Luxury Trip Report: Singapore (MO, Ritz, Fullerton Bay) and Thailand (Six Senses)
Jun 13, 2016, 10:20 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 26
Luxury Trip Report: Singapore (MO, Ritz, Fullerton Bay) and Thailand (Six Senses)
Preamble
I actually live in Singapore right now (originally from the States), so it is not often that I actually stay in the hotels here. I have visited a lot of different hotels for social purposes, but due to a family visit, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay in not one, not two but three of the highest-regarded hotels in Singapore: the Mandarin Oriental, the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, and The Fullerton Bay. When deciding on where to stay in Singapore, we wanted something contemporary but elegant and—per mom’s request—near the Bay (nixing the Four Seasons, Shangri-La and the St. Regis). These hotels seemed to fit the bill perfectly; while the Raffles and Fullerton are beautiful and historic hotels, they’re a little too classic for our personal tastes. We decided that it would be worthwhile (especially since the hotels are of relevantly close proximity) to split our time between Singapore hotels, instead of just staying in one. Since we don’t spend a lot of time in the room, we thought suites were unnecessary, but opted for the best view room in each hotel to make it comparable. Thus, our itinerary was:
I’ll be doing a comparison of all three Singapore hotels in the first part, followed by an extensive report of the Six Senses. I haven’t downloaded my photos yet, and am awaiting some to be sent to me still from the family, so I’ll post pictures after the report. This is my first trip report ever, so I hope everybody enjoys! I will start posting in chunks soon.
I actually live in Singapore right now (originally from the States), so it is not often that I actually stay in the hotels here. I have visited a lot of different hotels for social purposes, but due to a family visit, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay in not one, not two but three of the highest-regarded hotels in Singapore: the Mandarin Oriental, the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, and The Fullerton Bay. When deciding on where to stay in Singapore, we wanted something contemporary but elegant and—per mom’s request—near the Bay (nixing the Four Seasons, Shangri-La and the St. Regis). These hotels seemed to fit the bill perfectly; while the Raffles and Fullerton are beautiful and historic hotels, they’re a little too classic for our personal tastes. We decided that it would be worthwhile (especially since the hotels are of relevantly close proximity) to split our time between Singapore hotels, instead of just staying in one. Since we don’t spend a lot of time in the room, we thought suites were unnecessary, but opted for the best view room in each hotel to make it comparable. Thus, our itinerary was:
- Three nights at the Mandarin Oriental in a Marina Bay Suite (upgraded from a Marina Bay View Room, explained later)
- Three nights at the Ritz Carlton Millenia in an Enhanced Deluxe Room - Marina Bay View
- Four nights at Six Senses Yao Noi in a Beachfront Pool Villa Suite
- Three nights at the Fullerton Bay in a Premier Bay View Room
I’ll be doing a comparison of all three Singapore hotels in the first part, followed by an extensive report of the Six Senses. I haven’t downloaded my photos yet, and am awaiting some to be sent to me still from the family, so I’ll post pictures after the report. This is my first trip report ever, so I hope everybody enjoys! I will start posting in chunks soon.
. Will be nice to see
Jun 14, 2016, 9:54 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 26
Part 1
*Note: All ratings are more so relative to one another, and not necessarily an overall rating.
Location
Mandarin Oriental
Location-wise, all three hotels are virtually the same, with the Mandarin and the Ritz right next to each other. The Fullerton Bay is in the Fullerton Heritage area, closer to the downtown core than the other two hotels. The Mandarin Oriental has a good location; great views of the bay from bay-view rooms/suites, easy accessibility from both the front and the back of the hotel, and a short stroll from the Promenade MRT. It is connected to the Marina Centre which makes food and shopping easily accessible. However, there is construction going on directly across from the hotel (street side), which is a little bit of sore sight.
Ritz Carlton
Directly adjacent to the Mandarin, the Ritz Carlton has both advantages and disadvantages (surprisingly) compared to the Mandarin. Its location is closer to the Promenade MRT, but somehow is harder to access and navigate to from the Marina Centre. Not sure why this is, but there is a lack of signage pointing to the Ritz Carlton while signage leading to the other hotels (namely Pan Pacific and Mandarin Oriental) are abundant. Directly across from the hotel is the bridge to Marina Bay Sands which is great, but the awkwardly long-circular driveway makes walking to and from the hotel (street side) somewhat of a nuisance.
