I pulled the trigger on this one on impulse due to the same sudden realization of wanting to maintain my Plat Elite this year which the Double Elite Night promotion would help to accelerate.

Address – 30 Beach Road, Singapore 189763. Website.

Contact – Tel: +65 8181888. Email: jw.sinjw.contactus@marriott.com.

Price – Total of $657nett with the 3rd night free using Hotelux Stay 3 Pay 2 offer. This includes USD100 dining credit on top of my Platinum Elite benefits including access to the Executive Lounge etc. A great deal in my opinion!

Location – the hotel is part of the South Beach development and enjoys immediate access to a plethora of dining and shopping options between South Beach and Cityhall surrounding. The property is also easily accessible via Cityhall (NS25 / EW13) and Esplanade (CC3) stations which pretty much covers your transportation in the town area.

Pre-arrival – I received my pre-arrival email 2 days prior and it includes a detailed list of info including the need to book meals and facilities which can only be done upon physical check in.

Check In – The front desk was empty on a weekday 12noon and my formalities were settled in 15mins. Unfortunately, my room was not ready but the team took my luggage to be placed in the room once it was – it was eventually ready at 130pm. I asked if any bigger rooms were available and they said those were all booked out, which corroborates what showed on the app so that’s fine.

Room – Either due to Hotelux or my Platinum Elite benefit, I was upgraded to the Premier Marina Bay, Larger Guest Room, Marina Bay View (40SqM). Yays to more space! Room 1616 is a corner room and honestly a lot nicer than what I remember from than my last stay, though I’m still kind of unsure about the liberal use of mirrors e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. I think I am too old for that haha.

The door opens to a walkway before you see the actual room and contains a plush king bed alongside a super long day bed which oversees the marina bay. There is also a TV (non chromecast), a work desk which didn’t quite work so well for WFH because they feature a rocking chair instead of a typical work desk. The desk also contains 2x individually wrapped disposable masks + a hand sanitizer as your care kit.

The wardrobe / mini bar area are right beside the bed, encased in copious amount of mirrors. Fully functional and quite enough space for 3N I must say.

The bathroom has a single sink with plenty of countertop space, a bathtub (!), and equipped with Aromatherapy Associates toiletries which was a abit….siap for me. For some reason, I really like separate toilets and shower layouts! Water pressure could be a little stronger though.

My welcome amenity was a very generous fruit basket.

Breakfast (menu here) – served at Beach Road Kitchen from 7:30am – 10:30am, the place was suitably crowded close to 9am on weekdays and big space with different seating areas can mean you can have problems getting some attention but when you do, you are greeted with smilely politeness and if you happen to be served by Flora, you’ll be well taken care of. Stellar service.

Dishes I tried include their Lobster Egg Benedict, Nasi Lemak, 2-eggs your way served with sides, and ham and cheese omelette which all were quite nice. Coffee can be stronger but perfectly doable to start mornings with.

Executive Lounge – (menu here) is now only opened from 12nn – 9pm but that’s still plenty of time to graze and guzzle. The space is exactly how I remembered it to be, complete with a sensory assault of kaleidoscope. Tables do seem to be more spaced out (but of course) and window seats are super popular. I came by at 645pm on a weekday and they were all taken. Sob. Service was good, with junior sous chef Jerome and the Club team Hazel and Yusoff making impressive efforts all-round – great service everytime I’m there.

Afternoon Tea (2:30pm-4:30pm) – I missed some afternoon tea due to work arrangements but here are the ones I did manage to try. Items come to you on a 3-tier and you can order more of any items if you like. You’ll spot finger sandwiches, canapes, and scones but the clotted cream and jam were no good.

Hors D’oeuvres (530pm – 7:30pm) – More than enough food for dinner and you can order more of selected items if you so desire. Cold items come to you in a 3-tier while the hot dishes are served separately. Food are okay as dinner and honestly, a single pax serving is more than sufficient for an absolute whale of a time (geddit?). Also, more carbs than proteins and desserts are underwhelming.

Evening Cocktails (5:30pm – 9:00pm) – While it’s only a small selection of wines including prosecco (too sweet) and a handful of cocktails (not my cup of tea), its hard to beat 4-hours free flow if you can drink that much. I stuck to red wine most times throughout the stay. Then I discovered they had great gin tonic. Though…is it a sign if they ask me if I want a double shot when I order seconds?

Madame Fan – I spent about half of my credits on food on dim sum (menu including dim sum here). Both the Scallop Siew Mai ($18++) and Mud Crab Wanton ($18++) were not bad but expensive and I’d only eat it if I have dining credits to burn. The rest of what I tried (har gow, pork ribs, chicken feet, fried seafood roll) were more “reasonably priced” at $6-$9 per portion and was quite nice! Place itself was super nice though with luxurious velvety seats and deep rich colors. Music was also similarly themed and you’ll hear classic mandarin / English oldies accompanying your bites. Expect a very business-y and or tai tai clientele.

Facilities –

Spa by JW – Located at the East Wing on level 2, it is a really nice space and the sense of relaxation does come right across as I walked in. I splurged on a 30-min back & shoulder massage for $60++ to burn off the remaining of my credit and I didn’t regret it at all! Shaa from the spa’s front desk was super professional with my arrangements and invited me to check out their Relaxation Lounge before my treatment which features individual lounge-y massage chairs with different settings you can play with. My masseur came to get me shortly before my appointment and delivered 30mins of somewhat tough love on my knotty shoulders with rose oil. Their jacuzzi and steam / sauna facilities were complimentary for Plat Elites but unfortunately I didn’t get to try. Next time for sure!

Pool (Flow on 18th) – The pool is a longish rectangular shape made more for IG shots than actual swimming. It’s probably one of the windiest pool area I’ve been to so don’t wear short flowy skirts ladies! Other than the pool, the bulk of the floor is decked out with lounge-y outdoor seats and could be a peaceful alfresco spot to hide in during non-peak periods.

Fitness Centre (18th floor) – A little smaller than what I expected for the property size but still quite adequately equipped if you need to work up a sweat.

Check Out – Done within 10mins on a weekday at 430pm.

Service – Other than the stellar service by Hazel, Yusoff, and Flora mentioned above, every staff I encountered were all smilely politeness and nothing was too much trouble. In particular, this property enjoys what someone coins the ninja housekeeping service where I found room already made up when I returned from breakfast at 10:30am one morning. These housekeeping ninjas also made sure my stuff is all nice & neat, random cords coiled up nicely, and proactive enough to give extras of what I used up most.

In summary,

great hardware, great service, great value, though lounge food quality can be improved. Still, one of the best value staycation experience post-covid and it made me definitely keen to come back at least once more this year!