pwhite8314

What a great thread. I've read back to around 2018, but wanted to still garner options from you guys. We'll be flying into SIN for a few nights at the end of January before heading off to FS Koh Samui (during the mysterious 3 day slot when the resort isn't fully booked out, very likely for the last season of White Lotus...!), FS Golden Triangle and somewhere in BKK (did Copella there last time, so maybe FS or The Siam). Anyway, back to Singapore.

My summary of the last 20-30 pages is that there's no stand-out 5* option, or if there is, it's not really 5* in both the hard and soft product is the same way it would be in other cities. Kinda like Vegas, in that regard. I am Bonvoy Plat, do have access to FHR/Amex with a bunch of points. Lived in Singapore when I was a kid/baby, but remember almost nothing of it. Since it's essentially our first time in Singapore, we will probably do the touristy things, probably book a night tour for the first night to get our bearings. Have a Coldplay concert to go to on the 30th, but that's the only commitment for the 4 nights we'll be there. Out hotel style can be sleek and modern or quietly sophisticated, but we do hang out in the room quite a bit, so would prefer a larger floorplan, and don't much care about the hotel pool. Like a balcony with a view. Generally if we're in a City, a Langham Club suite is our first choice (if there's one there). If the hotel is well situated, we'd certainly want to walk around the local area, and happy to get public transport. I'm an F1 fan, and obviously MBS is central on all of that coverage, but we're not looking to stay at a soulless mega-resort (but will happily walk around the area). Due to the cost of rest of the trip, would rather <US$1k per night.

So, my shortlist is:
- Raffles. Expensive for the good rooms, but cool old-school vibe, places to walk nearby. Maybe a tad pretentious.
- Copella. Spacious, but on Sentosa, which seems to get some flack here. Since we will want to go into the city, I'd assumed a taxi or transit would be relatively painless, but maybe not.
- Ritz Carlton. Large hotel, but good location. No Bonvoy benefits, which since I'm Plat, weirdly makes me not want to stay there.
- Fullerton Bay - I don't know enough about this hotel, but seems like it might hit most of what we're looking for...good hard & soft products, a bit old school but bit contemporary too.

Would welcome your thoughts.

Seikkyou

I would add the Capitol Kempinski to that list. I also found myself enjoying my stay at the newly renovated Sands Premier rooms at Marina Bay Sands. This hotel definitely matches your description of the "sleek and modern" vibe. While the service is pretty much what you'd expect from a 5 star Vegas/2500+ room property, the hard product is probably the best out of all of them (slightly ahead of Raffles because it is literally brand new) and you're also in the Marina Bay Sands complex, a great place to be for a first time tourist! I loved the way digitally integrated the hotel room is. Everything can be controlled from the app or the TV remote, from the temperature to the blinds to even ordering amenities. The bathrooms even have speakers....Another hotel to consider is the newly renovated Mandarin Oriental, although from seeing the initial concept art it doesn't look too impressive.

As far as your list, i've only stayed at Capella. I think it's definitely more of a getaway type property, isolated from the city with a resort atmosphere. Grab (SEAsia equivalent of Uber) is easily accessible and I'd say the points of interest in the city are about 15-25 minutes away and relatively inexpensive. I loved my time at Capella, but I paired it with a hotel in the city for my trip.

This might've confused you even more, but I hope it helps!

pwhite8314

Yup, doesn't entirely help someone that's frequently accused of over-thinking these things, lol. The Sands Premier Room (with balcony) looks nice, and fits the price bracket. Since we're there for 4 night, I think having a balcony, or access to a private outdoor space moves into the 'must have' category; to get that at the Kempinski would be US$2k+ per night, as best I can tell from their website. The Fullerton Bay still meets the criteria & price, as does the Capella (sort of). We could split it of course, and do a few nights at Capalla and a couple in the city, but we're not good at packing light, and we're already bouncing around quite a few hotels, and that's just an easy-out for my poor decision-making skills! Probably leaning towards the Capella if getting into the city isn't too bad - the ideal of a private pluge pool after ~30hrs flying & airports has some appeal.

United747

I wouldn’t recommend Sentosa (too far out of the way and the beaches aren’t that nice IMO) nor MBS (fun to go to, but not a relaxing place).

Fullerton Bay would be a good choice (I’ve stayed once) or some of the other hotels around the Marina Bay - of which I’ve only stayed at MO and I won’t return unless their rates come down a lot.

I’m one of the contrarians of the forum and like the FS a lot, but I don’t think that nor Shangri-La fit what you’re looking for since they’re near Orchard road.

jiaotze

It's hard to discern many details from the limited pictures online, but the Como Metropolitan Singapore will be opening next month. For those who like a more minimalist style, this could be suitable. I'm not all that familiar with Singapore, but it appears to be located near Orchard Road.

Seikkyou

Haha, I'm sorry. I can relate to that struggle though. If you're looking for somewhere with a balcony, the Marina Bay Sands balcony rooms only face the Gardens by the Bay area and not the city. MBS is definitely not private and not a relaxing atmosphere, but the location and the new rooms make up for that for me. The price is a little steep though. Honestly, it really sounds like its between the Fullerton Bay and Capella for you. That is indeed a very tough choice to make

DJ_Iceman

I feel like you're describing the JW Marriott. My family loved it there and I highly recommend it, especially for a Bonvoy platinum elite.

pjs

Have the Andaz booked for 1 night (20k Hyatt points - Globalist) as our second night will just be at the Crowne Plaza Changi since we have a 6:30am flight. Instead could use FHR credit at Shangri La ($336 before FHR credit) Four Seasons ($461), Kempinski ($483). Ritz not yet showing for our dates (March 2024). Any recent thoughts on these options or should we stick with Andaz. It's our first time in Singapore (ending a 2 week Asia trip ther) and I expect we'll mostly just wander around and eat. We land around noon so can take pretty full advantage of early check-in, late check-out, etc. for the two day/one night stay. Thanks.

EuropeanPete

My view might be controversial, but I’d say no amount of money will get you a truly exciting hotel in Singapore (maybe a $10K suite at Raffles), and so I’d go with the Andaz which sits on top of a major transport link.

RichardInSF

This thread is quite long so I am closing it and subsequent posts should go to the new thread at

Best luxury hotel in Singapore (newer thread, started 9/23)

RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels and travel