Fullerton Bay
Along a pristine boardwalk-esque area in the heart of the Fullerton Heritage, the Fullerton Bay has one of the, if not the most, privileged location in Singapore. Raffles Place MRT is a 5 minute walk, tons of shopping and eating options are in one to ten minutes of the hotel, and the bay front location is magnificent, with full views of the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands, and the Art Science Museum. The Fullerton Heritage area is beautiful, and I honestly have almost no complaints about the location of the Fullerton Bay. One qualm: when driving to the hotel from the West, you have to go way past the hotel, make a u-turn, and drive back down the opposite side of the divider to enter the hotel porte-cochčre. Worth considering as it adds a couple dollars to a taxi fare. Coming from the east though (Changi, etc.) you will have no problem.
Ranking:
1. Fullerton Bay (10/10)
2. Mandarin Oriental (9/10)
3. Ritz Carlton (9/10)
Entrance/Hotel Grounds
Mandarin Oriental
I usually love Mandarin Orientals. They are probably my favorite hotel brand, but this one felt—and looked—a little odd. I know they can’t do much about it because it is a historic building, but the facade to me is ugly. I really don’t like the look of it at all. Luckily, the inside isn’t as bad. Actually—it’s very nice. It is a little dark, and surprisingly underwhelming in terms of scale, but the elevators in the center of the lobby with the pond surrounding it is quite beautiful and very feng-shui. However, that’s about all—there aren’t much of “hotel grounds” to see, compared to the other hotels. You will always see beautiful cars parked out front though, a plus for me…
Ritz Carlton
The porte-cochčre is really amazing, and driving up it is definitely something special. It is a long, circular entrance, surrounded by beautiful foliage that leads to the massive entrance of the hotel (what is cool is that the sloped entrance actually circumvents the pool, but you’d never know because of all the foliage). And entering the hotel definitely has a “wow” factor. The giant sculpture in place, backed by a giant window looking at Summer Pavilion (the restaurant) is jaw dropping. I also appreciated how ornate and grand the hotel looks; looking down the hallway to the right, you see a beautiful patisserie and sitting area, and to the left a beautiful lounge with a grand glass enclosure. It truly is something to see.
Fullerton Bay
One word can describe the entrance; modern and classy. Certainly the most striking hotel from the outside, the inside is just as amazing. The floors, chandeliers, and posh decor exudes luxury, even more so than the Ritz Carlton. I also liked that it feels a lot more intimate than the Ritz. However, I found it slightly odd that the entrance is actually quite a distance from the check in desk (which is far down the hallway to the right), which is a little less awe-inspiring. For first impressions, I think the Ritz Carlton wins. But, after staying some time, I found to love the Fullerton Bay the most (the grounds are absolutely gorgeous), so I place them in a tie.
Ranking:
1. Ritz Carlton (10/10) and Fullerton Bay (10/10)
2. Mandarin Oriental (8/10)
Room
Mandarin Oriental
This will be addressed further in the “service” aspect, but we had a bit of a snafu with check in and were shuffled around a lot. We originally booked a Marina Bay View Room. When we got into the room, it smelled strongly of glue and one person with me (who never complains) instantly got a headache, which furthered to watery eyes and a cough. The smell in the room was so bad we asked to move rooms, which they inclined as they said the Marina Bay View rooms had recently undergone renovation. Due to a wedding, they claimed they had no more Marina View rooms available (the validity of this claim is questionable), so they offered to downgrade us to a City View room with club access. Needing something, we initially took the offer but this room had not been refurbished yet and at a terrible must/mold smell. Even management, who came to investigate, agreed that the room was really bad (not to mention a downgrade from our originally booked room). After some bit of back and forth negotiating, they put us in a Marina Bay Suite. The suite had a great view of the bay, and did have any bad smells! The bathroom was surprisingly small, especially for a suite at a Mandarin (usually famous for their lux bathrooms), but the room was well appointed and comfortable. We were lucky to get the upgrade, but seeing the condition of some of the rooms was… off-putting.
Ritz Carlton
At the Ritz-Carlton, we opted for an Enhanced Deluxe Room with a Marina Bay View; this is the top-tier non-club room. Walking into the room is absolutely breathtaking; full, floor to ceiling windows across the entire room with a magnificent view of the bay. I spent a good portion of time just staring out the window. The bathroom, with the signature octagonal window, also provided a magnificent view of the bay. The room itself is extremely spacious and well-appointed. I really like the subtle, contemporary decor as it definitely has a Singaporean-vibe of “Asia-lite.” I wouldn’t call it “character,” but it’s definitely unique and gorgeous. I found the giant shower head that looks like a pipe a little odd, but the rain shower was very nice. Everything was magnificently clean too, which was really appreciated!
