On a quest to check out all the hotels on the island of Sentosa, I lined up a back-to-back stay at this one and at The Outpost Hotel, both of which were purchased through Trip.com. This hotel is a 4-star accommodation with slightly more pocket-friendly rates relative to the other hotels at Sentosa. It is also marketed as a family-friendly hotel, complete with family rooms, special amenities for kids and many more (read on to find out!).
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Deluxe Room
- Spent: SGD$150
Check-in
The sizeable reception area was fairly empty when my husband and I arrived, so checking in was quick and easy. What caught my eye was the mini-staircase at one end of the counter called the Village Important Kids (VIK) Concierge, where kids can get up there to check-in along with their parents. Cute inclusive concept (:
The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle bus service to Beach Station and VivoCity shopping mall that runs every half an hour. If you want a seat on this highly-coveted shuttle bus, do head down at least ten minutes earlier to start queueing (and bring along your key card for verification too). When we complacently reached there on the dot that evening, it was already fully packed so we had to find another way to VivoCity for our dinner and movie.
Right by the entrance was a display cart of old-school local snacks that were free for the taking. We helped ourselves to two of the three options available that day.
Room
Our room was located on level 6 (out of 7 floors) facing the pools. It was rather compact but good enough for a night’s stay I suppose. The only “table” was a fold-out surface just below the TV, but unfortunately, it obstructed the passageway once unfolded. One gripe my husband had was that there was no proper chair to sit on (he had to use a green stool that apparently doubles up as a bedside table). Do note that there’s no in-room coffee and tea packets, you’ll have to get those from the drawer at the lift lobby.
Although there was no pillow menu available, I was grateful that the regular pillows were firm enough (and so was the bed). There was no turndown service either but it sufficed that the housekeeping team was able to help clear the trash and replenish some items in our room.
For a room this size, I was really surprised they managed to fit a good-sized bathtub in here. What’s more, the toilet bowl came with a Toto bidet (some 5-star hotels don’t even have bidets, let alone branded ones). There was a bit of a snag initially when the large flush wasn’t working properly but this was promptly rectified after the engineers dropped by to fix it.
Upon entering our room, we discovered unique welcome amenities of reusable cutlery and a water bottle. It was very generous of them to give not one, but two sets so we each had our own!
Facilities
As our stay coincided with the Christmas season, there were loads of Christmas-themed activities happening throughout the hotel. My favourite one was the pop-up food carts at the reception area with free-flow popcorn, Belgian waffles and ice cream! There were three crowd-pleasing flavours of ice cream up for grabs on Day 1 – cookies and cream, mint chocolate and strawberry cheesecake. On Day 2, they served Belgian waffles with chocolate fondue treats.
While we were in the queue, Halim, likely one of the concierge staff, approached us to chat. He was super sweet and cheerful, encouraging my husband to get more popcorn and recommending me an ice cream flavour to go with my Belgian waffles. We also saw him getting into endearing balloon sword fights with some of the kids, what a charmer (:
Other activities were set up at different corners of the reception area. These mostly catered to the kids and included santa meet-and-greets, remote car racing, cookie decorating, roving magic and lots more. There were even mini-hotelier programmes for kids to get a taste of the various functions in a hotel, such as the roles of a gardener, chef, engineer and housekeeper. I was totally keen to join but I think “young at heart” wasn’t exactly their target demographic 😛
One of the highlights of this hotel is the fact that it has a staggering total of four swimming pools on level 3! The Adventure Pool is likely the largest, taking up most of the deck area in the centre. Pamukkale Pool is situated right at the edge of the deck and was clearly the most popular option as it was always filled with people at almost any time of the day. This was understandably so as it boasts panoramic sea views and a brief fireworks display from the nearby Wings of Time show in the evenings.
There is also a small Lazy River Pool where ring floats are supposedly available for guests to borrow. Oddly enough, when I enquired with the staff stationed there, he said they were out of stock. I didn’t see anyone else with one so it couldn’t be that they were all loaned out, but oh well. The last pool is designed for the younger ones, with shallow waters, water features and slides.
The tiny gym is located on this level as well. Note that all these facilities are shared with The Outpost Hotel so guests from both hotels will have access.
Another Christmas-themed activity was snowflakes by the pool. It was a little underwhelming though, maybe because I imagined it to be on a grander scale. Well, the kids seemed to have fun with it nonetheless.
Later in the evening, there was a movie screening under the stars too, an evergreen activity that seems to be a mainstay in their regular schedule. You can pick a spot on any of the colourful beanbags laid out along the walkways that face a huge screen across the pool.
As our stay didn’t include breakfast, we had the luxury of sleeping in until the sun came up. If yours does, it would be served at Native Kitchen on level 2. Or if you’re looking light bites and snacks, you can get those at Supply Depot located opposite the entrance to Native Kitchen.
Other dining options within walking distance include restaurants at nearby hotels (such as The Outpost Hotel and Oasia Resort Sentosa), Mess Hall (situated just next door) and Resorts World Sentosa (a further distance away).
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. I was very pleasantly surprised that the experience surpassed my expectations of a 4-star Village brand hotel. Excellent cleanliness standards, quality fittings and impressive service with a personal touch. Needless to say, the highlight of the property is the massive pool deck with four different types of pools to choose from. Also, much of the hardware and software here are designed to be kid-friendly, including the safety corner guards on some of the furniture. Staff, too, seem ever-ready to entertain the young ones with all the gusto of an engaging kindergarten teacher, an admirable skill indeed. Alas, the room was a little too cramped for comfort so I’d hesitate to stay any more than one night. Aside from that, it was all good vibes during our stay. Coupled with its affordability, it makes for a decent family-friendly accommodation option if you’re looking to stay on Sentosa island.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
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