The Location

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa is situated in a relatively isolated part of Sentosa, an island in the southern part of Singapore. The location makes it an ideal destination for staycationers and guests who wanted a quiet time during their stay in Singapore. There aren’t any eateries or shops within the vicinity of the hotel. The nearest food place is located at Resorts World Sentosa, a 20 mins walk from the hotel. Guests without cars would have to rely on the hotel’s shuttle service to get around Sentosa for dinner or confined to the restaurants on the hotel premises. There is a flight of stairs at the hotel’s swimming pool that grants hotel guests access to Tanjong Beach located below the hotel.

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The Suite

This is my fourth time staying in Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. For this staycation, I checked into both the Prestige Suite and the Imperial Suite. I have reviewed the Prestige Suite previously, and this review mainly focuses on the Imperial Suite. The decor of the Imperial Suite in Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa takes inspiration from the  Orient-Express train service, embodying the epitome of luxury and travel that once ran from Paris to Vienna. The spirit of Orient-Express is well translated into the Imperial Suite at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. There are elements of train travel, and Orient-Express found in some of the doors and furnishings of the 190m² one-of-a-kind Imperial Suite in the hotel. The expansive L-shaped Imperial Suite spreads across five to six luxury rooms at Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. It has elements of a typical Presidential Suite (although the hotel does not name this suite as a Presidential Suite) and is the highest category Suite in Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa. With impeccably designed rooms and halls of old-world charm, the Imperial Suite screams of luxury and opulence for its guests. 

The Grand Foyer

I was wow-ed by the grandeur of the Imperial Suite the moment I opened its main doors. The Grand Foyer, laid with dark blue marble topped with a carpet that ends just short of the powder room in the suite, screams of luxury and opulence. The warm yellow lighting from the chandelier hanging from the antique-gold ceiling shines onto the dark blue oversized carpet with “Orient-Express” embroidered onto it, coupled with the wooden doors from the study at the side, makes me feel as though I am being transported back in time onto the Orient-Express. A couple of cabinets on either side of the Grand Foyer provide additional storage space for guests of the suite. Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa tastefully decorated the cabinets with art pieces that breathe sophistication into the Grand Foyer.

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The Study

The Study is the first room that guests of the Imperial Suite see when entering. Located on the right side of the Grand Foyer, this enclosed space is a great space for one to do their work. The wooden French doors at the Study provides guests privacy and solitude for their work. The parqueted flooring and the choice of brown-toned furniture at the Study give it an earthy vibe. At the centre of the Study is a work desk that is sufficiently large for guests to place their laptops and documents while working. The Study is also furnished with two comfortable fabric armchairs allowing the residents of the Imperial Suite to host guests at the Study and provide an additional option for residents of the suite to read a book. The decor in the Study is by no means bland, exuding a heavy sense of French elements from the small table lamp to the decorative table placed in one corner of this room. The Orient-Express theme is also found in the Study from pictures of the train hanging on the wall in the Study. With such sophistication in its decor, guests will find working in the Study of the Imperial Suite a pleasure.

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Powder Room

I like the inclusion of a Powder Room in the suite as it gives its residents the convenience of using this toilet while they are in the Living Room or Dining Room. On top of that, residents of the Imperial Suite can maintain their privacy if there are guests over in the Suite. These guests would not have to go through the Bedroom to use the toilet. The Powder Room location is very well thought through during the design of the suite, and it is situated straight from the main entrance down the Grand Foyer just before the Bedroom entrance. The Powder Room is very functional and only equipped with a toilet and a sink with huge mirrors. Despite the minimalistic design of the Powder Room, it still looks luxurious with the wood colour walls and the green marble tiles used in the Powder Room. The toilet in the Powder Room does not come with a bidet function (unlike the one in the main Bathroom).

The Bedroom

Further into the Imperial Suite at Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa from the Grand Foyer, past the small corridor that houses the Powder Room, guests will arrive at a double panelled wooden door. Behind the French style doors lies the Bedroom of the Suite. As soon as I walked into the Bedroom, my attention is drawn to the King Bed and the two-seater couch, sitting on top of a red carpet with a floral design that occupies a large real estate in the Bedroom. The decor in the Bedroom is more contemporary elegant, but with hints of French chic in some parts of this room. The choice of gold colour theme in the bedroom adds to the luxurious feel in the room. From the king bed base to the headboard, this room’s gold colour is not too overly used. The king bed, placed by the part of the wall in which the entire wall is the headboard, is comfortable and offers residents of the Imperial Suite an excellent sleep quality, recharging them with good night sleep. I find the pillows on the bed too soft for my liking. However, the hotel does provide firmer pillows upon request though there are no pillow menus in the suite for guests to choose from. On the sides of the bed are two reasonably large side tables. These tables, decorated with retro French-themed glass lamps which illuminate the bedside gently at night, provide guests with ample space to place their lifestyle devices with the abundant charging ports and power outlets by the bedside table. The addition of the two-seater couch in front of the king bed provides an additional option for guests of the Imperial Suite to laze on being entertained by the TV in the bedroom or to read a book. Guests will find comfort being warped by the goldish brown fabric on this two-seater.

