Today you will find a longer review about my stay at the new open W-Hotel Singapore – Sentosa Cove – a Starwood SPG hotel and when going on this special trip I was not sure what to expect. The hotel is located on Sentosa Island, a short island in front the coast of Singapore and only a 15-20 minute drive from famous Orchard Road in Singapore.
W-Hotels are often very crazy and always party – so you do not know what to expect on these properties – the W-Hotels in London and Beverly Hills are my favorits, the ones in Miami and Los Angeles for example I didn’t like so much… so what to expect.
This W-Hotel Sentosa Cove Singapore by Starwood is not the typical hotel, it is also a Resort, direct on the cove with the hugest hotelpool in Singapore – in the neighborhood you will find a lot of new opened restaurants and places, Universal Studios Singapore with the largest aquarium is also just minutes away. So looks like a few real special days coming up…
Front desk / Checkin:
The front desk is located on the second level – you can select two 360° elevators and find yourself on a video installation or you take the red carpet to checkin with a great LED installation on one side. The team was really prepared to arrival and what I really enjoy they introduce themselves directly, due to the hotel policy to operate without a name-tag – so it is very easy to get in a conversation and getting all necessary information. After the regular checkin process, I was guided to my room or better, a “Marvelous Suite” located on the corners of the building with a view to the pool, the yacht club and over Sentosa Island. A really friendly team who remembered you during the whole stay and very open for ideas or suggestions what you can do (also outside the hotel) is always available for you “Wherever, whenever”
Rooms / Suites
I would like to show you this time two kind of rooms – the “Standard room” available with or without balcony (I suggest you use the rooms with balcony and can relax on the warm weather directly on your privat balcony or terrace) – and my Marvelous Suite with 81sqm (860sqf) and show you more pictures later on this post.
The “Standard Room” offers you a welcome area with access to the bathroom and the chance to sit in the bathtube and look outside your room. The theme of the hotel with small butterflies, birds and ornaments is everywhere (the typical impressions of Singapore) also on the room, the backside of your bed, the lights and sitting area and can be illuminated also on your mood in different colors (more about that later on my videoclips) – a very relaxing place with enough space to spend for a few days
The “Marvelous Suites” are located on the corner on the floors and offer a separate living room with working area, huge television and sitting possibilites with direct balcony terrace and guest-bathroom. A huge sleeping room with impressive bathroom and great bathtube with view over the yacht-club and ocean is the second part of this suite. What I like is the space you find on this suite and the different sitting possibilites on the balcony and the sleeping sofa outside (where I already wrote one of the blogposts at 1am) overlooking the pool. The shower of the suite is gorgeous and the bed, also with the famous W-comfort and all the illuminations a perfect place to relax.
So if you prefer turn-down-service in the evening, you will find your room or suite in a complete new style – purple lights everywhere, a real party atmosphere and I am sure you will enjoy it. You will also find different other rooms (all nearly the same size) and other suites (approx. 75sqm) and the famous Extreme Wow Suite with 195sqm, ready to host every party you like!
Gym / Spa
The gym including the electric plates and newest cardio-machines is located on the lower level, open 24 hours a day and for me the more important place, the spa is located opposite – open from 10-10. I decided for a neck and body massage and it was really wonderful and also on a very fair rate (compared to other hotels). What I enjoyed on this spa is the untypical form – you go deeper and deeper inside the spa and the treatments areas are located outside the loud spots of a hotel, without getting disturbed any more. Very friendly staff, taking care on you during the whole time and also offering the new fabulous Balinese massage and also different services for couple on a special treatment room.
Pool
The pool is real huge (also compared to other hotelpools in the world) and the biggest pool in Singapore – not to deep with different lying possibilites and sport activities inside the pool (e.g. riding bicycle). It also contains a pool bar with sitting possibilites inside the pool – so you can refresh twice on the bar. What I really enjoyed are the swinging sunchairs (also possible for two people) and the different illuminated seats around the pool – perfect for the evening with friends to sit together or still go swimming by night… 
Eating, Drinking, Dining
The typical “open” concept by W-Hotels is also available here, where the entrance area of the hotel becomes a living room – located between “Woo-Bar” and Front-desk a perfect place to connect with friends, have wonderful talks and great cocktails from the bar. During the evening you will always find live-music from famous DJs all around the world and can start the party directly.
