftop jacuzzi, as well as the general ambience of the hotel – memories that will stay with me for a long time to come (: Although I would’ve liked for staff to be more personable instead of solely being professional, service standards were very high overall. I was exceptionally impressed at their genuine response and service recovery when we recounted the bewildering morning episode to them. F&B prices at both hotels aren’t for the faint-hearted, so we were glad to have dining credit to soften the blow. The food was mostly decent, our top recommendation would be Jade restaurant! All stays actually come with complimentary guided tours but slots were already filled by the time I enquired (hopefully I can secure slots for our upcoming Fullerton stay). Self-tours with maps are available regardless so you can undertake it on your own if you wish to. Tour or no tour, this stay was a winner for me ❤ Maybe, just maybe, that wild dream of a Premier Bay View Room With Jacuzzi could somehow come to pass the next time round? 😀
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 