In December 2025, I checked into the Loft Suite at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. Set within a former post office building along the Singapore River in the Central Business District, the 400-room hotel is now a gazetted national monument and one of Singapore’s most famous addresses. The hotel is just steps away from Raffles Place MRT Station and the historic Boat Quay stretch. Nearby attractions such as the Merlion Park, Esplanade, Singapore Flyer and the iconic Marina Bay Sands are within walking distance, while Singapore Changi Airport is around 20 minutes away by car.
Other hotels under The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts include The Fullerton Hotel Sydney and The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong. Other hotels in the vicinity include Marina Bay Sands, The Westin Singapore, QT Singapore, Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore and Pan Pacific Singapore.
The UTW (“Under Ten Words”): Iconic Singapore heritage hotel steeped in history and elegance.
The must-dos (if any): Have champagne breakfast and evening canapes and cocktails at The Straits Club, soak in the riverside infinity pool, take a stroll within the premises to look at the plaques and historical artefacts.
THE FULLERTON HOTEL SINGAPORE
Overlooking the Marina Bay waterfront and skyline, the neo-classical hotel is set within the former General Post Office building, a gazetted national monument which was built in the 1920s and designed by architecture firm Keys and Dowdeswell (also behind The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore). After extensive renovation works to redevelop the building into a hotel, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore officially opened its doors on 1 January 2001. Guest room interiors are courtesy of Hirsch Bedner Associates (The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, Capella Bangkok, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, Singapore Airlines’ The Private Room).
The hotel’s beating heart is its atrium-style lobby with soaring ceiling and an abundance of natural light, which makes the space perfect for both corporate power lunches and chi-chi afternoon tea. The ground level includes multiple dining concepts – The Courtyard, Jade, Town Restaurant – as well as The Fullerton Cake Boutique and The Fullerton Shop which retails Fullerton merchandise such as the hotel’s signature collections of plush teddy bears in various uniforms and outfits, with my favourite being The Fullerton Spa plush bear – just look at those slippers in them little feet!
In addition, the ground level comprises a variety of retail tenants, including optical concept Jamco and whisky gastrobar Signature Reserve, as well as two art gallery spaces: The Fullerton Heritage Gallery, which showcases the rich heritage and history of the property and precinct through rare photographs, postal artefacts, recordings and interactive features, and the East Garden Gallery, which serves as a dedicated stage for various rotating exhibitions. Educational plaques and artworks depicting iconic heritage scenes in Singapore adorn the walls of the property, steeping the property in rich history and a strong sense of place.
In terms of wellness, the fitness centre and The Fullerton Spa are situated on the mezzanine floor (1M), with the latter offering a selection of treatments using luxury skincare and wellness brand ESPA as well as steam room and sauna facilities. One level above is the 25-metre outdoor infinity pool overlooking the Singapore River, with the dramatic Doric columns behind the pool lending a sense of austere Greek majesty.
The hotel is an underground connection away from its sister property, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, as well as the two-storey waterfront development One Fullerton with its diverse range of F&B concepts, including Shoukouwa, Saint Pierre, Chicha San Chen and Palm Beach Seafood.
LOFT SUITE
My 109sqm Loft Suite was one of the hotel’s eight Loft Suites which were recently renovated and relaunched in 2022, with refreshed interiors courtesy of hospitality design consultancy Aston Design (ANA InterContinental Tokyo, Fairmont Hanoi). With its towering ceiling, double levels and leafy verandah which is flanked by 6-metre Doric columns on either side and which offers panoramic bay views of the Marina Bay area, the Loft Suite is pretty something to behold. The verandah experience will differ depending on when you are outside – daytime is best enjoyed with sunglasses on and a champagne in hand while smouldering (or giving presidential waves) to the hoi polloi on the roads below, while nighttime seems more suited for red wine-led lounging and heart-to-heart talks with the illuminated Marina Bay Sands as the backdrop. Either way, the atmosphere is undeniably regal.
In terms of aesthetic, the suite pairs classic colonial elements with botanical motifs and flashes of Oriental flavour in the form of ornate ceramic vases and jars around the space, including one displayed in an alcove along the curved staircase which leads to the upper level. Drawing inspirations from Singapore’s bougainvillea and butterfly pea flowers, half the Loft Suites have a pink colour palette while the other half adopts soft blue hues.
The suite’s moniker may suggest a cosy upstairs nook for sleep, but the space plays more like a two-storey apartment. The lower level comprises a work desk, dining table, minibar and central sofa seating area, with a Harman Kardon bluetooth speaker available to provide the relevant romantic or chill soundtrack, while the bedroom, wardrobe and bathroom are located on the upper level. The bed faces the soaring French doors, with bedside automatic controls to open and close the curtains and facilitate that magical, Emily In Paris-esque “glorious sunshine slowly fills the dreamy suite” moment when you wake up and stretch.
The pantry is stocked with Bacha coffee sachets, Nespresso coffee capsules and TWG tea bags, while the minibar comprises a variety of snacks, beers, wines and non-alcoholic beverages. Each suite comes with a Fullerton plush bear, but the cute creature can only be your companion for the duration of your stay. (He is, however, available for sale at The Fullerton Shop on the ground floor).
The bathroom features double sinks, an enclosed rainfall shower space and an ensuite bathtub with bath tray, bath salts and a small window with manual blinds from which you can peer out at the proceedings beyond. I appreciated the power socket which permitted the use of the Dyson hairdryer provided (a rarity in modern Singaporean hotel bathrooms). Bathroom amenities are courtesy of French luxury fragrance brand Diptyque.
