travelgourmet

Sort of struggling to decide between all the options in Singapore. Have looked at St Regis, Mandarin, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, etc. Even looked at the New Majestic. Just can't decide. The trip is a short one (3 nights) and we are looking mostly for relaxation, coupled with some shopping (we have been to Singapore a few times now). A nice pool would be a plus.

Any suggestions. Right now, we are leaning toward the Four Seasons, as they have a decent deal and we have never stayed at a Four Seasons before.

moremiles

I liked the FS and have stayed there twice. The rooms are large and if you book thru a Virtouso agent you get an upgrade plus breakfast. The pool is not large and on a rooftop but it's pleasant and there is a small but lovely spa and good gym. It's right on Orchard Rd so easy to walk to shops and the service is great, as usual for FS hotels.

Kathie

There are so many lovely hotels in Singapore! My favorite is the Fairmont. The location is perfect for me, above an MRT stop, connected to a nice shopping mall, across the street from Raffles and Cjimes.

I used to stay in the Grand Hyatt in the Regency Club, but their remodel struck me as cold and uncomfortable.

JohnFitz

Have a look at www.boutiquehotelsingapore.com which has some nice propoerties .

I recently read a piece on the Majestic that was very positive .Might make a nice alternative for a few nights instead of a " chain " hotel .

DeeElle

pan pacific marina gets good reviews. we've booked into this hotel for 4 nights in a few months.

Guenmai

I just stayed at the Fairmont in November. It's formerly known as Raffles the Plaza Hotel. I also stayed there when it was Raffles the Plaza and had just been renovated. I was the first person assigned to one of the newly renovated rooms then. The rooms are very comfortable and the bed so comfortable until it's hard for me to get out of it. There's also a nice pool. My rooms there had a view of it.

As for the Four Seasons, I haven't stayed at the one in Singapore although it was VERY tempting to stay this last trip as I'm a BIG Four Seasons fan. I nearly lived at the one in Bangkok for some years. Smiles. And that's not the only FS I've stayed at. But, the Fairmont is incredibly convenient as when you walk out of the side door one enters right into the mall and on the lower level are restaurants, a supermarket, shops, etc. And underneath the lower level is another level where one can walk underground all the way the Espanade (?).

Also, I very easily took the MRT (subway) from the airport straight to the City Hall MRT subway stop which is right under both the Raffles Plaza Shopping Center and the Fairmont Hotel. As soon as you come out of the subway, you are literally there at both the mall and the hotel. It's directly across the street from the Raffles Hotel. Happy Travels!

Cicerone

As Singapore is so small and public transport is so good and as you already know the city a bit, I am going to say that location won’t play a big role here; as you will know how to get around as necessary for any shopping and eating. I would concentrate more on your pool request

I would first say to look at the Fullerton, which probably has the most interesting pool in the best setting, as you would get a city and river view from it.. Can’t beat the location either. (Sorry, I am not an Orchard Road fan.) After that, I think that pool at the Ritz-Carlton is very nice, as it is green, has some shade and has a large pool deck, although no views to speak of beyond greenery. I like the rooms a lot, large with very nice views. The Shangri-La’s pool is also very nice in its garden setting, not sure if it is on your list. You don’t specify which Four Seasons you are considering, but of the two Four Seasons in town, the two pools at the Four Seasons on Orchard are larger and in somewhat nicer setting than the pool at the Regent Four Seasons.

I am not entirely sure I would call the New Majestic a luxury hotel. (The government actually rates it only as a 4/5 star and not in the luxury category where it places the Shangri-La, both Four Seasons, the Fairmont, the Fullerton and the Ritz-Carlton. The Scarlet is a luxury hotel in Chinatown.). I like design hotel generally as a group, but they have their quirks. I think you would find the room size quite small compared to the other hotels you are considering.

Finally, if you really just want to relax and not move around too much other than perhaps a limited shoppinig jaunt, you might consider the Capella on Sentosa. See http://www.capellahotels.com/. This is the chain started by oone of the gusy who created the Ritz-Carlton brand. Certainly fits the luxury category and you could have you own pool in addition to their very cool common pool overlooking the sea. (I have not stayed but have toured it, the hotel is quite something.) There are some other hotels on Sentosa which might work as well.

marmot

I've been a return guest at the Four Seasons for years and intend to continue staying there as long as I can afford it.

Lovely, comfortable rooms, excellent service, as good a location as any other, good business center, very good Chinese restaurant.

There are actually two pools -- one on the roof and one adjacent to the fitness center. Both are smallish but pleasant. The main restaurant is renowned for it's Sunday brunch which is a bit too circus like for me. I like the alternative venue of the club lounge on the 3rd floor. I also like the proximity to the Botanical Gardens.

I stayed at the St. Regis when it first opened. It was a bit too glitzy for me. I've visited the Fullerton and Ritz Carlton and liked both but not enough to lure me away from the Four Seasons.

