Way back in 2018, I set out on an epic mission to stay at and write about every notable luxury hotel and resort in Singapore. Having had little experience with luxury hotels and hotel loyalty programmes, I was keen to understand the hospitality industry better, find out what sets different hotels and loyalty programmes apart from each other and discover the best hotels in Singapore. The end result was The 2020 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotels, a love letter to the hospitality industry in Singapore which celebrated its sexiest bedrooms, most breathtaking views, best swimming pools and most luxurious executive lounge offerings.
One on-going pandemic later, plenty has changed since that guide was published. New hotels have opened (e.g. The Clan Hotel Singapore, Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore), some hotels have reflagged (e.g. Hilton Singapore to voco Orchard Singapore, Six Senses Duxton to Duxton Reserve, Le Meridien Singapore, Sentosa to Oasia Resort Sentosa), certain properties have completed significant renovations or refurbishments (e.g. Capella Singapore, Goodwood Park Hotel, PARKROYAL Collection Marina Bay), and many hotels have changed in terms of their offerings, e.g. bathroom amenities (e.g. The Vagabond Club Singapore, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore), restaurant concepts (e.g. Andaz Singapore) and executive lounge food and drink selections (well, virtually every club lounge in the country since the pandemic started).
One aspect of hotel facilities that has remained unchanged throughout the pandemic is the hardware of the guest rooms. I always found the shower experience an integral part of a hotel stay, with my favourite hotel memories usually involving cavernous shower stalls with powerful rainfall showers, gorgeous vanities as well as glorious frolicking in deep bathtubs. This article celebrates the best bathtubs, bathroom and shower spaces across Singapore’s top luxury hotels – think ethereal stone bathrooms, sea-facing bathtubs, iconic backlit vanities and powerful massage jets in the shower.
CAPELLA SINGAPORE
With its sleek lines and cool stone textures, the shower area of the Andre Fu-designed and newly-renovated Capella Suite plays it almost Aman Tokyo-esque in its ethereal, zen elegance, while a glass partition and automated blinds separate the bathtub from the outdoor balcony area which overlooks the South China Sea. For those who prefer an outdoor shower experience, the resort’s One Bedroom Garden Villa allows for a naturist cleansing session in the daytime or, if you prefer, an atmosphere-laden shower experience in the dimly-illuminated space after dark, made particularly more thrilling if you happen to look up into the trees above your shower area and are familiar with Sentosa Island’s rich history.
All Capella Singapore rooms and suites are stocked witha Aesop bathroom amenities, and their spa-luxurious geranium leaf fragrance is likely to lull you into a state of ultra-pampered calm.
THE RITZ-CARLTON, MILLENIA SINGAPORE
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore plays home to the grand daddy of all bathtubs in Singapore, with all its marble bathrooms showcasing the hotel’s signature octagonal window next to the bathtub which forms the subject and backdrop of thousands of photographs across social media – ranging from pensive and celebratory to saucy and sexually-charged – and usually involving the strategic use of foamy bubbles and wet backs.
Pro tip: the Premier Suite is the only room category which overlooks the iconic Singapore Flyer.
THE WAREHOUSE HOTEL SINGAPORE
Overlooking the Singapore River and looking like something out of Monocle or Arch Daily, the 57sqm loft-style and industrial-chic River View Suite at The Warehouse Hotel Singapore has a soaring peaked ceiling as well as an open plan layout, with the ensuite bathroom comprising a freestanding vanity, standalone deep bathtub as well as black metal-framed frosted shower doors and walls which only faintly obscure the nude silhouettes of its occupant(s). That kinky last feature also makes an appearance in the ground floor River View Room, in the event you are unable to justify the minimum two-night stay requirement of the River View Suite.
THE CAPITOL KEMPINSKI HOTEL SINGAPORE
Overlooking the Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski, the Grand Deluxe Room in the Capitol Wing of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore channels an art gallery scene, with a neoclassical backdrop beyond the bathroom windows as well as a seat next to the bathtub for heartfelt conservations between bather and watcher. Those with less exhibitionistic tendencies will enjoy the elegant shower room as well as the luxurious Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul bathroom amenities.
FAIRMONT SINGAPORE
The marble bathrooms in the recently-refurbished Lamborghini-esque rooms at Fairmont Singapore (read: not their Peranakan-style rooms, which maintain their more conventional design) offer spacious rainfall shower spaces, beautiful vanities with light-framed mirrors and one of the best uses of relaxed bathroom lighting I’ve come across in a local hotel.
THE WESTIN SINGAPORE
The Westin Singapore’s sand-marble bathrooms offer striking views and an abundance of sunshine, courtesy of its floor-to-ceiling windows and high-floor setting. Each of the coast-side property’s bathtubs is usually located next to the window, a characteristic which provides plenty of opportunities for body-submerged, wine-fuelled and contemplative moments gazing into the waters/cityscape (depending on the view from your room).
JW MARRIOTT SINGAPORE SOUTH BEACH
The pristinely white bathrooms at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach (as well as the marble ones at The St. Regis Singapore) are equipped with multiple vertical jets in the shower which give your obscure, hard-to-reach spots a glorious, spa-style hydro-prod.
VILLA SAMADHI SINGAPORE
The cavernous bathroom of the Luxe Sarang (there is only one of its kind at Villa Samadhi Singapore) boasts white ceramic tiling, double vanities, two antique armoires (wardrobes), a toilet bowl and an open-concept walk-in double rainfall shower with bathroom amenities dispensable from blue-and-white china bottles. Doors at the end of the bathroom can be used to directly access the outdoor plunge pool which is a nifty touch, although one might prefer the much geriatric-friendly ladder access from the front yard instead.
There are blinds near the shower area which can be lowered to protect one’s private modesties from the eyes of those in the plunge pool, front yard and beyond, and I can confirm that people taking the stairs to and from breakfast venue Tamarind Hill are not able to indulge their voyeuristic tendencies and look into the bathroom or at the plunge pool area from their higher elevation vantage points since the Outhouse’s perimeter walls go high enough. However, there are no blinds for the window in front of the toilet throne and the double doors which lead to the bathroom, meaning the Luxe Sarang may be best suited for the most intimate of lovers as well as army buddies who have seen each other’s junk (both the bodily and expelled varieties).
ANDAZ SINGAPORE
The iconic round backlit mirrors found across the beautiful bathrooms of Andaz Singapore have already firmly established themselves as social media fixtures. For those in the mood for romance, the Andaz Large Suite King offers a spacious double shower as well as a window-side bench thoughtfully located near the freestanding bathtub, with the art gallery-esque set-up no doubt facilitating deep and meaningful bubble-laden conversations.
SOFITEL SINGAPORE CITY CENTRE
The sleek and posh marble bathrooms of Sofitel Singapore City Centre‘s Prestige Suites come with double vanities, enclosed rainfall showers and sizeable bathtubs with their own bathtub caddies, each with a metal rack for holding a book or iPad as well as a slot which securely holds your wine glass. (Each caddy comes with an actual self-improvement book for your naked spiritual development.) Another reason to stay at a Prestige Suite: instead of the usual Lanvin amenities stocked in the normal rooms, you get fancy Hermès bathroom amenities.
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