Overall Rank
Room Price (SGD)
Loyalty Programme
Room Size (m2)
Bedroom Rank
Bathroom Rank
Bath
TV size (inches)
Hotel Grounds Rank
Pool Rank
Gym Rank
Spa Facilities
Breakfast Rank
Breakfast Price (SGD)
Bar Rank
Hotel Surroundings Rank
Gym Rank
Treadmills (no)
Bikes (no)
Ellipticals (no)
Rowings (no)
Strength (no)
Flexibility (no)
Others (no)
It’s got a very specific target market: the guest in the mood to party. Not everyone will like its loud and flirty design aesthetic, but its Wonderful Room is good.
The W Singapore – Sentosa Cove has a very specific target market: the guest in the mood to party. Its design aesthetic is loud and flirty, evoking fashion runways, lounges and glamour — and it’s got a curated soundtrack to match. There’s little middle ground here: it’ll likely sound perfect to some people and hideous to others. Its Wonderful Room is big and spacious. There’s also more space to drift in the 1,338m2 WET pool, one of Singapore’s largest outdoor pools. It’s possible to go from inflatable unicorn to cocktails at its WET bar without leaving the water and the sweet beats of its underwater music. While it’s nowhere near the beach, it’s next to the restaurants and cafés of Quayside Isle at Sentosa Cove.
We review anonymously and pay for everything. All opinions expressed here are our own and all information is correct as of our last stay or visit and subject to change without notice.
While we might not go as far as to call our Wonderful Room a “mesmerising swirl of art and fashion”[1], we couldn’t ignore its force of personality. In addition to its “bold purple hues”, “floral motifs, and “stylishly curated décor”, a panel by the bed offered more mood lighting settings, including a “flirt” option. But looking past its design aesthetic, at 40m2, it’s still larger than most other rooms we’ve reviewed. Its restrained furnishing also kept the clutter in check while a wide floor-to-ceiling mirror on the wall by the window further reinforced the feeling of spaciousness. It wasn’t all perfect — the corridor from the entrance to the bedroom felt tight and necessitated some clever but imperfect[2] design in its wardrobe doors to fit the tight geometry. Still, this is still one of the best hotel rooms we’ve reviewed — even if we weren’t in the mood to party.
In the shelves under the TV, we found a music CD titled “Symmetry: A Selection of Sounds by Michaelangelo L’Acqua”[3]. This went into the DVD player connected to the in-room Bose sound system. The DVD player and Bose sound system also hooked up to the 40-inch TV — all set for movie night. We were surprised however to find only 27 TV channels were available, with just HBO for English movies — rather limited compared to other hotels we’ve reviewed[4]. However, pay movies were also available for SGD16.05 per 24 hours while DVD rentals of children’s movies were free.
The complimentary in-room coffee and tea selection also went beyond the basic. In addition to TWG Tea, there were sachets of in-house coffee beans and a French press (though we did wonder if some guests might prefer the inclusion of instant coffee). The minibar contained more snacks and drinks, though this wasn’t complimentary. For the hotel’s target market — the guest in the mood to party — there was also a cocktail shaker. To get that party started, the (non-complimentary) in-room dining menu offered a list of spirits — vodkas, gins, rums, tequilas, bourbons, scotch whiskies, and Japanese whiskies — by the bottle. These came with four 300ml bottles of mixers, two 1l carafes of juices, and a small bowl of savoury snacks. For less aggressive parties, the beverage selection also included cocktails, smoothies, juices, and single servings of spirits.
We did feel a little over-reach in the bathroom though. While we appreciated the separate bath tub and toilet and shower rooms, it felt a little tight, especially in the toilet room. That said, the space constraints were less obvious from inside the bath tub, not least because it was next to a glass window opening into the bedroom. While the glass window had blinds that could be drawn down, we didn’t find it perfect in ensuring privacy. The toiletries were from UK-based bliss spa: body wash & bubbling bath, supershine shampoo and conditioning rinse, all from its lemon & sage line.
See our in-depth review and pictures of this breakfast buffet.
We felt the breakfast buffet at the hotel’s Kitchen Table restaurant was good overall. Basics like eggs and breakfast meats met our expectations. We especially liked the noodles in soup made to order either with chicken or laksa broth. However, we probably wouldn’t come all the way to Sentosa Cove just for this breakfast buffet when it’s priced the same as our best reviewed breakfast buffet — the Capella Singapore’s.
