This particular stay at Shangri-La’s Garden Wing was quite the fluke as it was the result of a product exchange on Traveloka since our original booking for Pan Pacific Hotel couldn’t be further postponed (they were still being used as a covid stay-home-notice facility at that point). As it was tough finding an equivalent hotel that costs within the initial compensation amount of $350 during the most wonderful time of the year, I managed to negotiate for a slightly higher voucher amount ($400) and topped up $86.45 for this stay. It was still painful parting ways with the Pan Pacific Club Room we originally planned for (and the awesome price I snagged it at), but our experience here certainly helped put all that behind us (:
The last time we were here, we stayed at the Valley Wing, which I found to be more worth it if you’re a drinker. Just as I predicted in my conclusion then, we were indeed back to try out the Garden Wing with dining credit no less! I should prophesy more 😛
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Garden Wing Deluxe City View Room
- Breakfast
- Spent: SGD$160.95
Check-in
We alighted at the Tower Wing drop-off point as the check-in for Garden Wing rooms was also done there. There was no queue and we were swiftly ushered to one of the reception counters. The check-in process was smooth and we received our keycards in no time. We took a bit of time to admire the grandeur of the Tower Wing lobby and lovely decorations before heading over to the Garden Wing.
Walking into the open-air atrium filled with lush greenery and the sounds of rushing water was an absolute calming experience for me. Known as the Garden Wing Trail, this area brings you down winding paths through a forested space with rock structures and koi-filled ponds. My husband and I took a leisurely stroll here just to pause and soak in the nature-inspired environment (:
Room
Our assigned Deluxe City View Room turned out to be a corner room on level 9, the highest floor of this wing! Before we even got to our room, my husband remarked how much he appreciated the wide corridors and the little carved details next to the doors – off to a promising start.
As we entered the room, it was as if we’d been transported to a resort somewhere in Bali (albeit on a smaller scale). The wooden flooring and furnishing, the prominent rattan and weave design features, the beautiful flowering plants that lined our balcony – all these blended together to create a super chill tropical vibe. Given that it was a corner room, our balcony was a huge L-shape with outdoor chairs and a lounger. And who could forget that gorgeous sunset?! Looking out into the horizon from our balcony was simply breathtaking.
The room wasn’t completely without flaws though. If you look closely, you’ll notice the wear and tear of the hardware. There were noticeable scuffs on the floorboards, dust build-up in tight corners, as well as smears and stains on the wallpaper.
Thank goodness the bathroom, which has a tub and a standing shower, was immaculate and spotless. They even had those small IKEA stools for kids to access the sink, very kid-friendly. This time, instead of fresh fruits as our welcome amenity, we got plainly packaged dried fruits (not really a fan so I left them alone).
Having briefly visited this wing during our previous stay, what stuck with me the most was the lulling sounds of flowing streams which made me feel really close to nature. These sounds were surprisingly audible (though muffled) even with our room door closed, making for a soothing way to fall asleep. Despite the bed being slightly softer than I would’ve preferred, I still had a good rest with the firm pillow delivered by housekeeping. I placed in a request for turndown service too – they replenished everything (except the tea) and left us a pair of Garden Wing bookmarks on the bed. Nice touch!
Facilities
I shan’t reiterate the general shared facilities across all the wings (if you’d like to find out more, you can refer to my previous post) but I did specifically check on the jacuzzi since it wasn’t open the last time we were here. Unfortunately, it was still closed during this stay ):
We headed to Origin Grill for dinner later in the evening as I had 1000 points in my Shangri-La Circle account (the hotel’s free-to-join loyalty programme) that could be exchanged for USD$100 in dining credit. Previously known as Golden Circle, this programme underwent some changes for a relaunch and there was an impending devaluation of points, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to burn them before that happened.
I was blown away by the contemporary, elegant interiors when we first entered! The main restaurant section had warm, earthy tones with accents of gold while the bar section had cooler tones and awesome mood lighting. We were shown to a comfy booth seat in the latter section and the staff who attended to us shared that they typically seat families with kids in the former section, which has a bit more space.
As for the food, everything we ordered was incredible but also very rich! Thankfully, we planned to share as the richness was a little too much for us, plus the portion sizes were rather generous.
We were served a starter of an onion loaf with herb butter that was fluffy, fragrant and full of flavour. This totally reminded us of our tasty lunch starter at Butcher’s Block, yum.
Our Kagoshima Craft wagyu striploin with a foie gras add-on order was next! The steak was crispy on the outside and super juicy on the inside. This was the one time I was entirely willing to ingest carcinogenic charred bits because it was just that good. My husband enjoyed his foie gras too.
We also ordered sides of buttered brussel sprouts and truffled mac and cheese. The brussel sprouts were crunchy and buttery with the expected bitterness that helped cut through some of the richness. A shame that the supposed truffle in the mac and cheese was so mild (if it was even there) that we could barely taste or smell it.
To round up the meal, we finished off a pot of English Breakfast tea while chatting and relaxing in the low-light, inviting ambience of the restaurant. Truly, the icing on the cake was being able to shave $136.50 off the bill with our dining credit to only pay $54.15 for this sumptuous meal. ‘Twas a memorable dinner indeed (:
Breakfast the next morning was served in an a la carte, unlimited ordering fashion at The Line restaurant. We were informed of a 1-hour dining time limit but this didn’t seem strictly enforced. Similar to our previous breakfast experience here, the items were very average, with the laksa being an inch ahead of all the other dishes.
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. At this price point (that we’ll probably never see again in a long time to come), this stay was an amazing steal! Our corner room was large and had serene resort vibes, along with a pretty fantastic sunset view and gentle lullabies of streaming waters to send us to sleep. The Garden Wing’s atmosphere really takes you away from the hustle and bustle of city life and transports you to a tranquil haven for that much-needed peace and quiet. Dinner and service at Origin Grill was superb and almost faultless too (plus that sweet dining credit discount), definitely one for the books ❤ The only letdown was expectedly the breakfast at The Line, where most of the food was of a mediocre standard. Since we’ve already stayed at two out of the three wings here at Shangri-La, we might just come back to try out the Tower Wing (: Gotta catch (try) ’em all!
Dania Experiences 