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In front of the king bed, next to the Bedroom entrance, sits a TV console topped with a 46″ LED TV that offers numerous international cable and local channels that keep occupants of the Imperial Suite entertained throughout the night. I find the TV console’s height a tad too short that when lying on the bed, one can only watch the TV at a certain angle. The couch also hinders the signal from the remote control, which can only control the TV at a certain angle. The TV in the bedroom is the same size as that found in the Living Room with the same entertainment options.

Residents of the Imperial Suite at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa will be surprised to find a large walk-in closet in the bedroom. The walk-in closet is located behind a wooden door next to the king bed in the bedroom and provides ample space for residents of the suite to hang their clothes with hanging bars around this space. A reasonably large cabinet inside the walk-in closet offers ample space for guests ample space to stow the largest luggage one can find. As the walk-in closet is a tad far from the bathroom, I used this space mainly to put away the bags that I brought for this staycation.

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There is a smaller work desk in the Imperial Suite, tucked by one corner further in the Bedroom just by the entrance to the Bathroom. The glass top with metal frame in gold colour work desk, fully equipped with power outlets by the wall behind it, allows guests to do some work in the Bedroom. The accompanying fabric work chair is very comfortable to sit on with its ample cushioning. A single armchair by the other corner of the Bedroom with an accompanying small side table provides guests with another option to read a book from. Together with the art pieces displayed on the shelves next to them in this part of the Bedroom, these furnishings further complement the luxurious French theme felt throughout the suite.

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The Bathroom

Further into the bedroom, past another double panelled wooden doors between the work desk and the armchair, one would arrive at the main Bathroom in the Imperial Suite. Laid with a parquet wooden floor and carrying an earthy tone, the Bathroom in the suite is enormous. It is segregated into a wet and dry area. The dry area is the area nearer to the entrance to the Bathroom, where guests would find two sinks separated by the access to the wet area of the Bathroom. Each sink sits on a sizeable marbled countertop that provides ample space for the hotel to place the luxurious French branded Balmain bath amenities on each of the sinks and guests to place their toiletries on. Each sink area is furnished with a large mirror that covers the entire length of the wall. This is the first suite I have stayed in where I find not one, but two couches in the Bathroom, showing the expansiveness of the Bathroom in the Imperial Suite.

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Behind the sink area is where guests can find two additional closets for them to hang their clothes. I thought having extra closets in the Bathroom is an excellent idea as it provides greater convenience for guests in the Imperial Suite to access their clothing after a shower. Guests also do not have to walk to the walk-in closet in the bedroom to gain access to their clothes. These closets, together with the four-drawer cabinets inside the closets, are large enough to stow a week’s worth of clothing. Both closets are almost identical, except for the in-room safe being installed in one of the closets. The iron and ironing board are also tucked inside one of these closets.

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Beyond the sink areas are the wet area of the Bathroom where guests do their showering. Tucked in the windowed corner of the wet area is an oversized Jacuzzi tub that gently massages the stress away using bubbles. The use of bamboo blinds at the window gives the tub area a spa feel to it. To take the boredom away when soaking in the tub, Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa install a small TV by the Jacuzzi tub to entertain guests. However, the cable and international channels found in the other TVs in the suite is missing, and this TV is only limited to local channels.

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Opposite the Jacuzzi tub is where the toilet and walk-in shower cubicles are located. The white marble in these two cubicles gives it a luxurious feel. The toilet in the Bathroom is equipped with bidet functions, while the walk-in shower has regular and rain shower heads with perfect water pressures. I like the small ledge installed in the shower cubicle, which has sufficient space to place the bath amenities provided by the hotel and still has room to place personal toiletries and even a glass to place your toothbrushes in.

