On our way back to Sydney from Europe (London to Frankfurt on BA, and Frankfurt to Sydney on Qantas) we decided to break the trip with some time in Singapore to ease the jetlag pain. It ended up being 2 nights, and meant we were fortunate enough to enjoy the InterContinental Singapore to relax over the couple of days we had in the City.
I booked the room on the pretty amazing friends & family rate that IHG offers, which I’ve summarised in my Priority Club guide. Not only that, but the InterContinental Singapore is one of the few InterContinentals out there that offer room upgrades, confirmed in advance, to Ambassador Members. The location of the Hotel and my perception of it as a pretty well-rated place to stay, eat and spend time in all made it a really appealing prospect for a relaxing 2 day break after all the traveling of the previous month.
The Stay
We arrived at the InterContinental Singapore in a cab from the Holiday Inn Atrium and were met by a bevy of porters at the door who took bags and generally were pretty amenable. Having booked a room with Club access so were moved upstairs to the Club lounge to handle our check in at the Club reception desk, which was handled efficiently and friendly with some drinks served while we waited – a nice touch.
The Lobby – reception and check-in is just around the corner
The room was ready for us and we headed up to the 10th floor to settle in and relax. First impressions were excellent- at about 50 square metres, this was more than roomy enough, and felt positively palatial compared to our room (for a comparative price) at the IC Barclay New York earlier in the trip.
That night I sampled both the evening drinks and hor d’ouvres in the Club lounge, with a cliche Singapore Sling. The food was really excellent, good quality, along with drinks served by the Club lounge staff with a smile.
Some of the evening food on offer…
We ordered room service later that evening. The menu was very varied with a wide variety of Asian and Western dishes and reasonably priced as well – we ordered a couple of soups which came with a whole range of extras including fruit, biscuits, and fresh hot bread. It felt like great value, and the presentation and high quality made the otherwise simple meal feel pretty deluxe.
The next morning I took a look at the Pool area (but decided not to go for a swim; not enough time) which seemed pretty nice and relaxing. A decent amount of space around the pools at least, and quite a few daybeds and poolside bar, which was understandably closed at 9am.
Pool area
Breakfast in the Club lounge was just as pleasant as the evening snacks the night before, with plenty of choice and a chef on hand to cook to your omelette of choice. I went for the buffet and had a great selection of pastries, muffins, hot and cold options, and some great coffee on hand from the staff regularly passing by.
We spent the day mooching around Singapore, heading over to the (pretty crowded) Marina Bay shopping centre on foot via Raffles and catching the subway back to the hotel.
After that, we were ready for Afternoon Tea and then some evening snacks back in the Club lounge before packing and settling in for the night – jetlag pretty much countered (for the Adults – baby jetlag was another matter though!).
We then sped off to Changi for the flight to Sydney around 7.30 the next morning, after saying our good byes to the reception and door staff.
Conclusion
The whole stay at the IC Singapore was absolutely brilliant – we had a great time. I loved the classic environment and architecture of the lobby and Club Lounge – and the lounge really added significant value to our stay, with seemingly improved service, great food & drink and place to chill outside our room.
All staff, from first enquiry through to last goodbye, were willing to bend over backwards to help with any of our requests. They were all absolutely lovely to us as guests in their hotel. All of their small gestures made the difference – the Manager giving me her business card on check-in, and insisting I contact her if there were any issues; the excellent room service spread with unexpected bonuses and trimmings; the vast fruit platter served up each day we were there (an Ambassador benefit, I believe); the Club staff being adoring of our daughter – it all added up to more than meet my expectations of the place.
At the rate I booked at, to get such a vast room and such a great environment and service, was a cut above anywhere else we stayed on this trip. Thoroughly recommended, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.
This content contains affiliate links from which Point Hacks may earn commissions from transactions generated from new customers, bookings and general enquiries. Find out more here.
Community