Fullerton Bay
Although many of the rooms have a bay view at the Fullerton Bay, we opted for the premier bay view, which is on the first floor and includes a deck rather than a balcony. What a beautiful room! It was very contemporary-elegant, with a beautiful bathroom and a magnificent deck. Obviously, the biggest draw here is the deck, which offers the best view of the bay of ANY hotel I can think of in Singapore; I think it’s the only hotel where you get a clear view of all of MBS and the Singapore flyer. Plus, feeling like you are floating right on the water is something in itself. The room is on the small side, but it is so ornate that it didn’t bother me at all. The view and deck are definitely the biggest draws here though.
Ranking:
1. Ritz Carlton (9.5/10)
2. Fullerton Bay (9/10)
3. Mandarin Oriental (8/10)
Restaurant and Food/Drink
I’m not going to rank these aspects because we didn’t eat at many of the options across the hotels. We tried the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental, and were generally unimpressed. The lobby bar at the Ritz Carlton was also underwhelming, despite really friendly service. We ate at the pavilion restaurant at the Fullerton Bay, and I was happy with the food there. However, I was extremely pleased by the live entertainment—kudos to the amazing singer who was performing!
Location
Mandarin Oriental
Location-wise, all three hotels are virtually the same, with the Mandarin and the Ritz right next to each other. The Fullerton Bay is in the Fullerton Heritage area, closer to the downtown core than the other two hotels. The Mandarin Oriental has a good location; great views of the bay from bay-view rooms/suites, easy accessibility from both the front and the back of the hotel, and a short stroll from the Promenade MRT. It is connected to the Marina Centre which makes food and shopping easily accessible. However, there is construction going on directly across from the hotel (street side), which is a little bit of sore sight.
Ritz Carlton
Directly adjacent to the Mandarin, the Ritz Carlton has both advantages and disadvantages (surprisingly) compared to the Mandarin. Its location is closer to the Promenade MRT, but somehow is harder to access and navigate to from the Marina Centre. Not sure why this is, but there is a lack of signage pointing to the Ritz Carlton while signage leading to the other hotels (namely Pan Pacific and Mandarin Oriental) are abundant. Directly across from the hotel is the bridge to Marina Bay Sands which is great, but the awkwardly long-circular driveway makes walking to and from the hotel (street side) somewhat of a nuisance.
Fullerton Bay
Along a pristine boardwalk-esque area in the heart of the Fullerton Heritage, the Fullerton Bay has one of the, if not the most, privileged location in Singapore. Raffles Place MRT is a 5 minute walk, tons of shopping and eating options are in one to ten minutes of the hotel, and the bay front location is magnificent, with full views of the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands, and the Art Science Museum. The Fullerton Heritage area is beautiful, and I honestly have almost no complaints about the location of the Fullerton Bay. One qualm: when driving to the hotel from the West, you have to go way past the hotel, make a u-turn, and drive back down the opposite side of the divider to enter the hotel porte-cochčre. Worth considering as it adds a couple dollars to a taxi fare. Coming from the east though (Changi, etc.) you will have no problem.
Ranking:
1. Fullerton Bay (10/10)
2. Mandarin Oriental (9/10)
3. Ritz Carlton (9/10)
Entrance/Hotel Grounds
Mandarin Oriental
I usually love Mandarin Orientals. They are probably my favorite hotel brand, but this one felt—and looked—a little odd. I know they can’t do much about it because it is a historic building, but the facade to me is ugly. I really don’t like the look of it at all. Luckily, the inside isn’t as bad. Actually—it’s very nice. It is a little dark, and surprisingly underwhelming in terms of scale, but the elevators in the center of the lobby with the pond surrounding it is quite beautiful and very feng-shui. However, that’s about all—there aren’t much of “hotel grounds” to see, compared to the other hotels. You will always see beautiful cars parked out front though, a plus for me…
Ritz Carlton
The porte-cochčre is really amazing, and driving up it is definitely something special. It is a long, circular entrance, surrounded by beautiful foliage that leads to the massive entrance of the hotel (what is cool is that the sloped entrance actually circumvents the pool, but you’d never know because of all the foliage). And entering the hotel definitely has a “wow” factor. The giant sculpture in place, backed by a giant window looking at Summer Pavilion (the restaurant) is jaw dropping. I also appreciated how ornate and grand the hotel looks; looking down the hallway to the right, you see a beautiful patisserie and sitting area, and to the left a beautiful lounge with a grand glass enclosure. It truly is something to see.