The “WOO-Bar” is located on the side of the lobby-floor and offers look into the garden and pool of the hotel with different sitting possibilities all around the bar, depending on your personal needs. What I didn’t know before arrival was that the bar is not open only in the evening, also during the day and offering a wonderful “Tea ceremony” with special selected teas and sweets and what I never saw before served on a “birdcage” prepared with Macaroons, different cakes and also special items like salmon rolls and more… I have not done a tea ceremony in Singapore before, but really enjoyed these moments, wonderful conversation, great information about this traditional way and a very delightful tea. For the evening you can select different drinks, cocktails and more and enjoy great music.
The “Kitchen Table” is an interesting concept, different cooking islands on a restaurant, ready for the morning breakfast (where you find on every island typical dishes of a country or region) – so a real place to discover and to spend more than 30 minutes in the morning. Very interesting on this place is, that you do not have only the typical “buffet-style” – but also cooks and waiters coming around and showing you special food and explaining it… so you are willing to try also new food, you never saw before. For the evening they will serve a regular menue with moderate prices, also very comfortable for families.
The “Skirt” is a Steak-Restaurant operated by their Australian Chef de Cuisine with a very moderate price range (for a steak-house) and a wonderful setting – with details you will discover during the dinner. Special pepper and salt mills, wonderful knife and fork, leather plates and a very interesting design for the different parts of the restaurants. You will find my personal review about my time at the “Skirt” steakhouse on a seperate posting already here.
Concierge / Wheels / Whereever, whenever
When I saw this service the first time at W-Hotels it sounds really interesting, but it is true – just press a button on your phone and they will always know the answer or can organize the product or tickets shortly for you. That makes hotel-life really easy… and the typical “Wheels” car service is already famous for fans of W-Hotels or Starwood/SPG. The bellcaptain and concierge can also arrange a taxi for you or you prefer taking their driving service bringing you on a little bit higher charge directly to the place where you want to go in a much more comfortable style. (e.g. Audi A8, Porsche Cayenne, etc.) – I used this service on my departure way to the airport and everything is prepared without asking one question… Perfect (and also very comfortable 
Thx )
Team / Staff
I stayed on many different locations of the world and hotels from 1star to 5star , but the best property is nothing without the staff – if they do not feel comfortable, you will feel it immediately as a guest. My favorit hotel over the past three years was the Grand Hyatt Hotel Hong Kong, because of the team and the handling of the guest – I won’t believe it how perfect they worked… but the team of the W-Hotel is the same, a little bit more “positive crazy” but very friendly and helping you on every question or guiding you directly to the person who knows the answer and introduce you to each other. Very friendly and open minded staff and I was surprised, they didn’t forget my name during the whole stay… you enter the hotel as a guest with a reservation and you will leave the hotel as a friend… – wonderful feeling and the best compliment you can give to a hotel – “staying at friends…”
Summary (my personal review and opinion)
This Starwood-SPG Hotel – W-Hotel Singapore Sentosa Cove – is indeed one of the best Starwood hotels out of 1100 hotels of the group I ever stayed at (and I already had about 800 stays in Starwood hotels) – great location, perfect spot, everything so close (you only need 20 minutes to the center of Singapore, 10-15 minutes to Marina Bay Sands Casino and the Garden by the Bay). A perfect place with great rooms (also the Standard room!) a fantastic swimming pool and great dining and drinking possibilites.
They offer this service on very fair rates, especially eating and drinking is very moderate, also the spa (compared to a lot of spas in the USA). This hotel is a great offer and I can recommend to spend two to three days on this property and keeping it as a basis for Singapore during the trip. You can take the public transit system (free shuttle bus on the island) or you book a taxi (Sentosa Cove to Orchard Road about 10-12 US$ / 8-10 EUR). If you prefer to discover the center from Singapore directly with a Starwood / SPG Hotel you can stay at the St. Regis Hotel Singapore for one night and spend the rest of the vacation at Sentosa Cove and also visit Universal Studios Singapore. The W-Hotel also offers a complementary shuttle to the city of Singapore what also is a great offer!
What I personally enjoyed are always people who listen to guests, like the staff of this W-Hotel did, as they heard that I always enjoy coffee, soft-drinks and water during the whole day – I found on my return more coffee packs, more cups, more water – just to be safe that I feel comfortable. These are the “small” things, which will make a stay special or just regular. The “software” of this hotel – the team – is simply PERFECT and if you think about going to Asia or only Singapore – you have to go there… I will count the days till I go back to Singapore and stay again at the W-Hotel Singapore Sentosa Cove again – thank you for a wonderful time!
