It’s been quite some time since I posted about a staycation review in Singapore. Excited to be sharing about a new property with you. Singapore’s hotel scene has been hot this year. There are so many interesting and new properties coming up this year. Taking a break from The Corona Way! I shall mix things up a little. This week let me share a new hotel that I added to my list in Singapore. I recently went for another staycation in Singapore. It was a good break, a little reprieve since getting back to Singapore and have been working day in day out for the past 2 months. The Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa makes it to the table and this is the 23rd unique hotel that I have reviewed in Singapore. How does this property fare? Check it out together with Seeing The World In Steps!
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
Back last year in 2021, there was suddenly an amazing 350 SGD off. Together with some other promo codes stacking, I managed to get a total of 393 SGD off my stay. That brought down the cost of my stay to 160.24 SGD. A much more decent price for the Courtyard Suite with Private Jacuzzi that I wanted to try. The room would have normally cost 550 SGD a night. I was informed before my arrival that I was extended a late check out till 1.30pm. Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa features 142 guest rooms, suites and villas spread across 9 categories. You can find the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Bathtub | Room Size | No.of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | Yes | 37 Sqm | 91 |
| Couple Suites with Pool Access | Yes | 58 Sqm | 12 |
| Courtyard Suites with Private Jacuzzi | Yes | 96 Sqm | 12 |
| Family Suite | Yes | 63 Sqm | 6 |
| One Bedroom Villa | Yes | 201 Sqm | 8 |
| Two Bedroom Villa | Yes | 230 – 258 Sqm | 2 |
| Larkhill Mansion | Yes | 280 Sqm | 1 |
| Verandah Suite | Yes | 64 Sqm | 8 |
| Executive Panorama Suite | NA | NA | NA |
| Presidential Suite | NA | NA | NA |
Checking In
I arrived at around 2pm in the afternoon after arriving off the shuttle bus service that I took from Harbourfront MRT. The hotel offers a shuttle bus service that connects the hotel and Harbourfront MRT. This is common for hotels located on Sentosa Island. During certain hours they also do drop off at Resort World Sentosa. The shuttle runs averages around every 30 mins. Here is the shuttle schedule.
The lobby looks very clean and grand! I love how bright it is and the amount of natural light. I would appreciate it further if they have some seatings by the rather bare lobby. This will be useful and important given that people will be waiting by the lobby for buggy rides and shuttle services. It kinda create an awkward moment when we were leaving as we had to stand there for 15 mins waiting for the shuttle. Check-in took a long time and the guy was busy helping himself with all sorts of errands while completing the registration. Thankfully my room was ready at this moment and I was ushered to a buggy to be transferred to my suite. The hotel also has an online interface and chat where you can request items and call for the buggy!
Courtyard Suites with Private Jacuzzi
I was assigned Suite 762 for my stay and driven there in a buggy. It’s quick and a less than 5 mins drive. It is certainly a walkable distance as well although it might be a little dark in the evening so do watch your steps if you are returning late or so. We were driven to the doorstep and before the driver help us with our bags into the room. No complaints about the arrival service. It would be even more polished if he could end off the entire engagement with a brief introduction of the suite and ask if we need any other assistance. That would be 100 marks.
The Courtyard Suites are located in a heritage colonial building. These restored buildings have their roots since the 1930s when they are the former quarters of British Sergeants during WWII. The suite came with a lovely entry area that consist of a seat as well as a little gate. It looks very classy! This is how it is described on the website “It’s described as a idiosyncratic British Army Sole Cleaners at the entrance of the Courtyard Suite.“
Upon entering, you can see the entire main area of the suite which is in rectangular configuration. Calling this a suite might be a stretch as well given that it lacks a half bath and a separate seating or living area for a matter of fact. I’m not sure if you would call this heritage or old but the place is certainly aged and doesn’t feel luxurious at all. Some work is certainly required to be implemented soon enough or like yesterday. Although it said that the suite measures 96 Sqm, it includes the patio and jacuzzi area at the back. The actual room and bathroom don’t feel that spacious.
