Having attended a number of weddings at this hotel before, the impression I got was that it was aged and old-fashioned. Even the official photos on the website conveyed this same vibe. However, a promotional price on Trip.com for a club room made it a little too tempting to pass up. I figured it’d be worth a shot so I took the plunge!
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Regent Club Premium Room
- Regent Club access
- Breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails (as part of club lounge access)
- Spent: SGD$310.97
Check-in
There was quite a bit of bustle at the lobby but surprisingly no one queuing at the reception counters. Miwa swiftly attended to us with a smile and once she was done with checking us in, she ushered us to the club lounge on level 11 to wait as our room wasn’t ready yet. Yvonne, one of the lounge staff, warmly welcomed us and offered us some snacks and drinks in the meantime.
Room
The lift doors opened up to a bright and breezy landing on the top floor of the hotel (level 12) where our room was located. The huge skylight above us let in a ton of natural light that flooded the corridors. It was a pity that the room itself had a dimmer, more yesteryear vibe. It had a dull yellow hue with furnishing styles straight out from the 90s, pretty similar to the suite we had at the now-defunct Mandarin Orchard Hotel (except the carpets and curtains here felt a lot less dusty). With that said, the size of the room was generous, comfortably fitting a good-sized sofa and coffee table. The towels and sheets were clean too.
Turndown service was provided upon request, which entailed the usual drawing of curtains, clearing of trash and replenishing of items. The firm pillow I requested for also came promptly but it was slightly mushier than the regular pillows, so I ended up using those instead. The bed, however, was firm just the way I like it.
Making our way to the bathroom, the tiles and countertop triggered brief flashbacks of the one at Pan Pacific Hotel’s club room and the toilet flush is an actual lever (haven’t seen those in ages), but in comparison, this bathroom was infinitely more well-maintained and didn’t result in any of my OCD alarm bells going off.
In fact, well-maintained is how I’d describe everything about this hotel. Despite its outdated appearance, it actually doesn’t give off a repulsive vibe because I believe sufficient care had been taken to upkeep the various elements in these spaces. It embodied a certain old-world elegance that I came to appreciate over the course of our stay.
Facilities
You can find the pool and gym on level 2 of the property. After checking out the really small pool, I was surprised to see a fairly large and well-equipped gym in contrast. Also, all guests have complimentary access to the wet spa facilities like the steam room and sauna but these were closed at the time of our visit.
Much of our time was spent here at the Regent Club lounge, a modest space that carries an air of sophistication once you look past the old English interiors. Guests could also choose to sit outdoors along the balcony if they wished to. The staff here created a friendly and inviting atmosphere, demonstrating polish and excellence in their service delivery.
Afternoon tea took place at the lounge between 2pm to 4pm, where guests could help themselves to an unlimited flow of sweets and savouries such as:
– Ham and cheese sandwiches
– Gimbap rolls with crab
– Black sesame macarons (these came with a unique artwork on the top and were unexpectedly not that sweet)
– Spicy chicken tarts served piping hot (thankfully not too spicy)
– Panna cotta
– Lemon scones
Everything tasted pretty good (especially the tarts which we ordered seconds of) except the scones as they were somewhat dry the way most hotel scones are. Yvonne introduced me to a Monogram tea layering experience, which basically meant having two tea bags of different flavours in the same pot. I opted for a mix of Jasmine Silk Pearls and Rose of Ariana, it was fantastic!
Not long after, it was time for evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres served between 5.30pm to 7.30pm. There was a slightly wider variety on display compared to afternoon tea and the food was nicely seasoned and equally delicious. My top picks were the seafood stew, stir-fried noodles, mushroom pizza and cheesecake. We met Jovis, another lounge staff, who actively came by to ask if we needed anything a few times and offered to concoct my usual mimosa (less alcohol, more orange juice) for me. Truly splendid service (:
Breakfast the next morning was served at Basilico restaurant on level 2 between 7am and 10.30am. Our experience here was a mixed bag. On one hand, the spread was huge and the food was hitting above average in terms of standards and quality. On the other hand, service was cold and perfunctory, plus they only had Dilmah tea available instead of Monogram tea. There was just one staff who was ever so slightly more welcoming than the rest, but as a whole, it didn’t make me feel like returning to visit.
With a late check-out courtesy of the IHG membership, we were able to enjoy a second round of afternoon tea at the lounge. As with our experience yesterday, just about all the afternoon tea items were delightful, save for the beef bulgogi tarts (but that’s more because I don’t prefer sweet meats and not that it was poorly executed). I thought the coffee mousse with dalgona candy was quite interesting – richly flavoured yet light at the same time, very nice.
When we were about to leave, I went to thank Yvonne for introducing me to the amazing tea layering experience. She very kindly offered for me to bring some home so I could savour them in my own time! ❤ It’s thoughtful gestures like these that really differentiate the level of service here from the run-of-the-mill ones.
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. I had a tough time deciding between a 3- or 4-star rating for a number of reasons. Firstly, the hotel’s interior and furnishing were way past their sell-by date, but because everything had been so well-maintained, it felt sufficiently comfortable. After settling into the aesthetic, I actually grew to appreciate the old-world charm of the property. Second, service came in both extremes. The lounge staff were much more personable and ready to assist while the staff at Basilico during breakfast were incredibly distant, barely acknowledging our existence. Similarly at the front desk, there were gems like Miwa and then some just-doing-my-job ones. I ended up landing on 4 stars eventually but as a caveat, this would be more applicable if you have lounge access. Big shout-out to Yvonne for remembering our preferences and checking on the issues we raised to find out if they were adequately addressed. These little acts of thoughtfulness made our stay feel very personalized and special (: Sadly, this hotel has ceased operations at the end of 2022 to be rebranded as Conrad Singapore Orchard.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 