The Sentosa Resort & Spa

Sentosa Island, Singapore

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2 Bukit Manis Road
Sentosa Island
Singapore 099891.

Tel:  +65 6275 0331.
Email: reservation@thesentosa.com.

Website: www.thesentosa.com.

 

Where is it?

On Sentosa Island, Singapore’s holiday playground. Sentosa Island is just off the southern coast of the main island of Singapore. A causeway connects it to Singapore-proper, and it’s a short taxi journey from both the airport or the main shopping strips. A cable car and the Sentosa Express monorail also connect to the island.

Three bus services, identified as Blue, Yellow and Red lines, operate on the island. They are free of charge.

There are many attractions on Sentosa, including a long beach, bars, restaurants, sculptures, rainforest, and various theme parks. It makes for a very good stop-over if you’re travelling from Australia to Europe,

The Resort

This is an excellent place for families, though it works really well for those without kids too.

The resort is perched high atop a cliff amid 27-acres of landscaped tropical gardens, with lots of water features full of fish.

The Terrace is an all-day dining restaurant, featuring both a tempting buffet selection and a-la-carte specialising in Asian cuisine. For seafood connoisseurs, The Cliff offers contemporary seafood-orientated cuisine on a patio amidst overlooking the South China Sea.

There are various standards of rooms and villas, but they all feel really luxurious, with dark chocolate and cream colourings and very comfortable beds.

Family Suites exude homely comfort and are among the most ideal family set-ups in Asia. Each has a spacious master bedroom with a king-size bed and a plasma TV, a living room featuring a large LCD TV, and a cosy L-shaped sofa and large lounge area which extends to a open-plan twin-bedded section. It all feels very spacious.

The 33-metre midnight blue swimming pool is a favourite with guests, and there are two tennis courts and an indoor gymnasium.  The beach is easily accessible by a short wooden boardwalk through lush tropical jungle.

Mountain bikes are available for hire to guests who wish to explore the island, while the Sentosa Golf Club, one of Asia’s most prestigious courses, is a two-minute walk from the resort. It offers  privileged access available for guests. 

The Spa

Spa Botanica, the first garden destination spa in Singapore, is home to Asia’s first mud pools, float pools with cascading waterfall and meditation labyrinths.

The facility has 21 treatment rooms, 15 of them indoors. The six outdoor pavilions, named after local floral blooms, come with private gardens and spa baths.

The Spa Botanica Suite is a luxurious retreat with a private outdoor deck, spacious treatment area and a whirlpool. The Royal Suite’s ‘King’s Bath’ is hand-tooled from cast bronze. It can retain the warmth of a soothing milk bath, a sensuous floral bath, or a therapeutic herbal bath.

A spa highlight is the three-hour Singapore Flower Ritual. The treatment begins with a deep-pressure dry massage in an outdoor massage pavilion, after which a special preparation of local herbs and flowers is gently rubbed into the skin.

Then, enjoy an aroma massage to moisturise the skin and induce further relaxation. A revitalising soak in a sweet-smelling frangipani filled tub completes the cycle of blissful reawakening.

A range of post-flight packages are also available, including a Flight Reviiver, which includes a mud wrap and a choice of East-West blend or Swedish massage.

Complementing Spa Botanica is the Seven Eden Wellness Centre. This holistic wellness retreat offers special packages and programmes to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul.

A gateway to preventive medicine, Seven Eden Wellness Centre encompasses a gymnasium, a Zest Studio for healthy lifestyle programmes (such as Aerobics, Flexi Tone, Cardio Sculpt, Taichi and Yoga), Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation, cupping, acupuncture and more.

When to go?

If you like things hot and sticky, and occasionally wet, then you’ll be glad to know that Singapore can be one giant sauna at any time of the year. November to January is the wettest period, and it can really bucket down. However, short bursts of heavy rain can hit at any time. Generally, expect temperatures to hover around 31°C (88°F) during the day and be a balmy 24°C (75°F) or so at night.

The Verdict

If you want to break your journey to Europe or Australia, then this is a great place to do it. An amazing spa, a lovely tropical ambience, generous rooms, a key position, and a fabulous family stop-over.

Story by: Marc Llewellyn.