“Nothing in Singapore is more than half an hour away,” laughed the driver when I asked him how far is the drive to W Singapore Sentosa Cove.

It has been at least three years since I’ve been to Singapore. The currency is 3.3 times more valuable than ours, its airport is 10 times more modern than ours, and its city is many times more developed than ours.

To a Malaysian, Singapore is an expensive country. Sentosa, which is located at the very Southern tip of the city-state, is considered expensive to Singaporeans. Sentosa Cove, where W is located, is even more so.

The Cove

More than once someone told me that “Singaporeans say, in Sentosa, even the air is not free”. Although told in jest, there is a truth behind it. Starting next year, visitors will have to pay to enter Sentosa island. 

Sentosa Cove is located at the very southern tip of Sentosa, on the opposite side of the island where all the fun is (Universal Studios). This is where the locals work and the immigrants live in luxury. 

The Hotel

The facade of W Singapore Sentosa Cove is deceptive. It is understated with its mosaic blue windows, brown elevator tower, and single-letter badge. All at the end of a u-turn.

Once inside, the playful extravagance of the hotel is apparent. To the right is the restaurant, ahead is a large set of stairs decorated with a red carpet and light-up cattail, and to the left where the concierge is are two cylindrical glass elevators with seats. It only goes up and down one floor.

Arriving at the lobby on the second floor, the first thing that caught my eye was the giant golden candy beyond the glass wall (towards the pool) and how thoughtful the lobby is designed.

I especially liked the island of four couches just in front of the row of front desks. They are big enough so total strangers can sit apart comfortably while small enough for acquaintances to sit together and chat. 

I was lucky enough to get a room early. The process was pleasant but different from a colleague of mine who checked in later, got a later room, a chance at a lucky draw, and didn’t have to put hundreds of SGD on hold to get the room. 

The Room

For this one-night stay, I was afforded the “Spectacular” room which has a balcony and a view of the marina. It is a step up from the most basic room, the “Wonderful”, which only has a window facing the road I just came in from.

“Spectacular” is an appropriate name for the room because it does have an amazing view and I just adore the balcony. 

The room itself feels spacious because of its simple layout, fun decor, and smart use of space. The bathroom has a bathtub, separate shower, separate toilet, a shallow sink, and an oversized vanity. Everything else, like the wardrobe, bar, fridge, hot drinks, TV and work area is against the wall.

A large king-sized bed is the largest piece of furniture in the room, but it still leaves plenty of space for lounging near the balcony. 

There are plenty of free power sockets around the room so I had no problem charging my iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad Air all at the same time. 

I liked the room, but it did have some quirks. 

The air conditioner didn’t get very cold. Because it was the rainy season, I didn’t miss it, but without it, the humidity in the room was high. It was as if the AC is not functioning properly.

Managing the lights in the room can be confusing. The bathroom and valiant lights are easy enough to understand with their dedicated controls. But for the rest of the room, guests are given moods instead.

For example, the switch marked “Hello” bathes the room in warm light while the switch marked “Adventure” makes it turn purple. These four “moods” in all next to the master switch.

There’s also a switch next to the curtains and the large mirror that I could not figure out. Some knobs to turn on some laps are either loose or missing as well. 

Speaking of curtains, I wished they were motorised. They didn’t open and close smoothly and by the looks of it, some of the sliding mechanism has slid off to its track. 

I wished there was also a curtain that covers the frosted (and openable) window that leads from the room to the bathtub. At night, turning on the bathroom light would light up the whole room without it. 

Also, if two persons are sharing a room, one cannot go to the toilet while the other showers without someone being in the open because the two shares the same sliding glass door. 

Watching TV was the last thing on my mind, but I did try to figure out how it worked. The entertainment system in the room includes a BluRay player and a Bose speaker system. There are even speakers in the bathroom with separate volume controls.

I was tempted to just turn on some music and slide close the TV cabinet. However, the system in my room is a bit janky. 

There’s supposed to be only one IR remote to control everything, but I found two. Not all of the buttons on the main remote were working, so the secondary one compensated. 

I reported all the little issues to the front desk when I checked out, not as a complaint but as something they could fix for the next guest. I was only there for the night, the bed and the shower were all I need, and they were excellent.

The Surrounding Area

Being early and only having a plate of horrible wantan mee at Old Town White Coffee for breakfast back at KLIA, I had to find lunch. I took the chance to walk the Quayside Isle Shopping mall, a collection of eateries and cafes facing a dock full of yachts and a collection of eclectic shops and services facing the residential area. 

All of the eateries are high-end and cater to the “ex-pats”. There’s even a Jason’s Deli — a high-end grocery store — among the shops. 

For something more affordable (and does not close when the sun sets), walk further along the pier for a Cold Storage and a 7-11. Pocket-friendly life-savers.

The Amenities

During my short stay, I only experienced the hotel’s business room, convention area, and breakfast. 

I commend the staff at W Singapore Sentosa Cove for being so friendly and atentative. I never felt like I had to wait for anything and everyone is always ready to help.

The selection of food and the service at breakfast is excellent. Being a Muslim in Singapore, I had to be mindful of what is Halal and what is not. In addition to the buffet, guests can also pick something off the menu for breakfast. 

Talking to my colleague, not everything on the menu is excellent, and I guess I got lucky with the eggs Benedict on crab cakes. 

The convention area is surprisingly spacious. At least 150 people were attending the conference. They even served us lunch there. Like any mindful host, vegetarian options were served as well. So I didn’t go hungry.

I heard from other journalists that they’ve attended wedding receptions at the hotel with 300 guests. That’s how nice and accommodating the event area is. 

Altogether there are 8 event rooms, 5 breakout rooms, and a maximum capacity of 540 in the biggest space.

The hotel even has a business centre where one can “set up base” and work. A lifesaver for a travelling journalist. It’s well-designed and hidden in a quiet area, but it doesn’t provide enough noise dampening to provide noise privacy between guests in the facility. 

Because we couldn’t use the breakout room to conduct an interview we were booked for, we did it in the business centre. My colleague was scheduled to go first.

During his 20 minutes interview, staff scrambled to look for the key that would unlock the meeting room and I can hear every word of it from the entrance of the business centre. 

Once it was my turn, they managed to find the key so I can do my interview in privacy. But the room was dimly lit and the AC wasn’t running well.

Would I Stay Here Again?

Maybe.

It is a luxury hotel, the rooms are great, and the service is excellent. Extra points for the decorations and amenities. But if I was paying, I would demand better especially from the rooms.

On top of that, to get anything affordable I’d have to go as far away from the hotel as I can. 

There is a shuttle bus that comes around every 15 minutes that takes guests to the other side of the island. From there, there is a monorail that can take passengers off of the island to go to the more conventionally affordable Vivo Mall.

I almost did that just to get lunch, but the host says they’ll cover my meals.