You can find the king-size poster bed in the middle of the room and a luggage rack to the side of the door. Alongside the wall, you can find the set up for the working area as well as an armchair. It doesn’t look too comfortable for any period of working but as it goes I don’t see how anyone would be working while staying in Sentosa. It stretches alongside the wall and on the right, you can also find the TV. The TV comes with a good selection of cable tv channels and you can find plenty of sports and movie channels. However, the TV seems to be from 10 years back. It was way too small for a room or suite of this size.
The king-size poster bed was spacious and the poster bed adds a lot of flair to the space and heritage. In front, of the bed was a wooden ottoman. It turns out that the poster bed was more for show than practicality. However, I had one of the worst sleep ever on it! In the words of my partner, this is worse than Hotel Soloha. The sheets were rough and the pillows were lumpy which gave me a huge neck sore the next day. It’s an issue of being overused. Sandwiching the bed, you can find nightstands with outlets conveniently found and switches for the lights. By the side of the bed, you can also find another armchair.
I appreciate that they were generous with the bottled water in the room with 2 bottles on each side of the bed and another 2 at the minibar area. If there is anything deserving of a mention I can only think of the minibar area which is towards the right of the bed. You have a kettle provided as well as a Nespresso machine with 6 capsules provided and a bunch of packed twinings teas. These are replenished during daily housekeeping and turndown service. It is nice that they provide a complimentary minibar here. I am not complaining but it just includes some KitKat and Oreos? 2 bottles made from concentrated orange juice and 2 cans of coke? This can’t be it for a room that normally goes for 500 a pop.
The bathroom is located in the middle of the room and the outdoor patio area. It is on the smaller side. The wardrobe for the room can be found inside the bathroom as well. Inside you can find bathrobes, bath slippers, an ironing kit as well as a safe. The bathroom comes with a double sink and a standing shower.
You can find all sorts of toiletries amenities provided. Housebrand toiletries can be found here. They are generous and in huge bottles. Coming back from 45 days of hotel stays in Europe I realised that it’s not common to find such amenities in hotels over there and even luxury hotels that provide amenities such as shaver, toothbrush automatically as we can see here. The area could do with more lights. Water pressure was decent but the temperature control was bad.
Finally, let me share the patio and jacuzzi area which is the key highlight for this room. Well, let’s just say that it is disappointing. The area is accessible by a door located at the back of your room. The whole area wasn’t well kept. It is dirty and full of dropped leaves and ants by the side. The outdoor shower was badly maintained and disgusting. While I love the jacuzzi for dipping and the privacy is good here. I barely used it for less than an hour during my stay. This makes me wonder if there is a point in paying something extra for this room.
They need to do something about the state of the room. They could also do better by preventing mosquitoes in the room which I have fallen victim to in less than an hour after entering.
Pool
Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa have a total of 4 swimming pools. The Sky Pool is located on the rooftop. It is an infinity pool boasting impressive views of the South China Sea. This is slightly on the smaller side but the views are really good. Due to the weather, I only managed to check out this pool during my stay. I also had a private jacuzzi which tend to make me stay in mostly. All reservations for the pool can be made thru the online concierge. The rest is the Dream Pool, Children Pool and the Larkhill Terrace Pool. The Larkhill Terrace Pool is an exclusive infinity pool reserved for guests of Larkhill Terrace Suites.
Conclusion
This is my first ever staycation or hotel stay with a private pool or jacuzzi. While the idea is certainly novel, practically, I barely use it during my stay! We only use it once and for less than an hour. Perhaps it got to do with the entire area and how loosely maintained it is. In my opinion, it certainly isn’t worth the premium that the room commands over a normal room without the jacuzzi. I will never pay 500 to 600 SGD for this room. Even at the rate, I paid after the generous Traveloka discount, I am already feeling the pinch. In hindsight, the public areas are pretty lovely and better maintained than the rooms. I didn’t get an image of luxurious Sentosa Villa Resort vibes. Tested and tried!
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