If the hotel’s target market is the guest in the mood to party, its lobby lounge and bar WooBar is where that guest parties. Beer was relatively cheap here compared to other hotel bars we’ve reviewed, but other drinks weren’t. Still, there was a massive selection of drinks here — the largest of all the hotel bars we’ve reviewed. We found the cocktail menu especially playful. Our order of Harry’s Tokyo, for example, came in a hollowed-out light bulb with a PowerBar protein bar on the side. Likewise, our order of the W Singapore Slingshot was served in a can of Tiger beer, popsicle soaking inside, accompanied by a fish-shaped jelly. We’d be especially careful around ordering the SGD530[1] Last Call though — it consists of mezcal, chatreuse, maraschino, lime, and one night’s stay in the Wonderful Room.
The in-room dining impressed us with its wide food selection — the largest among the hotels we’ve reviewed — which included healthy and largely meatless options under its “Fuel” label. Most importantly, it lived up to our expectations. We felt the 300g Rangers Valley Australian rib eye steak was a little overpriced at SGD104[1], but had no complaints over the superb flavour and marbling of the meat itself. We also enjoyed the baked baby chicken, butterflied to ensure even cooking without drying out the meat and accompanied by an excellent smoky sweet barbeque sauce.
The breakfast service didn’t disappoint us either. We enjoyed our breakfast quesadilla, a tortilla pocket loaded with creamy scrambled eggs, cheese, and beef sausage. Our Nutella French toast wasn’t the fluffiest we’ve had, but we couldn’t resist such a guilty pleasure, especially with a generous swirl in its rich coffee toffee sauce. From the list of breakfast sets, we ordered the “Energize” American breakfast (“Revive” continental, “Spice” Asian, and “Fuel” healthy sets were also available). This offered only one choice of eggs — fried sunny side up — which came atop a juicy pork sausage and streaky bacon.
While it didn’t reach the art gallery-like collection at the Capella Singapore, there’s quite a bit of art at the W Singapore – Sentosa Cove. Befitting the hotel’s design aesthetic, it tended to recline towards mischief. A massive golden sculpture of wrapped candy, for example, dominated the hotel’s lawn where guests could play badminton. There were seats in the lobby to enjoy the hotel’s vibe and soundscape; the hotel shop, W the Store, also offered opportunities to purchase merchandise like bliss spa toiletries. It was clear to us however that the sunbeds and hammocks by the pool were the place to be, preferably in shades and swimwear. For more quiet contemplation, there were seats at the ends of the corridors in the floors above the lobby with views of the marina.
The single sprawling 1,338m2 WET pool is one of Singapore’s largest outdoor pools, with speakers pumping music underwater so no one needed to leave the hotel’s soundscape. About half of the pool was shallow for leisure swimmers and children to wade and wander on the complimentary giant inflatable swimming floats. We found the other half somewhat deep enough for swimmers looking for a workout and long enough for laps, but the action on the shallow half tended to spill over. More than once, the odd inflatable unicorn and its entourage of frolickers drifted into our lane. The WET Bar’s corner of the pool offered some respite from the frenzy with massaging water jets and drinks without even leaving the water.
The WET Bar served more food and drink out of the water poolside featuring the most extensive poolside food and drink menu we’ve seen in Singapore. Finger food options included spring rolls, chicken wings, potato chips, and pizza. Healthy meatless options under the hotel’s “Fuel” label were also available. Desserts included popsicles, frozen charcoal yoghurt, fruit, and aloe vera. The beverage selection included an extensive list of cocktails.
The 24-hour FIT gym is located on the first floor of the main building and is our favourite hotel gym among the hotels we’ve reviewed. It’s one of the largest gyms in terms of floor space, though we felt the Aileron Wellness gym at the Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa was probably bigger. The gym was also the best-equipped, by our count of the available equipment. This included some unusual equipment like a FitVibe vibration platform and a TechnoGym Kinesis One[1]. The gym also offered Strala Yoga classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays and a “Go hard or go home” boot camp every Tuesday morning from 8:00–9:00am in the lawn — free for hotel guests.
Just opposite the gym is the AWAY Spa which seemed quite in sync with the hotel in its branding and marketing. Its SGD294[2] signature 90-minute AWAY Massage is a “stress-relieving full body massage, promoting tissue regeneration and toxin-removal” to “detox from a long, playful night out or to refuel for whatever comes next”[3]. It seems to work: Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore named the AWAY Massage the Best Hangover Cure in its 2018 Spa Awards. AWAY Spa also has 60-minute massages — including its Quick Muscles, Energy Balance, Aroma Ku Nye, and Prana Vitality treatments — which cost SGD188[4]. But even without a treatment, hotel guests could access its wet facilities for free — these included infrared saunas, steam rooms, vitality pools, whirlpools, and experience showers.
21 Ocean Way, Singapore, 098374
+65 6808 7288