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The Living Room

The Living Room in the Imperial Suite is located to the left of the Grand Foyer and is one of the largest areas in the entire suite. The use of mahogany coloured walls with an antique gold ceiling, coupled with yet another chandelier hanging from the centre of the ceiling, screams of poshness.  The French style highback couches furnished in the Living Room reminds residents and guests of the Imperial Suite the French root the Sofitel brand entails. The Living Room in the Imperial Suite can further be separated into entertainment and reception areas. Upon entering the Living Room, a two-seater highback purple French couch catches the attention of occupants of the Imperial Suite. Placed in front of the 46″ LED TV, this couch is very comfortable to sit on while enjoying the numerous international and local channels on the TV mounted on the feature wall that separates the Grand Foyer from the Living Room. The addition of a table beneath the TV provides additional space for guests to stow small items and snacks.

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Behind the purple couch lies the central part of the Living Room. The set of large golden brown French-style couch set furnished in this area compliments the chandelier and the purple floral designed carpet to exude classic French charm. The comfortable fabric highback couch set, comprising a three-seater couch and four armchairs, provides ample seating in this area of the Living Room for residents of the Imperial Suite to host guests. Right in the centre of this couch set is a large dark-brown wooden coffee table that adds to the grandeur of the Imperial Suite. The addition of numerous art pieces elevates the sophistication and luxury vibe in the Living Room. I find the number of art pieces in the Living Room is just right and not too accessive. The only thing I find a tad disappointing is the size of the TV in the Living Room. Due to the spaciousness of the size of the Living Room, having the 46″ TV here seem a tad too small, especially for guests who are sitting on the three-seater couch, which is placed furthest from the TV.  Looking out from the window in the Living Room, residents in the Imperial Suite can get a commanding view of the resort grounds and even the sea afar.

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The Dining Room

The Dining Room, located behind the Living Room of the Imperial Suite, continues the French-inspired theme throughout the suite. The two French wooden style doors on either side of the entrances to the dining room provide its diners with the privacy they require. When all the doors in the Dining Room in the Imperial Suite at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa are closed, it resembles a dining car on the Orient-Express thanks to the colour theme on the walls green carpet. The addition of the chandelier hanging on the antique-gold coloured ceiling, together with the art pieces, makes the Dining Room feel elegant. In the centre of the Dining Room sits a long dark brown table and six comfortable fabric chairs. The size of the dining table is large enough to be able to sit eight to 10 people. Despite being one of the smaller parts of the Imperial Suite, the use of mirrors on the Dining Room walls makes this space feel larger than it actually is and adds to the luxurious feel radiating in the Suite.

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Kitchenette

Past the Dining Room, guests of the Imperial Suite will come to a kitchenette. This small space houses some common kitchen appliances that one can find in a typical hotel room on top of the mugs and glasses. The kitchenette is furnished with a mid-size fridge, the top range Nespresso machine with frothing functions and even double sinks. There is even a wine rack in the kitchenette. Opposite the entrance to the kitchenette is a second entrance to the suite, where staffs can access from for in-room dining. However, during our stay, this door was not used by the staff.

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Service

During this stay at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa, the service received during this stay is impeccable and a stark difference compared to my last visit in Dec 2020 with the hotel. The excellent service started even before we stepped into the hotel. Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa honoured the Platinum status of my friend with an early check-in at noon. As soon as I stepped into the hotel grounds walking towards the reception, I was warmly welcomed by Aaron from the concierge team. He diligently ensured that all guests entering the hotel grounds did their check-in and had their temperature taken. Aaron then showed me the way to the reception for the reception team to process my check-in.

The service at the reception was nothing short of excellent. I witnessed what makes great teamwork during check-in. I was initially served by Synedrella (I hope I got her name right), who greets us with warm welcomes. As our room arrangement is a tad complicated (we had two suites for the first night and another night in the Imperial Suite), seeing that she was overwhelmed, Synedrella’s colleague, Timon, standing at the next counter immediately jumped in and helped her to process the check-in for one of the suites. Timon and Syndrella split the check-ins amongst themselves to not have to wait too long for the check-in process to be completed. As the arrangement for my stay involves switching suites the next day, Wai Wai stepped in to help out with the complicated arrangement. Wai Wai even went the extra mile to check if the Imperial Suite is being occupied at the time of our check-in and offered to upgrade us to the Imperials Suite if available, so we do not have to go through the trouble switching suites during our stay. As there is only one Imperial Suite at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa, Wai Wai apologised for the inconvenience of making us go through the hassle of switching suites (although by no means was her fault). She also offered to send help with our luggage during the suite swap the next day, which we declined as we did not have a lot of baggage. Wai Wai promised a seamless suite swap the next day. Wai Wai honoured the benefits of Platinum Accor member status and gave us a late check-out for the Imperial Suite. The suite swap was seamless the next day, and keycards were brought to our suite when the Imperial Suite was ready for us to move into.