As noted, the Shangri-La has a wonderful pool area and extensive grounds. I haven't stayed there for years, but always enjoyed the poolside balconies in the Garden Wing.

travelgourmet

Thanks for all of the advice. A villa at the Capella is tempting - just not sure about being all the way out on Sentosa. Will also take a long look at the Fullerton.

travelgourmet

Well, started to narrow it down. The Capella is probably out - don't want to be out on Sentosa and a pool villa would be almost triple the other options - but it looks great. So, I think I'm deciding between the following:

- Fullerton. The pool looks nice, but maybe a bit too concrete? Maybe it is just the pictures, but the whole place just seems a little so-so (or at least not to my tastes) in terms of decor.

- Four Seasons (not the Regent). Several have mentioned that the pools are small, but are they ever crowded? I don't mind a small pool area if there are only a handful of people there. And I do like the area.

- Grand Hyatt. I'm drawn to this one from the photos. I know, Kathie, that you find it perhaps cold, but I am a huge fan of the style, from what I can see. Also, the pool area just looks quite nice. Finally, for roughly the same as the other two places, we could book into one of the Grand Deluxe rooms, which look very nice. The reviews are generally positive, but it isn't clear it is up to the standards of some of the more exclusive names, in terms of service - I have somehow never managed to stay at a Hyatt before, so don't have much of a baseline.

Any thoughts, especially direct comparisons, would be much appreciated.

Kathie

The pool area at the Grand Hyatt is really lovely. It's probably the best part about the hotel now.

I like the public areas at the Fullerton, but the rooms are pretty small.

And I don't think you can ever go wrong with a Four Seasons.

Really, all of the hotels named would be lovely.

AskOksena

>>>Best Luxury Hotel in Singapore

marmot

I've never known the Four Seasons pools to be crowded. Often I've been the only one there, maybe because everyone else was at work. They don't deliberately discourage children, but the hotel is more popular with business travellers than with families.

The pools themselves are standard lap pool size but the deck areas are what you'd expect from a small urban location: cramped.

I'd put the Four Seasons up a notch from the Grand Hyatt, but I've never actually stayed at the Hyatt. The main difference is in scale (250 rooms vs 650 rooms) which affects service and ambience.

Guenmai

The Fullerton is very good. I've also stayed there. Happy Travels!

justshootme

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Raffles.

Smeagol

I LOVED Raffles, fantastic service and enourmous rooms. I too am suprised it hasn't been mentioned.

travelgourmet

The Raffles isn't available for my dates, anyway. Not sure I would pay the kind of premium they typically want to charge, anyway.

I think I am narrowing in on the Grand Hyatt. Just drawn by the design, I guess. I'm also a pretty low maintenance guy, so not sure I really would appreciate the FS service.

Guenmai

I'm also low maintenance when it comes to hotels. But, I'm still a big Four Seasons fan. If one wants all of the service at Four Seasons hotels, then it's there. If one doesn't, then no one bothers you. Happy Travels!

Cicerone

If you are a low-maintenace guy, then you might want to try the New Majestic, as the design certainly looks interesting. (Although the pool appears to be in a courtyard and treeless which in Singapore can be brutal unless you are there in the rainy season months.) But I thought you wanted a luxury hotel. It's a little confusing to me. I think you would find interesting hotels in lower budget ranges that are not luxurious but perfectly comfortable.

travelgourmet

Now that I have confused everyone...

When I say I am low maintenance, I simply mean that I don't typically use a lot of the services at a hotel. For example, I usually make my own restaurant reservations, rather than relying on the concierge. I'm also not opposed to carrying my own bags if I'm traveling light. And I don't really need someone opening the door for me or greeting me by name.

What I do want, though, are nice facilities, nice furnishings, good toiletries, turn-down service, etc. I also want the necessary paperwork (check-in, check-out, etc) to be pain-free. And, if I have a problem, I want a staff professional enough to handle it the first time. FWIW, I've abandoned the New Majestic, since many reviews suggest that it falls down on many of these measures - cramped pool area, some small and dark rooms, and service that can be challenged when things go wrong.

That is why I am leaning toward the Grand Hyatt. The design seems more my style and the pool facilities seem a bit better for lounging about. I don't doubt that I will take a step down in service, but I guess I just think that I will get more out of trading up to a bigger room that is more to my taste at the Hyatt than going for the service at the Four Seasons. It isn't that I can't appreciate the difference in service levels, it is more that I simply don't value them that much. Now if someone tells me that the service at the Hyatt simply isn't up to some measure of quality, then I would gladly switch, but if the difference is in degrees of attentiveness, I think the Hyatt is the right choice.

FWIW, our past hotels in Singapore have been the Conrad (which was quite nice, but not in an ideal location), and a couple of stays at Traders (work-preferred hotel, not our choice), where the rooms were simply too cramped, but where the service was perfectly acceptable to me.