Hotel Review: W Singapore - Sentosa Cove (Marvelous Suite) - Luxurious Family-friendly Getaway in Sentosa Cove
Opened back in 2012, the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove may not be the swankiest looking hotel in Singapore but it is still a great property if you are looking to spend some time in the sun (it has an amazing swimming pool!) or away from the city. As the name suggests, W Singapore - Sentosa Cove is located in Sentosa Cove and if you are thinking about doing a staycation here, it is best that you drive - otherwise, there is a shuttle bus between the property and VivoCity (which is connected to HarbourFront MRT if you are planning to take the public transport) so make sure you check out those timings before heading to the pick-up spot.
Click HERE for more information (including bus timings) on W Singapore - Sentosa Cove!
Unlike most city hotels, the room rates here at the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove run higher on weekends (especially Saturdays!). If you are a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite (or higher) member and are used to getting free suite upgrades, your chance for one is comparatively low here on a weekend so make sure you put one of those Suite Night Awards to good use! Managed to get a confirmed suite upgrade? Lucky you, the Marvelous Suite is easily one of the nicest suites that I have ever stayed in Singapore.
If you hold The Platinum Card from American Express, you will get a complimentary night at the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove or The St. Regis Singapore each year - this is a recurring benefit and it is also one of the main contributing reasons as to why I chose to renew my card this year. The Marvelous Suite (lead-in suite category) at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove measures 80sqm in size and all of them come with an expansive balcony (that runs along the length of the entire room) with views of the marina and WET Pool (if you are lucky!). If you are planning to get some work done while you are here (why?!), there is a workstation located towards the back of the living room that does not look out to the amazing view (because it will be impossible to get anything done otherwise).
The living spacious living room makes it the perfect spot for you and your family (or friends!) to get together - there is even a decent sound system here so you can enjoy some of your favourite beats while you are at it. Now, I am in no way advocating the use of hotel rooms and suites for elaborate personal parties (especially when it runs late) but there is really no harm in getting a few close friends over for a drink or two so long you keep the noise levels to an acceptable level.
To my understanding, all of the Marvelous Suites here at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove come with a view of the marina but only select suites look out to the WET Pool (but I may be wrong). You can access the massive balcony from the living room and this space runs across the perimeter of the suite, offering almost 270-degree of impressive views from the comfort of your own living areas.
The living room of the Marvelous Suite that I stayed in looked out to the beautiful marina and its surrounding areas. If you are familiar with the location, you would have noticed that the ONE°15 Marina Club (which is an alternative staycation spot) sits directly across from the balcony. There are also restaurants in the area along Quayside Isle and if you are looking for recommendations, I personally enjoy Blue Lotus, Gin Khao as well as Sabio by the Sea - all of them are just a short 3-minute stroll from the hotel. If you are feeling lazy, The Platinum Card from American Express gives you up to 50% off the total F&B bill across the restaurants within W Singapore - Sentosa Cove - SKIRT has fantastic steaks and getting them 50% off with the Love Dining benefit is a huge deal!
The bedroom of the Marvelous Suite is my favourite part of the entire suite - I absolutely love the amount of natural daylight this space enjoys and how you can easily open up the entire space using the sliding doors to create a seamless transition between 'outdoors' and 'indoors'. For whatever reason, the TV in the bedroom is tiny (especially when you consider how far away the bed is) and I really hope they do some light refreshments to the room in the near future (perhaps smaller TVs were in trend back in 2012 when the hotel first opened?). Over the years, some travellers have criticised the room interiors at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove but they look relatively well-maintained to me. If you are traveling with children, I can assure you that the swinging chair located at the corner of the bedroom is where they would probably want to spend all their time in.
As mentioned earlier, you must love the sun and the fresh air if you are planning a staycation at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove - plenty of space is dedicated to the balcony and there is even a daybed where you can work on your tan (or enjoy a glass of your favourite beverage!) during the day.
The Marvelous Suite that I was assigned to also looked out to the beautiful WET Pool (which is in my opinion, the best hotel swimming pool in Singapore!) so that was fantastic!