The service at Kwee Zeen was also significantly improved from our last visit. This time around, we were welcomed by Kour at the front of the restaurant, who immediately got us seats and even helped us swap seats when my nephew insisted on indoor seating. The staff at the restaurant were observant and immediately cleared the plates when we are done with the food. The team at each buffet counter were superb and always ready to serve up the choice of guests during breakfast.

The new government measure of dine-in restriction occurs during our stay, the F&B team at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa were ready to comply with the new restrictions. I am impressed with the readiness of the hotel team in complying with new government policies. We received a call from Kour on the second night, informing us of the new measures and to take our orders for breakfast and the timing for our breakfast to be delivered to our suite. Kour was patient during the call and answered all my queries on the food arrangements. As the Imperial Suite has a proper dining table, the initial setup was for my sister’s family’s breakfast to be delivered to our suite to dine together. However, close to 11 pm, my sister told me that they wanted to have their breakfast in their suite. I called the One-Touch service to alter the breakfast arrangement. The team helped us change the arrangement, and the breakfast was delivered correctly and on time the next day.

On top of the great service we experienced with the staff at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa, the hotel’s hospitality is also felt when we entered our suites. We were pleasantly surprised to discover a high tea set (which was not common in hotels) was placed in the Imperial Suite waiting for us, on top of a fruit platter and a bottle of wine. Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa also provided its guests with care kits comprising sanitising wipes and sprays, and hand sanitisers in each room to ensure guests stay safe during the pandemic.

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Hotel Facilities

Breakfast @ Kwee Zeen

Guests staying at Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa will be having their breakfast at Kwee Zeen restaurant, located opposite the reception. Unlike most of the hotels in Singapore that I have stayed so far during this pandemic, I am pleasantly surprised to find that breakfast is served as a buffet-style instead of pre-determined sets. Each station has a plastic shield and is manned by a staff readily serving guests’ choices at their station. There is a good spread of local and international options for breakfast at Kwee Zeen. Due to the new COVID-19 measure of banning dine-in announced by the government, which starts on the second day of my stay at Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa, breakfast was served to guests in the room. Each guest is entitled to one set of the pre-determined breakfast sets, which was promptly delivered to the suite during my stay.

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Swimming Pool

There are two pools in Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa. The main pool is situated in the heart of the hotel grounds, near the hotel’s lobby. The black tiled pool is large by any hotel standards is segregated into three parts catering for families with children and guests who wanted to do a few laps in it. It is also one of the deepest pools in any hotels around Singapore, with the deepest end of the pool measuring 2.3m deep. This is one of the few hotels in Singapore that has a lifeguard on duty. There is no lack of sundeck chairs and cabanas around the pool for guests to laze their day away. As part of the COVID-19 measures, Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa control the crowd at the pool very well. Guests wanting to utilise the main pool are to make a booking for the usage of the pool. Each room is entitled to a 2-hour time slot per day. The other pool at Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa is located off-site at the SO Spa premises. Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa offer its suite guests staying complimentary access to the facilities at SO Spa. As the SO Spa is somewhat out of the way, I did not use the pool at SO Spa during my stay.

Gym

There is a small make-shift gym on the hotel premises, occupying the lawn space next to the pool. The gym in Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa is a tad small compared to other hotels or the SO Fit that it once occupies. Despite its petite area, the gym at Sofitel Sentosa Resorts & Spa is well equipped with machines and gym equipment that allows guests to do a decent workout. However, the gym was close due to new government restrictions to curb the rising COVID-19 infections in Singapore. When the gym was operational, guests are entitled to a daily 2-hour booking slot per day.

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Overall

We had a wonderful stay at Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa. The Imperial Suite is tastefully designed with old world charm that blends the essence of Orient-Express and classic French elements. The suite is very comfortable in every part of the suite, from the Living Room to the Bedroom. I am most impressed with the Jacuzzi tub in the suite that relieved the stress and provided a great night sleep in the king bed in the bedroom.  The service is nothing short of excellent from the moment we stepped into the hotel to the time we leave the hotel. The hotel is also agile in complying with the new governmental pandemic restrictions. The only room type in Sofitel Sentosa Resort & Spa that I have not stayed in is their villa, which might be on my list the next time I return for another staycation.