The next morning, we headed to Edge on level 3 for our champagne breakfast served between 7am to 10.30am. As the club lounge was only open from 1pm to 10pm in the covid era then, they reserved a section specifically for club guests to dine at Edge for breakfast. Janice, one of the staff, was very attentive. She came by to ask us how we were doing a few times and actively offered us refills. I also observed that the staff were prompt in topping up the guests’ champagne.
Food was served in an assisted-buffet style and was mostly better than average, except the pastries. I particularly liked the well-seasoned smoked salmon with sour cream and capers. The waffles weren’t mind-blowingly good but it was a lot better than those at other hotel buffet breakfasts. What was noteworthy for me was having fresh juices available (a rare phenomenon at local hotel breakfasts nowadays), albeit with limited options of green apple and carrot.
For lunch, we made a 1pm reservation at Keyaki situated on level 4. I loved the zen aesthetic and the calming waterfall at the entrance of the restaurant. After being ushered to our seats, we were served a seaweed starter and a choice of hot or iced tea. We had some trouble deciding between two gozen options so we asked a staff for his recommendation. He immediately pointed to the Gyuniku Usuyaki Gyokaiyaki Gozen option ($62++) without hesitation and boy, were we glad we went with that!
When that same staff brought us the tray of food, which included beef, salmon, scallop, steamed egg custard, salad, miso soup and rice, he meticulously explained each component, even pointing out the sauces to go with each meat type. The beef stuffed with shitake mushrooms and beansprouts was so tender and full of texture (though it could’ve used a little less salt) and the salmon was soft yet firm (how?!). Sadly, the sizeable scallop was probably the weakest link, with half of it slightly overcooked and rubbery, but still delicious nonetheless in terms of taste. Dessert was a plate of fruits and some regular ice cream.
Service was warm and the go-the-extra-mile type (: Many thanks to the staff who took the time to share about the dining privileges that are part of the free-to-join Pan Pacific Privileges programme (this membership proved to be incredibly useful further down the road) ❤
We were back again at Edge around 6.30pm for an assisted buffet dinner that cost $78++ per adult. For a spread this massive with so many items, I thought the quality and consistency of the food was excellent. Similar to breakfast, most of the food we tried was tasty and well-cooked with pretty balanced flavours. Even the desserts had just the right level of sweetness without being too overwhelming.
Seafood was amazingly fresh too! The boston lobsters were super popular and ran out for a short period of time (however, I didn’t really get the hype as I found the texture to be bordering on rubbery). I preferred the clams, scallops and mussels much more as the texture and freshness were on-point. The fresh pasta was a tad disappointing (tasted like it’d been kept for too long already) and didn’t pass the tastebuds of my fresh-pasta fanatic of a husband. Strangely enough, my favourite dish was the blueberry yoghurt ice cream. Don’t ask me why but I just kept craving it long after we left the buffet. It had the perfect ratio of sweetness, creaminess and sourness, what a treat!
The staff behind the counters were more enthusiastic and earnest than the average buffet server and they seemed to genuinely enjoy what they do, which was such an awesome vibe (:
Our final meal on Day 3 for this stay was the dim sum lunch buffet ($60.80++ per adult) at Hai Tien Lo. To start us off, we ordered a nice and light rose pu’er tea ($6++ per person) based on one of the staff’s recommendation. Despite the limited variety on the menu and the restricted amount per person or per table for certain dishes, we were really quite impressed by the standard of the food here.
I especially liked the charcoal barbecued pork bun with black truffles as the bun was warm, soft and fluffy while the pork was not overly sweet and had the distinct taste of truffle. The steamed prawn dumplings were also pretty yummy – firm, juicy prawns wrapped in thin, smooth dumpling skins. Do avoid the dense and hardened pork and prawn dumplings with mushroom and bonito flakes, as well as the more-batter-than-meat sweet and sour pork dish (though the sauce was admittedly delicious). The hearty soups fondly reminded me of those I used to have at my grandma’s, super comforting. We ended our meal on a just-right sweet note with delightful desserts, I highly recommend the oolong tea jelly!
With some D$ to spare from my GHA Discovery membership account, I did a last-minute 4pm reservation with St. Gregory Spa on level 4 for a 60-minute Relaxing Aromatic Body Bliss massage ($160). The spa manager, Cheryl, was extremely helpful with everything. There was quite a bit of back and forth as we struggled to find a timeslot for treatment before check-out, given that we needed to charge the expense to the room. She was patient throughout and problem-solved to offer alternate solutions, something I sincerely appreciated, and I eventually did manage to offset USD$72 from the final bill.
The treatment room was a comfortable size and came with an en-suite outdoor shower area. Spa guests are given access to the steam room located within the spa, although I was told there is also a general steam room in the changing room next to the pool for all guests. Sadly, the hot water system on this level wasn’t functioning that day, so both steam rooms were out of order and I couldn’t rinse off in the shower after my massage.
Lily, my masseuse, was professional and skilled. She adjusted her pressure very well and avoided the spots I asked her to with finesse. She had fantastic intuition on when to talk and when to observe silence such that I felt completely at ease during the session. I enjoyed our candid conversations about life and she felt like my own aunt by the time the session concluded (:
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. This was originally shaping up to be a 3-star stay due to a few pain points. Both our rooms were largely old and tired, plus our initial room had pervasively stained grout and rust in the bathroom, which was quite a put-off. At that price point for a club room, it was severely lacking in terms of its look, feel and perceived cleanliness. Food quality at the lounge was highly inconsistent compared to that at the restaurants as well. Also, make sure to pack clothes that adhere to the lounge dress code because otherwise, they will not hesitate to turn you away. However, as the stay progressed and having had the opportunity to interact with staff from the various restaurants and departments, I felt the warmth and sincerity of their service. They were quite proactive to check in on how we were doing, with some willingly going the extra mile when the need arose. As a result of these fine folks, I thought it only deserving that this rating be adjusted upwards to reflect their efforts of excellence. Bobby, the duty manager, mentioned that the hotel was in the midst of being refurbished in phases, so we might possibly be back to check out their newer rooms (:
Dania Experiences 