DINING
Breakfast is served at Town Restaurant, the hotel’s international buffet restaurant on the ground level. The restaurant offers a variety of seating options, with the al fresco riverfront tables and sun-blessed lobby atrium seats being my favourite. The buffet spread comprises the obligatory cold cuts and pastries, including Pulut Hitam Chiffon Cake and Pandan Muffin; a Japanese section with Prawn Kakiage, Oden, Chawanmushi, Zaru Soba and Wakame; an egg station which also provides Furikake Sous Vide Egg; an Indian section with dishes such as Vegetable Vadai, Aloo Gobhi and Rajma Masala; a Laksa station with an array of ingredients for selection, including prawns, mussels, clams, quail eggs and vegetables; a A DIY local Kopi and Teh station with condensed milk to add as you please; local specialties such as Nasi Lemak, Chicken Curry, Lo Mai Gai and Chicken Char Siew Pau; and an ice cream counter with offerings such as Matcha Gelato, Raspberry Sorbet and Chocolate Gelato.
Well-known for their Weekend Yum Cha menu, swanky Cantonese restaurant Jade keeps the Chinese proceedings elegant with its beautiful bird motifs and distinctive jade colour palette. The Sautéed Diced Chicken with Spicy Dried Chilli’s Chinese name (辣子虾酱鸡) suggested a orgiastic revelry between prawn paste and Chongqing spices, but the end result was decidedly much of the former and a dusting of the latter, while the Mapo Tofu with Minced Wagyu Beef intrigued with its black bean slant and fattiness rich chunks of beef. The Fried Rice with Lobster, Tomato and Egg in Rice Wine Gravy was essential Tomato Egg Fried Rice given a luxurious upgrade with tender chunks of lobster, while the Simmered Rice Vermicelli in Fish Broth with Sliced Red Grouper was my favourite of the evening, a dusky dalliance with a deeply smoky beauty.
The Courtyard is the hotel’s happily-sunlit atrium lobby lounge, a popular weekday daytime spot for blazered business meetings, floppy hat tai-tai get-togethers and amorous dalliances (a former colleague actually sneaked here during office hours on multiple occasions for mid-day liaisons). Elsewhere on the building’s highest floor, The Lighthouse primarily serves as an event space but is open for bookings on special occasions such as New Year’s Eve, during which the space hosts course dinners and countdown parties.
THE STRAITS CLUB
Located on the 4th floor, The Straits Club offers champagne breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktail presentations, with Veuve Cliquot champagne on pour throughout the day upon request. The hotel also offers an extensive tea selection, from alfonso and Napoleon to Silver Moon, Pai Mu Tan and Geisha Blosso, and even includes Jade Restaurant teas (Royal Red Robe, Tangerine White Tea, Dragonwell Supreme).
In comparison to the potentially chaotic buffet set-up at Town Restaurant, breakfast at The Straits Club is a decidedly more serene a la carte affair with a small buffet (think Fried Rice, Mushroom Ragout, Assorted Grilled Vegetable, Plain Congee) to amuse yourself while the a la minute dishes are being prepared. In terms of the menu, those who like their eggs can go for the Australian Breakfast (poached eggs with avocado, vine tomatoes, feta cheese, lemon balm, sourdough, Murray River salt), Eggs Benedict (English muffin, smoked salmon or Black Forest ham, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce) or Italian Breakfast (truffle scrambled eggs with ricotta cheese). Their Farm Fresh Eggs are highly customisable in terms of preparation style and ingredients – I had an Omelette with Sakura Ebi, Ham, Bacon and Chorizo Bits which was fairly excellent.
The breakfast menu also provides a variety of Asian dishes. The Singapore Laksa was a creamy situation with Boston lobster for that infusion of luxury, while the Chicken Char Siew (served with egg noodles, bak choy, lava egg, marinated abalone, clams, jellyfish, crispy salmon skin, XO sauce and collagen broth) was a meeting of minds between Hong Kong noodles and ramen. The Seasoned Rice with Spices Wrapped in Banana Leaf intrigued with its flavour and the tease of spice from the sambal belacan, although the accompanying wagyu beef rendang may have done too many international editions of Hyrox without reflecting just why it spent so much money flying around the region to do essentially the same thing.
Afternoon tea was a buffet spread of savoury finger food and dainty treats such as Spinach Quiche, Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich, Turkey Ham Sandwich, Chicken Sausage Puff, Nyonya Kueh, Ondeh Ondeh Cake, Mango Passionfruit Cake. In comparison, evening cocktails was more substantial with Beef Lasagna, Golden Pumpkin Roll, Chicken Charcoal Slider with Szechuan Aioli, Breaded Prawn and Impossible Meat Ball Piquillo Coulis, with Pulut Hitam and further Nyonya Kueh for a sweet finish. As my stay coincided with Christmas Eve, there was even a carving station which served Grilled Chicken, with the accompanying (and boldly spicy) curry sauce being an unexpected but inspired choice. There is also an expanded drinks selection, with cocktails such as Tom Collins, Gimlet, Singapore Sling and Negroni available in addition to the hotel’s house pours.
There were plenty of Caucasian (in particular, Australian) guests who were lavishly dressed for their evening Christmas gallivants, champagne was flowing freely, friendships were being formed between strangers and raucous laughter rang often. It was quite the vibe, and certainly not something I have seen often in most other hotel lounges in Singapore.
CONCLUSION
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore has always held a special place in my heart being the icon she is, and this stay cemented my already established belief that the hotel’s offering is truly distinctive, immersive and memorable. The Loft Suite was a truly ultra-luxurious experience, and The Straits Club was the lovely cherry on top of the cake. Definitely one for the bucket list.
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178
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