Note: This is not a sponsored advertorial. All expenses were fully paid by me.
Some time during the later part of June, I had a 2D1N staycation with the amazing 5* hotel...
Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa!
Lobby of Amara Sanctuary Resort
Tip to get to the hotel:
Skip the monorail and save money on the taxis because Amara offers their own private shuttle bus that ferries their guests straight to the lobby of the hotel! Yay!
I got out from exit D of Harbourfront MRT station and waited patiently at the taxi stand opposite of Vivocity. The bus comes every 15-20 minutes.
Look out for the shuttle bus carrying Amara's logo!!! The place is a common pick-up point for most of the major Sentosa hotels so on't take the wrong bus (eg. W hotel's shuttle bus)!!
Some light refreshments available for guests of the hotel
It was a smart move made by Amara to offer their guests some light refreshments because it helped to ease the tension of either waiting for rooms to be ready or for the shuttle bus to arrive.
The options available were some old school kacang putih*, lemon-flavoured iced water and Amara's own fabulous tea concoction!
*
What is 'Kacang Putih': A traditional Indian snack wrapped in a paper cone and it comprises of nuts, peas or strips of deep fried Indian-spiced flour called Murukku
Rates of the various rooms available at Amara Sentosa
Tip: Book online via their website and make use of the available promotions. Your bank account will thank you for it!
Graceful peacocks grazing the hotel grounds freely.
I woke up in the morning to flocks of peacocks on the stone pavements before my suite! Left, right, in front, behind... peacocks everywhere!!!! It was quite a sight.
If you're afraid of these majestic creatures, be warned!!!
They don't peck unless harassed, so just steer clear and admire their graceful strides.
Perfect venue for a small wedding reception or birthday parties.
On the day that I left the hotel, there was a couple who was going to hold their wedding there.
Their friends were helping out in the decoration, and the place was strewn with pink papers and flowers. I can imagine the great photos taken thanks to the au naturel lighting.
I'm bookmarking this place as a potential wedding venue for myself. Hehe!
Oh yeah, I recently came up with a new virtual space to help support my latest hobby — wedding planning! To read more of the crazy wedding ideas that has been going on in my head, go to my
wedding blog!
Room of Courtyard Suite
Doesn't the 4-poster bed look magnificent? And the fluffy pillows... and the white drapes all around the posters. It gives off such a dreamy vibe!!!!
Bedside table
Reading area within the room
This room did justice to the hotel's theme "sanctuary".
I really felt like I was in a whole other world, safe and peaceful. There were many tiny details paid to the room, such as the main use of material was wood and the choice of pictures used to decor the place. Just look at that lotus flower wall-print, doesn't it make you feel relaxed already?
It was so different from the usual urban city vibe that you get all around Singapore! I love love love my room, and wait there's more!!
Make your own Espresso in the morning!
Tadah!!!! Your very own instant coffee making machine. Brew your own cappuccino/espresso/latte/(name your coffee concoction) as and when you like!
For the tea lovers, fret not! They have a variety of Twinings tea bags for your selection - from the usual English Breakfast tea, to a warming Lemon and Ginger tea or a calming Camomile tea, and many more! Take your pick!!
(Psst... I did a very Singaporean thing. I brought
ALL the tea bags home!!! LOL. So now, whenever and wherever I drink a Twinings tea, I think of Amara resort!)
Bathroom
Isn't. The. Toilet.
Huge???????
When I pulled open the double wooden sliding doors that revealed the toilet/changing area, I was stunned at its size and decor. It was simple and modern, but neat and clean too!
I wasn't able to capture the connecting changing area, so the actual area is a lot larger than what you see in the photo above.
Jacuzzi/Dip pool
This was the reason why I chose this room out of all the available options .
My very own relaxing dip pool within my room. Privacy ensured! I can skinny dip if I want, and not get arrested or be on Stomp!
FYI: En route to the suite, the hotel staff made it very clear to us that
no bath bombs(!!!) or essential oils or in fact, anything at all, should be added into the dip pool! She shared that some funny joker threw a couple of bath bombs in and all hell broke loose because the jacuzzi system got clogged and went mad... they took forever to clear up the mess.
Birthday cake
When I made the reservation online, I added in a note requesting for the assistance of the hotel staff to help celebrate H's birthday.
Because I did not receive any reply back from them, I assumed that nothing was gonna happen.
But!!!! To my surprise, they actually prepared a slice of cheesecake for him and decorated it so beautifully! Awwww.. Super touched! <3
Needless to say, H was shocked and stood still like a statue, staring at me and the cake with a gaping mouth expression for a full 5 seconds.
Thank you for your help, Amara Sentosa!
Breakfast buffet
A smashing good breakfast buffet is key to the start of any good day and to the end of a good stay with any hotel. Amara Sentosa scores full marks in this category with its delightful spread of all-you-can-eat breakfast — international style!
Pastries
Smoked salmon, pastrami, salami and etc.
Egg station!!!!
With the chef behind the stove, ready to cook your eggs the way you like it!
French toast, pancakes, waffles, some sausages and a warm cup of lemon tea
Some simple congee to warm the tummy
Roasted potatoes, more french toast and sausage, bacon and egg omelette, with a glass of cold juice.
Mini bites of apple pie, blueberry muffin, butter croissant, har gau, chives dumpling and lo mai gai
Rating: 4.5/5
My two cents:
I love this place and I would definitely go back there again!
I like the prompt and excellent service provided. I like the relaxing atmosphere of the place.
I docked off 0.5 points because of how long they took to prepare my room. The check-in time was 3pm and I arrived at the lobby at 2.30pm. By 3.20pm, they were still unable to hand me the keys of my room as
"it wasn't ready yet". I only got the green light to head to my room at about 3.30pm.
I take it as a privilege if I am able to get into my room before the actual check-in time, but I take it as a
MUST to be able to get into my room by the check-in time. It is a promise made by the hotel, hence it is only right that they uphold to their word.
It seems to me that this is a long-standing problem for Amara when it comes to being punctual with their check-in time. I have read several of such complaints on various websites (eg. hotel.com, expedia.com, agoda.com), and I highly agree with all the other reviewers that something seriously needs to be done, after all.. this IS a five star hotel!
Nonetheless kudos to Amara for my wonderful stay in their Courtyard Suite, their assistance in celebrating H's birthday and the delicious international breakfast buffet!
I am ready to check out the other rooms available at Amara Sentosa and am looking forward to my next stay already! Hopefully they would already have sorted out their managing system for check-in(s) by then.