Marvelous Suites here at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove feature a plush king-size bed. Unlike some other W Hotels that I have been too which featured decorative pillows which were symbollic to the city (e.g. boxing gloves in W Bangkok), the pillow on the bed here featured a monkey which I kind of understand (since it is a tropical country) but also a bit of a stretch.
Light controls for the bedroom (including a master light switch) can be accessed from the bedside - I really like the different mood lighting settings here in the room and you can easily toggle between the different scenes to suit your mood and occasion. Complimentary drinking water was also thoughtfully provided by the bedside in case you get lazy to walk to the living room.
Located next to the entrance of the bedroom is a small walk-in wardrobe where you will find ample space to hang out at least a week's worth of outfits. I also appreciated the fact that the rooms and suites here at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove come with an iron as well as an ironing board. The reason why I mentioned this is because at top-end luxury hotels like The St. Regis Bali Resort, the butler is the person to go to for all your ironing needs but honestly, I rather do this myself due to time constraints. Now, there used to be a W Store located within the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove but this space has been re-purposed - if you are looking to bring home W-branded merchandises, you will be able to find (and purchase!) a snapback cap here in the wardrobe for a very reasonable fee (something along the lines of S$10 but I cannot remember it off the top of my head).
The bathroom of the Marvelous Suite differs greatly from those that you will find in the regular rooms - you may check out my review of the Fabulous Room here - and this is a huge differentiating factor if you are one of those that enjoys a nice soak throughout the day. Not only is this space bigger, the standalone tub actually comes with jets that will enhance your bath experience. In fact, if you enjoy a nice bubble bath, the jets will make you a bath you will never forget (be prepared for plenty of bubbles!).
At the time of writing, bath amenities are provided by Bliss Spa and since this is a suite, you will get the larger 120ml bottles instead of the 30ml ones - I really like the face wash that you get here and I tend to bring this along with me when I leave. However, as some of you may already know, W Hotels worldwide will be replacing the amenities from Bliss Spa with a MOMO branded one - I have not personally encountered them but I do have made quite a few reservations a W Hotels around the region so look out for that.
The bathroom of the Marvelous Suite also comes with a small TV which is mounted at a rather odd corner - I did not bother using it as the sky and marina view was everything you need from the tub.
I always recommend getting a breakfast-inclusive rate if you are staying here at the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove for the weekend - most of the restaurants have not opened yet in the morning and if you are traveling with kids, they will definitely love the pancakes here! If you are a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite (or higher) member, you will get to choose between having breakfast for two adults or 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points as your welcome amenity - opt for the breakfast as that will save you quite a bit of money (unless you are planning on sleeping-in).
The buffet breakfast is served at The Kitchen Table but the spread (and seating) spans over to SKIRT which is located adjacent to the main breakfast venue. I have found the selection to be rather decent and quite extensive for a 'resort-style' property (which typically limits the selection so hotel guests will spend more on F&B later). There are also various hot food stations and guests can opt for dishes like noodles and freshly-steamed dim sum just to name a few. As you would expect, the restaurant does get pretty busy after 9:00AM so make sure you get in early for a less chaotic breakfast experience. During my visit, I realised that there was no easy way of knowing whether a table was taken - guests were assigned to tables that were already taken and that created quite a bit of mess (and unpleasantness).
I really enjoy a lazy weekend at the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove and getting a guaranteed 4:00 PM late check-out as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member makes the whole experience so much better - there is no need to rush off after breakfast and there is always plenty of time to enjoy the swimming pool. As mentioned earlier, the weekend rates can run quite high so it is sometimes advisable to book one of the special packages - I personally like the one that gives 5,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points for a rate that is only slightly-higher than the Advance Purchase rate. Alternatively, if you wish to secure your spot in a suite, the Marvelous Suite usually goes for only S$200 more and some of the room rates come with S$100 F&B credit which you can use during your stay - fantastic value!
W Singapore - Sentosa Cove
21 Ocean Way, Singapore 098374
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The wait is finally over! W Singapore - Sentosa Cove is now approved to start accepting leisure bookings from local residents (i.e. staycation) in Phase 2 of Singapore’s reopening!