Fullerton Bay
One word can describe the entrance; modern and classy. Certainly the most striking hotel from the outside, the inside is just as amazing. The floors, chandeliers, and posh decor exudes luxury, even more so than the Ritz Carlton. I also liked that it feels a lot more intimate than the Ritz. However, I found it slightly odd that the entrance is actually quite a distance from the check in desk (which is far down the hallway to the right), which is a little less awe-inspiring. For first impressions, I think the Ritz Carlton wins. But, after staying some time, I found to love the Fullerton Bay the most (the grounds are absolutely gorgeous), so I place them in a tie.
Ranking:
1. Ritz Carlton (10/10) and Fullerton Bay (10/10)
2. Mandarin Oriental (8/10)
Room
Mandarin Oriental
This will be addressed further in the “service” aspect, but we had a bit of a snafu with check in and were shuffled around a lot. We originally booked a Marina Bay View Room. When we got into the room, it smelled strongly of glue and one person with me (who never complains) instantly got a headache, which furthered to watery eyes and a cough. The smell in the room was so bad we asked to move rooms, which they inclined as they said the Marina Bay View rooms had recently undergone renovation. Due to a wedding, they claimed they had no more Marina View rooms available (the validity of this claim is questionable), so they offered to downgrade us to a City View room with club access. Needing something, we initially took the offer but this room had not been refurbished yet and at a terrible must/mold smell. Even management, who came to investigate, agreed that the room was really bad (not to mention a downgrade from our originally booked room). After some bit of back and forth negotiating, they put us in a Marina Bay Suite. The suite had a great view of the bay, and did have any bad smells! The bathroom was surprisingly small, especially for a suite at a Mandarin (usually famous for their lux bathrooms), but the room was well appointed and comfortable. We were lucky to get the upgrade, but seeing the condition of some of the rooms was… off-putting.
Ritz Carlton
At the Ritz-Carlton, we opted for an Enhanced Deluxe Room with a Marina Bay View; this is the top-tier non-club room. Walking into the room is absolutely breathtaking; full, floor to ceiling windows across the entire room with a magnificent view of the bay. I spent a good portion of time just staring out the window. The bathroom, with the signature octagonal window, also provided a magnificent view of the bay. The room itself is extremely spacious and well-appointed. I really like the subtle, contemporary decor as it definitely has a Singaporean-vibe of “Asia-lite.” I wouldn’t call it “character,” but it’s definitely unique and gorgeous. I found the giant shower head that looks like a pipe a little odd, but the rain shower was very nice. Everything was magnificently clean too, which was really appreciated!
Fullerton Bay
Although many of the rooms have a bay view at the Fullerton Bay, we opted for the premier bay view, which is on the first floor and includes a deck rather than a balcony. What a beautiful room! It was very contemporary-elegant, with a beautiful bathroom and a magnificent deck. Obviously, the biggest draw here is the deck, which offers the best view of the bay of ANY hotel I can think of in Singapore; I think it’s the only hotel where you get a clear view of all of MBS and the Singapore flyer. Plus, feeling like you are floating right on the water is something in itself. The room is on the small side, but it is so ornate that it didn’t bother me at all. The view and deck are definitely the biggest draws here though.
Ranking:
1. Ritz Carlton (9.5/10)
2. Fullerton Bay (9/10)
3. Mandarin Oriental (8/10)
Restaurant and Food/Drink
I’m not going to rank these aspects because we didn’t eat at many of the options across the hotels. We tried the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental, and were generally unimpressed. The lobby bar at the Ritz Carlton was also underwhelming, despite really friendly service. We ate at the pavilion restaurant at the Fullerton Bay, and I was happy with the food there. However, I was extremely pleased by the live entertainment—kudos to the amazing singer who was performing!
^
Jun 17, 2016, 11:56 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 6,831
I have 3 nights at the Fullerton bay at the end of the month - looking forward to it. I stayed at the MO last month and thought it was ok.
I've also stayed at six senses Yao noi in a beach villa - lovely place. See my report...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...pensation.html
I've also stayed at six senses Yao noi in a beach villa - lovely place. See my report...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...pensation.html