Best Hotel in Singapore

[stillthinking22]

Stopping over in Singapore for 3 nights (two nights on way out and one on way back). We're happy to blow the budget a bit on somewhere amazing for the first 2 nights but wondering if the likes of Marina Bay Sands are worth it? Will be 2 adults and a 4 year old and we'd like to be close to the Gardens by the Bay. Recommendations gratefully received. Thanks!

Hotel jen orchard gateway was lovely. Rooftop pool. Not especially blow the budget but good and nice location

Personally I think a suite at Raffles is best. I find Marina Bay Sands too much of a tourist attraction (for non-residents) and it lacks charm. A lot of the 5 star hotels in Singapore are getting a bit dated inside (e.g. Shangri La, Ritz-Carlton) but the colonial splendour of Raffles never dates and the service is always outstanding. Forget Singapore Slings, you want the Millionaire cocktail in the Raffles bar.

(Friends currently staying in their favourite suite at Raffles as I type this and spamming me with photos to make me jealous).

We absolutely loved Marina Bay Sands! We spent 3 nights there a few years ago and our kids still talk about it being the best part of any holiday ever. The view from the infinity pool is unbelievable (especially at sunset), the hotel staff were so lovely, and the location was fantastic. Our room was great and very spacious even though it was just a standard room. Singapore was wonderful and I'm sure there's many brilliant hotels there and you won't go wrong wherever you stay!

Club room at the Ritz Carlton
Sunday buffet at the RC (you need to book and include champagne) is amazing

+1 for Raffles. Marina Bay Sands is overrated (imo) for how much you pay.

Cheapest room in Raffles is about £600 a night and it is pretty basic
Marina Bay Sands is very Dubai (and the location is rubbish- cant understand why previous poster said it was good)

Any recommendations for a mid budget hotel? £200 a night ish ?

I haven’t stayed in either hotel - but have wandered through the MarinaBay Sands - and was pretty disappointed. The Fullerton Bay Hotel looks totally amazing ( walked past it )
There are so many amazing hotels in Singapore - and so much to see outside your hotel room that personally I wouldn’t spend over the score . You can stay in a great hotel for less than half the cost of the very” famous” ones.

Well, each to their own, but the location was fantastic for us as it is right next to Gardens by the Bay (and has a stunning view of it), next to the ArtScience Museum which our children loved, brilliant view of the city and the light/water show from our room and the pool, loads of child friendly places to eat within 5 mins walk ranging from air conditioned food court to outdoor street food, has its own MRT station so it was quick and easy to get to other parts of the city that we wanted to visit such as Little India and Chinatown... For us with primary school age kids it was perfect.

Point taken
I don't have young children (and when I did the hotel didn't exist although we used to watch the various land reclamation and building over many years from when they were under 1 to now being 25- visiting SG each year).

Fullerton!

Marina sands is way too busy, hour long check in queues etc.

We always stay in the Four Seasons which is perfect

I went for two weeks and we stayed at the one farrer hotel in little India which was excellent. We had one night at raffles and one night at marina bay sands plus one night at Sentosa Island, which were rather touristy to be honest. Much preferred the location and ambience of the One Farrer.

Marina Bay Sands was lovely for a visit to the bar, but I was shocked by the ground floor lobby - with various counters, crowds, schoolkids on tours, etc. it felt like an airport terminal! After looking up the (dull) rooms I was very glad we didn't splurge on a stay there.

We used to live in Siglap, on the edge of ECP and we had the most fabulous apartment but still chose to book just one night in Marina Bay Sands, just to see what it was like, shortly after it opened. Absolutely loved the infinity pool and the view at night, but honestly, other than that, really not worth the money. Was hugely disappointed by the breakfast and the room was no better than other hotels in the area. Also don't, whatever you do, stay at Sentosa.

The Fullerton Bay Hotel is absolutely beautiful.

Marina Bay Sands is overrated, and unless you can afford a suite at Raffles I’d just go there for a drink.

Mandarin Oriental had just reopened after a massive refurb. Not too far from MBS.

I’d second a suite at Raffles if you are only there for a few nights.

Have stayed at 20+ 5* hotels in Singapore and The Fullerton Bay was our favourite. Also really enjoyed Raffles but I think I prefered it before the renovation in 2019. The Fullerton is lovely too, and there are really nice hotels at a lower price-point like The Intercontinental in Bugis. The Mandarin Oriental has my favourite breakfast and pool.
The Capella is a bit overrated in my opinion and not worth the $$$

Thanks for the tip, sadly I think Raffles is slightly over budget this time.

Good to know, thank you! We really only have one full day and with a 4 year old we just want it to be easy to see the sights. Husband also feels the infinity pool is a once in a lifetime experience. Have seen comments about the long check in times there (and at other hotels) but wondering if it depends when you go. We'd be going early March and arriving on a Monday evening so guessing it might not be so busy...

@CarAccident which location do you recommend? I hate Dubai so this is my worry! Don't want to feel I'm staying in a touristy shopping mall

Was looking at the Shangri La in orchard for our second stopover as just want somewhere to flop for a night with good kid facilities so location not so important. Would you not recommend? I also really like the look of the Four Seasons

Also considering the Crowne Plaza in the airport for our second stopover as will be arriving late afternoon and leaving following morning so seems like it might be an easy option. Anyone stayed here?

It was the pool (and location) that we booked it for to be honest, and it definitely didn't disappoint! Maybe we got lucky, but check in and check out were both really quick for us (no queue at all). The hotel foyer is open for anyone to walk through (and is the entrance to an adjoining shopping mall), so it does feel a bit different and touristy while you're checking in compared to other hotels in that respect, but once we entered the hotel itself (which only guests can access) we were instantly away from the 'tourists'. We also hate Dubai, but loved MBS - does it have any old school colonial charm like many other 5* hotels in Singapore? No. Does it have the coolest pool ever imo? Yep 😂 So I guess it depends what you fancy! For us as a one off with the kids it was awesome, even though it's not the usual type of hotel we would opt for.