Tucked away on the island of Sentosa amidst lush greenery, this award-winning hotel actually stands on the grounds of conserved heritage buildings previously occupied by British officers back in the late 19th century. Today, these buildings have been beautifully restored and expanded to become the luxurious hotel with 112 well-appointed rooms, suites, villas and manors. Ever since I made the reservation for a stay here via a superb deal on Traveloka, I’d been eagerly looking forward to its materialization with great anticipation 😀 I’ve heard so many good things about this place and I couldn’t wait to experience all of it first-hand!
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Premier Garden Room
- Breakfast
- Spent: SGD$670.59
Check-in
We were off to a great start already on the night before check-in, when I received a call from a staff who informed that my husband and I could check in early at 10am. Arriving bright and early, we were warmly greeted by Jaycelle, one of the staff in the culturist team, and ushered to the cosy reception area. A tray of cold towels and refreshing Capella Breeze welcome drinks (consisting of honey, lime and ginger ale) were brought to our table as we waited for the check-in process to be completed. Once that was done, we received our keycards in cute little paper envelopes, what a unique way of presenting them (:
Room
Guest rooms here occupy levels 3 to 5, with ours being on level 3. Most rooms in this category typically get a garden view as the name suggests but there are a few that actually overlook the hotel pools with a partial sea view, which we were very fortunate to have been assigned to! If you plan on staying in a Premier Seaview Room, I heard that rooms 506 and 507 have the best unobstructed sea views.
Our entry-level room was incredibly spacious with luxury resort vibes, modern aesthetics and rustic elements tastefully woven in. I felt that the design of the bathroom was clever and intentional in recreating that outdoor rainshower experience with the open shower concept, the use of stone material and the huge window that draws the outside view in. Another thing I absolutely loved was the fact that staff always took off their shoes before entering the room ❤ Alas, paradise wasn’t exempt from blemishes that came in the form of pesky little insects, of which I spotted a few different species. I had to eliminate them with much fear and trembling, leaving me feeling pretty icky.
All guests are entitled to the complimentary mini-bar of water, soft drinks and juices similar to those found in The Capitol Kempinski Hotel suites. I tried requesting for fresh juices as seen in this review but was told that it would be chargeable ): Nevertheless, the items could be replenished upon request so I guess that ain’t too bad.
The firm pillow I requested for in my pre-arrival email laid nicely in the room even before we arrived. However, the mattress topper made the bed really soft so I woke up the next morning with a slight shoulderache. Turndown service was automatically provided, which included the full works (the staff even went the extra mile to tie my already-neatly-coiled-up USB charging cable) as well as a Happy Family card game souvenir.
Facilities
The hotel has three main swimming pools tiered in a rice-terrace fashion, with the pool on the highest tier for adults only, the next for families and the last for swimming laps. There are also floats available for loan should you require one. I fondly remember chilling by the pool on the last day while waiting for our Build Your Own Boba workshop to begin and it was truly one of the most relaxing moments I’ve experienced. Imagine rustling leaves, gentle breezes, lush landscapes, turqoise waters, chirping birds and groovy reggae music playing in the background. I wish I could fully capture that moment of beauty and tranquility but all I have are mere words and a video to approximate it.
As part of the hotel offerings, guests can sign up for a whole array of activities from their resort programme (some are free-to-join while others entail a fee). The first one we went for was the 60-minute bathbomb workshop led by Lexi from the culturist team, where we learned how to create our own bathbombs from everyday ingredients. We selected our preferred colours and essential oil scents, then layered and moulded the ingredients into various shapes, quite fun!
We had some time in-between this workshop and the next, so I decided to check out the Auriga Spa facilities on level 1 which in-house guests can access for free. These include a Vitality Pool (basically a hot jacuzzi), a Herbal Steam Room, an Ice Fountain (where you can cool your body with freshly crushed ice), as well as Cool Mist and Tropical Rain Experience Showers. You can find the fitness centre a few steps away from the spa too.
The staff here were so nice and friendly, making me feel really welcome. One of them invited me to explore the relaxation lounge when he saw me taking photos of the area. They definitely left a wonderful impression that made me want to come back again.
Our second activity was the 2-hour Panama hat workshop facilitated by Bill Cain, the affable founder of Hat of Cain. I learned so much about the rich history and craftsmanship behind Panama hats, including how to tell if they’re legitimately made in Ecuador (look for the flower bud in the centre on top!). Panama hat weaving is apparently a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, with varying hat grades ascribed to different types depending on the fineness and quality of the weave. Bill brought a Superfino hat, the highest grade of hats, to show us how that looked like.
After introducing the art form, Bill proceeded to do a hat fitting for each of us and handed us our very own Panama hat (just a two-weave one of course, which takes about two weeks to make). We could then personalize our hats by selecting the colour of the ribbons and putting trinkets or feathers on them. I had to learn how to sew there and then to be able to attach a burgundy ribbon to my hat! This customization process took us a whole 90 minutes but I guess if you choose not to add anything to the original hat or are proficient in sewing, you’d probably be done in 30 to 60 minutes.
Sporting our newly minted Panama hats, we made our way to The Living Room on level 4 just above the reception area for afternoon tea. All staying guests can access this bright and breezy lounge along with all its offerings. Light refreshments like coffee, tea, juices, hot chocolate and local snacks are served throughout the day between 9am to 9pm but afternoon tea only happens between 3pm to 5pm. Historically, this space used to be where the wives of the British soldiers stationed in Singapore would hold lavish parties to gather and socialize, as depicted in the framed images all around the lounge.
The afternoon tea selection was very limited and rather disappointing, a grand total of 5 items to choose from. Taste-wise, the items failed to impress and were average at best.
Check out what happened in Part 2! 🡲
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 